International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant Against Israeli PM Netanyahu Amid Gaza Conflict

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced the issuance of warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. The Pre-Trial Chamber of ICC, rejecting Israel's jurisdictional objections, thus moved forward with the warrants, citing good reasons for their alleged criminal responsibility regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has been raging for months.

The court said that evidence shows Netanyahu and Gallant were parties to acts meant to nudge Gaza towards starvation. Though the Israeli military insisted that Mohammed Deif had been killed in a July air raid, Hamas has not confirmed his death.

Both Hamas and Israel have rejected the charges. The office of Netanyahu has termed the step taken by the ICC as 'politically motivated', while Hamas has termed the charges 'baseless'.

The development comes at a time when tensions are heightened, with the U.S. vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. Fourteen of the 15 council members voted in favor, but the U.S. opposed the proposal, which included calls for the release of all hostages and an end to hostilities.