The International Criminal Court has sought arrest warrants against Netanyahu and the Hamas leader
The chief prosecutor in The Hague accused the Israeli prime minister and terrorists of crimes against humanity in the Gaza war and in Israel.
Arrest warrant issued against: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Photo: Debbie Hill (AP, Keystone)
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The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague says it has sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Jove Gallant and several leaders of radical Islamist Hamas.
Karim Khan said Monday that he believes Netanyahu, Gallant and three other Hamas leaders are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip and Israel over the more than seven-month Gaza war. The leaders of Hamas are Jehia Shinwar, Mohammed Taif and Ismail Haniyeh.
I saw the crimes with my own eyes
Regarding Israel’s actions, Khan said in a statement, “The impact of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, along with other attacks and collective punishments against civilians in Gaza, is severe, visible and widely known.” These include “malnutrition, dehydration, deep suffering and increasing deaths among the Palestinian population, including children, other children and women.”
The Hamas terror attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war on October 7 said he had seen firsthand “the devastating scenes of those attacks and the profound impact of the unconscionable crimes cited in the applications seen today.” In conversations with survivors, “the love within a family, the deep bonds between parents and children, were shattered in a way that caused unimaginable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme inhumanity. These actions must be held accountable.”
The chief prosecutor must apply for arrest warrants to a three-judge preliminary hearing panel, which takes an average of two months to examine evidence and decide whether to proceed with proceedings.
Courts cannot execute warrants of arrest
Israel is not a state party to the ICC. Even if arrest warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Galant will not face immediate criminal charges. But Khan’s announcement deepens Israel’s international isolation, and the risk of imprisonment could make it harder for Israeli politicians to travel abroad.
Benny Gantz, a former army chief and a member of Israel’s war cabinet alongside Netanyahu and Galant, sharply criticized Khan’s announcement, saying Israel struggles with a “strict” moral code and a strong judiciary capable of investigating itself. After the carnage by Hamas, Israel is waging “one of the most just wars in modern history.” “The prosecutor’s position in applying for arrest warrants is a crime of historic proportions that will be remembered for generations,” Gantz explained.
Both Sinwar and Taif are believed to be hiding in the Gaza Strip, where they are being sought by Israel. Haniya, the militant Islamist group’s top leader, is based in Qatar and travels frequently to the region.
Khan’s request for arrest warrants related to the Gaza war comes 14 months after an arrest warrant was issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges. Putin has been accused of personal responsibility for kidnapping children from Ukraine.
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