Reporters Without Borders call on ICC to investigate Gaza war crimes

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday called on the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in relation to the deaths of journalists during the war in Gaza.

The organization, which defends global media freedom, is concerned in particular with eight Palestinian journalists killed in airstrikes on Gaza and one Israeli reporter killed while covering the Hamas attack on his kibbutz on October 7.

RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire said “the scale, seriousness and recurring nature of international crimes targeting journalists, particularly in Gaza, calls for a priority investigation by the ICC prosecutor.’’

It is the third time since 2018 that RSF has called on the Hague-based court to investigate alleged war crimes committed against Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan had indicated on Sunday that the tribunal was investigating possible crimes by both Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement, which rules Gaza. Khan has also urged non-governmental organizations to provide possible evidence to the court.

The Hague-based criminal court has been investigating Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes in Gaza since 2021. Israel does not recognize the court. Palestine, however, has been a state party since 2015.

In 2021, the court determined that it has jurisdiction over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.