Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, stated in an exclusive interview with CNN on Monday that the court is seeking to issue arrest warrants against Yahya Sinwar and Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes.
Khan mentioned that the International Criminal Court seeks to issue arrest warrants against Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the attacks on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza.
He further stated that the International Criminal Court is also seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, along with two other senior Hamas leaders: Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades known as Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas Political Bureau.
The arrest warrants against Israeli politicians mark the first time the International Criminal Court has targeted “the top leader of a close US ally,” according to the American network. A committee of International Criminal Court judges will now consider Khan’s request for arrest warrants.
Khan said the charges against Sinwar, Haniyeh, and Al-Masri include “genocide, murder, hostage-taking, rape, and sexual violence during detention.”
He added, “The world was shocked on October 7 when people were dragged from their bedrooms, from their homes, and from various kibbutzim in Israel,” stating that “people suffered greatly.”
Khan said the charges against Netanyahu and Galant include “causing genocide, causing famine as a means of warfare, including preventing humanitarian relief supplies, and deliberately targeting civilians in the conflict.”
When reports surfaced last month that the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was considering this course of action, Netanyahu said that any arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against senior Israeli government and military officials “will be a historic disgrace,” and that Israel “has an independent legal system” that thoroughly investigates all violations of the law.
In response to Netanyahu’s statements, Khan said, “No one is above the law.”
He continued, “If Israel does not agree with the International Criminal Court, it can appeal before the court judges, and this is what I advise them to do.”
It is noted that Israel and the United States are not members of the International Criminal Court. However, the International Criminal Court says it has jurisdiction over Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank after Palestinian leaders officially committed to the founding principles of the court in 2015.
