International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant near the Salem military post in the occupied West Bank on 4 July 2023. (AFP Photo)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of alleged war crimes.
Crimes against humanity, war crimes
“The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, (Mr) Benjamin Netanyahu and (Mr) Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024,” a statement from the court said.
ICC has stated that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival.”
These include critical supplies such as food, water, medical supplies, fuel and electricity, according to the court’s statement. The allegations form only part of the charges leveled against the two officials.
The court further ruled against two jurisdictional challenges raised by Israel, asserting that “the acceptance by Israel of the Court’s jurisdiction is not required.”
The ICC emphasized it has the authority to exercise jurisdiction based on “the territorial jurisdiction of Palestine.”
ICC issues arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif
The International Criminal Court has issued an international arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, whose full name is Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, the court announced in a separate statement.
The ICC stated it “unanimously,” and decided to issue the warrant for Deif “for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least October 7, 2023.”
The charges include allegations of firing rockets into Israeli territory and involvement in the October 7 attacks, during which over 1,000 Israelis were killed.
Israel previously claimed to have killed Deif, the longtime commander of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in an airstrike conducted in July of this year.
The ICC’s announcement raises questions about the verification of his death and his alleged role in recent events.
(Handout/Reuters Photo)
Palestinian envoy to UK comments
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot, on Thursday, urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to apply the “full force of law” equally to Israeli officials following its announcement of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant.
Zomlot welcomed the ICC’s decision as a significant step toward justice and accountability in Palestine.
“Finally, a step toward accountability and justice in Palestine. Let the full force of law be equally applied to Israeli war criminals, and not only for the last 412 days, but for the last 28,000 days,” Zomlot said on the social media platform X.
This photograph taken from a position in southern Israel shows an Israeli tank rolling along the border with the Gaza Strip with damaged buildings within Gaza in the background, on January 19, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) / NO USE AFTER JANUARY 31, 2025 23:00:00 GMT – AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2024
Palestinians walk on a dirt road lined with rubble from destroyed buildings in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City on October 7, 2024, on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP) / NO USE AFTER JANUARY 31, 2025 23:00:00 GMT – AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2024
People rush to landing humanitarian aid packages dropped over the northern Gaza Strip on April 23, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) / NO USE AFTER JANUARY 31, 2025 23:00:00 GMT – AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2024
Israel FM says ICC lost legitimacy with ‘absurd’ arrest warrants
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar published a statement on his social media platform on X and said: “A dark moment for the ICC in The Hague, as it has lost all legitimacy for its existence and operations. It has acted as a political tool serving the most extreme elements working to undermine peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.”
The body calling itself a “court” issued absurd and unauthorized warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and its former Defense Minister Gallant, despite the fact that Israel is not a member of the court.
These warrants are not only directed personally against them. In fact, they constitute an attack on Israel’s right to defend itself. This attack targets the most threatened and attacked nation in the world, which is also the only state in the region openly called for and acted against by others to ensure its destruction.
On a moral level, this is a grave ethical failure that turns good into evil and serves wickedness. Politically, issuing such warrants against a state that acts in accordance with international law is a reward and encouragement for the axis of evil, which consistently and blatantly violates it.
Decent nations and every honorable person in the world must unequivocally reject this injustice with disgust.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar
