The International Criminal Court in The Hague today issued arrest warrants for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (also known as Mohammed Deif) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the war in the Gaza Strip, and for the October 2023 attacks on Israel.
The ruling means Netanyahu and others are now wanted internationally as suspects and is likely to further isolate them.
At the same time, this decision has the potential to complicate efforts to reach a ceasefire to end the more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas – the Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
The court stated that Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction was not necessary.