MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) – Palestinian authorities prepare a lawsuit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel for committing “war crimes” in Gaza Strip that have already led to the death of nearly 1,300 people, the majority of victims being civilians, al-Arabi al-Jadeed reported Wednesday.
According to the media, Palestinian Minister of Justice Saleem Al-Saqqa is currently working on the plea that he will later send to the ICC.
A number of the Middle East countries have expressed their concern over the military action carried out by Israel in Gaza. Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the ground offensive on Gaza and blamed Tel Aviv for casualties among civilians. This position was echoed by Iranian authorities who called on putting an end to airstrikes on Palestinian territory and urged the United States to hold back “Israeli aggression”.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive on July 8, targeting the Hamas movement and its allied groups of rebels in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. On July 17, following days of fighting, Tel Aviv switched to a ground offensive aimed at destroying underground tunnel used by Palestinians to smuggle arms and secretly enter Israeli territory.
