The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gaza’s Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, citing allegations of war crimes.
Karim Khan stated that there were credible grounds to believe both men were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the group’s military chief Mohammed Deif are also sought for arrest.
ICC judges are set to assess the evidence to determine if it warrants issuing arrest warrants, a process that may take several weeks or months.
Reactions to the pursuit of arrest
Mr. Netanyahu expressed strong disapproval of the Hague prosecutor’s comparison between Israel and Hamas, stating that he rejects it with disgust. U.S President Joe Biden criticized the ICC prosecutor’s action as outrageous.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned Mr. Khan’s move as an unrestrained frontal assault on the victims of the October 7 attacks, calling it a historical disgrace. He announced the establishment of a special command center to challenge the decision, which he believes aims to restrict Israel’s ability to defend itself.
Hamas demanded the cancellation of all arrest warrants against Palestinian resistance leaders and criticized Mr. Khan for attempting to equate victims with perpetrators. Additionally, Hamas expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the warrant application against Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant, stating it came seven months late, and noted the absence of other named Israeli political and military leaders.
The Hague prosecutor accused Hamas leaders of committing crimes such as extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, sexual violence, and torture. In a statement, he described these crimes as part of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population of Israel by Hamas and other armed groups, some of which he alleges continue to this day. He characterized Hamas’s actions as causing unfathomable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme callousness.
Regarding Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, Mr. Khan stated suspicions of crimes including starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, murder, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, and extermination. He claimed his office had evidence indicating that Israel intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population of Gaza of essential objects for human survival.
While acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself, Mr. Khan asserted that intentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering, and serious injury to the civilian population constitute criminal acts.
