GAZA CITY
The Palestinian faction Hamas on Saturday expressed support for a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to start an inquiry into possible Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
"The ICC's decision to launch an inquiry into Israeli war crimes against Palestinians is a step in the right direction," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.
"Hamas supports every step for exposing Israeli crimes and trying Israeli leaders before criminal and international tribunals," he added in a statement.
Abu Zuhri called for taking steps to bring Israeli leaders to court, accusing them of committing crimes against the Palestinian people.
ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced on Friday that the court had opened a preliminary investigation into the "situation in Palestine" after the Palestinian government accused Israel of committing war crimes against the Palestinian people.
Bensouda said that her examination would be conducted "in full independence and impartiality," a decision that has been slammed as "shameful" by the Israeli government.
The Palestinian government acceded to the Rome Statute on January 2 of this year, and the Hague-based court accepted its jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in "occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, since June 13, 2014."
