ANKARA

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday called the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as a "monumental victory."

The decision "marks a monumental victory for all who champion justice and humanity," the premier said after Friday prayers in Putrajaya.

He said the decision would alleviate the suffering of the people in Palestine.

The premier described the decision as reasonable, saying it was based on the law and evidence of oppression, cruelty and killings. He said if Netanyahu makes any visits abroad, he should be arrested.

The Hague court, in a landmark move on Thursday, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant after accusing them of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

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."

Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which continues since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

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

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid