Karim Khan KC, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has officially requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of Hamas in Gaza on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity,leadership reports.
These charges relate to events beginning from October 7, 2023.
In addition to Netanyahu, the request includes Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
The ICC, based in The Hague, has been investigating Israel’s actions in the occupied territories for the past three years and recently expanded its investigation to include actions by Hamas.
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Netanyahu condemned the ICC’s request, calling it “an outrage of historic proportions.”
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, despite being a political rival of Netanyahu, also criticized the decision. He stated on X, “Drawing parallels between the leaders of a democratic country determined to defend itself from despicable terror and leaders of a blood-thirsty terror organization is a deep distortion of justice and blatant moral bankruptcy.”
The process of issuing arrest warrants by the ICC can take weeks or even months from the initial request to judicial approval.
