What's happened
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes in Gaza. The court claims they bear responsibility for crimes against humanity, including starvation as a method of warfare. Hamas leader Mohammed Deif is also implicated, though Israel claims he was killed in an airstrike.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Independent, the ICC's decision is based on 'reasonable grounds' that Netanyahu and Gallant are responsible for war crimes, including starvation tactics against civilians in Gaza. The South China Morning Post highlights that the warrants could limit their international movement, as any ICC member state is required to arrest them. Meanwhile, the U.S. has expressed strong disapproval, with a National Security Council spokesperson stating, 'We remain deeply concerned by the Prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants.' This reflects a significant divide in international perspectives on the ICC's authority and the situation in Gaza.
How we got here
The warrants stem from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which escalated after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The ICC's investigation focuses on alleged war crimes committed during Israel's military response, which has resulted in significant civilian casualties in Gaza.
More on these topics
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Yoav Galant is an Israeli politician and former commander of the Southern Command in the Israel Defense Forces. In January 2015, he entered politics, joining the new Kulanu party.
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The International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague, Netherlands.
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Mohammed Deif, born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, is the chief of staff and supreme military commander of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.
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Joseph Rao Kony is a Ugandan insurgent and the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, a guerrilla group that formerly operated in Uganda.
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Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir is a Sudanese politician who served as the seventh President of Sudan from 1989 to 2019, when he was deposed in a coup d'état. He was subsequently incarcerated, tried and convicted on multiple corruption charges.
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.