Amal Clooney, human rights attorney and Hollywood actor George Clooney's wife, played a crucial role in the ICC case against Israel and Hamas, which prompted arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh.
The panel of experts, conveyed by ICC Prosecutor Karim Kahn comprised of Sir Adrian Fulford, Judge Theodor Meron, Amal Clooney, Danny Friedman, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Professor Marko Milanovic and Professor Sandesh Sivakumaran.
This panel was formed to look into Khan's investigation into the situation in Palestine, which would cover crimes committed on Palestinian territories or by a Palestinian national.
Amal Clooney joined the team as a special advisor to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan. In a statement issued by the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the human rights attorney shared what led to her involvement in the ICC Case.
Clooney, who joined the case four months ago stated that despite the diverse backgrounds of the legal panel, the findings remains unanimous.
"We have unanimously determined that the court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine and by Palestinian nationals. We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage-taking, murder and crimes of sexual violence," stated Clooney.
She added that the panel also found "reasonable grounds" for charges against the Israeli PM and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Israeli leaders have been accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity "including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and extermination.”
"I served on this panel because I believe in the rule of law and the need to protect civilian lives. The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict," she added further.
In an op-ed for the Financial Times, Clooney and other members of the panel hailed Karim Khan's decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leaders.
Praising Khan's application, the experts stated that the warrants are just the "first step".
