The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas official Mohammed Deif, accusing them of war crimes related to the October 7 attacks on Israel.
The ICC stated it found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu is responsible for crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
This is the time the international court will charge an Israeli leader over alleged actions against Palestinians in the ongoing conflict.
Netanyahu’s office dismissed the warrants as “absurd and anti-semitic,” insisting that Israel’s actions were justified after Hamas’s attacks, which they described as a massacre. Israel contends that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over its actions since it is not a member of the court.
The warrant for the Hamas leader Deif cites his alleged responsibility for “crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, and rape and other form of sexual violence, as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture, taking hostages, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and other form of sexual violence.”
Though Israel claims to have killed him Mr. Deif, Hamas has not confirmed his death to date.
The ICC characterized the actions of Hamas on October 7 and other Palestinian armed groups as part of a systematic attack on Israeli civilians.
Hamas welcomed the warrants against Israeli leaders labelling it “represents a “significant historical precedent. It rectifies a longstanding course of historical injustice against our people and the suspicious negligence of the horrific violations they have endured over 76 years of fascist occupation.” But it kept sealed lips on the warrant of Deif.
The Biden administration had since May criticized the ICC’s involvement in ongoing conflict. President Joe Biden called the application for the arrest warrant against Israeli leaders as “outrageous” and reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s security.
Warrants have been variously issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. The ICC relies on the goodwill of member states to enforce its warrant orders, which is hardly ever implemented due to geopolitical considerations.
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