The ICC has issued arrest orders for Netanyahu, Gallant, and the leader of Hamas in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri were all given arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court on Thursday. They are all accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza battle.

The ICC judges said there were good reasons to think Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for killing, persecuting, and starving people as a tool of war as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza.”

In Israel, people were furious about the ruling and said it was shameful and silly. A top Hamas official told Reuters that the warrants against the Israelis were a good step toward justice.

Masri is wanted on charges of killing many people on October 7, 2023, and attacking Israel, which led to the Gaza war. He is also accused of rape and hostage taking.

Israel says it killed Masri, whose real name was Mohammed Deif, in a bombing in July, but Hamas hasn’t said for sure or against this. It was said by the prosecutors that they would keep looking into the reports of his death.

Israel doesn’t agree with the Hague court’s authority and says there were no war crimes in Gaza. The United States, which deals with Israel a lot, is also not a part of the ICC.

Karim Khan, the prosecutor for the ICC, said on May 20 that he was looking for arrest warrants for people who he said had committed crimes related to the attacks on Israel by Hamas and the response by the Israeli forces in Gaza. Leaders of both Israel and Hamas have denied that they committed war crimes.

The court’s 124 member states are the only ones who can make arrests because the court does not have its own police force. The member states decide if they should be arrested or not. The court can’t force them to do it diplomatically if they don’t want to, but they are required to.

WHAT HAPPENS

It was said by Netanyahu’s office that the ICC’s ruling was “antisemitic” and that he will “not yield to pressure, will not be deterred” until Israel’s war goals are met.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the ICC has “lost all legitimacy” since it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

Saar said on X that it was “a dark moment for the International Criminal Court” and that it had given “absurd orders without authority.”

Gallant didn’t say anything right away.

In a statement, Hamas said it was glad that warrants were issued for Gallant and Netanyahu and asked the court to hold all Israeli leaders accountable.

Reuters talked to Basem Naim, a senior official for Hamas, who said that the warrants against the Israelis were a big step toward justice for the dead.

“But it remains a limited and spiritual step if it was not backed practically by all countries to get this decision implemented in compliance with law and justice,” said he.

Josep Borrell, who is in charge of foreign policy for the EU, said that the decision was not made by politicians but by a court and should be followed.

Borrell said, “The terrible things happening in Gaza must end.”

The foreign minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, also said that the ICC’s decision must be carried out. He also said that the Palestinians earned justice for what he called Israel’s “war crimes” in Gaza.

According to the Dutch news service ANP, Caspar Veldkamp, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, said that his country was ready to follow through on the warrants.

One Republican senator in the US, Lindsey Graham, who is close to President-elect Trump, said, “The Court is a dangerous joke.” Now is the time for the U.S. Senate to do something about this foolish group.

Officials in Gaza say that Israel’s 13-month operation in the enclave has killed about 44,000 Palestinians, forced almost all of its residents to leave, and caused a humanitarian crisis.

After the attack in southern Israel in October 2023, which was led by Hamas and killed 1,200 people and held more than 250 prisoners, it started the campaign.