The International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes.
Applications also applied for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders, according to a statement issued by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan on Monday.
The ICC had launched an investigation into alleged War Crimes, Genocide and Human rights abuses into the retaliatory war by Israel against Hamas and Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and primarily the Gaza Strip which has according to estimates from the Hamas run Health Ministry and the UN led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians mostly Children and Women.
The ICC also investigated the Palestinian resistant movements led by Hamas which governs the Gaza strip for its attack on unarmed Israelis and Others on October 7 2023 which led to the death of over 1200 people according to Israeli estimates and abduction of over 200 Others.
The ICC is now seeking the arrest of the Israeli Prime, Benjamin Netanyahu, and 3 Leaders of Hamas in the Gaza strip and elsewhere who are believed to have directed the attack on October 7th 2023.
Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor sought the arrest of three Hamas leaders: Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
He said that they bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza strip from at least 8 October 2023:
- Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime
- Willfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health
- Willful killing or murder as a war crime
- Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime
- Extermination and/or murder, including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity
- Persecution as a crime against humanity
- Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity
