In a significant move, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that it is seeking arrest warrants for both Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The warrants are in relation to the violent events of October 7 and the subsequent genocide in Gaza.
War Crimes: ICC Seeks Top Arrests!
In an exclusive interview with an international news outlet, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan revealed that apart from the leaders, the prosecution team is also seeking warrants for Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and top Hamas figures Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
This marks the first instance of the ICC targeting the leader of a key U.S. ally, putting Netanyahu in the same category as figures like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi.
The charges against the Hamas leaders include extermination, murder, hostage-taking, and sexual assault in detention. As per reports, on October 7, Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel. And took around 250 hostages, many of whom remain captive.
Karim Khan stated, “The world was shocked on the 7th of October when people were ripped from their homes in Israel. People have suffered enormously.” He emphasized that Israel had the right to retrieve hostages but must comply with international law.
The charges against Netanyahu and Gallant involve causing extermination, starvation as a method of warfare, and deliberately targeting civilians. “The fact that Hamas fighters need water doesn’t justify denying water from all the civilian population of Gaza,” Khan said.
Netanyahu responded fiercely, calling the ICC decision “a political outrage”. Asserting that Israel will continue its efforts until all hostages are released and Hamas is dismantled. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other officials echoed his sentiments, denouncing the ICC’s move as a distortion of justice.
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On the other hand, Hamas also condemned the ICC’s actions, accusing the prosecutor of equating victims with aggressors. They called for arrest warrants against all those responsible for crimes against Palestinians.
A panel of judges will now review the ICC’s decision. If the warrants are issued, it could severely restrict the international travel of the accused as ICC member countries are obligated to arrest and extradite individuals under warrant.
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