DHAKA: Hamas is pushing a different tactic in its conflict with Israel, urging Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to go before the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli leaders for war crimes.

The idea of pursuing an investigation into Israel by the international body is not new, but Hamas said on Saturday that it, too, has signed a document supporting such a move.

"Hamas has signed a document demanding Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) go to the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli leaders as war criminals for massacres they committed against our people," Hamas spokesman and senior official Izzat al-Risheq said on Twitter.

The support from Hamas is significant because it could come at a cost to the group itself. An investigation into war crimes could expose Hamas for its own violations.

Abbas, speaking in Cairo, said that all Palestinian factions would need to support such a bid before making the decision to go to the ICC.

The Palestinians are not currently under the jurisdiction of the ICC, but would be if they sign the court's Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

Back in May, a group of 17 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, signed a letter to Abbas encouraging him to join the ICC.

The United States and Israel, among some other nations, have pressured Abbas not to take this step, arguing that it would harm peace talks, reports CNN. 

Hamas' announcement comes a day after one of the group's leaders admitted that its militants were responsible for the abduction of three Israeli teens in the West Bank in June.

BDST: 0901 HRS, AUG 24, 2014