Families of Israeli victims approach ICC with war crime complaint, want Hamas to be prosecuted 

The families of nine Israeli victims of Hamas’ attack on October 7 have approached the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleging war crimes, their lawyer said Friday. In a statement, the lawyer Francois Zimeray, said that the families also want Hamas to be prosecuted for genocide and have asked the ICC to issue an international arrest warrant for its leaders. “The complaint concerns victims who were all civilians,” Zimeray said, adding that several of them were at the “Tribe of Nova” rave party – a music festival. “The complaint states that the Hamas terrorists do not deny the crimes committed, which they have amply documented and broadcast, and that the…  facts cannot therefore be disputed,” he said. As per the rules, any individual has the right to bring up a case to ICC but it is up to the court’s prosecutor to launch an investigation. In 2021, it opened a probe into Israel as well as Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups for possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories. Israel to set up tribunal for Hamas terrorists Israel is planning to set up a special tribunal to try the detained Hamas terrorists who were involved in the October 7 attack. According to a report by the public broadcaster Kan, the prevailing view is that the current justice system is not the correct avenue to try the terrorists who participated in the onslaught of October 7 which resulted in the death of thousands of innocent people. The report added that discussions are underway to decide how to bring the detained Hamas terrorists to justice. Over 200 Hamas terrorists were captured alive in Israel during the October 7 attack. Since then, more members are expected to be brought to Israel as part of its ground invasion. With inputs from AFP