The ICC could issue warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. How does the court work?
CBC
Leaders of Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas may soon be the subjects of international arrest warrants over allegations they are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
On Monday, the top prosecutor for International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, sought warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of multiple offences committed since Israel declared war against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 militant attacks.
Khan also applied for warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (also known as Mohammed Deif), the commander-in-chief of Hamas's military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, for crimes committed in Israel and Gaza.
You can read more details about the pursuit of these arrest warrants here.
The possibility of the ICC prosecuting any of these individuals follows a separate case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) brought forward by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
The ICC and the ICJ, both of which are based in The Hague, investigate serious crimes but serve different purposes and have different outcomes.
Here's what you need to know about the ICC and the ICJ — and how they operate.
The ICC was born out of the Rome Statute, an international treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1998, to investigate the "gravest crimes of concern to the international community."
It has a relationship with the United Nations but is independent of the world body.
The court has jurisdiction over four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. It only investigates crimes that were committed since July 1, 2002, the date the court entered into force.
The ICC will try individuals accused of any one of these crimes, when warranted, but not a state, government or political group.
If a case moves to trial, a panel of three judges will consider the evidence and issue a ruling. When there is a conviction, a suspect can face up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in exceptional cases.
The court requires member states — the signatories to the Rome Statute — to cooperate with it. The court relies on member states to arrest and transfer suspects. (In some cases, a summons is issued and a suspect may appear voluntarily).
The ICC currently has 124 member nations, including Canada.
For months, U.S. pressure on Venezuela has included a buildup of military force in the region, threats of military action, along with strikes on alleged drug boats off its coast.
Darrell Nasogaluak can look at a kayak and know it’s from his region in the western Arctic.
The U.S. military said it had conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, following a pause of almost three weeks.
WARNING: This story contains images of dead bodies and graphic physical injuries.
Health insurance could be about to get a lot more expensive for millions of Americans, and that's posing a political challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it paused all immigration applications, including green card and U.S. citizenship processing, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing concerns over national security and public safety.
The U.S. Congress is poised to give the Trump administration’s military strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats more scrutiny than at any point since the start of the operation off the South American coast.
Franklin the turtle is a Canadian creation beloved by generations of children, so when U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth turned him into a bazooka-wielding soldier in a social media post Sunday, many people were alarmed.
As Canada’s trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico faces a crucial review, many U.S. industries are urging the Trump administration to preserve the agreement and to stop putting tariffs on imports from its northern and southern neighbours.
Authorities in California asked the public for tips on Sunday in finding the person responsible for a shooting that left four people dead, three of them children, at a family gathering at a banquet hall in Stockton and wounded many more.