In the weeks following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year, the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, repeatedly warned those engaged in the war to proceed with extreme care—specifically cautioning against using starvation as a weapon of war.
“Israel expects the leaders of the free world to stand firmly against the ICC[’s] outrageous assault on Israel’s inherent right of self-defense,” Netanyahu [said](https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1785630225197384000) in a video statement last week.
Though many, including in the U.S. government and media, have questioned the ICC’s jurisdiction and called on the court to back down, the ICC is entitled to adjudicate on the legality of both Israel’s and Hamas’s conduct in the war. Here is why.
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[SS: Explainer by Chile Eboe-Osuji]
In the weeks following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year, the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, repeatedly warned those engaged in the war to proceed with extreme care—specifically cautioning against using starvation as a weapon of war.
Six months on, with Gaza experiencing a [“full-blown famine”](https://apnews.com/article/gaza-famine-world-food-program-israel-hamas-war-476941bf2dc259f85a706408b2a665ff) and more than 75 percent of its population displaced, the Israeli and international media are abuzz with news about the ICC potentially issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Israel expects the leaders of the free world to stand firmly against the ICC[’s] outrageous assault on Israel’s inherent right of self-defense,” Netanyahu [said](https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1785630225197384000) in a video statement last week.
Though many, including in the U.S. government and media, have questioned the ICC’s jurisdiction and called on the court to back down, the ICC is entitled to adjudicate on the legality of both Israel’s and Hamas’s conduct in the war. Here is why.
[Read the full explainer here.](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/07/icc-arrest-warrant-israel-netanyahu-gaza/)