The Left Bloc's lead candidate for the European elections, Catarina Martins, questioned, this Monday, whether the European Union (EU) will impose sanctions on Israel and stop supplying weapons to Tel Aviv, following the request by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an arrest warrant to be issued against the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the leader of the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

"The ICC prosecutor is requesting an arrest warrant for the leaders of Hamas and also for the Israeli prime minister. He is saying what the world knows: Netanyahu is a criminal", wrote the former BE coordinator on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

"Will this be the time when European countries stop supplying weapons? Will the EU impose sanctions on Israel? Will Portugal recognise Palestine?", she questioned.

The ICC prosecutor is requesting an arrest warrant for the leaders of Hamas and also for the Israeli prime minister. He is saying what the world knows: Netanyahu is a criminal. Will this be the time when European countries stop supplying weapons? Will the EU impose sanctions on Israel? Will Portugal recognise Palestine? #StopgenocideGaza

— Catarina Martins (@catarina_mart) May 20, 2024

It should be recalled that the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, today requested the issuing of arrest warrants against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the leader of the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Netanyahu and Sinwar are suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to a statement released by Khan in The Hague, Netherlands, the seat of the ICC.

Khan also asked the ICC to issue arrest warrants against the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Al-Masri, and the head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.

"While the murderers and rapists of Hamas commit crimes against humanity, against our brothers and sisters, the prosecutor mentions in the same breath the prime minister and the defence minister of Israel alongside the vile Nazi monsters of Hamas - a historical disgrace that will be remembered forever," criticised Israel Katz.

The minister also says that he intends to speak with his counterparts "from the main countries of the world to urge them to oppose the prosecutor's decision and to declare that, even if warrants are issued, they do not intend to enforce them against Israeli leaders".

"No power in the world will prevent us from recovering all our hostages and from overthrowing the Hamas terrorist regime," he stressed.

The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the Islamist group Hamas's attack on Israeli soil on 7 October 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to the Israeli authorities.

In response, Israel launched a large-scale military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has already caused over 35,000 deaths, mostly civilians, according to the local authorities controlled by Hamas.

The Israeli offensive is causing a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with over 1.1 million people in a "situation of catastrophic hunger" that is already claiming victims - "the highest number ever recorded" by the UN in food security studies worldwide.

Read Also: Israel creates special committee to combat "outrageous" ICC decision (Portuguese version)