ICC prosecutor seeks Israel's Netanyahu over war crimes
Court orders arrest of Palestinian leaders over Gaza conflict
The Hague, Netherlands – The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh over alleged war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement on Wednesday that there is "reasonable basis to believe" that both Netanyahu and Haniyeh "committed the war crimes of wilfully causing extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly".
The ICC prosecutor also said she is seeking arrest warrants for two other senior Hamas officials, Salah al-Aruri and Muhammad Deif, for their alleged roles in the conflict.
The ICC's investigation into the 2014 Gaza conflict was opened in 2015, after Palestine became a member of the court in 2014.
The conflict, which lasted 51 days, left more than 2,200 Palestinians and 73 Israelis dead.
Israel has not ratified the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, and does not recognize the court's jurisdiction.
Haniyeh, who was elected Hamas leader in 2017, has said he will not cooperate with the ICC.
The ICC is a court of last resort, and can only prosecute individuals if their own countries are unable or unwilling to do so.
If the ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Haniyeh, it is unlikely that either of them will be arrested, as Israel and Hamas are not members of the court.
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