The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
The ICC’s ruling stated there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bore criminal responsibility for actions including murder, persecution, and the use of starvation as a warfare tactic, which formed part of what the court described as a “widespread and systematic attack against Gaza’s civilian population.”
The judges highlighted that the blockade imposed on Gaza, leading to shortages of essentials like food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies, created conditions “calculated to bring about the destruction” of parts of Gaza’s civilian population.
This, they said, led to civilian deaths, including those of children, due to malnutrition and dehydration.
The announcement was met with outrage in Israel, which condemned the decision as baseless, while residents of Gaza expressed hope that it would foster accountability for alleged war crimes.
Hamas endorsed the ICC’s action, with a senior official stating it could represent a step toward justice.
The charges against Al-Masri relate to mass killings during the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel that triggered the conflict, alongside allegations of rape and hostage-taking.
Although Israel has claimed that Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, was killed in a July airstrike, Hamas has not verified this, and the ICC prosecution is still assessing his reported death.
Israel rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction, denying any war crimes in Gaza. The United States, a close ally of Israel and a non-member of the ICC, also criticized the decision, with a National Security Council spokesperson citing “process errors” in the prosecutor’s pursuit of arrest warrants. The U.S. is reportedly discussing potential responses with its allies.
Several major global powers, including Russia, China, and India, are also not members of the ICC, though the court is supported by all European Union nations, Australia, Canada, the U.K., Brazil, Japan, and numerous countries across Africa and Latin America.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who announced the pursuit of warrants in May, called on countries party to the Rome Statute to “respect and comply” with these orders, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation for accountability and adherence to international law.
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