Judges at the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The move comes after the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced on May 20, that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Oct 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the Israeli military response in Gaza.
The ICC said Israel’s acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction was not required.
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 airstrike but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this.
In May this year, the ICC prosecutor’s office said it had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.
Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 44,056 Palestinians and wounded 104,268 since October 7, 2023, the enclave’s health ministry has said.