The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has announced that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif. Khan alleges that these individuals have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

According to Khan, there are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are responsible for crimes such as starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, murder, intentionally directing attacks against civilians, and extermination. He stated that Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in Gaza of essential resources, leading to severe consequences like malnutrition, dehydration, and an escalating death toll.

On the other hand, Khan accused the Hamas leaders of committing crimes including extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, sexual violence, and torture. He described the "unfathomable pain" inflicted by Hamas through "calculated cruelty and extreme callousness," citing accounts from survivors.

The ICC's pre-trial judges will now review the evidence and decide whether to issue the requested arrest warrants, a process that could take weeks or months.

Israel has rejected the allegations, with Netanyahu describing the ICC prosecutor's comparison between Israel and Hamas as "outrageous." The United States has also criticized the ICC's move, with President Joe Biden calling it "outrageous."

Hamas has demanded the cancellation of the arrest warrants and accused Khan of attempting to equate "the victim with the executioner."

The decision to seek arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas marks an unprecedented step by the ICC and has heightened tensions in the region. The implications of this development are far-reaching and are likely to have significant repercussions for the ongoing conflict and the international community's involvement.