ISTANBUL 

Hamas called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to abolish a request for arrest warrants against three leaders of the Palestinian group.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders, including political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

In a statement, Hamas said the ICC arrest warrants came late after seven months “during which the Israeli occupation committed thousands of crimes against Palestinian civilians, including children, women, doctors, and journalists.”

It denounced Khan's attempt to “equate the victim with the executioner by issuing arrest warrants against a number of Palestinian resistance leaders."

Hamas called on the ICC to cancel the arrest warrants against the Hamas leaders, which it termed as a violation of UN conventions and resolutions.

Khan said he has reasonable ground to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for "war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed on Palestinian territories, specifically in the Gaza Strip, from at least Oct. 8.

The prosecutor added that they have also applied for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif, for "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed in Israel and the Gaza Strip "from at least 7 October 2023."

Israel continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

More than 35,500 Palestinians have since been killed, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and over 79,600 others injured since last October following a Hamas attack.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar