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The Chamber issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from October 8, 2023 to May 20, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (IMAGE: REUTERS)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant amid the ongoing Middle-East conflict.
The International Court issued the warrants accusing both the leaders of crimes against humanity and war crimes over the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare”.
In its statement, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I, a panel of three judges, said it has rejected appeals by Israel challenging its jurisdiction.
The chamber said the arrest warrants are classified as “secret” but that it has decided to release them because “conduct similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be ongoing,” referring to the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza and the continued detention of Israeli captives by Hamas.
The Chamber also accused Netanyahu and Gallant of “intentionally and knowingly deprived” Gaza’s civilians of food, water, medicine, medical supplies and fuel and electricity.
The Hague-based court also issued a warrant for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the Hamas military chief also known as Mohammed Deif. Israel said in August it had killed Deif in an airstrike in Gaza earlier this year.
This is a developing story
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