Smoke rises following Israeli strikes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, January 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
MEXICO CITY 鈥� Mexico and Chile expressed 鈥済rowing worry鈥� on Thursday over 鈥渁n escalation of violence鈥� after several months of war between Israel and Hamas in a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over possible crimes.
Hamas militants launched a surprise attack in Israel in October, killing 1,200, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages, with multiple accounts later emerging of rape and mutilation.
The Israeli retaliatory offense on the Hamas-led Gaza Strip has led to increasing international alarm and scrutiny over the deaths of civilians, especially children. Gaza health authorities said on Thursday the war鈥檚 death toll had risen to 24,620, with many more feared buried under the rubble.
In a statement, Mexico鈥檚 foreign ministry argued that the ICC was the proper forum to establish potential criminal responsibility, 鈥渨hether committed by agents of the occupying power or the occupied power.鈥�
鈥淭he action by Mexico and Chile is due to growing worry over the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets,鈥� it said.
READ: As Israel-Hamas war reaches 100-day mark, here鈥檚 the conflict by numbers
Israel is not a member of the Hague-based court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. But the ICC鈥檚 prosecutor has stressed his court has jurisdiction over potential war crimes carried out by Hamas militants in Israel and by Israelis in Gaza.
Mexico cited 鈥渘umerous reports from the United Nations that detail many incidents that could constitute crimes under the ICC鈥檚 jurisdiction.鈥�
Chile鈥檚 Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren told reporters on Thursday in Santiago that his nation was 鈥渋nterested in supporting the investigation into any possible war crime鈥� wherever they might occur.
READ: ICC prosecutor says will intensify probe after visiting Israel, Ramallah
Mexico said it was closely following the case presented last week before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which South Africa accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza and demanded that the court order an emergency suspension of Israel鈥檚 military campaign.
Israel has rejected the accusation.
Both the ICJ and the ICC handle cases of alleged genocide, with the former resolving disputes between states and the latter prosecuting individuals for crimes.