Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “now officially a wanted man” after the International Criminal Court’s decision on Thursday to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli leader, Amnesty International said.
The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024”.
“We urge all ICC member states, and non-states parties including the United States and other allies of Israel, to demonstrate their respect for the court’s decision, by arresting and handing over those wanted by the ICC,” said Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
The ICC’s move now theoretically limits their movements, as any of the court’s 124 national members would be obliged to arrest them on their territory.
Israel said in August that it had killed Deif in an air strike in southern Gaza in July, but Hamas has not confirmed his death.
Hamas militants conducted a cross-border raid on Israel on October 7 last year that resulted in the deaths of 1206 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures. Israel has since then been fighting a war in Gaza, which the militant group rules.
The Hamas government’s health ministry in the Gaza Strip said on Thursday that at least 44056 people had been killed in more than 13 months of war.
Cape Times