The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes in the Gaza war and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel's offensive. The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, per the AP. However, the practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court. Also, several of the Hamas officials have been killed in the conflict.
"The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity," the three-judge panel wrote in its unanimous decision to issue warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's request for warrants earlier this year as disgraceful and antisemitic. Hamas also has criticized the move, as did the White House. The ICC is a court of last resort that only prosecutes cases when domestic law enforcement authorities cannot or will not investigate. Israel is not a member state of the court. Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in the Hague any time soon. The court itself has no police to enforce warrants, instead relying on cooperation from its member states. (More International Criminal Court stories.)
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