ICC arrest warrants accuse Netanyahu, Gallant of war crimes in Gaza
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity, a historic rebuke of Israel’s battlefield conduct – one that requires dozens of nations that are party to the court’s statute to apprehend the men if they set foot in those countries.
The ICC also issued a warrant for a Hamas military leader, Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July, according to Israeli officials. The court said it approved the order because prosecutors were not able to confirm his death. Two other warrant applications for Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar were dropped after they were killed by Israel.
The charges against Netanyahu and the former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, stem from Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip. The 13-month war has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, internally displaced about 2 million people and destroyed much of the enclave’s health-care system and infrastructure. A statement from the court said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant bear responsibility for crimes there, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as “murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
Deif was charged with crimes against humanity in connection with the Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, including murder, torture, rape and the abduction of hostages. Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel that day and dragged 250 others back to Gaza.
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