The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Nov. 21, 2024, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and one leading Hamas official. Those named in the action are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant group and the subsequent ongoing siege and bombing of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces.
In May 2024, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan sought arrest warrants for three senior Hamas leaders, accusing them of extermination, murder, taking hostages and committing rape and other acts of sexual violence. Two of those Hamas leaders, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, have since been killed by Israeli forces. It has been reported that a third leader, Mohammed Deif, had also been killed by Israeli forces in August. But the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber still issued an arrest warrant for Deif, explaining that his death has not been confirmed.
