ICC prosecutor urges judges to urgently rule on warrants for Israeli officials

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said that the court has jurisdiction to investigate Israeli nationals and called on judges to urgently decide on arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In court filings made public on Friday, prosecutor Karim Khan urged judges to avoid delays in issuing arrest warrants against Israeli officials and Hamas leaders, stating that "any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims".

Khan reaffirmed that the ICC has authority over Israeli nationals who commit atrocity crimes in Palestinian territories and requested that the judges dismiss legal challenges brought by various governments and other parties.

He asserted, "It is settled law that the court has jurisdiction in this situation," rejecting legal arguments related to the Oslo Accords and Israel's claims that it is conducting its own investigations into alleged war crimes.

ICC prosecutors argue that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu, Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, military chief Mohammed al-Masri, and another political leader Ismail Haniyeh, are criminally responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated in Iran in late July, but the court has declined to comment on his death.

Israel claimed to have killed Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in a separate air strike, though Hamas has denied this.

Israel has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians in its ongoing war on Gaza, creating a devastating humanitarian crisis.