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ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader

Judges at the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Jerusalem on 21 October 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Allessandro di Meo)

The move comes after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced on 20 May 2024 that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the Israeli military response in Gaza.

The ICC said Israel’s acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction was not required.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant during a press conference, Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel. 28 October 2023.  (Photo: Abir Sultan/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant during a press conference at Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on 28 October 2023. (Photo: Abir Sultan / Pool via Reuters / File Photo)

Read more: Israel-Palestine War

Read more: Middle East crisis

Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza. Israel has said it killed Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an air strike, but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this. Reuters/DM

(Reporting by Toby Sterling and Charlotte Van Campenhout; Writing by Stephanie van den Berg, Makini BriceEditing by Peter Graff).

Comments (10)

John P Nov 21, 2024, 07:59 PM

What is going on DM? Multiple log-ins and refreshes required to activate being able to make comments or reply.

Mike Lawrie Nov 21, 2024, 08:52 PM

Indeed, there is some serious technical incompetence somewhere near or in DM. Web pages don't always load -- "too many redirects" --, accusations of "duplicate posting", others.

dexmoodley@gmail.com Nov 21, 2024, 09:24 PM

problem i noticed twice since sunday...denied a post. and took option to moderate more comments , i denied the same post 35 times...it kept on appearing till my screen started flickering . todays comments is " Hear Hear " approved , but i stopped at 5 times. Seems bots are active in chat

JP K Nov 21, 2024, 07:59 PM

It is impossible to ignore the mountain of evidence against BB and Gallant. So the ICC warrant application had to succeed unless the US et al wanted to break international law. At the same time, they cannot be found guilty because so many would then be complicit and they will not allow that.

markgcfriedman Nov 22, 2024, 05:38 AM

Evidence? Assume you've seen LFI's documented evidence disproving the canards as well as the evidence submitted which the ICC ignored. This will run and run

JP K Nov 22, 2024, 07:15 AM

Yes. Evidence from credible sources like the UN agencies, scholars, major human rights organisations - even US government agencies. You incorrectly assume I would rely on a clearly pro-Israel group when there are plenty of non-partisan credible sources available. Have you read a single UN report?

dexmoodley@gmail.com Nov 24, 2024, 07:40 PM

Also IDF own records and Israeli soldiers own videos .seems they still think they have impunity . filming their crimes and posting on social media, and still uploading even this weekend.

virginia crawford Nov 22, 2024, 07:25 AM

The evidence is before our eyes!

dexmoodley@gmail.com Nov 21, 2024, 09:38 PM

Can this warrant be used as a foundation to charge SA jews serving or served in IDF for this period in Gaza under SA law ?

virginia crawford Nov 22, 2024, 07:27 AM

I certainly hope so. Also an end to visa free travel to SA: all IDF should be denied entry. Psychopaths laughing and filming while they do atrocious things? No thank you.

Michael Thomlinson Nov 22, 2024, 11:08 AM

Beheadings, rape, killing of children and burning people alive in their own homes. Does that describe what IDF soldiers have done? Or is that what Hamas fighters did on Oct 7?

Noelsoyizwaphi@gmail.com Nov 21, 2024, 10:18 PM

I remember the song "remake the world" by a Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff. Things are really changing. For a while such a warrant was only reserved for Africans and maybe one European despot hell-bent on showing America middle finger. Well done

markgcfriedman Nov 22, 2024, 05:37 AM

Politically motivated by animus and Khan's visceral hatred for Israel coupled to his attempts to smokescreen his charges of sexual assault. He utterly ignored the legal process of complementarity and walked away from his planned visit to Israel to hear the counter factual. He has been captured.

JP K Nov 22, 2024, 07:21 AM

The sexual assault charges surfaced after KK announced that he was seeking warrants of arrest. How about engaging with the facts of the case? Can you name a single major organisation that disputes that, e.g., Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war?

virginia crawford Nov 22, 2024, 07:30 AM

Oh please - trumped up charges to discredit him. Do you really believe that bombing civilians is okay? The Haredi are not Zionists - are they anti- Semitic too?

Just Another Day Nov 22, 2024, 06:01 AM

Don't expect the nations that are complicit in assisting Israel's genocide to apply BDS (Boycotts, Disinvestment and Sanctions) right away. One thing is sure, the so called 'rules based order' is no more.

z8892b@gmail.com Nov 22, 2024, 07:16 AM

The stink of SA being paid to bring this case against Israel, too many questions of a bankrupt ANC suddenly not, it's obvious Iran and Hamas captured SA to get the case. But SA turns a blind eye to Putin's brutal aggression in Ukraine... SA's rogue government has no backbone and poor ethics.

JP K Nov 22, 2024, 07:28 AM

SA brought the genocide case to the ICJ. This is the ICC. So your concerns aren't really relevant to this development. But since you raised it, do you support the charges or is it just that you don't like our government?

z8892b@gmail.com Nov 24, 2024, 02:09 PM

I don't and do... clear enough?

z8892b@gmail.com Nov 24, 2024, 02:12 PM

Perhaps that is a tad murky I don't support the charges, I do not like the SA government

virginia crawford Nov 22, 2024, 07:34 AM

ANC spineless and corrupt yes. Iran paying us? The vast majority of South African support the Palestinians because they understand what apartheid means. Mind you, even the apartheid regime drew the line at bombing Soweto or building a wall around townships - and they were brutes.

Lawrence King Nov 22, 2024, 08:23 AM

Wow, so many inaccuracies in this comment and ridiculous comparisons. It would help if people stuck to facts rather than broad emotional responses. Readers could seriously do a lot better.

JP K Nov 22, 2024, 09:02 AM

The defense of Israel appears to be limited to: personal attacks, accusations of antisemitism, procedural issues, whataboutisms, Hamas. But maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps you would like to address the charges for which there is plenty of supporting evidence.

John P Nov 22, 2024, 08:15 AM

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story

Lawrence King Nov 22, 2024, 08:20 AM

Still laughing at the obvious hypocrisy ... no warrants for Bashar al-Assad, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Ali Khamenei, and whoever the latest Taliban despot is trampling on women's rights in Afghanistan. We should rather be crying for another captured and hypocritical institution. Hate abounds.

John P Nov 22, 2024, 08:53 AM

The warrant for Putin was issued on 17/03/2023.

JP K Nov 22, 2024, 08:58 AM

Do you disagree with the charges in the arrest warrant?

Skinyela Nov 22, 2024, 09:49 AM

When was the warrant for Vladimir Putin withdrawn?

Muishond X Nov 22, 2024, 11:16 AM

Karim Khan case is not an Israeli smear campaign when looking at facts. It was a full-on, repeated pattern of conduct that was carried out over a long period of time. The alleged victim confided in 2 colleagues expressing reluctance to press on as Kahn's friend would form part of investigation.

melfrykberg@gmail.com Nov 22, 2024, 05:02 PM

Allegedly

Richard Blake Nov 22, 2024, 02:33 PM

Trump is going to serve the ANC some strong medicine in less than 60 days, and uncle Joe won't be there to help.

John P Nov 22, 2024, 03:08 PM

What has that got to do with this subject?

Ngwenyasibusiso80@gmail.com Nov 22, 2024, 04:51 PM

Yeah it's gonna be interesting, and their fellow comrade Putin won't help them