The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief, Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged crimes. of war and against humanity in the conflict in Gaza.
In their ruling, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant are criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war, within a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza ”.
The judges said there were also reasonable grounds to believe that the blockade of Gaza and the lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies “created living conditions calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration.”
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The decision was met with outrage in Israel, which considered it shameful and absurd. Gaza residents expressed hope that the ruling would help end the violence and bring those responsible for war crimes to justice. Hamas welcomed the warrants against the Israelis, and a senior official told Reuters it was a first step towards justice.
The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza, as well as charges of rape and hostage taking.
Israel said it killed Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in July, but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied it. The prosecution indicated that it will continue to gather information regarding his alleged death.
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Israel rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza.
The United States, Israel’s main diplomatic supporter, is also not a member of the ICC. The country said it “fundamentally rejects” the measure.
“We remain deeply concerned about the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling procedural errors that led to this decision,” said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, adding that the U.S. is discussing next steps with your partners.
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Global powers Russia, China and India also did not join the ICC — a permanent global war crimes court, which has the support of the entire European Union, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan and dozens of African and Latin Americans.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced on May 20 that he would seek arrest warrants for alleged crimes related to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza. Israeli and Hamas leaders have rejected accusations that they committed war crimes.
The court does not have its own police force to carry out arrests and relies on its 124 member states to do so, with only limited diplomatic means to force them if they do not want to act.
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Netanyahu’s office said the ICC decision was “anti-Semitic” and that he “will not give in to pressure, will not be deterred” until Israel’s war aims are achieved.
There was no comment from Gallant at first.
In a statement, Hamas welcomed the warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu and called on the court to expand accountability to all Israeli leaders.
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