The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the leader of Hamas Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes committed.
Two other arrest warrants were considered for senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, but were withdrawn after confirmation of their deaths. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant against Yoav Gallant, who served as Israel's minister of defense from 2022 through earlier this year.
The ICC said that Netanyahu and Gallant were accused of war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. Israel objected to the ICC's jurisdiction, but the court ruled against Israel.
"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, from at least Oct. 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024," the ICC said. "This finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal.
"The Chamber found that their conduct led to the disruption of the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide food and other essential goods to the population in need in Gaza. The aforementioned restrictions together with cutting off electricity and reducing fuel supply also had a severe impact on the availability of water in Gaza and the ability of hospitals to provide medical care."
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Many international groups have condemned Israel for blocking aid efforts in Gaza amid its response to the attack by Hamas. The U.S. has backed Israel militarily but has urged Israel and Hamas to work out a peace agreement to bring an end to hostilities.
Deif is accused by the ICC of being one of the leaders in Hamas' deadly attack against Israel that left hundreds dead and taking hundreds more hostage.
U.S. and Israeli sources said Deif died in July, but Hamas has publicly disputed his death. The ICC said it is not in a position to judge whether Deif is alive or not.
The ICC has successfully arrested and sentenced past world leaders, including former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
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The ICC primarily charges world leaders for offenses such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. There are 123 nations that are parties to the ICC. Both the United States and Israel are among those that have not agreed to the Rome Statute, which helped form the ICC.
President Bill Clinton agreed to join the ICC in 1998, but the treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate.
Although Clinton signed the treaty, his administration expressed concern about the U.S. participating in the ICC. The Clinton administration was particularly concerned the court would supersede domestic courts.
According to the ICC, its judges have issued 59 arrest warrants. Of those, 21 have been detained.
The ICC has issued 11 convictions in its history.
