In a landmark move, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has applied for arrest warrants against top Israeli and Hamas leaders for their alleged roles in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip.
According to Khan’s statement on Monday, he has “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are guilty of using “starvation as a method of warfare” against Palestinians in Gaza, as well as “intentionally directing attacks” against civilians and overseeing the “extermination and/or murder” of Palestinians.
The ICC prosecutor has also accused senior Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohamed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (also known as Mohamed Deif), and Ismail Haniyeh of overseeing crimes against Israeli communities, including “killing and extermination,” “taking hostages,” and torture.
The announcement marks the first time an ICC chief prosecutor has sought to indict the leaders of a United States ally, Israel, raising the stakes in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the coming months, a panel of ICC pre-trial judges will review Khan’s request, with legal experts expecting the indictments to be approved. However, the move is likely to face fierce opposition from Israel and its allies, who may attempt to pressure the judges to decline the arrest warrants.
Hamas has already condemned the prosecutor’s decision, accusing him of equating “the victim with the executioner.” Meanwhile, Israeli politicians, including Netanyahu, have rejected the ICC’s requests, with some going as far as to accuse Khan of anti-Semitism.
The United States has backed Israel in rejecting the arrest warrant requests. At the same time, South Africa, which is pursuing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, has supported Khan’s move.
Regardless of the outcome, the ICC’s decision to target both Israeli and Hamas leaders is seen as a significant step in the pursuit of justice for the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s war on the enclave.
