The Hague, Netherlands

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor on Friday (Nov 17) stated that a joint request was submitted to him by five countries to carry out an investigation of the current situation in the Palestinian territories.

As international concern continues to swell over the increasing toll, the demand was made as a few families of the Israelis who were taken as hostage by Hamas on October 7, also sought the involvement of the ICC.

Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that the request was submitted by South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti. South Africa stated that the request was made "to ensure that the ICC pays urgent attention to the grave situation in Palestine".

An investigation is already being carried out by the ICC into "the situation in the State of Palestine" for alleged war crimes which they have committed since June 13, 2014.

In a statement, Khan said that an investigation into events in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, which started in March 2021, now "extends to the escalation of hostilities and violence since the attacks that took place in October 2023."

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Recently Khan, who went to the main crossing point between Egypt and Gaza, stated that his team had gathered a "significant volume " of evidence on "relevant incidents" in the war.

Khan calls for submission of more evidence

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Last month, Khan stated that his office had jurisdiction both over the attack carried out by Hamas on Israel on October 7 and any kind of war crimes committed by Israel as part of its response which includes bombings in the Gaza Strip.

Since an investigation over the war was already ongoing, the request made on Friday will have limited practical impact.

The prosecutor's office in a statement stated that it had so far "collected a significant volume of information and evidence" on crimes which took place in the Palestinian territories and also those committed by Palestinians.

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He called for submission of more evidence to be submitted and, stated, "I will also continue my efforts to visit the state of Palestine and Israel in order to meet with survivors, hear from civil society organisations and engage with relevant national counterparts."

"I call upon all relevant actors to provide full co-operation with my office,” Khan added.

Watch: How the war against Hamas is shaping Israel's economy?

Israel is not the International Criminal Court's member and does not accept its jurisdiction.

In certain circumstances, the ICC has the right to investigate nationals of non-member states which include when crimes are allegedly committed in the territories of member states. Palestine has been listed as a member of the ICC since 2015.

The ICC, which is seen as a court of last resort, prosecutes individuals for allegedly committing crimes when its 124 member states are not able to prosecute themselves or are unwilling to take steps in that direction.

(With inputs from agencies)