section_path: Arrest warrants
section_name: Arrest warrants
paragraph_text: Arrest warrants
  
  On 20 May 2024, Khan announced that he would file applications for arrest warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh and Israeli leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. The request for a warrant against Haniyeh was withdrawn following his assassination on 31 July 2024, and the request for a warrant against Sinwar was withdrawn following his killing on 16 October 2024. The prosecutor stated that he was trying to confirm the alleged killing of Deif on 13 July 2024, in which case the warrant request would be withdrawn. The warrant for Deif was cancelled in February 2025, a few weeks after Hamas confirmed his death.
  
  On 21 November 2024, the ICC's Preliminary Chamber I's Judges Nicolas Guillou (Presiding, France), Reine Alapini-Gansou (Benin) and Beti Hohler (Slovenia) issued arrest warrants under request from chief prosecutor Khan in regards to "the activities of Israeli government bodies and the armed forces against the civilian population in Palestine, more specifically civilians in Gaza" for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and Mohammed Deif.
  
  Pre-Trial Chamber I stated that it found reasonable grounds that from " at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024" Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility "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" and "as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population." and that Deif bears direct and command responsibility "for the crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, torture, and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture, taking hostages, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and other form of sexual violence". It found reasonable grounds that "the crimes against humanity were part of a widespread and systematic attack directed by Hamas and other armed groups against the civilian population of Israel".
  
  The Guardian reported on 28 April 2025 that Khan was preparing to seek arrest warrants for additional Israeli suspects, citing anonymous court officials familiar with the investigation. The report also claimed that ICC judges had issued a gag order forbidding Khan from publicly revealing that he had requested the warrants. The gag order was allegedly requested by members of Khan's staff who felt that his public announcements of the prior warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant "deviated from standard practice and put pressure on judges reviewing the warrant requests".