The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, Reuters reported on Friday, citing the ICC.
The warrant for Hamas leader Al-Masri, who Israel has said was killed, lists charges of mass murder during attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, including rape and hostage-taking. The prosecution said it would continue to gather information about his death.
"In their decision to issue the warrants, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for the Gaza famine and the persecution of Palestinians," the report said.
Israel rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague court and denies war crimes in Gaza. Reuters notes that Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant a "mark of shame," and Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid a "reward for terrorism."
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on May 20, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, called on the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Khan said that in addition to Netanyahu, ICC warrants should be issued for Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three leaders of the Islamist Hamas movement.
Recall that on May 20, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson threatened the International Criminal Court with sanctions for issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
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