The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, according to a statement.
The ICC said that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant committed war crimes, adding it has rejected challenges from Israel to its jurisdiction.
The ICC said the warrants were related to “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May, 2024,” including the “war crime of starvation as a method of warfare” and “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”
Israel launched attacks on Gaza after the deadly October 7 terror attacks, where Israeli officials say, over 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.
The ICC added both Netanyahu and Gallant “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 Israel Defense Forces have continued to launch attacks on Gaza — both through the air and the ground — and in Lebanon, with Israeli attacks on targets around the nation, including in the capital Beirut.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
