ICC issues arrest warrant on Natanyahu, Hamas leaders over war crime

In an effort to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing Middle East crisis, judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Additionally, the judges issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu’s Defense Chief, Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif.

This move comes after an ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, announced on May 20, that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Oct.7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the Israeli military response in Gaza.

According to the tribunal members on Thursday, the three men bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflicts between Israel and Hamas.

The warrants against Deif says “the chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Deif was “responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture; taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other form of sexual violence”.

It also said there were reasonable grounds to believe the crimes against humanity were “part of a widespread and systematic attack directed by Hamas and other armed groups against the civilian population of Israel”.

For Netanyahu and Gallant, who was replaced as defence minister earlier this month, the chamber “found reasonable grounds to believe” that they “each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.

The warrant arrest against them, stems from the events of 7 October 2023, when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.

In response to Hamas attack, Israel launched a military campaign to eliminate Hamas, during which at least 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Meanwhile, the trio are yet to comment on the warrant issue, however, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has debunked the ICC describing it as “outrageous”.

“Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughing stock.”

“The decision has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity,” he added.