Iranian Foreign Minister Letters To International Criminal Court: Bombing And Invasion Of Israel Is A Real Example Of War Crimes

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian sent a letter to the president and chief prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Piotr Hofmanski and Karim Ahmad Khan, asking both to stop Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, according to a ministry announcement on Telegram. Southern Day.

"Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian sent a letter to the president of the ICC and the chief public prosecutor, stressing the need to speed up trials related to recent crimes in the Gaza Strip," the ministry said in a statement.

"The barbaric bombings in the Gaza Strip and Israel's invasion of the enclave, which have killed more than 14,000 civilians and injured at least 32,000 people, are a real example of war crimes," he stressed.

Gaza authorities say the death toll of Palestinians from the Hamas-Israeli conflict has been more than 15,000, as quoted by Anadolu.

In a statement, Gaza-based Government Media Office said the death toll included 6,150 children and 4,000 women. He added that there were about 7,000 people missing under the rubble, including 4,700 children and women.

Meanwhile, more than 36,000 other Palestinians were also injured, 75 percent of whom were children and women, the office added.

Israel is known to have launched bombings, blockades and later ground attacks on Gaza, after a militant group Hamas attacked the southern region of the country on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and about 240 people being held hostage.

"They should be seen as crimes against humanity and genocide," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said of Israel's actions.

"The Iranian Foreign Minister called the trial at the ICC a test for the independence and impartiality of the judicial body," the statement continued.

"He added that the ICC must now decide whether to reject the pressure put by some countries or resign and allow the atrocities committed by Israel to be punished," he said.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Badhi said on November 20, Iranian authorities intended to file a lawsuit against the ICC against Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

On November 11, Saudi Arabia hosted a summit of the Arab League (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OKI). The summit's final statement said the association's member states would ask the ICC public prosecutor to investigate the Israeli "war crimes" committed in the Gaza Strip.