The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Hamas leader Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes.

Two other arrest warrants were considered for senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, but were withdrawn after their deaths were confirmed. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant against Yoav Gallant, who served as Israel’s defense minister from 2022 until earlier this year.

The ICC said Netanyahu and Gallant were charged with the war crime of starvation as a method of war and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Israel objected to the ICC’s jurisdiction, but the court ruled against Israel.

“The Chamber found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals willfully and knowingly deprived the civilian population of Gaza of items essential to their survival, including food, water and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, of at least from October 8, 2023 to May 20, 2024,” the ICC said. “This finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in obstructing humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate aid by all means at their disposal.

“The Chamber found that their conduct resulted in the disruption of the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide food and other essential goods to the needy population of Gaza. The restrictions mentioned above together with the blackout of electricity and reduced fuel supply have also severely impacted the availability of water in Gaza and the ability of hospitals to provide medical care.”

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Many international groups condemned Israel for blocking aid efforts in Gaza amid its response to the Hamas attack. The US supported Israel militarily, but called on Israel and Hamas to work out a peace agreement to end hostilities.

Deif is accused by the ICC of being one of the ringleaders of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel, which left hundreds dead and took hundreds more hostage.

US and Israeli sources said Deif died in July, but Hamas has publicly disputed his death. The ICC said it is not in a position to judge whether Deif is alive or not.

The ICC has successfully arrested and convicted world leaders in the past, including former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

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The ICC primarily indicts world leaders for crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. There are 123 nations which are parties to the ICC. Both the United States and Israel are among those that did not agree to the Rome Statute, which helped form the ICC.

President Bill Clinton agreed to join the ICC in 1998, but the treaty was never ratified by the US Senate.

Although Clinton signed the treaty, his administration expressed concern on US participation in the ICC. The Clinton administration was particularly concerned that the court would replace domestic courts.

According to the ICC, its judges issued 59 arrest warrants. Of these, 21 were detained.

The ICC has issued 11 convictions in its history.