Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Mohammed Deif, the military commander of Hamas.
The warrants, tied to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Israel-Hamas conflict, come after the court rejected Israel’s challenge to its jurisdiction.
The ICC claims there are reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bear responsibility for crimes such as persecution and starvation as a method of warfare. For Deif, who Israel claims was killed in a July airstrike, charges include murder, torture and taking hostages.
Israel has condemned the ICC’s decision as “antisemitic,” with Netanyahu’s office comparing it to the infamous Dreyfus trial. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the ruling “outrageous,” accusing the ICC of siding with terrorism. Hamas, however, welcomed the warrants, calling them a historic precedent against injustice.
The warrants’ effectiveness depends on enforcement by ICC member states, which excludes Israel and the United States. The ICC maintains its jurisdiction over Gaza and the occupied West Bank based on Palestinian accession to the Rome Statute.
This development follows ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s earlier pursuit of warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and other Hamas leaders following the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. That assault killed over 1,200 Israelis, while subsequent Israeli military actions in Gaza have resulted in over 44,000 deaths, according to Hamas health officials.
Both Israel and Hamas have denied the allegations against them.
[Image via Shutterstock]