The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, on charges of war crimes.
Karim Khan KC stated there are reasonable grounds to believe both men are criminally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
Additionally, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and military chief Mohammed Deif are also sought for arrest.
ICC judges will now evaluate the evidence to determine if arrest warrants should be issued, a process that could take weeks or months. Netanyahu condemned the comparison between democratic Israel and Hamas, while US President Joe Biden called the move “outrageous.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized the decision as an “unrestrained frontal assault” and announced a special command center to oppose the ruling.
Hamas demanded the cancellation of all arrest warrants against its leaders and criticized the delayed application against Israeli officials.
Khan accused Hamas leaders of crimes including extermination, murder, hostage-taking, r*pe, s*xual violence, and torture, stating these acts were part of a systematic attack on Israel’s civilian population.
He also accused Israel’s leaders of war crimes, including the starvation of civilians and targeting civilian populations.
Israeli and US officials have rejected the ICC’s actions, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserting that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the matter.
The ICC would rely on member states to execute any arrest warrants issued.
