A German government spokesperson stated that the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) request for arrest warrants for Hamas leaders is justified and should not be compared to the warrants sought for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister.
“The chief prosecutor’s accusations are serious and must be substantiated,” the spokesperson said on Tuesday. They added that Germany expects the judges to consider Israel’s democratic system and its strong, independent judiciary when deciding on the issuance of the warrants.
Earlier, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan announced that the ICC is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.
Khan disclosed that the prosecution team is also pursuing warrants for Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and two other senior Hamas leaders: Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader.
This move marks the first time the ICC has targeted the top leader of a close U.S. ally, placing Netanyahu in the company of figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an ICC arrest warrant over the Ukraine conflict, and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was subject to an ICC arrest warrant before his capture and death in 2011.
Khan stated that his team has gathered a substantial body of evidence, including authenticated video footage, photographs, and eyewitness accounts, to support the arrest warrant applications. He noted that while Israel has the right and obligation to retrieve hostages, it must do so lawfully.
In response, Hamas condemned the ICC’s actions, accusing the prosecutor of unjustly equating victims with aggressors. Hamas urged the ICC to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders and to revoke the warrants against Palestinian resistance leaders.
