Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came under personal attack from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant this week
AFP

The International Criminal Court (ICC) revealed on Monday that it is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gaza Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The two leaders were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity over the attacks on Israel carried out since the fateful day of October 7, 2023.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Karim Khan, the court's prosecutor, told Christiane Amanpour that it is also seeking warrants for Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister, and for two other Hamas leaders -- Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri and Ismail Haniyeh, the former touted as the leader of the Al Qassem Brigades, and the latter a political leader.

In an ICC statement, Khan said that after more than seven months of war in Gaza, there are reasonable grounds to have everyone "bear criminal responsibility" for crimes against humanity and other war crimes.

Reuters reported that pre-trial judges will determine whether there is enough evidence to support the issuance of warrants of arrests. However, enforcing these arrest warrants is another story since the court itself does not have the means to enforce them.

In addition, both the U.S. and Israel have long opposed the investigation of the ICC into the Gaza war. Allegations of war crimes have also been previously dismissed by Israel and Palestinian leaders.

The request for the issuance of an arrest warrant by Khan against Israeli politicians is a first for the court where it targeted a close ally of the U.S. The decision will be putting the Israeli Prime Minister on the same level with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for over the Ukraine war.

Khan said that among the charges against the Hamas leaders, Sinwar, Haniyeh and al-Masri, include "extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention," CNN reported. "The world was shocked on the 7th of October when people were ripped from their bedrooms, from their homes, from the different kibbutzim in Israel," he said.

On the other hand, charges against the Israeli leaders include "causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict."

Khan emphasized that international humanitarian law applies to all individuals and also equally across different situations that are addressed by his office and the court.