The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, the court said on Thursday.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, the court said on Thursday.
In their decision to grant the warrants, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians.
The warrant for Al-Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, including rape and the taking of hostages. The prosecution indicated it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced on May 20 that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza.
Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza. Israel has said it killed Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said the ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were a "mark of shame" for the court. Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid also denounced the court's move, calling it "a reward for terrorism".
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu or Gallant.
Israeli and Hamas leaders have dismissed allegations that they committed war crimes.
The court does not have its own police force to carry out arrests and relies on its member states for that. ICC members include all European Union countries, Britain, Japan, Brazil, Australia and Canada, and in the Middle East region the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
The ICC said Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction was not required.
Israeli politicians reject ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu:
"Israel is not a member of the I.C.C. and does not recognize its jurisdiction in Israel or in Gaza, so Netanyahu and Gallant will not face any risk of arrest at home. But the warrants mean that they could be arrested if they travel to one of the court’s 124 member nations. That includes most European countries, though not the United States."
Benny Gantz, an Israeli opposition leader and critic of Netanyahu, slammed the warrants as “a historic disgrace that will never be forgotten.” Many in Israel still see the war in Gaza — launched last year in response to Hamas’s attack on southern Israel — as fundamentally just. While Netanyahu’s opponents have criticized his government’s failure to bring home the hostages taken by Hamas in that attack, there is less criticism over the civilian toll in Gaza.
Israeli leaders criticized the decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. “The decision has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom,” said Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, accusing the court of turning “the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’s crimes against humanity.” Itamar Ben-Gvir, the hardline Israeli national security minister, said Israel should annex the occupied West Bank in response to the court’s decision.
The I.C.C.’s arrest warrants were issued as Netanyahu met with a top U.S. official pushing for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The warrants pertained only to Israel’s fight with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but the conflict has expanded since they were first requested in May.
The United Nations on Friday voiced serious concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, warning that rising violence is increasing...
U.S. authorities say they have thwarted an ISIS‑inspired terrorist attack planned for New Year’s Eve in the town of Mint Hill, North Carolina, arr...
Ukrainian officials reported on Friday that thousands of children and their parents were evacuated from frontline areas in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro...
Yemen’s southern separatists have announced plans to hold a referendum on independence from the north within two years, a move likely to further esc...
Russian airstrikes have devasted apartment buildings in a residential area of Kharkiv, north-eastern Ukraine, injuring at least 25 people according to...
India has approved a major arms deal with Israel valued at approximately $8.7 billion, highlighting the deepening defence partnership between the two countries.
Israel will revoke the licenses of 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza and the West Bank, stating the groups have failed to meet the requirements under new registration rules.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.
Türkiye will never tolerate coercion, piracy, or banditry in its maritime “blue homeland,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday.
Dozens of people are feared dead and around 100 others injured after an explosion tore through a crowded bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said.
Russian athletes will not be allowed to represent their country at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics even if a peace deal is reached with Ukraine, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said in an interview with an Italian newspaper.
At least 47 people were killed and 112 injured after a fire broke out at a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year’s Eve celebrations, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian media on Thursday.
India has approved a major arms deal with Israel valued at approximately $8.7 billion, highlighting the deepening defence partnership between the two countries.
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck the southern state of Guerrero in Mexico.
U.S. authorities say they have thwarted an ISIS‑inspired terrorist attack planned for New Year’s Eve in the town of Mint Hill, North Carolina, arresting an 18‑year‑old suspect just hours before the alleged assault was due to take place.
The Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami unveiled that the country’s civilian nuclear program has been the target of industrial sabotage by the Israeli and the U.S. intelligent agencies for the last three decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fire on them, days into unrest that has left several dead and posed the biggest internal threat to Iranian authorities in years.
A U.S.-backed initiative is quietly transforming the South Caucasus, linking Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan through a high-security transit corridor. According to PBS News, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIP) could shift regional trade and politics.
The Washington Accords, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, have reshaped the strategic balance in the South Caucasus and strengthened America’s position. According to The Washington Times, the shift reflects a broader realignment driven by security, transport corridors.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment