THE head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has expressed support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.
In an interview with Doha News, Mahamat described the ICC’s action as ‘absolutely logical.’ A short video of his comments was posted on X.
‘I think they took too much time, they should have done it from the beginning, because it’s clearly a decision to destroy a people and a nation. That is not acceptable,’ Mahamat stated.
On Monday, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he had applied for arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Hamas Political Bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza’s top official Yahya Sinwar, and Hamas military wing leader Mohammed Deif.
A panel of three ICC judges will now assess the evidence presented by Khan’s office to decide whether the warrants will be issued.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also welcomed the ICC prosecutor’s decision, saying: ‘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.’
Since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas, which claimed 1,200 lives, Israel has killed more than 35,600 Palestinians in Gaza. The ongoing air and ground attacks have devastated the Palestinian enclave, causing mass internal displacement and severe shortages of basic necessities.
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