ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for alleged Gaza war crimes

In a massive legal bombshell, the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, the first time the court has ever issued such warrants against leaders of a democratic country.

The three judges of the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issue the warrants unanimously on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes that the court’s prosecutor Karim Khan alleges were committed during the prosecution of the current war against Hamas in Gaza.

Both Netanyahu and Gallant will be liable for arrest if they travel to any of the more than 120 countries that are party to the ICC.

The court also issues a warrant for Mohammed Deif of the Hamas terror group over the October 7, 2023, massacre that sparked the war. Israel says it killed Deif in an airstrike, but Hamas has never formally acknowledged the death of the shadowy head of its military wing.

The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to end the 13-month conflict. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court.

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