ICC chief prosecutor's office concerned by reported bombardment in Rafah as its investigation continues

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, on Monday. Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said he is “deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah,” and warned that his office is “actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed” in the war.

In a post published on X on Monday, Karim Khan outlined that his office has an “ongoing and active investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine.” Late November, Khan announced that the ICC had received referrals from five countries to investigate whether crimes had been committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories.

The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the ICC, which tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes. While Israel is not a member of the ICC and rejects the court’s jurisdiction, that has not stopped the court from previously investigating its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Khan said this investigation is “being taken forward as a matter of the utmost urgency, with a view to bringing to justice those responsible for Rome Statute crimes.” He warned that “those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable.”

Khan also called for the immediate release of all hostages, writing: “This also represents an important focus of our investigations.”