The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor confirmed Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Karim Khan said that he believes Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are responsible for crimes including “starvation," "wilful killing" and "extermination and/or murder."
"We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to State policy. These crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day," said Khan in reference to Netanyahu and Gallant.
The charges laid against the Hamas leaders including Yahya Sinwar, the head of the movement in Gaza, and Ismail Haniyeh, the movement's political chief, include "extermination," "rape and other acts of sexual violence," and "taking hostages as a war crime."
"We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Israel by Hamas and other armed groups pursuant to organizational policies," said the statement.
The ICC prosecutor in 2021 opened a probe into Israel as well as Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups for possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
Khan has said this investigation now "extends to the escalation of hostilities and violence since the attacks that took place on October 7, 2023."
He has also called several times for all hostages in Gaza to be released and warned against Israeli military action in Rafah.
"All wars have rules and the laws applicable to armed conflict cannot be interpreted so as to render them hollow or devoid of meaning," he said in February.
"This has been my consistent message, including from Ramallah last year. Since that time, I have not seen any discernible change in conduct by Israel," he added at the time.
The court in January also said it was investigating potential crimes against journalists since the outbreak of hostilities. Israel has killed 147 journalists so far, including four just days ago.
If granted, the warrant means that technically any of the 124 ICC member states would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he traveled there.
But while the warrant could complicate some travel for Netanyahu, the court has no mechanism to enforce its warrants, relying on its members to voluntarily adhere to the court.
Rumors the court was about to take action had swirled for weeks, prompting Netanyahu to publish his reaction beforehand.
Israel would "never accept" the ICC's "outrageous" rulings, Netanyahu defiantly said in a message on X, formerly Twitter. "We will not bow to it."
In mid-November, five countries, including Türkiye, called for an ICC probe into the Israel-Palestine war, with Khan saying his team had gathered a "significant volume" of evidence on "relevant incidents."
However, ICC teams have not been able to enter Gaza nor investigate in Israel, which is not an ICC member.
Nevertheless, Khan did visit Israel in November "at the request" of survivors of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
He then traveled to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to meet senior Palestinian officials.
Opening its doors in 2002, the ICC is the world's only independent court set up to probe the gravest offenses including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It is a "court of last resort" and only steps in if countries are unwilling or unable to investigate cases themselves.
