Apart from Netanyahu, arrest warrants have been issued against Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.

According to the Associated Press, a three-judge panel issued a unanimous judgement stating, “The chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”

On May 20, ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, had requested the arrest warrants.

Khan stated there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant were responsible for causing mass starvation in Gaza, Palestine. This amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, he said.

Khan had also requested the arrest warrant for three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 250. Two of them have been killed since then.