AKIPRESS.COM - The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who was removed from office on November 5, the ICC reported.

The court charges Netanyahu and Galant with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024. They are also accused of using starvation as a method of warfare.

The ICC judges found that Netanyahu and Galant "knowingly and intentionally" deprived the civilian population of Gaza of essential goods, including food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas's military wing, who is believed in Israel to be one of the organizers of the October 7, 2023, attack. Deif was killed in an Israeli airstrike in July. The IDF confirmed his death on August 1, 2024.

The request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant was filed by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in May 2024. During the same period, arrest warrants were requested for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were killed.

Netanyahu called the request “scandalous” and said it would have no effect on him or Israel.