The father of a Palestinian boy killed in an Israeli missile strike in 2014 expressed renewed hope for justice Saturday after the International Criminal Court paved the way for a possible war crimes probe into Israeli military actions.
The court ruled Friday that its jurisdiction extends to the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, including the Gaza Strip where Subhi Bakr’s 10-year-old son Mohammed and three of the boy’s cousins were killed as they played soccer on a beach.
“Better late than never,” said Bakr, walking Saturday on the beach where the boys were killed during the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza’s rulers, the Islamic militant group Hamas.
The ICC ruling opened the door for possible war crimes probes into Israeli military actions during that war and Israeli settlement construction on war-won land. Hamas could also come under scrutiny for indiscriminate rocket fire into civilian areas of Israel.
The international tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, has yet to launch an official investigation. In 2019, Bensouda said there was a “reasonable basis” to open a war crimes probe, but she asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding. That came after the five-year preliminary inquiry to determine whether war crimes were committed during the 2014 fighting.
Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, welcomed the ICC’s finding, calling it “an important step” toward justice for the Palestinian people. Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, urged the court to take “practical measures on the ground” to hold Israel accountable for what he said were its crimes.
Hamas declined to comment on the possibility that it could also be the subject of any future probe. Bakr, the bereaved father, is anxious to see quick action by the court.
“The most important thing for the investigation is to start; if it did not, then there is no justice in the world,” he said.
The story of the Bakr cousins, who were all between 10 and 11 years old, grabbed the world’s attention as many foreign journalists witnessed the 2014 incident from their seaside hotels. Images showed the children desperately running away from a jetty as the missile falls, and then the boys falling to the ground one after the other.