ICC seeks arrest warrants of Israeli PM, defence chief for Gaza war

The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office has said that it had requested arrest warrants for five suspects including Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Prosecutor Karim Khan’s office said that all five bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel or the Gaza Strip.

Other three suspects are Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Al-Masri and Ismail Haniyeh.

However, Israel has denied committing war crimes in Gaza.

This is the first time ICC has targeted the top leader of the United States ally.

A panel of ICC judges will now consider Khan’s application for the arrest warrants.

The charges against Netanyahu and Gallant include “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict,” Khan told Amanpour.