Israeli officials eye threat of ICC arrest warrants over war in Gaza

Israeli officials are growing wary that they could face prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the war in Gaza.

After days of conjecture in Israeli media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late on Sunday that it has issued warnings to senior political and military officials that they could soon face arrest warrants.

The ministry said it has informed Israeli missions of “rumours” concerning prosecutions.

The ICC has given no indication that warrants are imminent and has made no comment on the claims.

Israeli officials have referred in recent days to an ICC probe launched three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian fighters going back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. The investigation is also charged with looking at Israel’s construction of settlements in occupied territory such as the West Bank.

‘Anti-Semitism’

Senior Israeli officials have demanded assurances from the ICC that Israel will not be targeted, suggesting any action might constitute “anti-Semitism”.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz pushed on Sunday for the ICC to waive any threat that it could target Israelis over the war, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and pushed hundreds of thousands towards famine.

“We expect the court [ICC] to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defence”.

Israel launched its latest war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas carried out attacks in southern Israel, killing 1,139 people.

Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territory was admitted with the status of a member state in 2015.

In October, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes committed by Hamas fighters in Israel and by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

Khan has said his team is investigating whether any crimes have been committed in Gaza and those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable.

The investigation at the ICC – which tries individuals on allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – is separate from a genocide case launched against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also based in The Hague.