THE HAGUE (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza and the attacks of October 2023. led to Israel’s offensive on Palestinian territory.

The decision makes Netanyahu and the others internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to broker a ceasefire to end the 13-month conflict. But its practical implications could be limited as Israel and its main ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several Hamas officials have subsequently been killed in the conflict.

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants as shameful and anti-Semitic. US President Joe Biden also denounced the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas also rejected the request.

“The Chamber found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals have deliberately and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of items essential to their survival, including food, water, medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” the Chamber said. The three-judge panel wrote in its unanimous decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in September it had filed two legal papers challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction and arguing that the court had not given Israel the opportunity to investigate the allegations itself before seeking the arrest warrants.

“No other democracy with an independent and respected legal system such as that in Israel has been treated in this prejudicial manner by the prosecutor,” State Department spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on remained in his devotion to rule. of law and justice” and would continue to protect its citizens against militancy.

The ICC is a court of last resort that only prosecutes cases when national law enforcement authorities are unable or unwilling to investigate. Israel is not a member state of the Court. The country has struggled to examine itself in the past, rights groups say.

Despite the arrest warrants, none of the suspects will appear in court in The Hague anytime soon. The court itself does not have police to enforce arrest warrants, but instead relies on the cooperation of member states.