ALBAWABA - Chief prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) told CNN that the ICC is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
According to Khan, the planned arrest warrants would target Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in addition to two other prominent Hamas figures: Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas, and Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the commander of the Al Qassem Brigades and popularly known as Mohammed Deif.
Khan said the charges against Sinwar, Haniyeh, and al-Masri include "extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention"
"The world was shocked on the 7th of October when people were ripped from their bedrooms, from their homes, from the different kibbutzim in Israel," Khan told Christiane Amanpour, adding that "people have suffered enormously".
Khan added that the charges brought against Netanyahu and Gallant include "causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict,".
Later in April, news surfaced that the ICC would be issuing an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following the announcement, the latter stated that any ICC arrest warrants against senior Israeli government and military officials would be an outrage of historic proportions.
Netanyahu added that Israel has an independent legal system that thoroughly investigates all legal violations.
The United States and Israel are not ICC members. Nevertheless, the International Criminal Court (ICC) proclaims its authority over Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank following the formal 2015 agreement by Palestinian authorities to be bound by the fundamental rules of the court.
Commenting on the announcement, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid stated that the ICC arrest warrants would have catastrophic consequences, Lapid also added that Israel will not remain silent regarding the comparison between Israeli and Hamas leaders.
In April, Israeli National Security Council (NSC) recommended three immediate measures that Israel must take to tackle this prospective step, including mounting a political effort at the international level in an attempt to prevent any ICC action.
"Based on the information and indicators available to senior officials in Israel, there is a possibility that the International Criminal Court in The Hague will issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant and Halevi," Channel 13 reported.
