The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister and
Hamas officials.
The warrants were issued over war crimes and crimes against
humanity over the 13 month war in Gaza and the
attacks on Israel in October 2023, which triggered Israel's offensive.
The announcement came as health officials in the Gaza Strip
said the death toll from the 13 month old war
between Israel and Hamas had surpassed 44,000.
The court's decision turns those accused into internationally wanted suspects,
while also complicating efforts to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in
the conflict.
However, the effects of the warrants will be limited since
both Israel and its key ally the US are not
members of the court and two of the Hamas officials
accused were killed during the conflict.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned the ICC's request
for warrants as disgraceful and anti-Semitic.