The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced on Thursday that it had issued arrest warrants on suspicion of war crimes for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and the leader of the armed wing of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, Muhammad Daif.
The ICC emphasized that the arrest warrants for Israeli officials apply regardless of Israel’s refusal to the court’s jurisdiction on its territory. TASR informs according to a Reuters report.
“The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber has issued arrest warrants for two individuals, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023, to at least May 20, 2024, the date the prosecution requested the arrest warrants. ” states ICC in a statement stating that an arrest warrant was also issued for Dajf.
The court thus granted the request of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who requested arrest warrants on suspicion of crimes connected with the attacks of Palestinian militants on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent reaction of the Israeli army.
Israel denies committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. According to Israel’s claims, Daif was killed during one of its army’s raids, but Hamas has not yet confirmed this. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu a “shameful” move by the ICC. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called the arrest warrant a “reward for terrorism.”
