Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in connection with the war on Gaza.
The Chamber issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024, the day on which the Prosecutor’s Office filed the arrest warrant applications “, reports a note, speaking of “a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza”.
Netanyahu: “An anti-Semitic decision equivalent to the modern Dreyfus trial”
“The anti-Semitic decision of the International Criminal Court is equivalent to the modern Dreyfus trial, and it will end like this too,” declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the arrest warrant against him and Gallant issued by the International Criminal Court and defining the accusation against him “absurd and false”.
Netherlands ready to execute Netanyahu’s arrest warrant
The Netherlands will execute the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Deif (whom Israel however believes it killed). Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said this. “The Netherlands cooperates fully with the ICC,” said the minister, quoted by the ANP agency. The 124 states that join the ICC have the obligation to execute arrest warrants on their territory if Netanyahu or Gallant travel to these countries, making it almost impossible for them to travel abroad.
Arrest warrant also for the military leader of Hamas
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I “has unanimously issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commonly known as Deif,” the Hamas military chief whom Israel believes killed in a bombing of the Gaza Strip last July. This is stated in a note from the Court which explains that, after further requests for information from Israel and Palestine, the Pre-Trial Chamber “is not able to establish whether Deif was killed and is still alive”. Therefore, it issued this arrest warrant against Deif “for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine since at least 7 October 2023.” The note also recalls that the Prosecutor’s Office had also requested the arrest of “two other important Hamas leaders, namely Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar”, but the requests were withdrawn “after the confirmation of their death”https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2024/11/21/corte-penale-internazionale-mandati-di-arrest-internazionale- for-netanyahu-e-gallant-israeli-air-attack-on-gaza-at least-66-deaths-941614a9-16a2-45e3-b3b8-78637631e2f1/.”The accusation – continues the note – continues to investigate crimes in the ongoing conflict and expects that further applications for arrest warrants will be submitted”.
Attack in Gaza, at least 66 dead: mostly women and children
At least 66 people, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 100 injured in a dawn Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza. This was reported by Al Jazeera and the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The attack destroyed an entire residential block near the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in what Wafa described as a “horrible massacre”. Many people are still missing, according to Gaza Civil Protection.
At least 22 people were killed this morning in another Israeli attack, this time in Gaza City. Al Jazeera reports it. According to what we learn, the raid hit a multi-storey building in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, reducing it to rubble: 22 confirmed dead so far, says the Qatari broadcaster.
According to Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, most of the victims were asleep at the time of the attack. “A very large number of victims have arrived and there are still many bodies to be recovered. These are mostly children and women,” he said, Al Jazeera reports. “The situation is honestly very serious. We cannot cope with the huge number of injured and victims who have arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital,” he continued. The pediatrician said the raid hit an entire residential block near Kamal Adwan, destroying at least five homes, and that hospital staff were on site to recover bodies and save people trapped under debris. “We are already operating under resource constraints, most of our staff are now busy rescuing the injured on site due to the lack of ambulances,” he added.
The death toll from yesterday’s Israeli attacks against pro-Iranian groups in the city of Palmyra, in central Syria, has risen to 68. This was reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). The victims include 42 pro-Iranian fighters and 26 foreigners, most of them Iraqis from the Al-Noujaba group, but also four members of the Lebanese Hezbollah, the NGO reports.