JOHANNESBURG 

South Africa has welcomed the decision by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as three leaders of Hamas.

In a statement issued late Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “The law must be applied equally to all in order to uphold the international rule of law, ensure accountability for those that commit heinous crimes and protect the rights of victims.”

Ramaphosa, whose country took Israel to the ICC late last year for committing “genocide” in Gaza, said: "South Africa is committed to the international rule of law, universal respect for human rights and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation and not war, and the self-determination of all peoples, including the Palestinians."

"We have also consistently held that all participants to the conflict must ensure that fighting and hostilities come to an immediate end, that all hostages must be released immediately,” he said, adding that South Africa also wants Israel to immediately withdraws its military forces from Gaza.

On Monday, Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor said that he has applied for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant, head of Hamas' Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh, its top official in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, and head of Hamas' military wing Mohammed Deif. The decision on whether any of the warrants will ultimately be issued lies with a panel of three ICC judges, which will assess the evidence presented by Khan's office.

Israel has killed more than 35,500 Palestinians in Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas that claimed 1,200 lives. The air and ground attacks have reduced the Palestinian enclave to rubble, leading to mass internal displacement and a shortage of basic necessities.