International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Monday that he has requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, the head of the terror group's military wing Mohammed Deif and the leader of its political bureau Ismail Haniyeh on charges of war crimes.
In an official statement, Khan accused Netanyahu and Gallant of a flurry of charges, including "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare," "Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health... or cruel treatment," "Wilful killing... or Murder, "Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population," "Extermination and/or murder... in the context of deaths caused by starvation," "Persecution" and "Other inhumane acts."
International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's statement
(Video: ICC )
Meanwhile, Khan accused Deif and Sinwar of extermination, murder, taking hostages as a war crime, rape and other acts of sexual violence, torture and other inhumane acts, cruel treatment in the context of captivity and outrages upon personal dignity in the context of captivity.
Khan is currently leading an investigation into alleged war crimes by both sides in the Gaza conflict. The investigation against Israel began before the current war and includes events related to the conflict since 2015. Although Israel has not ratified the Rome Statute, which underpins the ICC, the court's judges determined a few years ago that it has jurisdiction in the Palestinian territories because the Palestinian Authority ratified the Rome Statute last decade.
An Israeli political source condemned Khan's statement as "hypocrisy and an international disgrace."
Minister Benny Gantz slammed the decision as an "indelible historical crime." "The State of Israel embarked on a just war following a massacre committed by a terrorist organization against its citizens. Israel fights with the highest moral standards in history, strictly adhering to international law, and boasts a strong, independent judiciary," he wrote on X.
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Top left clockwise: Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif
(Photo: Yonatan Sindel, Luis ACOSTA / AFP, Elad Malka)
"Equating the leaders of a nation defending its citizens with bloodthirsty terrorists is a moral blindness that undermines Israel's duty and ability to protect its people. Accepting the prosecutor’s stance would be an indelible historical crime."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also slammed the decision. In a social media post, the far-right firebrand said that the statement "equates the prime minister and defense minister with Hamas leaders" and "proves that sending Israeli representatives to the court was a grave mistake from the outset."
He urged Netanyahu and Gallant to "ignore the antisemitic prosecutor of the antisemitic court and intensify the offensive against Hamas until its complete defeat."
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Wasel Abu Youssef said on Monday the ICC prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for Hamas leaders was a "confusion between the victim and the executioner."
"The ICC is required to issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials who continue committing genocide crimes in the Gaza Strip," he added.