20 May 2024: Maldives on Monday welcomed the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and called them a “significant step in the quest for justice for the Palestinian people.”
“No country is above international law, and those carrying out war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory must be held accountable,” Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said on X.
“As a State Party to the Rome Statute, the Maldives is confident that the Prosecutor’s Office has gathered enough evidence to prove Israel has conducted war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza,” Muizzu said.
“We will explore every avenue to support the people of Palestine in the international arena,” he added.
Earlier, Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Netanyahu, Gallant and three Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh.
In a statement, Karim Khan said he has reasonable ground to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed on Palestine territory, specifically on 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 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.
It also triggered a trial at the International Court of Justice, which in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and take measures to guarantee humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
On May 6, Israeli forces started the onslaught on Rafah, ignoring all regional and international warnings about its consequences for civilians who had taken refuge in the city.
