( CNN ) -- 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 . 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 . Hamas Political Bureau member Saleh Aruri added that the kidnappers did not tell their leaders about the action . The kidnappings were not approved by Hamas leadership or its military wing , he said , stressing that this acknowledgment does not equate to a claim of responsibility . `` We at Hamas head command were not aware of this mission ; we found out later , '' Hamas said in a statement Saturday . `` We at Hamas political command do not know anything about the kidnapping ; all information we have is from the Israeli investigation . But if this is true , this mission is considered self defense against the Israeli occupation . '' The three teens were later found dead . Since then , violence has flared in the region . The violence continued Saturday , as rockets fired from Gaza landed in Israel . The rocket alerts in Israeli communities near Gaza were continuous . The Hamas rocket attacks struck in the same area where a 4-year-old boy was killed Friday . Israel claimed that the mortar that killed the boy was launched from a school operated by the United Nations . On Saturday , the U.N . Relief and Works Agency said that Israel retracted that statement . The agency criticized Israeli media for repeating the claim without checking with them first . `` UNRWA deplores the killing of all children during this conflict , including the killing of the four-year-old Israeli child yesterday and the hundreds of Palestinian children killed since the start of the current fighting , '' the agency said in a statement . `` We call on all parties to ensure protection and care of children affected by armed conflict , in accordance with their obligations under international law . '' Also on Saturday , Al Aqsa , a TV station run by Hamas , reported that Israeli gunboats sank a Palestinian fishing vessel off the Port of Gaza . A rocket from Lebanon struck an open area east of the town of Akko in northern Israel , though it was n't clear who was responsible or if it had anything to do with Israel 's fight with Hamas . No injuries or damage were reported , said Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner . Six decades of war . Gaza 's zoo animals caught in crossfire . Israelis jailed for refusing to serve . CNN 's Samira Said , Amir Tal and Ali Younes contributed to this report .
The International Criminal Court signed a document demanding that Hamas go before the Akko . The International Criminal Court could investigate war crimes on both sides . the United States and Israel have pressured the Palestinians not to do that . Rockets continued to land in Israel .