Amal Clooney Helps ICC Panel Recommend Arrest Warrants for Hamas and Israeli Leaders
Amal Clooney was one of eight experts tapped by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to assess whether arrest warrants should be issued for both Hamas and top Israeli officials over alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict.
The panel, formed in January 2024 by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, included prominent legal and academic professionals who reviewed potential charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Clooney, a respected British human rights lawyer and adjunct professor at Columbia Law School in New York, helped lead the panel’s legal analysis. She also co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which provides free legal aid to victims of human rights abuses and has represented clients before the ICC and the International Court of Justice.
She was joined by a team that included barrister Danny Friedman, Baroness Helena Kennedy, former British judge Lord Justice Adrian Fulford, Judge Theodor Meron, and legal scholar Elizabeth Wilmshurst.
The ICC prosecutor named five individuals in his investigation: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh.
On May 20, 2024, the panel released a joint statement and detailed report through the Financial Times, concluding that there was enough evidence to move forward with prosecutions. They unanimously agreed that the individuals named had potentially committed crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction.
“The ICC judges will ultimately decide whether to issue the arrest warrants,” they wrote. “We hope state authorities, witnesses, and survivors will cooperate as investigations continue.”
In November 2024, the ICC officially issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The three Hamas leaders named in the report were also charged posthumously.
The case has sparked political backlash, especially from the United States. Former President Donald Trump, who is running again for office, signed an executive order in February 2025 sanctioning ICC prosecutor Karim Khan. The order froze his U.S. assets and barred him from entering the country.
The order also gave U.S. authorities 60 days to consider sanctions against others involved in the ICC investigation, including several British legal advisers. That deadline passed on April 7.
Among those potentially facing U.S. sanctions is Amal Clooney. News that she might be banned from entering the U.S. ignited widespread outrage on social media.
“Even disgraceful says it’s disgraceful!” one user tweeted. Others called the move “infuriating,” while one person pointed out, “Isn’t she married to an American citizen?”
Clooney is married to American actor George Clooney. Critics had previously questioned her silence on the issue, but following the release of the panel’s findings, she published a personal statement on the Clooney Foundation website.
“I joined this panel because I believe in the rule of law and in protecting civilian lives,” she wrote. Clooney emphasized that international laws protecting civilians in war have been in place for over a century and must apply equally to all sides, regardless of who they are or why the conflict started.
She made it clear that no child’s life is more valuable than another’s and that no war should be beyond the reach of justice.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, have rejected the ICC’s actions. Netanyahu’s office called the charges “false and absurd.” It’s worth noting that neither Israel nor the United States recognizes the ICC’s authority, as neither country has signed the treaty that established the court.
