Israel’s Netanyahu says ICC arrest warrant won’t stop actions in self-defence

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court over his conduct during the Gaza war would not stop the country from defending itself, reported news agency AFP.

In a video statement he said, “No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us – and it will not prevent me – from continuing to defend our country in every way. We will not yield to pressure.”

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Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant face charges of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” for their actions in Gaza.

The Israeli PM stated that the ICC which was established to protect human rights had become “an enemy of humanity” and called their decision a “dark day in the history of nations”.

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He also denied the allegations made by the international body as “utterly baseless”.

Israel has been engaged in a conflict in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when a cross-border attack by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

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Their retaliatory campaign over the past year has led to the deaths of 44,056 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.

UN agencies have warned of a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the potential for famine due to shortages of food and medicine.

The ICC has found “reasonable grounds” to believe that PM Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for the war crimes conducted in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity, such as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

Netanyahu rejected the court’s findings, calling the accusations against Israel “fictitious crimes” and arguing that the real war crimes being committed against Israel and others around the world are being ignored.

In addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, the court also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing. Israel had previously reported that Deif was killed in an airstrike last July, though Hamas never confirmed his death.

Netanyahu criticised the court’s decision to issue a warrant for “the body of Mohammed Deif.”