ICC Considering Arrest Warrants for Israeli Leaders over Gaza Conflict

The International Criminal Court (ICC) could serve arrest warrant this week against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for alleged crimes committed during the country’s military operation in Gaza last year. Senior officials from Israel and other foreign countries believe that Hamas leaders may also face charges related to their organization’s October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and hostages taken by both sides. While the ICC has not confirmed these plans yet, Israeli politicians have reportedly become increasingly worried about such an outcome following Netanyahu’s alleged conversations with senior Biden administration officials to prevent any warrants being issued against them. President Joe Biden is a staunch supporter of Israel despite some disagreements between him and the prime minister in recent times. The ICC has been investigating both Hamas’ attack on Israel as well as its response, which led to over 30,000 Palestinian deaths according to official reports by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. However, any such decision would not affect Israeli actions but could set a dangerous precedent for soldiers and public figures in other countries, Netanyahu warned on Friday via Telegram post. Neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC based in The Hague due to their opposition towards its activities; however, Palestine was admitted as an organization into the Court five years ago. This possible arrest warrant move is raising concern among US politicians such as Rep Brian Mast (R-FL) and Rep Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who have called for strong consequences against ICC’s abuse of power in this matter, with both inviting President Tomoko Akane and Prosecutor Karim Khan to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Israel has repeatedly denied accusations of war crimes during its operation, arguing instead that it was defending itself from Hamas-initiated hostilities amounting to genocide. The Israeli military campaign in Gaza lasted for more than six months and still continues unabated today with no sign yet indicating when this may stop entirely any time soon or otherwise resultant diplomatic breakthroughs being announced between both parties involved in these conflicts at the moment either voluntarily by themselves or imposed upon them from outside sources.