Keir Starmer backs ICC after war crime warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest

Israel rejected the ICC's arrest warrants and described them as "antisemitic", ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine reports

Sir Keir Starmer has backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the military commander of Hamas.

Downing Street said the Government respected the independence of the ICC after the warrants for Israel's leader.

The court has charged three men with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC steps in only when national authorities fail or are unable to investigate.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman also said the ICC, based in The Hague, was “the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern”.

“This Government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law," The Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations.

“We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza which is essential to protect civilians, ensure the release of hostages, and to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Asked if Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to the UK, the spokesman said: “We are not going to get into hypotheticals.”

The ICC's move makes Netanyahu an internationally wanted suspect but could potentially complicate efforts to negotiate a cease-fire to end the 13-month war in Gaza.

The court panel says it believes "there are reasonable grounds to believe" Netanyahu and his former minister "intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity".

However, the material impacts of the warrant for Netanyahu's arrest are limited. Neither Israel nor the United States, who have supported Israel throughout the conflict, are members of the ICC.

Also, Hamas' military leader Mohammed Deif and several other group officials included in the warrants are thought to have died since the start of the conflict.

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for warrants as disgraceful and "antisemitic".

In a post on X, Netanyahu said: "This was a dark day for justice. A dark day for humanity.

"(The ICC) has chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity."

US President Joe Biden blasted the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.

Hamas welcomed the decision by the ICC, describing it as an “important and historic precedent” after what it said was decades of injustice at the hands of a “fascist occupation".

The Netherlands is one of the first countries that has confirmed it will arrest Netanyahu if he arrives on Dutch soil.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has said it challenged the judgement in September. Still, they were not given the opportunity to investigate the allegations from the ICC before the warrants were issued.

A spokesperson from the Ministry claimed that "no other democracy with an independent and respected legal system like that which exists in Israel has been treated in this prejudicial manner by the Prosecutor".

Charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), welcomed the ICC's decision and accused Israel of war crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.

"Israel's ongoing violations against Palestinians have been emboldened by decades of impunity and the attacks on Gaza in the past year have devastated the health system and caused enormous civilian suffering. This must be a turning point for Gaza and the broader region," it said.

It has urged the UK to ensure the arrest warrants are "upheld," and "to review all relations with Israel in light of this decision, and to suspend immediately all arms licences and transfers".

The warrants follow an overnight Israeli air strike in northern Gaza on Wednesday night.

Paramedics and Hamas-affiliated media said at least 66 were killed in a strike that hit a shelter for displaced people and a hospital in the town of Beit Lahia.

The Civil Defence agency - run by Hamas - said another 22 people were killed in a further strike on a house in Gaza City.

A hospital in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis also said the bodies of 24 people were admitted on Thursday morning, thought to have been killed in Israeli military action.

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Since October 7, more than 44,000 Palestinians have been killed and 104,000 injured in the Israel-Hamas war, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said on Thursday.

This particular conflict began when Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 250. Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza.

Figures provided by the Hamas-run health ministry are considered reliable by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch. A paper published in the Lancet found "no evidence of inflated mortality reporting from the Gaza Ministry of Health".

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