The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan has sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and top leaders from Hamas for war crimes committed in Gaza strip and Israel.
Speaking of the Israeli actions, Khan said, “the effects of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, together with other attacks and collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza are acute, visible and widely known. … They include malnutrition, dehydration, profound suffering and an increasing number of deaths among the Palestinian population, including babies, other children, and women.”
The prosecutor stated that the application also sought arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and two other prominent Hamas figures – Mohammed Deif, leader of the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades – on charges of “extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape, and sexual assault in detention.”
The applications, which will be reviewed by a panel of judges to determine if arrest warrants should be issued, target Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif (leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades), and Ismail Haniyeh (the political leader of Hamas).
This decision is unprecedented, marking the first time the ICC has targeted a national leader from a close US ally, putting Netanyahu in a situation similar to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has an ICC arrest warrant related to the Ukraine war.
The ICC judges will now examine Khan’s applications for these arrest warrants.
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