The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and senior Hamas official Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (commonly known as Deif) over alleged war crimes related to the conflict that followed the October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. The court stated that it had “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu, Gallant, and al-Masri, the commander-in-chief of Hamas’ military wing (Al-Qassam Brigades), committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The charges against them include starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury, directing attacks against civilian populations, and committing inhumane acts, among other crimes. The court emphasized that these alleged war crimes occurred in the context of both an international armed conflict between Israel and Palestine and a non-international armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, alongside other Palestinian armed groups. The ICC also noted that the crimes against humanity were part of a “widespread and systematic attack” against the Palestinian civilian population as part of state policy, continuing to the present day.
This marks the first time the ICC has issued arrest warrants against leaders of a democratic country. Netanyahu and Gallant would be subject to arrest if they travel to any country that is a party to the ICC, though Israel itself is not a member of the court. The court has also charged Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Deif with crimes against humanity, including rape, sexual violence, and outrages upon personal dignity in the context of captivity, among other charges.
