CrossFireArabia
Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court prosecutor asked the ICC committee of judges to make a decision urgently on issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
His statement, made on Friday, is being relayed on international news websites as well as the social media.
Khan called on the judges who are looking into the arrest warrant cases for Israeli officials and the Hamas leaders to make their decision quickly.
Khan said “any unjustified delay in these proceedings negatively affects the rights of victims.”
He stressed “the court has jurisdiction over Israelis who commit brutal crimes in the Palestinian territories,” and asked the judges of the ICC to reject the appeals submitted by dozens of governments and other parties in viewing the judgement to be made.
He added in his request to the court for prompt action “it is legally established that the court has jurisdiction in this situation,” rejecting the legal arguments based on provisions in the Oslo Accords and Israel’s claims that it is conducting investigations into alleged war crimes.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Galant bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the ICC prosecutor explained.
On May 20, Khan requested the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant.
He also requested an arrest warrant to be issued for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the commander-in-chief of the Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif.
Since 7 October, 2023, Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip, with American and European support, as its warplanes, tanks and army bombed the vicinity of hospitals, buildings, towers and homes of Palestinian civilians and destroyed them over the heads of their residents, and have prevented the entry of water, food, medicine and fuel into the enclave according to the Quds News Network.
The ongoing aggression by the occupation on Gaza has led to the killiong of 40,265 martyrs, the injury of 93,144 others, and the displacement of 90% of the population of the Strip, according to data from the United Nations.
