United Nations: Rhino – Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister), Yoav Galant (former Defense Minister) and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (known as al-Deif) for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The Chamber said in two statements issued on Thursday that the arrest warrants are classified as “confidential,” to protect witnesses and ensure the conduct of investigations. However, it decided to release the information in its statement “because conduct similar to that addressed in the arrest warrant appears to be ongoing.” It added that it believes it is in the interest of the victims and their families to be informed of the existence of the arrest warrants.

The court considered that the alleged behavior of Netanyahu and Gallant fell within the court’s jurisdiction.

It noted that it had already determined that the court’s jurisdiction in this situation extends to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Moreover, the Chamber declined to use its own discretion to determine the admissibility of the two cases at this stage. This is without prejudice to any decision on the jurisdiction and admissibility of the cases at a later stage.

The Prosecutor had initially filed applications for arrest warrants for two other senior Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya al-Sinwar. After their deaths were confirmed, the Chamber agreed to withdraw the applications on August 9, 2024 and October 25, 2024.

With respect to the crimes, the Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the conduct in question, and Gallant, the Minister of Defense of Israel at the time of the alleged conduct, each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as perpetrators:

The war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant are criminally responsible as civilians for the war crime of directing a deliberate attack against a civilian population.