International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan has sought arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity on Palestinian territory.
A statement by the ICC prosecutor says, “We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to state policy.”
It added that the evidence collected by his office “shows that Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival”.
“No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader — no one — can act with impunity.”
The alleged crimes include:
- Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime
- Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health
- Wilful killing […] or murder as a war crime
- Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime
- Extermination and/or murder […], including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity
- Persecution as a crime against humanity
- Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity
