Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday called the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “despicable.”
“ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s attempt to reverse the situation will not succeed. The parallel he has drawn between the terrorist organization Hamas and the State of Israel is despicable,” Mr. Gallant said in a statement, referring to the arrest warrants also requested against leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement.
“Prosecutor Karim Khan’s attempt to deny the State of Israel the right to defend itself and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza must be explicitly rejected,” Gallant continued.
Senior Israeli officials including President Isaac Herzog have criticized the ICC prosecutor’s approach targeting MM. Netanyahu and Gallant.
Karim Khan announced Monday that he had requested arrest warrants against MM. Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes including “deliberately starving civilians,” “intentional homicide,” and “extermination and/or murder” in connection with the Israeli operation in Gaza.
The ICC prosecutor also requested warrants against three senior Hamas officials – Ismaïl Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinouar – for, among other things, “extermination”, “rape and other forms of sexual violence” and “taking of hostages as a war crime” linked to the attack by the Islamist movement on October 7 in Israel.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel that day, which left more than 1,170 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data.
Palestinian fighters also took 252 people hostage during the attack, 124 of whom are still being held in Gaza and 37 of whom the army said died.
Two days after the war broke out following the Hamas attack, Mr. Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents.
“No electricity, no food, no water, no gas — everything is closed,” Mr. Gallant said in a video message on October 9.
The Israeli army’s response against Hamas has left more than 35,500 dead in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to data provided by the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.