The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in order to prosecute them for their role in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Karim Khan KC is also seeking permission to issue warrants for 3 Hamas leaders, its leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, the leader of its military wing Mohammed Deif, and its political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Khan’s application will be put before ICC judges who will decide whether or not to grant them.
While issuing the arrest warrants in the situation of the Israel-Gaza war, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said the applications were guided by the outcome of an independent and impartial investigation by his Office.
“On the basis of evidence collected and examined by my office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defence of Israel, bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 8 October 2023,” the ICC prosecutor said.
PM Netanyahu and the Defence Minister have been charged with causing starvation of civilians, wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health contrary, wilful killing and intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.
Other charges include; extermination and or murder, Persecution as a crime against humanity and other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity.
The ICC has also issued arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar (Head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (“Hamas”) in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim AL-MASRI, more commonly known as DEIF (Commander-in-Chief of the military wing of Hamas, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades), and Ismail Haniyeh (Head of Hamas Political Bureau).
The trio, according to investigations conducted by ICC bears criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 7th October 2023.
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