The International Criminal Court (ICC) is considering issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan made this announcement, stating that these individuals are believed to be responsible for atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals for the world's most heinous crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002 through the Rome Statute, is an independent international organization with 124 member states.
The ICC prosecutes war crimes, genocide, and other crimes against humanity.
However, without its own police force, the ICC relies on member states to arrest suspects, which has been a significant challenge.
Israel, the United States, Russia, and China are among the countries that have not signed the Rome Statute and do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed opposition to the ICC, stating that Israel would not accept any attempts by the court to undermine its right to self-defense and warning of dangerous precedents.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) steps in when countries cannot or will not prosecute crimes within their jurisdiction.
In 2020, the ICC investigated possible war crimes committed by US and allies' troops and intelligence officials in
Afghanistan.
This led to sanctions being imposed by then US President
Donald Trump on the ICC prosecutor and a senior prosecution staffer.
However, these sanctions were lifted by US President
Joe Biden in 2021.
The ICC currently has 17 ongoing investigations, has issued 42 arrest warrants, and has taken 21 suspects into custody.
Israel has previously disputed the ICC's involvement due to its own functioning court system.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted 10 suspects and acquitted four, expanding its investigations from Africa to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
The ICC became involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when the UN General Assembly upgraded the Palestinians' status in 2012, allowing them to join international organizations.
In 2015, the ICC accepted "The State of Palestine" as a member, and in 2021, the chief prosecutor announced an investigation into possible crimes on Palestinian territory.
Israel has criticized the decision, with Prime Minister Netanyahu labeling it hypocritical and antisemitic.
ICC Prosecutor Khan visited Ramallah and Israel in December, meeting Palestinian officials and families affected by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
He condemned Hamas' actions as "serious international crimes" and called for the release of hostages.
Khan emphasized the applicability of international humanitarian law during the Israel-Hamas war and announced plans to investigate possible crimes by both Hamas militants and Israeli forces.
Last year, the ICC issued a warrant for Russian President Putin on charges of responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
Russia issued arrest warrants for ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and ICC judges in response to the court's move to investigate Russia for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The ICC has also charged other high-profile leaders, including Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan for allegations including genocide in Darfur, and Muammar Qaddafi of Libya who was captured and killed shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for his role in the suppression of anti-government protests in 2011.