The Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague said Wednesday that it may investigate the recent deaths in riots on the Israel-Gaza Strip border.
"My staff is vigilantly following developments on the ground and recording any alleged crime committed in the context of the situation in Palestine that may be subjected to the office's legal scrutiny. This applies to the events of May 14, 2018 and to any future incident," Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda warned in a statement.
"The violence must stop," she said, urging "all those concerned to refrain from further escalating this situation and the Israel Defense Forces to avoid excessive use of force."
Sixty Palestinians were killed Monday in the deadliest border riots since Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched its border demonstration campaign on March 30.
The Israeli military said it had proof that at least 24 of the dead were known terrorists. On Tuesday, Hamas leaders admitted that 50 of the dead were its operatives.
The Palestinian Authority joined the ICC in January 2015 by becoming a signatory to the Rome Statute. Since then, it has repeatedly tried to get the ICC to launch an investigation into Israel.
Bensouda's office is currently holding a preliminary investigation into the 2014 Gaza war.
"I will be watching and I will take any action warranted by my mandate under the Rome Statute," she warned.
Also on Wednesday, the U.N. Human Rights Council called for a special session to discuss "the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories."
The meeting was called following official requests by the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, the Geneva-based agency, which is known for its hostile line toward Israel, said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the situation in Gaza Wednesday and expressed "serious concern" over the death toll in border riots there.
