Three Palestinian human rights groups have said that they have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel, accusing it of committing war crimes including genocide by bombing and besieging Gaza, Reuters reports.

Israel which is not a member of the Hague-based court and does not recognise its jurisdiction did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The three rights groups Al Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestine Human Rights Campaign said they had asked the ICC to focus on Israeli air strikes on densely populated civilian areas in Gaza, the siege of the territory, and the displacement of the population.

“These actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and incitement to genocide,” they said in a joint press statement.

The ICC said on Friday it had received a communication from the three groups and would assess the information, without going into detail on its contents.

The ICC can investigate nationals of non-member states in certain circumstances, including when crimes are said to have been committed in the territories of member states. The Palestinian territories are listed among the ICC’s members.