The International Criminal Court on Monday sought arrest warrants against Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges, the international court’s prosecutor told CNN, defying U.S. warnings that warrants against Israeli officials would derail the peace process.
FILE PHOTO: ICC prosecutors have sought arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ... [+]
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said his team has applied for the warrants with the court’s pre-trial chamber and a panel of judges will decide on granting the warrants.
Aside from Sinwar, the warrants target two other top members of Hamas—Mohammed Deif, the leader of the Al Qassem Brigades, and the group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
On the Israeli side, the warrants target Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Khan said the Hamas leaders are being charged with “extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention,” for the October 7 terror attack on Israel.
The Israeli prime minister and defense minister are facing charges of “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict,” for the ongoing war in Gaza.
This is a developing story.