WASHINGTON – The International Criminal Court on Monday requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and others on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the Israeli-led war in Gaza and the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.
ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, said he had requested arrest warrants for Sinwar, Muhammad Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. He said he was also requesting a warrant for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
The charges targeting Israel, although widely anticipated for weeks, could ignite further international outrage over Israel’s conduct during its seven-month war in Gaza, delivering a major setback to Netanyahu.
Khan said he has “reasonable reason to believe” Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the starvation of Palestinians as a weapon of warfare, willful killing or murder, and intentionally directing attacks on a civilian population. He also accused the two Israeli leaders of committing crimes against humanity through extermination, persecution and other inhumane acts.
“Unfortunately, these crimes continue to this day,” Khan said. “My office submits that these individuals, through a common plan, have systematically deprived the civilian population of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival.”
Like all states, Israel has the right to defend its population, Khan said, and “every right to ensure the return of hostages that have been criminally and callously taken.”
