Israel says it 'will not stop until every last hostage is home'
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Evidence collected and examined by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) gives them ‘reasonable grounds’ to seek arrest warrants against three members of Hamas and two members of the Israeli Government.
They are Yahya Sinwar (Head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Commander-in-Chief of the military wing of Hamas) and Ismail Haniyeh (Head of Hamas Political Bureau).
The ICC says they “bear criminal responsibility…for war crimes” from at least 7th October 2023 which include: charges related to captivity and the taking of hostages, acts of sexual violence and torture.
The charges are all based on sections of the ICC’s Rome Statute, which enables it to prosecute individuals but not whole nations. Israel is no longer a member of the Rome Statute.
The ICC Prosecutor reiterated his call for the immediate release of all hostages taken from Israel given it is a fundamental right of humanitarian law. According to Israel, there are 129 hostages still being held in Gaza.
‘Widespread and systematic attack’
As well as the members of Hamas, the ICC is seeking warrants to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, finding them responsible for war crimes which include starvation of civilians, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and persecution.
Mr Netanyahu is in his third run of being Prime Minister of Israel, the first of which began in 1996. Yoav Gallant has been Minister of Defence since 2022 and has previously served as Education Minister.
The charges are based on evidence collected by the prosecutor’s office, including interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, authenticated video, photo and audio material and satellite imagery.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 36,000 people have died in Gaza since the 7th October.
The Court can exercise its criminal jurisdiction in the Situation in the State of Palestine and that the territorial scope of this jurisdiction extends to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This mandate is ongoing
Prosecutor Karim Khan
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Standfirst
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HeadlineWho are the International Criminal Court seeking to arrest?
Short HeadlineWho are the ICC seeking to arrest?
StandfirstFive individuals from both sides of the Israel/Hamas war have been named by prosecutor Karim Khan
Evidence collected and examined by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) gives them ‘reasonable grounds’ to seek arrest warrants against three members of Hamas and two members of the Israeli Government.
They are Yahya Sinwar (Head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Commander-in-Chief of the military wing of Hamas) and Ismail Haniyeh (Head of Hamas Political Bureau).
The ICC says they “bear criminal responsibility…for war crimes” from at least 7th October 2023 which include: charges related to captivity and the taking of hostages, acts of sexual violence and torture.
The charges are all based on sections of the ICC’s Rome Statute, which enables it to prosecute individuals but not whole nations. Israel is no longer a member of the Rome Statute.
The ICC Prosecutor reiterated his call for the immediate release of all hostages taken from Israel given it is a fundamental right of humanitarian law. According to Israel, there are 129 hostages still being held in Gaza.
‘Widespread and systematic attack’
As well as the members of Hamas, the ICC is seeking warrants to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, finding them responsible for war crimes which include starvation of civilians, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and persecution.
Mr Netanyahu is in his third run of being Prime Minister of Israel, the first of which began in 1996. Yoav Gallant has been Minister of Defence since 2022 and has previously served as Education Minister.
The charges are based on evidence collected by the prosecutor’s office, including interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, authenticated video, photo and audio material and satellite imagery.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 36,000 people have died in Gaza since the 7th October.
The Court can exercise its criminal jurisdiction in the Situation in the State of Palestine and that the territorial scope of this jurisdiction extends to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This mandate is ongoing
