• Karim Khan, the lead prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), is seeking arrest warrants for several Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. [ynet.co.il, maariv.co.il, alhurra.com, nytimes.com, middleeasteye.net, kommersant.ru, ft.com]
  • It is claimed Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif are criminally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and Palestine territories, starting October 7, 2023. [alhurra.com]
  • The allegations against the Israeli leaders include causing destruction, starvation as a war tactic, denying humanitarian aid, and deliberately harming civilians, while the allegations against the Hamas leaders include extermination, murder, taking hostages, rape, and sexual violence. [ynet.co.il, maariv.co.il]
  • Khan emphasized that no one is above the law, responding to Netanyahu’s previous statement dismissing the ICC’s authority over Israel. [ynet.co.il]
  • Israel and the U.S. are not members of the ICC, but the court asserts jurisdiction over Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank after Palestinian leaders agreed to its principles in 2015. [ynet.co.il, maariv.co.il]
  • The Chief Prosecutor issued a statement requesting the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC to issue arrest warrants relating to the situation in Palestine. [alhurra.com]
  • International lawyers and experts have provided impartial legal opinions and evidence to the ICC prosecutor, who has concluded that there are grounds for charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against both Hamas and Israeli leaders. [ft.com]
  • The requested warrants are the first step in a process, and further investigations are expected. The judges of the ICC will determine which warrants to issue, with the hope of increased protections for civilians. [ft.com]
  • This is the first time that the ICC has targeted the leader of a close US ally, as noted by CNN. [rbc.ru]
  • Activists are protesting a non-existent genocide in the U.S., while remaining silent on the ongoing genocide in Darfur, and their narrow focus on Israel prevents them from addressing human rights violations and self-determination issues elsewhere. [jns.org]

Sources