US President Joe Biden has called the request by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders "outrageous." "The ICC Prosecutor's request for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever the ICC prosecutor may suggest, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security," a White House statement attributed to the US president reads. The ICC prosecutor's request, which also targets Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, was also made for Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, Al-Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Al-Masri, and the head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh. Khan said he has "reasonable grounds to believe" that Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed in Gaza. The two Israeli politicians are suspected of causing starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and willful killing. They are also suspected of intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, extermination and murder, including in the context of causing death by starvation, persecution, and other inhumane acts. "The crimes against humanity alleged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population of Palestine, pursuant to a State policy [of Israel]. These crimes, in our assessment, continue to the present day," he said. The evidence gathered shows that Israel "intentionally and systematically" deprived the civilian population of Gaza of essential elements necessary for their survival, through the "imposition of a comprehensive blockade" on the enclave. Such measures "were accompanied by other attacks on civilians, including those queuing for food, the obstruction of the delivery of aid by humanitarian agencies, and the targeting and killing of humanitarian workers," according to the ICC. The court considered that the crimes attributed to the Israeli politicians aimed to eliminate Hamas, secure the return of Israeli hostages, and "collectively punish the civilian population of Gaza, perceived as a threat to Israel." Read Also: Issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leader is "useless" (Portuguese version)