FALCON POWERS – The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said on Sunday that no one has a license to commit war crimes or crimes against humanity.
Khan stated in a statement that this is a moment of great risk at the international level and that if we do not adhere to the law, we will have nothing to hold onto.
He continued, “This is not the way to wage war, and if this is in compliance with international law, the Geneva Conventions serve no purpose.”
Khan had previously stated that the Court is seeking arrest warrants against the leader of the Hamas movement, Yahya al-Sinwar, and the Prime Minister of the Israeli Occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7th attacks on Israel and the subsequent war on Gaza.
Khan told CNN that the International Criminal Court is also seeking arrest warrants against the Israeli Army Minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as two other senior Hamas leaders, Muhammad al-Deif, the commander of the Qassam Brigades, and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement’s political bureau.
The arrest warrants against the Israeli politicians represent the first time the International Criminal Court has targeted the top leader of a close ally of the United States.
The decision places Netanyahu in the company of Russian President Vladimir Putin, against whom the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant related to Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
A panel of ICC judges will now consider Khan’s request for the arrest warrants.
Khan said the charges against al-Sinwar, Haniyeh and al-Deif include “extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape and sexual assault during detention.”
He added, “The world was shocked on October 7th when people were torn from their bedrooms, from their homes, from the different kibbutzim in Israel,” noting that “the people suffered greatly.”
He indicated that the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant include “causing extermination, causing famine as a method of warfare, including blocking humanitarian relief supplies, and deliberately targeting civilians in the conflict.”
