ICC members urged to comply with arrest warrants

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan urged ICC members as well as non-members to act on the arrest warrants the court issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.

The warrants were issued for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

"I appeal to all States Parties to live up to their commitment to the Rome Statute by respecting and complying with these judicial orders," Mr Khan said in a statement.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

Judges said there were also reasonable grounds to believe the blockade on Gaza and lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies "created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration".

The decision was met with outrage in Israel, which called it shameful and absurd.

Gaza residents expressed hope it would help end the violence and bring those responsible for war crimes to justice. Hamas welcomed the warrants against the Israelis, and a senior official told Reuters it was a first step towards justice.

The warrant for Mr Deif lists charges of mass killings during the 7 October 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war and also charges of rape and the taking of hostages.

Israel has said it killed Mr Deif in an airstrike in July but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this. The prosecution indicated it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.

Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza.

The United States, Israel's main diplomatic supporter, is also not a member of the ICC. It said it "fundamentally rejects" the move.

"We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor's rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision," a White House National Security Council spokesperson said, adding that the US is discussing next steps with its partners.

Global powers Russia, China and India have also not signed onto the ICC, the world's permanent war crimes court, which is backed by all of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Britain, Brazil, Japan and dozens of African and Latin American countries.

Mr Khan had announced on 20 May that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza.

Israeli and Hamas leaders have dismissed allegations that they committed war crimes.

The court does not have its own police force to carry out arrests and relies on its 124 member states for that, with only limited diplomatic means to force them if they do not want to.

'Could not be more serious'

Taoiseach Simon Harris described the ICC's decision to issue the warrants as an "extremely significant step", noting the court's assertion that there are "reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant each bear criminal responsibility for crimes perpetrated in the war in Gaza".

These include "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts."

"These charges could not be more serious," Mr Harris said.

"Ireland respects the role of the International Criminal Court. Anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must now do so with urgency."

Tánaiste Micheál Martin also noted the decision by the ICC which he says Ireland strongly supports.

He called "on all states to respect its independence and impartiality, with no attempts made to undermine the court."

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald also welcomed the move.

She said that the arming of Israel must also come to an end and reiterated her call for sanctions against Israel.

Mr Netanyahu's office said the ICC decision was "antisemitic" and he will "not yield to pressure, will not be deterred" until Israel's war objectives are met.

The ICC has "lost all legitimacy" after issuing the arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"A dark moment for the International Criminal Court," Mr Saar said on X, adding that it had issued "absurd orders without authority".

There was no immediate comment from Mr Gallant.

In a statement, Hamas welcomed the warrants against Mr Gallant and Mr Netanyahu and urged the court to expand accountability to all Israeli leaders.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters the warrants against the Israelis were an important step towards bringing justice for the victims and that all countries should back them.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the decision was not political but made by a court and thus should be respected and implemented.

"The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," he said.

Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi also said the ICC's decision must be implemented, adding that Palestinians deserved justice after what he termed Israel's "war crimes" in Gaza.

The Netherlands' foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country acts on arrest warrants for people on its territory and will not engage in "non-essential" contacts.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, said: "The court is a dangerous joke. It is now time for the US Senate to act and sanction this irresponsible body."

Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis, Gaza officials say.

It launched the campaign in response to the October 2023, Hamas-led attack which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, with more than 250 others taken hostage, Israel has said.