Palestinian Authority FM meets ICC officials as Israeli onslaught continues

The Palestinian Authority's foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki on Wednesday met senior International Criminal Court officials as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continued to rage.

Maliki's flying visit to the world's war crimes court in The Hague came a day after he deplored inaction by the UN Security Council to stop "massacres" in Gaza by Israel. Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 6,500 people in Gaza, amid a crippling blockade that has deprived the coastal enclave's residents of food, water, medical supplies and fuel.

"Today, Dr Riyad al-Maliki... visited the ICC and held meetings with the President, the Prosecutor and the Registrar of the Court," the ICC said in a statement.

The top Palestinian diplomat's visit was not announced to the media, but in a video released by the ICC he can be seen shaking hands with the court's president Piotr Hofmanski, chief prosecutor Karim Khan and registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler before sitting down for a discussion.

The ICC has declined to comment on the details of Maliki's visit.

Maliki however is set to give a statement on Thursday morning at a press conference in The Hague.

Chief prosecutor Khan's office said earlier this month it was "continuously gathering information" in support of its probe into the Palestinian situation.

It opened a formal investigation in 2021 into the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, including alleged crimes by Israeli forces and by Hamas and Palestinian armed groups.

The prosecutor's office "put in place a dedicated team to advance the investigation in relation to the situation in the State of Palestine, the first time a fully resourced team had been established in relation to this situation," it said.

Set up in 2002, the ICC's is the only global independent tribunal to probe the world's worst crimes including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has refused to cooperate with the probe or recognise its jurisdiction.