Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki met today with International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in The Hague amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

“Today Dr. Riad al-Maliki (…) visited the ICC and had meetings with the president, the prosecutor and the secretary of the Court,” the ICC said in a statement.

The previous day, Maliki had expressed his regret for the inaction of the UN Security Council against the “slaughter (…) perpetrated by Israel”, which responded to the bloody attack by Hamas on October 7 by incessantly shelling Gaza.

The Palestinian diplomat’s visit had not been announced, but video released by the ICC showed him greeting Court President Piotr Hofmanski, Attorney General Karim Khan and Secretary Osvaldo Zavala Hiller before talks began.

The ICC declined to provide further details on the visit by Maliki, who is due to hold a press conference on Thursday morning in The Hague.

The attorney general’s office said in October that it is “continuously gathering information” to support its investigation into the situation in the Palestinian Territories.

The Court began a formal investigation in 2021 into the Palestinian Territories, primarily into crimes allegedly committed by Israeli forces, Hamas and other Palestinian armed organizations.

The prosecutor’s office announced that it has formed a special team to advance the investigation in relation to the situation in the Palestinian Territories.

Established in 2002, the ICC is the only independent international court that investigates crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has refused to cooperate with the investigation or recognize the court’s jurisdiction.