The international Criminal Court is considering whether to open a criminal investigation into Israel’s May 2010 raid on the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara that left nine people dead.
The ICC said that it was following up on a request for a probe from the African country of Comoros, due to the fact that one of the vessels in the flotilla bore the Indian Ocean island’s flag.
The ICC specified last week that the decision did not mean that an investigation had been launched. Before such an probe could begin, a panel must determine whether or not the nature of the allegations calls for court intervention and whether or not they have been investigated adequately in the past. Israel is not a member of the ICC and has never been the subject of an ICC investigation.
Israel’s Turkel Commission found in 2011 that, while the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza is legal according to international law, the actions taken by Israel to enforce the blockade led to “the regrettable consequences of the loss of human life and physical injuries”.