ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel PM Netanyahu, ex-defence minister Gallant & Hamas military chief Deif

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants on Nov. 21 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commonly known as Deif.

According to a press release by the ICC, the warrants were issued for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the three leaders.

The arrest warrants follow ICC prosecutor Karim Khan's announcement on May 20 about applying for arrest warrants for alleged war crimes related to the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza, Palestine.

Arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

In its press release, the ICC said that the court issued warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for their alleged crimes committed from Oct. 8, 2023 to at least May 20, 2024.

The ICC added that it "found reasonable grounds" to believe that both of them "bear criminal responsibility" as co-perpetrators, committing the acts jointly with others.

Their alleged war crimes include starvation as a method of warfare, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

The court highlighted that the alleged crimes were typically carried out by limiting access to essentials, such as food, water, electricity, and fuel which resulted in deaths.

They had also allegedly restricted humanitarian aid into Gaza despite warnings from the United Nations and other government or international bodies.

As a result of limited medical supplies from such restrictions, injured persons often had to be treated or operated on by doctors without proper anaesthetics, leading to "extreme pain and suffering".

The ICC added that there were also "reasonable grounds" to believe that they "bear criminal responsibility" as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population in Gaza.

The two leaders had failed to prevent or repress the crimes despite having measures available to them, also failing to ensure the submittal of the matter to the competent authorities.

Arrest warrant for Deif

In a separate press release on Nov. 21, the ICC said that the court issued an arrest warrant for Deif for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on Israeli and Palestinian territories from Oct. 7, 2023.

ICC's prosecution had previously applied for arrest warrants for two other senior leaders of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.

However, the applications had been withdrawn in August and October 2024 after their deaths, killed by Israeli forces.

Referring to information from both Israeli and Palestinian authorities regarding Deif's reported death, ICC prosecutors then told the court that "it is not in a position" to confirm whether Deif has been killed or remains alive.

The arrest warrant was then issued for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, torture, rape and other form of sexual violence, cruel treatment, taking hostages and outrages upon personal dignity.

The ICC said that it "found reasonable grounds" to believe that Deif "bears criminal responsibility" for these crimes as he had allegedly committed the acts with others, ordered or induced the commission of the crimes, and failed to exercise proper control over forces under his effective command.

He had allegedly been involved in the mass killings carried out by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7, 2023 among several communities in Israel and at the site of the Supernova music festival where there were a few thousand participants.

A large number of persons were also seized from various locations in Israel and taken as hostages into Gaza, where the other alleged crimes were committed.

Deif was believed to have worked with Sinwar and Haniyeh to jointly carry out the Oct. 7 operation.

The ICC added that he is thus responsible for the commission of these crimes.

Top photos via Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant & Israel Defense Forces/Facebook