Words will be followed by action (?)

Given the appalling brutality of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, I am quite prepared to believe that some of the attackers may have felt entitled to rape their victims as well as kill them. But curiously, nothing much of this has been given attention until the last couple of days. I listened attentively yesterday to a BBC news report on the subject, which at length failed to substantiate the accusation that multiple rapes took place. It was impossible not to question the timing of the reports—coinciding with Israel’s offensive stepping up in southern Gaza which it appears has already claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians. Both sides, as in all wars will propagandise, and in the heat of battle the ability to fact-check is severely constrained, so claims and counter claims can get legs before as the saying goes, the truth can put its hat on.  At some point both sides will hopefully face a reckoning with the truth, although I guess neither side will volunteer to be scrutinised. This answer provided by good ole’ Bing may offer some hope:

According to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel is not a member of the ICC and disputes its jurisdiction on the basis that Palestine is not a sovereign state capable of being a party to the Rome Statute.  However, the ICC’s top prosecutor has stated that the court has jurisdiction over potential war crimes carried out by Hamas militants in Israel and Israelis in the Gaza Strip, even though Israel is not a member state.

Will this happen? Given how much (purely verbal) pressure is being applied particularly on Israel to follow international law, no doubt the ICC’s ‘top prosecutor’ will get the support of the US to pursue the case. Except that the US itself does not recognise the court. Alternatively, Biden could suspend military support to Israel if he is so concerned. Only joking!