The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the leader of terror group Hamas, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri.

The ICC claims there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that the Israeli duo "committed crimes" and oversaw "attacks on civilian populations" - and says the move is "in the interests of victims and their families".

The court alleges that the pair "intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza" - and said it does not matter whether Israel accepts its jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, it has also filed a warrant against the Hamas leader for "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least October 7, 2023".

The court stressed it had also pursued former Hamas chiefs Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar - though after Israel killed the pair of terror leaders, it was forced to withdraw its applications.