HAMILTON, Canada

Canada on Thursday affirmed its support and compliance with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant.

"First of all, as Canada has always said, it's really important that everyone abide by international law. This is something we've been calling on from the beginning of the conflict," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in the Toronto area.

Saying that Canada is "one of the founding members of the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice," Trudeau, in response to a question about if Netanyahu and Gallant would be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada, said, "We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts."

He noted the need to find a solution to the genocide in the Gaza Strip. "We need to see aid flowing into people who are facing famine and disease," he said.

Urging that all hostages should be released, Trudeau stressed the importance of a cease-fire and to "get back on track towards a two-state solution, with a peaceful Israel living alongside a peaceful Palestinian state."

"These are the things that Canada has been working on. At the same time, we have to recognize, as Canadians, that it's been very, very difficult for members of different communities in this country," he said, reaffirming Canada's efforts for "peace and stability."

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) described Trudeau's remarks as "a serious and major step forward on the road to justice for Gaza and Palestine."

"Today, the Prime Minister did that in accepting that Canada would recognize the arrest warrants. This means, in theory, that Netanyahu and Gallant could be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada," it said.

Emphasizing that it is "an important moment," the Muslim group stated that "Canada has chosen to do the right thing."

It is an important step forward and we must continue to uphold international law and our commitment to human rights," it added.

The Hague-based court announced the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant earlier in the day "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024," when ICC prosecutor Karim Khan sought the warrants.

In doing so, it also unanimously rejected Israel's challenges to jurisdiction under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute.

The court said it "found reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility" for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

The warrants come as Israel’s genocidal offensive in the Gaza Strip recently entered its second year, having already killed 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing and deliberate blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.