ICC Attorney General Fatou Bensouda, in Khartoum, Sudan, October 20, 2020. -

Ebrahim HAMID / AFP

The Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda said on Wednesday that she had opened an investigation into alleged crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, an initiative to which Israel is firmly opposed.

Fatou Bensouda previously said there was a "reasonable basis" to believe that crimes were committed by members of the Israeli forces, Israeli authorities, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups during the 2014 Gaza war. .

Israel not a member of the ICC

"Today, I confirm the opening by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court of an investigation into the situation in Palestine," she said in a statement.

"The investigation will focus on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court allegedly committed in the situation since June 13, 2014."

Unlike Palestine, Israel is not a member of the Hague-based ICC and has vehemently opposed any investigation.

But the ICC judges had paved the way for a war crimes investigation by ruling last month that the court had jurisdiction over the events in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

In December 2019, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she wanted a full investigation after a five-year preliminary investigation, while asking the ICC to determine whether its scope extended to the Palestinian Territories.

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