It is now up to the ICC’s 124 member states, excluding Israel or its ally the United States, to decide whether to enforce the warrant.
Last May, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan brought charges against Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif and other Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, who have since been killed. I applied for a warrant. Israel believes Deif was also killed, but parliament has said it cannot confirm his death.
The prosecution’s case against them stems from an incident on October 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded to the attacks by launching a military operation to eliminate Hamas, during which at least 44,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Prime Minister Khan accused Hamas leaders of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, including massacres, murders, hostage-taking, rape and torture.
Accusations from Israeli leaders included deliberate attacks on civilians, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, extermination and murder.
