Hague. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court accuses Israel, among other things, of starving civilians in the Gaza war. At least both sides agree with his reaction.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, Jihia al-Sinwar. This was announced by the Hague Court.
Chief prosecutor Karim Khan is prosecuting crimes during the Gaza war. According to an ICC statement, Khan wants to obtain more arrest warrants against Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant, as well as Sinwar’s deputy Mohammed Deif and foreign Hamas chief Ismail Hanija.
According to the statement, the prosecutor accuses Hamas leaders of, among other things, “extermination”, as well as murder, hostage taking, rape and torture as crimes against humanity.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant are accused, among other things, of being responsible for the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, as well as indiscriminate killings and targeted attacks on civilians. ICC judges must now decide whether the requested international arrest warrants will be issued.
The court does not have the power to execute arrest warrants. However, in the case of coercive action, the freedom of movement of the requested persons is severely restricted. A consequence of the arrest warrants would be that all contracting States of the court would be obliged to arrest the wanted persons and hand them over to the court as soon as they were in their country.
Israeli Foreign Minister sees arrest warrant as a “scandalous decision”
Israel harshly criticized the request for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Galant by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz spoke on Monday of a “scandalous decision.” This represents “a frontal and unrestrained attack on the victims of October 7th and our 128 hostages in Gaza”.
“While Hamas murderers and rapists commit crimes against humanity against our brothers and sisters, the chief prosecutor mentions our prime minister and defense minister in the same breath alongside Hamas’ despicable Nazi monsters – a historic disgrace that will be remembered forever Katz said, according to his office.
He ordered the immediate creation of a situation center at Itamaraty, where experts would fight against the decision, whose main objective was to “tie the hands of the State of Israel and deny it the right to self-defense”.
He wanted to speak to the foreign ministers of major states so they could oppose the chief prosecutor’s decision “and announce that even in the case of arrest warrants, they will not implement them against the leaders of the State of Israel.”
In Hamas attacks on the Israeli border area on October 7, around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. The terrorist attack triggered Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has so far killed more than 35,500 people, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240520-99-100345/6 (dpa)