ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court, ICC, has issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Apart from Netanyahu, the ICC also issued a warrant for the arrest of his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri.

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

In issuing the warrant. ICC said Israel’s acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction was not required.

Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza.

This comes as Israel said it has killed Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike, but Hamas has neither confirmed.

In the last months, tension has heightened in the Middle East over the war between Israel, Hamas, and Iran with Israel making more incursions into Lebanon while the humanitarian disaster in Gaza continues to escalate.