The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Hamas official Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif. This comes after Israel claimed to have killed Deif in an airstrike back in September. The ICC stated that there are 'reasonable grounds' to believe that Deif is responsible for a range of serious crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The specific charges against Deif include murder, extermination, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. The court asserts that Deif holds 'criminal responsibility' for these acts, having either committed them directly or through others under his command. The ICC also highlighted Deif's failure to exercise proper control over forces under his command.
According to the ICC, the crimes attributed to Deif were part of a widespread and systematic attack orchestrated by Hamas and other armed groups against the civilian population of Israel. It is noted that Hamas has never officially confirmed Deif's death, despite Israel's claim of his demise in the airstrike.
