International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan has requested the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Defense Minister, and three leaders of the Palestinian Hamas group.
The prosecutor stated that both sides are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the territories of Palestine and Israel. This has drawn criticism from both Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the ICC prosecutor's statement a historic scandal. The Israeli side considers it unacceptable to draw parallels between the leaders of a democratic country defending themselves against heinous terrorism and the leaders of a “bloodthirsty terrorist organization”.
Katz instructed ministry employees to set up an operational headquarters to prevent the implementation of this decision.
Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir also urged Netanyahu and Gallant to ignore the ICC and complete the military campaign against Hamas.
The Palestinian Hamas movement also criticized the prosecutor's request. According to the Associated Press, the movement's statement said that the prosecutor is trying to "equate the victim and the perpetrator," and that Hamas has the right to resist the "Israeli occupation, including through armed resistance."
Hamas also said that the ICC should pursue not only Netanyahu and Gallant but also other Israeli leaders for arrest.
Western media explain that ICC judges must now review the prosecutor's request and decide whether there are grounds for issuing arrest warrants.
