Hack – AFP

The International Criminal Court announced Thursday that public prosecutor Karim Khan traveled to Israel “at the request and invitation” of survivors and families of victims of the October 7 Hamas attack.

The court explained through the “X” site that the visit was “not investigative in nature” but it “represented an important opportunity to express sympathy and initiate dialogue for all the victims.”

Khan is scheduled to travel to Ramallah in the West Bank, where he will meet with senior Palestinian officials, the court said.

Since October 7, Israel has launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 15,000 people, including more than 6,000 children.

The International Criminal Court, established in 2002 to prosecute the world’s worst atrocities, began investigating possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories in 2021, including possible crimes committed by Israeli forces, Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions.

Khan announced that his mandate would include crimes committed during the current war. But the tribunal’s teams could not enter Gaza and were not allowed to conduct trials in Israel, which is not a member of the tribunal.

The five signatories to the International Criminal Court’s founding treaty requested an inquiry into the “situation of the State of Palestine,” Khan announced, explaining that he had gathered “a large amount of information.” Both sides could face war crimes charges, legal experts said.