Top Palestinian diplomat briefs ICC officials on Israeli 'crimes and destruction' in Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Wednesday briefed the heads of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on the Israeli "crimes and destruction" in Gaza.

According to the official Wafa news agency, al-Maliki met with ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmanski and ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala during which he informed them on "the extent of crime and destruction caused by Israel, the occupying power, without any accountability."

The top Palestinian diplomat "stressed the need for ICC to complete its criminal investigation and bring the Israeli perpetrators of war crimes to justice."

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council failed to draft a resolution on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict as two draft resolutions proposed by the US and Russia failed to pass.

The conflict in Gaza began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Nearly 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 6,546 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.