The ICC’s threat to arrest Binyamin Netanyahu has shocked Israel

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Mr Khan noted that Israel has the right to protect its citizens, but he accused it of having pursued “starvation as a method of war” in Gaza. Israel has denied this charge, pointing to the aid convoys that have been allowed through. But this has mainly happened in the past couple of months and under international pressure. There is ample evidence that Israel has closed routes into Gaza and disrupted the supply of aid. Earlier in the war Israeli ministers also made clear in public their intention to impose a “total siege” on Gaza. Mr Khan has chosen to focus on these war tactics, rather than the bombing of civilian areas. He has also chosen, at least for now, to target Israel’s political leaders rather than its generals. Nor did the charge sheet include the allegation of genocide. Mr Khan may be sticking to crimes that are easier to prove.

The judges in the ICC’s pre-trial chamber must now decide whether there is enough evidence to issue the arrest warrants. Even if they do, Israel has not ratified the Rome statute setting up the ICC, so is under no legal obligation to hand over its leaders. Mr Sinwar and Mr Deif are hiding in Gaza and Mr Haniyeh rarely, if ever, travels to a country which is a party to the treaty. A trial in The Hague is unlikely.

But it is still devastating; far more so for Israel, a country with a democratically elected government and aspirations to be part of the Western world, than for Hamas, a terrorist group. Some Western leaders have already criticised the ICC for implying an equivalence between the leaders of Hamas and Israel. However, if the prosecutor’s request is granted, they would be legally bound to arrest Mr Netanyahu if he travels to their countries.

America, which like Israel is not a signatory, has a different dilemma. For months Joe Biden, the president, has both publicly and privately beseeched Mr Netanyahu to allow more aid through and to go to greater lengths to avoid civilian casualties. In recent weeks he has delayed at least one shipment of arms that could be used in Israel’s offensive on the city of Rafah. The ICC prosecutor’s claims are in line with the American criticisms, but Mr Biden nonetheless called them “outrageous”.

America has a mixed relationship with the court. Donald Trump, Mr Biden’s predecessor (and possible successor), issued sanctions against the ICC for investigating allegations of war crimes committed by American troops in Afghanistan. Mr Biden lifted those sanctions and worked with the court on issuing an arrest warrant last year for Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. America’s response this time, however, is shaped by the fact that Israel is one of its closest allies.

At home, Mr Netanyahu got rare support from his political foes. “It is not possible to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Sinwar and Deif,” said Yair Lapid, an opposition leader who has told Mr Netanyahu to resign. “There is no such comparison. We cannot accept it and it is unforgivable.” Benny Gantz, another rival of the prime minister also rallied around him.

But this will almost certainly be short-lived. Israeli security officials have been quietly warning politicians that withholding humanitarian aid early in the war would come back to haunt Israel. “It should have been clear they would have to walk back the bombastic statements on besieging Gaza,” said one army officer. “So why do it in the first place?”

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