On suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a prominent Hamas figure.
For the first time, an international court has indicted Netanyahu or any other Israeli official for the ongoing battle in Gaza.
The ICC accused Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif in a ruling made public online on Thursday in connection with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and the ensuing genocidal war in Gaza.
But Deif was killed in July, according to Israel. Whether he is still alive is unknown.
The defendants are now essentially globally sought suspects, and member states of the ICC are required by law to apprehend them.
The action was denounced as “anti-Semitic” by Israeli officials.
Charges Against Netanyahu and Gallant
What all of this means is as follows: What charges are made against Netanyahu and Gallant by the ICC? The court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October until at least 20 May, 2024.”
It included the use of hunger and the intentional focusing on healthcare facilities, according to a decision made public online.
Karim Khan, the prosecutor for the court, initially asked for the arrest warrants in May.
According to the court, there are good reasons to think that Gallant and Netanyahu are “criminally responsible” for the widespread famine in Gaza.
In reference to Israel’s systematic denial of food and humanitarian aid supplies into the Gaza Strip during the conflict, the court has charged Netanyahu and Gallant with working together to deploy “starvation as a method of warfare.”
The ICC also cited Israel’s willful targeting of Gaza’s facilities and its inability to permit the entry of medical and humanitarian supplies into the Strip. Additionally, accusing the two leaders of “crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”