International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Israeli Premier Netanyahu and Former Defense Minister Gallant

 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. 

They are accused of committing war crimes in Palestinian territories, including Gaza.

The Hague court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I stated that it had issued the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024, the date the Prosecution filed the applications for the warrants.

The court unanimously rejected challenges by Israel under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute. 

It found reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility as co-perpetrators for the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare, and for crimes against humanity including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

These warrants come amid Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, which has entered its second year. 

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of approximately 44,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, and has injured over 103,000 others. 

The Israeli military actions have displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, leading to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.