The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take responsibility and issue arrest warrants and investigations against those responsible for the execution of a 6-year-old girl, Hind Rajab, her family, and a Red Crescent crew in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. The ministry highlighted this incident as a clear example of the massacre committed by the occupation forces against civilians, especially children, with the Ministry of Health reporting over 12,000 child casualties.
The ministry emphasized the gravity of this documented crime, which poses a severe warning about the lives of tens of thousands of missing individuals in Gaza, especially under the prevailing retaliatory mindset of the occupation army’s decisions and actions throughout the region.
The ministry has called for the formation of a UN investigative team to immediately commence fieldwork to document the massacres and crimes of the occupation and investigate the conditions of detainees and the missing.
The ministry stressed that the martyrs of the Palestinian people, including children, should not be viewed merely as numbers but as individuals with life stories, living on their land, whose families have been destroyed and erased by the occupation forces. It highlighted the plight of thousands of children who have been left homeless without parents or guardians due to the brutality of the occupation and its disregard for human rights principles, international law, and the obligations of the occupying power.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide as it continues its military actions against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. This ruling came as a result of a case brought by South Africa, highlighting the grave situation in Gaza and the need for international legal intervention. The court’s decision emphasized Israel’s obligations under the Genocide Convention to prevent genocidal acts and to improve the humanitarian situation for Palestinian civilians. However, the ICJ did not call for an immediate ceasefire, which Israel argues could allow Hamas militants to regroup. The majority of judges supported the ruling, with only one judge voting against all the measures adopted. This case underscores the international community’s concern over the ongoing conflict and the potential for genocide in Gaza.