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The ICC judges said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant bore criminal responsibility for the starvation of Gaza’s population and the persecution of Palestinians.
The arrest warrant for Al-Masri includes charges of mass killings during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which ignited the Gaza conflict. The charges also include rape and the taking of hostages. Prosecutors stated they would continue investigating reports of Al-Masri’s death.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan revealed on May 20 that he had requested arrest warrants in connection with alleged crimes stemming from Hamas’s attacks on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Israel, which does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, has dismissed the allegations. Officials have denied committing war crimes in Gaza and claim to have killed Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike. However, Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied Al-Masri’s death.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized the ICC’s move, calling the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant a “mark of shame” for the court. Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the decision as “a reward for terrorism.”
There was no immediate response from Netanyahu or Gallant. Both Israeli and Hamas leaders have rejected accusations of war crimes.
The ICC does not have a police force to enforce arrests, relying instead on member states for cooperation. Member nations include European Union countries, Britain, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Canada, as well as the Palestinian territories and Jordan in the Middle East.
The ICC clarified that Israel’s consent was not required for the court to assert its jurisdiction.
