Gallant calls ICC parallel between Israel and Hamas 'despicable'

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday that it was "despicable" that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had drawn a parallel between the Israeli leadership and Hamas in filing war crimes charges against both.

"The parallel he [Khan] has drawn between the Hamas terrorist organization and the State of Israel is despicable," Gallant said in a statement released by his office.

On Monday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said he is seeking arrest warrants for Gallant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, including Yehya al-Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza.

Khan is seeking arrest warrants for the Israeli and Hamas leaders over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Other Hamas leaders named by Khan include Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the head of the group's military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, who sits atop Hamas' political wing and is seen as the group's overall leader.

On Monday Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden criticized Khan's actions. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the treaty that established the ICC.

"Prosecutor Karim Khan's attempt to deny the State of Israel the right to defend herself and ensure the release of the hostages held in Gaza, must be rejected explicitly," Gallant continued.

Israel "is fighting against a brutal terrorist organization, Hamas - an enemy that conducted atrocities against Israeli children, women and men. Now it also uses its own people as a shield, Galant said.

The defence chief said the army's operations are in accordance with international law "while taking unprecedented measures to facilitate humanitarian aid."

Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attacks in the Israeli border area on October 7.

The terrorist attack was the trigger for Israel's military offensive in the Gaza, in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 35,500 people have been killed so far. Hamas does not distinguish between civilian and military casualties in its figures.