Renowned British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Clooney announced her significant involvement in assisting the International Criminal Court (ICC) in evaluating evidence that led to its decision to seek arrest warrants for high-ranking officials in Israel and Hamas.
Clooney revealed that she contributed to a critical report advocating for the ICC to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas figures.
This announcement follows a prolonged period of silence regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has sparked widespread criticism on social media due to the high number of civilian casualties.
In a statement released on the Clooney Foundation for Justice website, Clooney mentioned that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has enlisted her expertise.
She joined a panel of experts to examine evidence of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza.
This statement coincided with Khan’s declaration of his intent to pursue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, accusing them of crimes such as starvation, premeditated murder, and extermination and/or murder.
Clooney highlighted the unanimous agreement among the panel’s members, despite their diverse backgrounds, citing “reasonable grounds to believe” that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh were involved in “hostage-taking, killings, and sexual violence.”
She defended her involvement, stating, “My approach is not to provide incessant commentary on my work, but to let the work speak for itself.”
Clooney also emphasized her commitment to the rule of law and the protection of civilian lives, noting that international laws safeguarding civilians in wartime have been in place for over a century and apply universally, regardless of conflict origins.
