Palestinians welcome ICC decision against Israel's Netanyahu, Gallant

In a statement, the ICC's pre-trial chamber accused Netanyahu and Gallant of committing 'crimes against humanity and war crimes' between at least October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024

- AGENCIES

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.

In a statement, the ICC's pre-trial chamber accused Netanyahu and Gallant of committing "crimes against humanity and war crimes" between at least October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024, the date when the prosecution submitted the arrest warrant applications, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ICC said that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant "each bear criminal responsibility as co-perpetrators" for committing war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare, and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

The court's statement outlined a series of alleged war crimes, including "intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population," and depriving the "civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity".

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas' military wing, accusing him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the territories of Israel and Palestine from at least October 7, 2023.

Although Deif has reportedly been killed by Israeli forces, the ICC noted that it cannot conclusively confirm his death.

Prosecutor Karim Khan informed the court that available information from Israeli and Palestinian sources about his death remains inconclusive, leaving the arrest warrant active.

In May, Khan initially requested arrest warrants for five individuals: Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif, and senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. However, after confirmed reports of Haniyeh and Sinwar's deaths, the court withdrew those applications.