’Death sentence must be issued’: Iran’s Supreme leader Khamenei on ICC’s arrest warrant against Israeli PM Netanyahu

Days after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and others for ‘war crimes’, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded death sentence for the Israeli Prime Minister.

"They issued an arrest warrant, that's not enough... Death sentence must be issued for these criminal leaders", Khamenei said, referring to the Israeli leaders.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence chief Yoav Gallant and a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri.

Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza.

The warrant for a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the war on the long-blockaded Palestinian enclave, and also charges of rape and the taking of hostages.

Israel also said it killed Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in July but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this.

The supreme leader of Iran backs the Hamas and Hezbollah militants fighting Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.

What the ICC said

— With regard to the crimes, the Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu, born on 21 October 1949, Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the relevant conduct, and Mr Gallant, born on 8 November 1958, Minister of Defence of Israel at the time of the alleged conduct, each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

— The Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.