Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
In doing so, the ICC has rejected Israel's previous challenge to the court's jurisdiction, specifying that Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction was not required.
Specifically, the ICC stated there were "reasonable grounds" to suggest that Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for applying starvation as a method of warfare and for crimes against humanity in the form of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leaders Ibrahim al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Islamist militant group's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Charges leveled against al-Masri include murder, torture, sexual violence, and hostage taking, among other things.
Previous arrest warrants against former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismael Haniyeh have been withdrawn following the confirmation of their killings by Israeli forces. Israel claims to have killed al-Masri, but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this.
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