The International Criminal Court issued applications for arrest warrants on Monday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yahya Shinwar, and several other Israeli and Hamas officials on charges of war crimes and allegations of crimes against humanity.
The court claims that both the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, in which more than 1,000 Israelis were killed and hundreds kidnapped, and Israel's retaliatory attack on the Gaza Strip and the blockade of aid to the Palestinians were carried out against violation of international law. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.
The ICC alleges that Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallad, have committed war crimes of hunger. intentionally causes great suffering or serious injury to body or health; Intentional killing; deliberately carrying out attacks against the civilian population; as well as the crimes against humanity of extermination and/or murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
The court further alleges that Hamas leaders — including Sinwar, Al-Qassam Brigades chief Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (commonly known as Mohammed Deif) and Hamas Politburo Chairman Ismail Haniyeh — committed war crimes murder, hostage-taking and cruel treatment, as well as crimes against humanity extermination, rape and other acts of sexual violence, torture and other inhuman acts.
“Today's applications are the result of an independent and impartial investigation by my Office. Guided by our obligation to investigate both incriminating and exculpatory evidence, my Office has worked painstakingly to separate allegations from facts and present sober conclusions based on evidence,” ICC Prosecutor Karim AA Khan wrote in the application. “Today we emphasize once again that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all. No pedestrian, no commander, no political leader – no one – can act with impunity. Nothing can justify deliberately depriving human beings, including so many women and children, of the basic necessities required for life. Nothing can justify taking hostages or targeting civilians.”
Khan added in his statement that the court views its investigation into alleged war crimes as an ongoing process and that his office would not hesitate to “submit further applications for arrest warrants if and when we consider that the threshold of a realistic prospect of conviction has been met .”
In an interview with CNN, Khan noted that the parties for whom writs are sought are “at liberty, notwithstanding their objections to the jurisdiction, to appeal before the justices of the court, and this I advise them to do.”
The application comes months after the International Court of Justice, the international civil court that hears disputes between nations, found that there was “substantial” evidence to suggest that Israel may have committed acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/international-criminal-court-arrest-warrants-netanyahu-sinwar-1235023815/