The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders in connection with their actions during the seven-month war.
Karim Khan’s announcement came as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, one of those for whom Khan is seeking a court order, said the army would expand its operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in its efforts for crushing Hamas.
Against the backdrop of current tensions, Iranian officials announced that President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were found dead on Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders. . Iran backs Hamas, and the militant group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and also backed by Tehran, has fired rockets at Israel. Last month, Iran launched its own unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel.
ICC Prosecutor Khan said he believes Gallant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and three Hamas leaders (Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh) are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. and Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Hamas militant leaders immediately denounced the announcement.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Gallant and the Israeli military leadership in Tel Aviv early Monday. Sullivan’s visit comes two weeks after the military incursion into Rafah, where troops have been fighting Hamas fighters and increasing shelling.
President Joe Biden’s administration has opposed a full invasion of Rafah out of fear for the civilian population. Until now, Israeli forces have been operating mainly in the eastern parts of the city, but the fighting has already caused an exodus of more than 810,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations.
Israel launched its offensive after the Hamas attack on October 7, in which militants swept into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250.
The war has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. About 80% of the population of 2.3 million Palestinians have been displaced within the territory, often multiple times.
“I emphasized to him (Sullivan) Israel’s duty to expand the ground operation in Rafah, dismantle Hamas and return the hostages,” Gallant said in a post on X.
On his visit, Sullivan also discussed post-war plans for Gaza at a time when Netanyahu faces criticism from other members of his War Cabinet. Netanyahu’s main political rival, Benny Gantz, has threatened to leave the government if a plan is not created by June 8 that includes an international administration for post-war Gaza.
At the moment:
— Iranian president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash.
— ICC prosecutor requests arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu.
– A senior Republican close to Trump criticizes Biden’s weapons grab in a speech to the Israeli parliament.
— Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new camp at Drexel University.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Here’s the latest:
BEIRUT, Lebanon – The Hamas militant group has denounced a request by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to seek the arrest of its leaders, as well as top Israeli leaders.
In a statement on Monday, Hamas accused the prosecutor of trying to “equate the victim with the executioner.” He said he has the right to resist the Israeli occupation, including “armed resistance.”
He also criticized the court for seeking the arrest of only two Israeli leaders and said it should seek injunctions for others.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and three Hamas leaders: Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Khan says they are all responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas.
Both Sinwar and Deif are believed to be hiding in Gaza as Israel attempts to hunt them down. But Haniyeh, the Islamic militant group’s supreme leader, is based in Qatar and travels frequently in the region.
TEL AVIV, Israel – Israel’s foreign minister says the decision by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is “a historic disgrace that will be remembered forever.”
Israel Katz said on Monday he would form a special committee to fight any such action and would work with world leaders to ensure such orders are not carried out.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with their actions during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas.
Karim Khan said he believes Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders (Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh) are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
The prosecutor must request the orders from a three-judge pretrial panel, which takes an average of two months to consider the evidence and determine whether the process can move forward.
Israel is not a member of the court, and even if arrest warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant face no immediate risk of prosecution. But Khan’s announcement deepens Israel’s isolation as its war progresses, and the threat of arrest could make it difficult for Israeli leaders to travel abroad.
Both Sinwar and Deif are believed to be hiding in Gaza as Israel attempts to hunt them down. But Haniyeh, the Islamic militant group’s supreme leader, is based in Qatar and travels frequently in the region.
There was no immediate comment from either party.
TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that the army would expand its operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in talks with a US envoy.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Gallant and the Israeli military leadership in Tel Aviv on Monday. Sullivan’s visit comes two weeks after the military incursion into Rafah, where troops have been fighting Hamas fighters and increasing shelling.
The Biden administration has opposed a full invasion of Rafah out of fear for the civilian population. Until now, Israeli forces have been operating mainly in the eastern parts of the city, but the fighting has already caused an exodus of more than 810,000 Palestinians, according to the UN.
“I emphasized to him (Sullivan) Israel’s duty to expand the ground operation in Rafah, dismantle Hamas and return the hostages,” Gallant said in a post on X.
During his visit, Sullivan also discussed post-war plans for Gaza at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces criticism from the other members of his War Cabinet. Netanyahu’s main political rival, Benny Gantz, has threatened to leave the government if a plan is not created by June 8 that includes an international administration for post-war Gaza.
On Sunday, Sullivan held talks with Netanyahu to discuss an ambitious US plan for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel and help the Palestinian Authority govern Gaza in exchange for a path to an eventual state. Netanyahu has rejected the creation of a Palestinian state.
Sullivan met Monday with Gantz, whose office said the two discussed “prospects for advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia.”
DAMASCUS, Syria – Suspected Israeli airstrikes killed several people on Monday near the city of Homs in central Syria, according to pro-government news media and a war monitor.
Four people were killed and four others wounded, the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition war monitor, said the strikes killed at least six members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. There was no official confirmation of the attacks.
The observatory said the attacks took place next to a gas station south of Homs, in an area used by pro-Iran militias, and at a Hezbollah site next to a school southwest of Homs, near the Syrian-Lebanese border. He said the strikes were the 40th time Israel had attacked inside Syria since the beginning of the year.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges them. When he does so, he has said he is trying to prevent Iran from expanding its presence in Syria.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
