Benjamin Netanyahu subjected to ARREST WARRANT from international court as it makes 'war crime' claims
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The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the leader of terror group Hamas, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri.
The ICC claims there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that the Israeli duo "committed crimes" and oversaw "attacks on civilian populations" - and says the move is "in the interests of victims and their families".
The court alleges that the pair "intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza" - and said it does not matter whether Israel accepts its jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, it has also filed a warrant against the Hamas leader for "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least October 7, 2023".
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
REUTERS
Israel said it had killed Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, known as Mohammed Deif, back in July - but the ICC says it "would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death".
The court, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, says "it is not in a position to determine whether Deif has been killed or remains alive".
The court stressed it had also pursued former Hamas chiefs Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar - though after Israel killed the pair of terror leaders, it was forced to withdraw its applications.
Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the court - it is not a member of the ICC - and denies any alleged "war crimes" in Gaza.
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The ICC said it is 'not in a position to determine whether Deif has been killed or remains alive'
IDF
As well as the rejection, Israeli politicians have reacted with fury to the news.
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the warrants a "reward for terrorism" as "Israel defends its life against terrorist organisations that attacked, murdered and raped our citizens."
While fellow ex-PM Naftali Bennett said the ICC arrest warrants "are a mark of shame - not of Israel's leaders, but of the ICC itself and its members".
Former Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy said the court "decided to ignore evidence and reason and join the Iranian regime's regional war on Israel".
'There is no equivalence - none - between Israel and Hamas,' Joe Biden has said
GETTYLevy added: "It decided to give material support to a campaign of antisemitic lies designed to isolate Israel from its allies and make it easier for terrorists to attack."
Joe Biden has previously decried pushes for ICC arrest warrants for the Israeli officials as "outrageous", saying: "There is no equivalence - none - between Israel and Hamas."
But in Britain, pro-Palestine Labour MPs Zarah Sultana and Apsana Begum called on the Government to support the ICC, end arms sales to Israel, suspend its trade deal with Israel, "uphold international law and end its own complicity."
The ICC's 124 member states will decide individually whether or not to enforce the court's warrants.
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