That's it from us, but there's still lots more to read across BBC News on this story.

• If you would like to stay in the loop on the latest developments, you can click on this report about the ICC decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders
• And you can head here to read the ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan's statement in full
• Elsewhere, analysis from our colleagues at BBC Arabic has found that more than three-quarters of Gaza's territory have been designated as evacuation zones by the Israeli military since the war against Hamas began in October. You can read that piece here

Today's page was written by James Gregory, Ana Faguy and Malu Cursino. Our editors were Owen Amos and Marita Moloney. Thanks for joining us.

We're going to pause our live coverage now, after the International Criminal Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas's leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, and others.

While some have rallied behind the decision, many global leaders, including those in the US, have voiced their criticism. Here's a look back at what happened today:

• Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, said he has "reasonable ground to believe" Netanyahu and Sinwar bear responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity
• The ICC is also seeking warrants for Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed al-Masri
• US President Joe Biden described the move as "outrageous" and said there was "no equivalence between Israel and Hamas"
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed those sentiments saying the US "fundamentally rejected" the decision and claimed the ICC had no jurisdiction over the matter
• In a quick response to the US criticism, the ICC released a statement saying there was no information that demonstrated "genuine action at the domestic level [in Israel] to address the crimes alleged or the individuals under investigation"
• Meanwhile, some groups expressed support for the decision, including Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organisation, which described Khan's move to seek arrest warrants as a "principled first step"
• Earlier Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the ICC's decision was a "historical disgrace that will be remembered forever"
• While Sami Abu Suhri, a senior Hamas official, said the move "equates the victim with the executioner"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan's application to seek his arrest, calling it an "absurd and false order".

He rejects what he says is the prosecutor's comparison between Israel and Hamas, calling it a "distortion of reality".

In a statement in Hebrew, Netanyahu asks "with what audacity" does the ICC "dare to compare" Hamas and Israel.

He pledges that no international forum will prevent Israel from "striking those who seek to destroy us".

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

At the US State Department briefing, press secretary Matt Miller says the US doesn’t believe that the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over either Israel or Hamas.

He says that Hamas should be “held accountable” for its actions, however.

Miller’s condemnations are focused on the warrants targeting Israeli officials. He says they would “embolden” Hamas and make it less likely that negotiations to implement a ceasefire and gain the release of hostages will be successful.

For the moment, the US is not putting any concrete consequences behind its harsh words. When asked what the US will do next, Miller says he had no announcements to make.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has just responded to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's rejection of its prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for Israeli - and Hamas - leaders.

In a statement, the ICC says that despite "significant efforts" it has not received "any information that has demonstrated genuine action at the domestic level [in Israel] to address the crimes alleged or the individuals under investigation".

"The prosecutor has also repeatedly underlined his concerns regarding the adherence of Israel to international humanitarian law and has emphasised publicly that he has not seen any discernible change in conduct despite his earlier statements," the statement adds.

Here's what ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said earlier:

In his statement, Antony Blinken goes on to say that the ICC's move to seek the arrest of Israeli leaders "does nothing to help" the ongoing conflict in Gaza and suggests it could jeopardise ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Blinken accuses the chief prosecutor of rushing to seek the arrest warrants "rather than allowing the Israeli legal system a full an timely opportunity to proceed".

"In other situations, the prosecutor deferred to national investigations and worked with states to allow them time to investigate. The prosecutor did not afford the same opportunity to Israel, which has ongoing investigations into allegations against its personnel," he says.

"Despite not being a member of the court, Israel was prepared to cooperate with the prosecutor," Blinken continues.

"In fact, the prosecutor himself was scheduled to visit Israel as early as next week to discuss the investigation and hear from the Israeli government."

Blinken also questions the "legitimacy and credibility" of the investigation by the ICC prosecutor.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also issued a statement in the last few minutes, in which he says the US "fundamentally rejects" the ICC's announcement, as well as the chief prosecutor's "equivalence of Israel with Hamas".

"It is shameful," he says. "Moreover, the United States has been clear since well before the current conflict that that ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter."

We'll bring you more from that statement shortly.

Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing from US President Joe Biden, who calls the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor's application for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant "outrageous".

Here's Biden's statement in full:

Anna Holligan
Reporting from The Hague

Starvation as a weapon of warfare and military attacks on civilians are among the alleged crimes committed by Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, while the allegations against Hamas include the taking of hostages, rape and other sexual violence.

Based on evidence including "interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, and authenticated video, photo and audio material", the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said "Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival".

Khan alleged the Hamas leaders were responsible for the planning and instigation of the 7 October attacks.

He is confident the threshold for a realistic prospect of conviction has been met.

The ICC's panel of pre-trial judges must now decide whether they agree before warrants can be issued. This process could take weeks.

A spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organisation with headquarters in New York City, says the decision taken by prosecutor Karim Khan is a "principled first step" which "opens the door to those responsible for the atrocities committed in recent months to get a fair trial".

Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director, says seeking the arrest warrants "in the face of pressure from US lawmakers and others reaffirms the crucial role" of the court.

"ICC member countries should stand ready to resolutely protect the ICC’s independence as hostile pressure is likely to increase while the ICC judges consider Khan’s request," she adds.

Image source, Getty Images

We've been talking a lot today about Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who has applied for arrest warrants for Israel's PM and Hamas's leader in Gaza.

Khan, 54, is a leading British barrister and King's Counsel who was elected to his role in the ICC in 2021.

He has been a human rights lawyer focused on international criminal law for 30 years and is only the third chief prosecutor in the ICC's 18-year history.

Prior to his election at the ICC, he led a UN investigation that targeted perpetrators of IS atrocities in Iraq and served as an Assistant Secretary-General of the UN.

Before that he worked on the prosecution of crimes in the International Criminal Tribunals committed in the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the Rwandan genocide.

More international reaction to the ICC's announcement now, this time from the UK prime minister.

A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak says the ICC prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli and Hamas leaders is unhelpful.

"This action is not helpful in relation to reaching a pause in the fighting, getting hostages out or getting humanitarian aid in," the spokesperson said.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the government said: "As we have said from the outset, we do not think the ICC has jurisdiction in this case. The UK has not yet recognised Palestine as a state, and Israel is not a state party to the Rome Statute [ICC]," the spokesperson adds.

Earlier this year, the UK government criticised a case brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza war - you can read more about that case and the ICJ's ruling here.

As a reminder the ICJ handles disputes between states, while the ICC deals with individuals.

We've been bringing you live updates, reaction and analysis after the International Criminal Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Let's take stock of what we know so far:

• ICC prosecutor Karim Khan says he has "reasonable grounds to believe" the men bear responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity
• Warrants for Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed al-Masri are also being sought by the ICC
• The alleged crimes begin "from at least 7 October 2023" in the Hamas leaders' case, while in Israel's leaders' case the alleged crimes begin "from at least 8 October 2023"
• Reacting to the news, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz calls the ICC's move a "historical disgrace that will be remembered forever"
• And senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri says that seeking arrest warrants for the three Hamas leaders "equates the victim with the executioner"

• The ICC is a permanent global court and it has the power to prosecute individuals and leaders for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But it has no police force of of its own and relies on national police services to make arrests and seek their transfer to The Hague

We can bring you some more reaction from Hamas now, after an official earlier said that seeking arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders "equates the victim with the executioner".

In a broader statement, the group reiterates these comments while saying that the application for warrants for Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant comes "seven months late".

The statement adds:

Israel's President Isaac Herzog has shared his reaction to the ICC announcement, describing it as "beyond outrageous" and saying it "shows the extent to which the international judicial system is in danger of collapsing".

He says it is a "one-sided move" which "represents a unilateral political step that emboldens terrorists around the world, and violates all the basic rules of the court".

Hitting out at Hamas, Herzog goes on to say that "any attempt to draw parallels between these atrocious terrorists and a democratically elected government of Israel... is outrageous" and cannot be accepted.

Image source, Getty Images

Amal Clooney - who was involved in the ICC's decision - has welcomed today's statement.

Clooney, a renowned human rights lawyer, says she was approached by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, more than four months ago to help evaluate evidence.

Clooney - along with others of what she calls "diverse personal backgrounds" - unanimously determined "the Court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine and Palestinian nationals".

"As a human rights lawyer, I will never accept that one child’s life has less value than another’s," Clooney says.

"I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law. So I support the historic step that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine."

A devastating series of allegationspublished at 15:15 British Summer Time 20 May

15:15 BST 20 May

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor

Lines of careful legal language add up to a devastating series of allegations against the three most prominent leaders of Hamas and Israel’s prime minister and defence minister.

A panel of judges at the ICC now will consider whether to issue the arrest warrants. States signed up to the ICC statute would then be obliged to arrest the men if they had the chance.

The 124 signatories do not include Russia, China and the US. Israel has not signed either. But the ICC has ruled that it does have legal authority to prosecute criminal acts in the war because the Palestinians are signatories.

The ICC prosecutor alleges that Israel’s prime minister and defence minister committed crimes including starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, murder, extermination, and intentional attacks on civilians.

If the arrest warrants are issued, it would mean that the head of Israel’s government, Benjamin Netanyahu, its longest-serving prime minister, would not be able to visit his Western allies without risking arrest.

The one exception, all important for him, would be the United States.

The same would apply to Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister. The words he used when announcing that Israel would besiege Gaza have been frequently quoted by critics of Israel’s conduct. Two days after the Hamas attacks on 7 October Gallant said: "I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed… we are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly."

The ICC’s prosecutor Karim Khan, who is a British King’s Counsel, writes in his statement that "Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival".

The war crimes that Khan says Hamas committed include extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape and torture.

Two of the accused Hamas leaders - Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, and Mohammed Deif, (referred to by the ICC as Mohammed al-Masri) the commander of the Hamas military wing, the Qassam Brigades - are believed to be hiding somewhere inside Gaza.

Israel has been trying to kill them for the last seven months, so an arrest warrant does not add much to the pressures on them. But the other Hamas leader facing a warrant is Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau.

He travels widely in the region and has meetings with senior Arab and Iranian leaders. Haniyeh is based in Qatar, which like Israel, did not sign the Rome Statute that set up the ICC.

We can bring you some more reaction now to the ICC's announcement.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala calls the decision by prosecutor Karim Khan "appalling and completely unacceptable".

"We must not forget that it was Hamas that attacked Israel in October and killed, injured and kidnapped thousands of innocent people. It was this completely unprovoked terrorist attack that led to the current war in Gaza and the suffering of civilians in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon," he says on X.

But Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib welcomes the move, saying Belgium supports the ICC.

"Crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators. The request submitted by the court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, for arrest warrants against both Hamas and Israeli officials is an important step in the investigation of the situation in Palestine," she says.

Khan must now convince pre-trial judgespublished at 14:47 British Summer Time 20 May

14:47 BST 20 May

Anna Holligan
Reporting from The Hague

On the Israeli side of his statement, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan's focus on starvation as a weapon of war, and the deliberate targeting of the civilian population, suggests that is where he believes the most compelling and available evidence against Netanyahu and Gallant lies.

On the Hamas side, as expected, the warrants for the three senior leaders focus on the October 7 attacks.

Khan must now convince a panel of pre-trial judges that the evidentiary threshold to issue indictments has been met.

On Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan says:

• "My office submits that the evidence we have collected, including interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, authenticated video, photo and audio material, satellite imagery and statements from the alleged perpetrator group, shows that Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival"
• "This occurred through the imposition of a total siege over Gaza that involved completely closing the three border crossing points, Rafah, Kerem Shalom and Erez, from 8 October 2023 for extended periods and then by arbitrarily restricting the transfer of essential supplies – including food and medicine – through the border crossings after they were reopened. The siege also included cutting off cross-border water pipelines from Israel to Gaza – Gazans’ principal source of clean water – for a prolonged period beginning 9 October 2023, and cutting off and hindering electricity supplies from at least 8 October 2023 until today"
• "Israel, like all states, has a right to take action to defend its population. That right, however, does not absolve Israel or any state of its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law. Notwithstanding any military goals they may have, the means Israel chose to achieve them in Gaza – namely, intentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering, and serious injury to body or health of the civilian population – are criminal"