Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, stated today, Tuesday, that the attempt by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, to deprive Israel of its right to self-defense and release detainees must be rejected.
Gallant added via his personal account on the “X” platform that “the efforts of the ICC Prosecutor will not succeed,” according to Sputnik agency.
Gallant continued: “The approach of the ICC Prosecutor equating the terrorist Hamas movement with Israel is reprehensible,” according to him.
He pointed out that “the State of Israel is not a party to the court and does not recognize its authority.”
Gallant’s statements came in response to the Prosecutor’s request to issue arrest warrants against him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with three Hamas leaders on charges of “committing war crimes.”
On Monday, Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, stated in an exclusive interview with CNN 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.
