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ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
(about 1 hour later)
Prosecutors in The Hague are also seeking the detention of Israel’s former defence minister, Yoav GallantProsecutors in The Hague are also seeking the detention of Israel’s former defence minister, Yoav Gallant
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes during the war with Hamas in Gaza. The Jewish state does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced on Thursday that it has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the Gaza conflict.
In a press release on Thursday, the ICC accused the two politicians of “crimes against humanity” committed between October 2023 – when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel – and May 2024, when the application for warrants was filled out. Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif has also been named in a warrant for similar charges.
The ICC said that while the warrants are classified as ‘secret’ to “protect witnesses and safeguard the investigations,” there are “reasonable grounds both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived 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 court accuses Netanyahu and Gallant of using starvation as a method of warfare, alleging they deliberately deprived Gaza’s civilian population of essential supplies, including food, water, and medicine.
It also accused Netanyahu and Gallant of using “starvation as a method of warfare,” adding that such policies have caused civilian deaths. The court also claimed that Netanyahu and Gallant could bear “criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza.” Prosecutors claim there was “no obvious military necessity” for such actions, which amount to violations of international law.
Members of the Rome Statute, under which the ICC operates, are obliged to cooperate in arresting Netanyahu and Gallant should they travel to their territory, to be later transferred to The Hague for trial. Many nations, however, including the US, Russia and China, do not recognize the ICC. Both Israeli politicians could face arrest if they travel to any of the 123 countries that are signatories to the ICC’s Rome Statute.
Netanyahu and Gallant have yet to comment on the accusations. In May, however, the ex-defense chief blasted an ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek an arrest warrant as a “despicable” attempt to draw parallels between Hamas and Israel, which he said was exercising its right for self-defense. The charges are part of a broader ICC investigation that includes alleged crimes by Hamas during its October 7 attacks on Israel.
The same day, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, a senior Hamas commander, over alleged war crimes committed on Israeli and Palestinian territory. The court said he was suspected of a long list of crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, rape and other form of sexual violence, as well as taking hostages. According to unconfirmed reports, the Hamas commander was killed in action in July. Prosecutors have accused Deif, the mastermind of the assault, of murder, torture, and hostage-taking. Israel claims to have killed Deif in an airstrike earlier this year, though Hamas has not confirmed his death.
The court previously sought to prosecute two other senior Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, but dropped the charges after it was confirmed that they had been eliminated by Israel.
The move has sparked an immediate backlash. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the ICC warrants a “mark of shame,” while opposition leader Yair Lapid labeled the decision “a reward for terrorism.”
The Israeli government has consistently denied committing war crimes and rejects the court’s jurisdiction. The US and Russia – among others – also don’t recognise the ICC.
Israel has challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction and argued that it was not given the opportunity to investigate the allegations internally. Netanyahu’s government has dismissed the Hague’s actions as politically motivated interference.
In Washington, incoming Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune has threatened sanctions against the ICC, echoing earlier House-approved legislation. “If the ICC does not reverse this outrageous action, the Senate must act to sanction the court,” Thune said.
Other Republican lawmakers, including Senator Susan Collins, pledged to support Israel and press for punitive measures against the ICC.
The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, initially requested arrest warrants in May, alleging widespread violations during Israel’s military response to Hamas. The court said its Pre-Trial Chamber found “reasonable grounds” to believe the accused were responsible for crimes against humanity, including persecution and inhumane acts.
Last year, the ICC issued similar warrants for the detention of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.