The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a senior Hamas official over alleged war crimes committed during the conflict that followed the October 7 attacks on Israel last year.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the ICC, based in the Netherlands, stated that there are 'reasonable grounds' to believe that Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes, including 'starvation as a method of warfare' and crimes against humanity such as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. The court rejected Israel's challenge to its jurisdiction over the matter.
Despite Israel not being a member of the ICC, the Palestinian Authority, as the State of Palestine, is a party to the Rome Statute that established the court. The ICC does not have its own enforcement mechanism and relies on countries' support for arrests.
The court also issued a warrant for Hamas official Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, who Israel claims was one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack. While Israel stated that it killed him in an airstrike in September, Hamas has not confirmed his death.
The ICC found 'reasonable grounds' to believe that Deif was responsible for crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, as well as war crimes like murder, cruel treatment, torture, taking hostages, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and other forms of sexual violence.
The court held Deif accountable for these crimes, stating that he 'committed the acts jointly and through others, ordered or induced the commission of the crimes,' and failed to 'exercise proper control over forces under his effective command and control.'
Furthermore, the ICC indicated that there are 'reasonable grounds to believe that 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.'
