Nigeria, Nov. 21 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.

The ICC issued the warrants for alleged "war crimes" in Gaza, according to an official statement. It said that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that Messrs Netanyahu and Gallant committed war crimes, and added that Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction is not required.

The Netherlands-based court said Mr Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes including "starvation as a method of warfare" and "the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

CNN reported that the warrants mark a historic fir...