Palestinians to formally go to ICC in April

The Palestinians will formally approach the International Criminal Court on April 1 to complain about alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza and settlement activity, a senior official said.

"One of the first important steps will be filing a complaint against Israel at the ICC on April 1 over the (2014) Gaza war and settlement activity," said Mohammed Shtayyeh, a member of Fatah, the main faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

On January 2, the Palestinians moved to join the Hague-based court in a process which is due to take effect on April 1, setting the scene for potential legal action against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.

Israel reacted furiously, and quickly moved to cut off millions of dollars in monthly tax payments it collects on behalf of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, exacerbating an already severe financial crisis.

There was no immediate response from Israel, with foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon refusing to react to a declaration which he described as "speculative and hypothetical".

On January 16, the ICC announced "a preliminary examination" into Israel's actions over a period beginning in June which included last year's war in Gaza.

About 2,200 Palestinians and 73 Israelis were killed during the conflict in July and August, with UN figures indicating most of the victims were civilians.