5/20/2024–|Last updated: 5/20/202405:12 PM (Mecca time)
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) called on the International Criminal Court to cancel all arrest warrants issued against Palestinian resistance leaders for violating UN conventions and resolutions.
In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Hamas denounced the attempts of court prosecutor Karim Khan to equate the victim with the executioner by issuing arrest warrants against a number of resistance leaders.
In its statement, Hamas called on the Public Prosecutor to issue arrest and detention orders against all war criminals, including occupation leaders, officers and soldiers, and said that he should have issued the order to arrest all the occupation officials who gave the orders and the soldiers who carried out the crimes.
It considered that the arrest and detention warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant were 7 months late.
The leader of the movement, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters on Monday that the Criminal Court’s decision to request the issuance of an arrest warrant against 3 leaders of the Palestinian movement encourages Israel to continue its war of genocide.
The Public Prosecutor of the Criminal Court had requested the issuance of arrest warrants against the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sinwar, and Muhammad Diab Ibrahim Al-Masry, known as Muhammad Al-Deif, the commander-in-chief of the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the movement’s military wing, and the head of the movement’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.
Khan accuses Hamas leaders of being responsible for what he called acts of murder, rape, hostage-taking, torture, and other inhumane acts since last October 7.
Netanyahu and Gallant
The Attorney General also called for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, saying that they bear responsibility for crimes against humanity in Gaza.
He added that the evidence concluded that Israeli officials systematically deprived Palestinians of the basics of life, and that Netanyahu and Gallant were complicit in causing suffering and starving civilians in Gaza.