PBS News Hour

AMNA NAWAZ: Today, the world's top war crimes court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for what the court called crimes against humanity for intentionally depriving Gazans of food and directing attacks against civilians.

Israel today called it an antisemitic attack on democracies trying to defend themselves from terrorism.

Here's Nick Schifrin with more.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In the moonscape that is now Northern Gaza, in the desperation of Gazan civilians, lacking the basic necessities of life are what the International Criminal Court today called Israeli crimes against humanity for having -- quote -- "intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water and medicine," and -- quote - - "intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza," as ICC prosecutor Karim Khan argued on the "News Hour" in September.

KARIM KHAN, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court: Even war has rules, and yet we're seeing baby after baby destroyed.

People in Gaza who want to have food and water, who want to stop waking up in terror as bombs land and the earth shakes, and no place is safe, it seems, including schools.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Khan a corrupt prosecutor and the ICC judges biased.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator): This is an antisemitic act that has one goal, to deter me, to deter us from exercising our natural right to defend ourselves against our enemies, who rise up against us to destroy us, accusing the state of Israel of genocide, while we are working to defend ourselves from an enemy who is trying to commit genocide against us.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The ICC accuses Netanyahu in Gallant of -- quote -- "starvation as a method of warfare and impeding humanitarian aid with no justification."

KENNETH ROTH, Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch: When you put it all together, it's clear that Israel has chosen to fight Hamas not just directly, not just by targeting fighters, but by squeezing Palestinian civilians.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ken Roth is a Princeton professor and the former executive director of Human Rights Watch.

KENNETH ROTH: The court today affirming the arrest warrants highlights the starvation, the fact that children have died of malnutrition, the fact that people are having to have operations without anesthesia.

This is because Israel has imposed one obstacle after another to the delivery of humanitarian aid.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Israel argues it does not restrict aid and has in the last year facilitated 39,000 trucks to enter Gaza with more than 840,000 tons of food.

It also accuses the U.N. of failing to distribute enough aid and of Hamas and criminal gangs of stealing aid.

LT. COL. ORI EGOZ, Israeli Reserves: To accuse us of starving them is unbelievable.

It's getting -- those trucks are getting into Hamas hands, and they're the one who's depriving it from their people.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ori Egoz is a lieutenant colonel in the Israeli reserves and a former Israeli military lawyer and judge.

LT. COL. ORI EGOZ: We're keeping the humanitarian law.

And it's actually quite an absurd to hear it from our point of view.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Today's arrest warrants also accuse Netanyahu and Gallant of failing to prevent or investigate -- quote -- "intentional attacks on civilians."

KENNETH ROTH: The affirmation of the arrest warrants is appropriate recognition that the way the Israeli government has been fighting the war in Gaza has been by pursuing a war crimes strategy.

LT. COL. ORI EGOZ: They're doing the best they can not to harm civilians.

But, again, this is war.

To think that in a war you can be in a place that you don't harm civilians, it's impossible.

You have to remember that Hamas is using intentionally human shields and putting its missiles and its targets inside schools.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The ICC also issued an arrest warrant today for the man who helped design that strategy, Mohammed Deif, even though Israel says it killed him months ago.

As for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC's 124 member states are now obligated to arrest them, which means they hold the same international status as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Today's announcement could lead European countries to further slow weapons deliveries to Israel.

But incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz suggested a -- quote -- "strong response," suggesting the next Trump administration could reimpose sanctions on the court and Khan.

And the White House today accused Khan of failing to engage with Israel constructively.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, White House Press Secretary: We fundamentally reject the court's decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israel officials.

NICK SCHIFRIN: As for Israel, it vowed the arrest warrants would not stop the war in Gaza until Israel achieves all its goals.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.