Report: Israel to Allow ICC Visit on Gaza War Mission

"Israel is to host a working group of the International Criminal Court as it weighs whether to probe alleged war crimes in the 2014 Gaza war with Hamas, an Israeli official said Friday.

The group's arrival 'shortly' will be unprecedented, he told AFP on condition of anonymity, saying the visit was intended to show the ICC team 'how the Israeli judicial system works.'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman declined to comment on the trip, which comes at the request of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

Under its statutes, the ICC must be satisfied that the state in question is unable or unwilling to pursue the matter itself before the court opens war crimes proceedings.

Israel will seek to convince the visiting ICC team that it intends to see justice done over accusations it used excessive force in the July-August 2014 war in and around the Palestinian territory and events immediately preceding it...

Israel vehemently opposes any ICC investigation but officials have said they will cooperate with the body to convince it of the competence of the state's own courts."