Hamas wants Israel to be tried in Int'l Criminal Court for killing 2 Palestinian children

The Palestinian group Hamas on Wednesday called for referring the killing of two Palestinian children by the Israeli army to the International Criminal Court.

Early on Wednesday, the Israeli army shot dead two Palestinian children during a raid into Jenin city in northern occupied West Bank.

"The deliberate killing of two Palestinian children in Jenin city this afternoon is a horrific crime that exposes the (Israeli) occupation sadism," Hamas said in a statement.

It also urged the international legal entities "to condemn such odious crime and to refer it to the International Criminal Court" to hold Israel and its leaders accountable.

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa identified the two boys as Adam al-Ghoul, 8, who was shot in the head, and Basil al-Wafa, 15, who was shot in his chest.

The Israeli army said it raided Jenin and killed two Palestinian gunmen, and acknowledged that two more people were killed amid clashes in Jenin but didn't comment further.

A video went viral on social media and seen by Anadolu reporter showed the two children being shot while running.

Tensions have been high across the West Bank since fighting broke out on Oct. 7 between Palestinian groups and Israel in Gaza.

More than 245 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7 in addition to over 2,850 others injured, according to the West Bank-based Palestinian Health Ministry.