ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leaders

1. What happens now?

   The ICC, based in The Hague, has been investigating Israel's actions in the occupied territories for the past three years - and more recently the actions of Hamas as well.

   Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted as a member state in 2015.

   ICC judges will now determine whether they believe the evidence is sufficient to issue arrest warrants.

   The timeframe can vary, with weeks and even months sometimes elapsing between the point at which the ICC prosecutor requests an arrest warrant, and judges ruling on it.

2. Watch: Moment ICC prosecutor makes announcement

   As we've been reporting, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has announced he has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

   Karim Khan KC said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

   You can watch the moment he made the announcement below:

   Video content

   Video caption: ICC's Karim Khan announces arrest warrant application for Israeli and Hamas leadersICC's Karim Khan announces arrest warrant application for Israeli and Hamas leaders

3. 'A disaster': Israeli politicians condemn ICC decision

   Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz - a political rival of Benjamin Netanyahu - has denounced the decision of the ICC's prosecutor to apply for an arrest warrant for the PM.

   "Drawing parallels between the leaders of a democratic country determined to defend itself from despicable terror to leaders of a bloodthirsty terror organisation is a deep distortion of justice and blatant moral bankruptcy," he said.

   The leader of the opposition Yair Lapid condemned the announcement by calling it "a disaster".

   "It's unforgivable. We have and we are managing a just war, and it needs to be clear that we won't stay silent over it," he said.

4. What did the ICC prosecutor say?

   The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, has released a long statement online. Here are some excerpts:

   • He says he has "reasonable grounds" to believe Sinwar, al-Masri, and Haniyeh "bear criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) from at least 7 October 2023"
   • "We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Israel by Hamas and other armed groups pursuant to organisational policies"
   • On Netanyahu and Gallant, he says he has "reasonable grounds" to believe they "bear criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) from at least 8 October 2023"
   • "We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to state policy"

5. Welcome to our live coverage

   The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

   Karim Khan said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity from at least 7 October 2023.

   Khan is also seeking arrest warrants for two other Hamas leaders - Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed al-Masri, and the Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant.

   Stay with us all for the latest reaction from Israel, the Middle East, and around the world.