ICC to Issue Arrest Warrants for Israeli, Hamas Leaders for Alleged War Crimes

The ICC will seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes during last year's hostilities, drawing condemnation from Israel and the US.

The ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue arrest warrants against leaders on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during hostilities last year.

- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

- Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.

- Commander of Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades Mohammed Deif.

- Ismail Haniyeh is the head of Hamas’ political bureau.

 Khan charged the Israeli leadership with deliberately causing starvation of civilians in Gaza as a weapon of war and murder, extermination, and intentional attack against civilians. He accused Hamas leaders of committing war crimes such as genocide, murder, enslavement, sexual violence, and torture.

Netanyahu was particularly critical of the ICC and accused it of committing an ‘outrage of historic proportions’ and a ‘moral stain’. He called Khan anti-Semitic and said that Israel was fighting a ‘genocidal terrorist organization’ in Hamas.

Hamas called for the withdrawal of the allegations against its leaders and said, “This means that Hamas is equated with the executioner”. The Palestinian group accused the court of coming too late after “thousands of crimes” by the “Israeli occupation”.

The US said it was outrageous to try Israeli and Palestinian officials and that there was no comparison between the two countries.

Human rights organizations also praised the ICC for its fairness in applying international law to all sides. If issued by the ICC judges, the arrest warrants would require the court’s 124 member states to arrest the named individuals if they were contacted.

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The ICC intervention is another significant development in the legal accountability of the conflict in the Middle East. The officials could be banned from travelling if they are arrested which may escalate the relations between the two countries further.