The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Secretary Yoav Gallant in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict, which escalated after Hamas’ 7 October attacks on Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office denounced the warrants as “anti-Semitic” and rejected the charges as false and absurd.
In addition, the ICC has issued a warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the same conflict.
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Al Masri, the architect of the 7 October attacks, is believed to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this year, but the court has proceeded with the arrest warrant due to uncertainty about his status.
Neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC, and Israel has consistently denied the court’s jurisdiction and the allegations of war crimes in Gaza.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized the warrants as a “mark of shame” for the ICC.
The ICC’s decision follows its announcement in May that it was seeking arrest warrants for the three individuals. After rejecting challenges from Israel, the court confirmed the warrants.
The ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear responsibility for crimes including starvation as a method of warfare, as well as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
The court also issued a warrant for Al Masri, asserting that there are grounds to believe he is responsible for crimes including murder, extermination, torture, and rape, as well as war crimes such as taking hostages.
In describing the 7 October attacks, the ICC noted the mass killings of civilians and concluded that these actions could amount to the crime against humanity of extermination.
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