Israeli Leaders Hit with Arrest Warrants for Alleged War Crimes by International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has officially issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, accusing them of war crimes in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

The warrants issued for the arrests of Netanyahu and Gallant are based upon "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October, 2023 until at least 20 May, 2024," including "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts," according to the ICC.

This comes after the Israeli Foreign Ministry submitted two legal briefs challenging the court's jurisdiction in September. The court rejected these challenges when issuing the arrest warrants.

"The Chamber noted that the acceptance by Israel of the Court's jurisdiction is not required, as the Court can exercise its jurisdiction on the basis of territorial jurisdiction of Palestine, as determined by Pre-Trial Chamber I in a previous composition," the ICC wrote in a press release announcing the developments.

The ICC also found that Deif was "responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture; taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other form of sexual violence."

Israel and its ally, the United States, both do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in implementing such warrants, and the court has no police or military force with which it can enforce its decisions. However, the court's 124 member states can choose to conduct arrests if any of the individuals travel into their country. Considering that many European states are members of the court, this could make travel difficult for Netanyahu.

While Hamas' reaction to the court's decision has been positive, with the group even stating that it demonstrated "international justice is with us," Israel has responded with outrage.

"Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughing stock," Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement to X.

"The decision has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas' crimes against humanity," he continued.

"We also call on the International Court of Justice to expedite its ruling on Israel committing the crime of genocide," Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti, who applauded the issuance of warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, said in a post to X.