By David Atangana
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant and the Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif.
The Hague-based world court handed down the warrant Thursday, November 21, 2024, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the war in Gaza.
“The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” the three-judge panel wrote in its unanimous decision to issue warrants for Netanyahu and his sacked defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
Both Israeli and Hamas leaders have blasted the ICC decision.
While Netanyahu condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic, the US President Joe Biden also blasted the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
Hamas has also slammed the warrant.
The ICC is a court of last resort that only prosecutes cases when domestic law enforcement authorities cannot or will not investigate.
Israel is not a member state of the court.
Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in The Hague any time soon.
The court itself has no police to enforce warrants, instead relying on cooperation from its member states.
