Politicians and faith leaders are raising concerns after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant Thursday over its military offensive in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court, a supranational organization tasked with “trying individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression,” released a statement Thursday announcing that it issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over “crimes against humanity and war crimes” that purportedly took place between Oct. 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024.
The time period covered by the warrant overlaps with the conflicts that have erupted in the Middle East after the terrorist organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, launched a deadly invasion in Southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
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The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says that over 44,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel’s military offensive began, a tally that doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. The Israeli government has long accused Hamas of using citizens as human shields.
The warrant, which extends to Israel’s Minister of Defence Gallant, alleges that both men engaged in “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
According to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC that issued the warrant, there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant “each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”
“The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024,” the warrant stated.
“The finding is based on the role of Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal.”
The warrant maintains that the actions of Netanyahu and Gallant caused the “disruption of the ability of humanitarian organisations to provide food and other essential goods to the population in need in Gaza.”
“The aforementioned restrictions together with cutting off electricity and reducing fuel supply also had a severe impact on the availability of water in Gaza and the ability of hospitals to provide medical care,” the document states.
The warrant characterizes Israel’s military action as “calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza.” While the chamber stopped short of charging Netanyahu and Gallant for “the crime against humanity of extermination,” the warrant alleges that they committed “the crime against humanity of murder.”
The arrest warrant drew intense reactions from politicians on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders and advocacy organizations.
The following pages highlight reactions to the development.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
