Israeli victims of the Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war will still work with the International Criminal Court even after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the tribunal, a lawyer for victims and victims' families said on Friday.
The sanctions are in retaliation for the court's issuing of arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief Yoav Gallant, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The ICC's prosecutor is also investigating the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks that killed 1,200 people. Prosecutors sought arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders for the crimes, but they were all killed in the past 16 months of war in Gaza, according to Israel and Hamas.
While sanctions will complicate dealings with the ICC, the Israeli families want to continue engaging with it as part of efforts to seek justice, said Yael Vias Gvirsman, a lawyer who represents over 350 victims and families of victims.
"Sanctions could complicate the communications channels between Israeli citizens and the court, but victims are ever more committed to have direct contact with the court and to pursue the justice they deserve," Gvirsman said in an interview.
The U.S. sanctions, which focus on punishing the court for investigating Israeli officials, can also affect the prosecution's probe into crimes committed by Hamas, says Vias Gvirsman.
"It will be a dilemma for the court how to engage with Israeli citizens and assess if contact with the court endangers them," she said.
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