International justice: Amal Clooney works with ICC to pursue Gaza war figures

Report by Raneem Bou Khzam, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Amal Clooney, who faced a wave of criticism and celebrity boycotts months ago for her silence on the Gaza war, has now turned the tide by becoming a hero to many. 

Over the past four months, Clooney has been working with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to file requests for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as well as Palestinian figures Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.

This legal move, which has sparked significant controversy, was confirmed by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who stated that the warrants apply to Israeli officials despite Israel not being a member of the court.

So, what Happens Next?

In the upcoming months, a panel of ICC judges will review Khan's requests to issue arrest warrants for the five individuals. 

Although the ICC lacks the power to arrest anyone directly, the situation could change if any of the accused travel to one of the 124 member states of the court. 

In such cases, those countries could potentially arrest the individuals, although compliance is not guaranteed. Non-compliance would contradict their commitment to uphold the court's regulations.

The same legal principles apply to Ismail Haniyeh, who resides in Qatar—a country that is not an ICC member. Consequently, Haniyeh remains untouchable as long as he stays within Qatari borders.