DayofPal– The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued Thursday arrest warrants against two Israeli officials Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza.
The ICC Chamber said the war crimes were committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.
“Today, on 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court, in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by Israel brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute. It also issued warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.”
The court stated in a press release that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant committed these genocidal crimes in Gaza, adding that Israel’s acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction is not necessary.
In its statement, the court revealed that it has reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and crimes against humanity including murder, persecution, and other inhuman acts.”
The statement added, “The court also found reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant are participants in committing crimes in Gaza and bear criminal responsibility as civilian supervisors for the war crime of directing an intentional attack against civilians.”
The court also found that “the alleged crimes against humanity were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population in Gaza.”
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