International Criminal Court prosecutor seeks arrest warrants against Israeli prime minister and Hamas

An International Criminal Court prosecutor has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes.

Prosecutor Karim AA Khan KC is also seeking warrants for Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior Hamas leaders Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri (known as Deif, commander-in-chief of the al Qassam Brigades) and Ismail Haniyeh (head of Hamas's political bureau).

This action comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

In a statement on Monday, Khan explained the rationale for applying for the arrest warrants.

"Now, more than ever, we must collectively demonstrate that international humanitarian law, the foundational baseline for human conduct during conflict, applies to all individuals and applies equally across the situations addressed by my office and the court," he said. "This is how we will prove, tangibly, that the lives of all human beings have equal value."

Regarding the Hamas leaders, Khan stated that he has reasonable grounds to believe they "bear criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity."

He detailed a list of alleged crimes, including murder, taking hostages, and rape and other acts of sexual violence.

"We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Israel by Hamas and other armed groups pursuant to organizational policies. Some of these crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day," he said.