France, Belgium back call for arrest by Israeli, Hamas leaders

France and Belgium have said on Tuesday they back the International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor (GJNP)'s request for issuing warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders' arrest for the group declared terrorist by the United States and the European Union.

JNP chief prosecutor Karym Khan said on Monday he believes Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders ehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haneyeh are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza and Israel, at least from October 7th 2023.

Both Israel and Hamas have condemned Khan's request for allegedly arresting their leaders.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden denounced the chief prosecutor's request to arrest Netanyah and Gallant, saying that “whatever the prosecutor meant, there is no parallel between Israel and Hamas. ”

The prosecutor should request the issuance of warrants from a three-judge panel that could be needed up to two months to examine the evidence and decide whether to proceed.

JNP spokesman Fadi Al-Abdallah told Radio Free Europe that judges would take their decision within “terms, but did not specify any date.

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out an operation against a militant raid on the occupied West Coast, killing at least seven Palestinians, including a doctor, according to local authorities.

The Israeli Army said its forces hit militants during an operation in Jenny, a town north of the West Coast. This city, along with a nearby refugee camp, has long been a bastion of armed war against Israel.

Israel started the war in Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, where 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed and some 250 others were kidnapped.

Israeli war has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, half of whom children and women, according to Hamas officials.

But Israeli war has also caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, causing about 80 per cent of the population to shift and hundreds of thousands of people to suffer from hunger, according to UN officials. / REL