The International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.
The arrest warrant comes after Israel’s response to the Hamas militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, which left 1,139 people dead and over 250 taken hostage.
On Monday, the Gaza health ministry reported that to date over 35,562 Palestinians have been killed and 79,652 injured by the Israeli military offensive.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan also called for arrest warrants for Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the group’s commander-in-chief of its military wing, Mohammed Al-Masri, and the head of its Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.
Khan said: “Now, more than ever, we must collectively demonstrate that international humanitarian law, the foundational baseline for human conduct during the conflict, applies to all individuals and applies equally across the situations addressed by my office and the court.
“This is how we will prove, tangibly, that the lives of all human beings have equal value.”
A panel of pre-trial judges will decide if the evidence justifies the issuing of arrest warrants, but they have no means of enforcing the warrants.
On Monday, the Gaza health ministry reported that to date over 35,562 Palestinians have been killed and 79,652 injured by the Israeli military offensive.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan also called for arrest warrants for Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the group’s commander-in-chief of its military wing, Mohammed Al-Masri, and the head of its Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.
Khan said: “Now, more than ever, we must collectively demonstrate that international humanitarian law, the foundational baseline for human conduct during the conflict, applies to all individuals and applies equally across the situations addressed by my office and the court.
“This is how we will prove, tangibly, that the lives of all human beings have equal value.”
A panel of pre-trial judges will decide if the evidence justifies the issuing of arrest warrants, but they have no means of enforcing the warrants.
Both Israel and Palestine have dismissed allegations of committing war crimes and the ICC’s investigation has long been opposed by the United States and Israel.
Source: Reuters
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