Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – Mexico and Chile have joined the increasing demands for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to initiate an investigation into potential war crimes amid the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip since 7 October.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated yesterday there is a “growing concern about the recent escalation of violence, especially against civilian targets, and the continued alleged commission of crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the Court, specifically since October 7th, 2023.”
It also invoked Articles 13(a) and 14 of the ICC’s Statute as the foundation for the referral, which allows a state party to bring attention to a situation where it seems that one or more crimes falling within the Court’s jurisdiction have occurred, urging the Prosecutor to investigate and assess whether individuals should be charged for such offences
In a statement, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry argued that the ICC was the proper forum to establish potential criminal responsibility, “whether committed by agents of the occupying power or the occupied power”.
In Gaza, some 70 per cent of those killed are children and women. To date more than 10,000 children have been killed since 7 October while thousands have lost a limb in Israel’s brutal bombing campaign.
Chile supports “the investigation of any possible war crime, whether they are war crimes committed by Israelis or by Palestinians,” Foreign Minister, Alberto van Klaveren, said at a news conference yesterday in Santiago.
It comes after some 100 Chilean lawyers filed a complaint before the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in Gaza.
The complaint, presented on 22 December in The Hague, was led by former Ambassador, Nelson Hadad, Quds Press reported.
Hadad said: “All countries must denounce war criminals, ensuring they are held accountable, assume their responsibilities, face punishment according to the penalties of the Rome Statute and provide reparations for victims.”
In response, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed Chile and Mexico’s referral of the situation in the Palestinian Territories to the ICC.
