Joly says Canada respects ICC independence after prosecutor seeks warrants for Israeli, Hamas leaders

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada «respects the independence» of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its chief prosecutor requested warrants for the arrest of Israeli and Hamas officials.

«All parties must make sure that they abide by international law,» Joly told reporters outside of the House of Commons on Tuesday.

«We are closely monitoring the process.»

On Monday, the court's top prosecutor, Karim Khan, sought warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing multiple offences since Israel declared war on Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 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.

The U.S. rejected the move to implicate Israel alongside Hamas. France and Belgium supported the decision while Germany said it respects the court's independence.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised concerns about the warrants being sought for Israeli and Hamas leaders at the same time.

«I've said from the very beginning how important it is that everyone respect and abide by international law,» he said during a separate press conference Tuesday.

«What I will say is troubling, though, is the sense of an equivalency between the democratically elected leaders of Israel and the bloodthirsty terrorists that lead up Hamas. I don't think that's helpful.»

Israel launched its war in response to an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas that killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage.

The Israeli offensive