{"id":42474,"date":"2024-05-20T21:03:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T21:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/05\/20\/icc-seeking-arrest-warrants-for-hamas-leaders-and-israels-netanyahu\/"},"modified":"2024-05-20T21:03:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T21:03:04","slug":"icc-seeking-arrest-warrants-for-hamas-leaders-and-israels-netanyahu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/icc-seeking-arrest-warrants-for-hamas-leaders-and-israels-netanyahu\/","title":{"rendered":"ICC seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israel\u2019s Netanyahu"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Arrest warrants are being sought for the leaders of Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a\u00a0statement<\/a>, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas\u2019s Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh\u00a0\u201cbear criminal responsibility\u201d\u00a0for murder, extermination and taking hostages \u2013 among numerous other crimes \u2013 since the Gaza conflict erupted in the wake of Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October.<\/p>\n

There are also reasonable grounds to believe that Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Defence,\u00a0are responsible for other crimes and crimes against humanity \u201ccommitted on the territory of the State of Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\n

Starvation tactic alleged<\/strong><\/h5>\n

These include \u201cstarvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime\u2026intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population [and] extermination and\/or murder\u201d.<\/p>\n

Although the\u00a0ICC\u00a0<\/a>is not a UN organisation, it has an agreement of cooperation with the United Nations. And when a situation is not within the court\u2019s jurisdiction, the UN\u00a0Security Council<\/a>\u00a0can refer the situation to the ICC, granting it jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

To complement the allegations, Prosecutor Khan, a British national born in Edinburgh, noted that his Office had interviewed victims and survivors of the 7 October Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel.<\/p>\n

This included former hostages and eyewitnesses \u201cfrom six major attack locations: Kfar Aza, Holit, the venue of the Supernova Music Festival, Be\u2019eri; Nir Oz and Nahal Oz\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unfathomable pain\u2019<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\u201cIt is the view of my Office that these individuals planned and instigated the commission of crimes on 7 October 2023 and have through their own actions, including personal visits to hostages shortly after their kidnapping, acknowledged their responsibility for those crimes,\u201d Prosecutor Khan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking with survivors, I heard how the love within a family, the deepest bonds between a parent and a child, were contorted to inflict unfathomable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme callousness. These acts demand accountability,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Turning to the hostages still believed to be held in Gaza, the ICC official noted that his Office had interviewed victims and survivors and that this information along with other sources indicated that they had been kept in inhumane conditions with some subjected to sexual violence, including rape.<\/p>\n

Survivors\u2019 courage<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\u201cI wish to express my gratitude to the survivors and the families of victims of the 7 October attacks for their courage in coming forward to provide their accounts to my Office,\u201d Prosecutor Khan said. \u201cWe remain focused on further deepening our investigations of all crimes committed as part of these attacks and will continue to work with all partners to ensure that justice is delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the issue of the liability of the top Israeli officials Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC Prosecutor alleged \u201cstarvation as a method of war\u201d.<\/p>\n

This and other crimes against humanity were allegedly committed \u201cas part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population\u00a0pursuant to State policy\u201d.<\/p>\n

To reinforce the allegations, Khan cited \u201cinterviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, authenticated video, photo and audio material, satellite imagery and statements\u201d which showed \u201cthat Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival\u201d.<\/p>\n

Aid siege<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Detailing the impact of \u201ctotal siege\u201d imposed by Israel on Gaza after 8 October 2023, the ICC request to judges explained that this involved \u201ccompletely closing\u201d the three border crossing points \u2013 Rafah, Kerem Shalom in the south and Erez in the north \u2013 \u201cfor extended periods and then by arbitrarily restricting the transfer of essential supplies \u2013 including food and medicine \u2013 through the border crossings after they were re-opened\u201d.<\/p>\n

Among other deprivations, the Israeli siege also cut off water and electricity pipelines to Gaza, the ICC Prosecutor continued, noting that Gazans also faced physical attacks when queuing for food while other \u201cattacks on and killing of aid workers\u2026forced many agencies to cease or limit their operations\u201d.<\/p>\n

The effects of this State policy were \u201cacute, visible and widely known\u201d, Khan said, noting the UN Secretary-General\u2019s warning some two months ago that \u201c1.1 million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger \u2013 the highest number of people ever recorded anywhere, anytime\u201d\u00a0as a result of an \u201centirely man-made disaster\u201d.<\/p>\n

Gravest offences<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Although Israel has the right to defend itself under international law, Khan insisted that \u201cintentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering\u201d to civilians were clear breaches of the ICC\u2019s foundational charter, signed in Rome in 2002. Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute while Palestine is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have consistently emphasised that international humanitarian law demands that Israel take urgent action to immediately allow access to humanitarian aid in Gaza at scale.\u00a0I specifically underlined that starvation as a method of war and the denial of humanitarian relief constitute Rome Statute offences.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one is above the law<\/strong><\/h5>\n

In addition to the request to judges to issue warrants, the ICC statement noted that it was\u00a0pursuing \u201cmultiple and interconnected additional lines of inquiry\u201d\u00a0into crimes committed since 7 October.<\/p>\n

These include further allegations of sexual violence during the Hamas-led terror attacks and widespread bombardment in Gaza \u201cthat has caused and continues to cause so many civilian deaths, injuries and suffering\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we once again underline that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader \u2013 no one \u2013 can act with impunity,\u201d Mr. Khan said, while also highlighting his concern over escalating violence in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing can justify wilfully depriving human beings, including so many women and children, the basic necessities required for life. Nothing can justify the taking of hostages or the targeting of civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a call to all parties in the Gaza conflict \u201cto comply with the law now\u201d, the ICC Prosecutor said his Office \u201cwill not hesitate to submit further applications for warrants of arrest\u00a0<\/strong>if and when we consider that the threshold of a realistic prospect of conviction has been met\u201d.<\/p>\n

Unlike the\u00a0International Court of Justice<\/a>\u00a0(ICJ<\/a>) \u2013 which is the UN\u2019s principal judicial organ for settling disputes between countries \u2013 the ICC tries individuals. The ICC is a permanent court based in The Hague, unlike temporary tribunals such as those set up to try grave crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.<\/p>\n

According to ICC documentation, the court\u2019s policy is to focus on those who \u201cbear the greatest responsibility for the crimes\u201d committed. No one is exempt from prosecution and there is no exemption for heads of State of Government.<\/p>\n

The decision over whether to issue arrest warrants will be taken by the Pre-Trial Chambers, which must also confirm the alleged charges.<\/p>\n

One an arrest warrant is issued and if the alleged perpetrator is arrested on the charges sought by the Prosecutor, a Trial Chamber is then created, headed by three judges.<\/p>\n

Once the trial has ended, the judges \u201cmay impose a sentence of imprisonment for a specified number of years not exceeding a maximum of thirty years or life imprisonment\u201d, the ICC said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The post ICC seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israel\u2019s Netanyahu<\/a> first appeared on KBC<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arrest warrants are being sought for the leaders of Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday. In a\u00a0statement, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas\u2019s Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42474\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}