The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced on Monday his intention to seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As per media reports, Karim Khan said that Netanyahu, along with his defense minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders – Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh – are accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity in both Gaza and Israel.
These charges stem from the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza. Khan stated that these alleged crimes were committed as part of a systematic assault against the civilian population, according to his assessment.
The prosecutor now needs to request the warrants from a pre-trial panel of three judges, which typically takes about two months to review the evidence and decide whether to proceed with the case.
Notably, Israel is not a member of the ICC, so even if the warrants are issued, immediate prosecution of Netanyahu and Gallant is unlikely. Nevertheless, Khan’s announcement could increase Israel’s diplomatic isolation and potentially hinder Israeli leaders’ international travel.
Reactions to the ICC’s statement were swift and divided.
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, criticized the move as “moral bankruptcy,” while Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned it as a display of “hypocrisy and Jew-hatred.” On the other side, a senior Hamas official accused the ICC of equating “the victim with the executioner.”
The ICC’s announcement coincided with Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza, including a new offensive in Rafah. Despite US warnings of potential mass casualties, Israel pressed forward with its campaign to clear Rafah of Hamas militants and rescue hostages taken during the October 7 raid.
Efforts to mediate an end to the conflict have so far failed, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza and a rising death toll. Netanyahu faces internal pressure to outline a post-conflict vision for Gaza, including its future governance.