1/ The International Criminal Court will seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. A panel of three judges will decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed against Netanyahu, Sinwar, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and two other senior Hamas officials. The judges are expected take two months to decide. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he has evidence that Netanyahu and Gallant are responsible for the “starvation of civilians […] willful killing or Murder […] intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime,” and “intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival.” Netanyahu called the ICC’s decision “an utter distortion of reality” that “will not stop us from waging our just war against Hamas.”Biden, meanwhile, called the decision “outrageous,” saying “there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas.” (Axios / CNN / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2024/05/20/day-1217/