US President Donald Trump's decision to slap sanctions on the International Criminal Court, set up to rule on humanity's worst crimes, sent shock waves around the world.

Experts tell AFP the sanctions announced by Trump, angered by the ICC investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, will have a wide-reaching impact on the court.

Neither the United States nor Israel are among the 125 members of the ICC but sanctions could still have a crippling impact on the court's operations.

The measures include a travel ban to the US for ICC officials, complicating their work. Financial institutions may decline to work with the court, fearing US reprisals.

The sanctions could impact the court's technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering. There are fears victims of alleged atrocities may hesitate to come forward.

"Companies and organisations might just stop doing business with the ICC because it's too much of a risk," said James Patrick Sexton, PhD Researcher at the TMC Asser Instituut and University of Amsterdam.

"Big suppliers such as Microsoft might just proactively pull........

© International Business Times