The International Criminal Court (ICC) has officially issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and senior Hamas leaders, including Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Ismail Haniyeh. The charges stem from alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the recent Gaza conflict.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced that the Israeli leadership is accused of using starvation as a weapon of war and targeting civilians through actions like cutting off vital resources to Gaza. In contrast, Hamas leaders face accusations of organizing and committing crimes such as mass murder, torture, and sexual violence during the October 7 attacks in Israel.
The arrest warrants will be reviewed by an ICC pre-trial panel, which will decide in the coming months whether to issue the warrants. However, enforcement faces challenges as Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which establishes the ICC’s jurisdiction. The warrants, if issued, could isolate Israel diplomatically and draw global attention to alleged violations on both sides of the conflict