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WORLD NEWS Monday 9 april 2018

ICC says Israel, Hamas acts on

Gaza border may be war crimes

By ILAN BEN ZION been killed by Israeli fire, largely because Hamas re-
JERUSALEM (AP) — The including 25 people killed fuses to disarm and cede
chief prosecutor for the In- during protests. control of Gaza to Abbas's
ternational Criminal Court Israel says the protests are Palestinian Authority.
raised concerns Sunday a smoke screen for at- Israel and Hamas have
that Israel and Hamas tacks on its troops and at- fought three wars in the
may have committed war tempts to breach the bor- Gaza Strip since 2009, and
crimes during a current der fence. It says militants the most recent conflict in
flare-up of violence in the have attempted to carry 2014 prompted the ICC to
Gaza Strip. In a statement, out shootings plant bombs launch its preliminary inves- Israeli soldiers stand as smoke rises during demonstrations at the
Fatou Bensouda's office or infiltrate the fence, and tigation into possible war Israel Gaza border, Friday, April 6, 2018.
expressed "grave concern" that its snipers have only crimes.q Associated Press
over the shootings of Pal- fired at "instigators" trying to
estinians by Israeli troops carry out attacks.
during mass protests along The Israeli military said Sun-
Gaza's border with Israel. day that it had located two
Her office said that Israel's explosive devices near the
"violence against civilians border hours after three
— in a situation such as one Palestinians from Gaza ap-
prevailing in Gaza" may parently crossed briefly into
constitute war crimes. But Israeli territory.
in an apparent reference But witness accounts and
to Gaza's Hamas rulers, she amateur videos have
also said "the use of civilian shown some demonstrators
presence for the purpose appeared to be unarmed
of shielding military activi- or far from the fence when
ties" could also be a war they were shot. The Euro-
crime. pean Union and United
Bensouda is already in the Nations have called for an
midst of a "preliminary ex- independent investigation
amination" of possible war into the incidents.
crimes, launched in the Hamas, an Islamic militant
wake of a 2014 war be- group that calls for Israel's
tween Israel and Hamas. destruction, has called
That is the first step toward for a series of protests until
a formal war crimes inves- May 15, the anniversary of
tigation. Israel's founding when Pal-
"While a preliminary ex- estinians commemorate
amination is not an inves- their mass uprooting during
tigation, any new alleged the 1948 war over Israel's
crime committed in the creation.
context of the situation in Hamas, which is considered
Palestine may be subject- a terrorist group by Israel
ed to my office's scrutiny," and its Western allies, has
she said. "This applies to the controlled Gaza since oust-
events of the past weeks ing forces of internation-
and to any future incident." ally recognized President
Palestinian health officials Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.
say at least 31 people have On Sunday, Abbas said
that unless his government
reassumes full control over
Gaza, including the rival
party's weapons stockpiles,
he will "not be responsible
for what goes on" there.
Recent reconciliation ef-
forts by Abbas's Fatah par-
ty and Hamas have stalled,