Israeli officials are growing increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court could soon issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials on charges related to the Gaza war, according to reports .
The court could accuse senior government officials of leading an excessively harsh military response to Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7 and of preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, reports the New York Times, citing Israeli and foreign officials.
The newspaper reports that any warrant issued by the ICC would “likely be seen in much of the world as a humiliating moral rebuke” and quotes an official as saying that the possibility of such warrants has been factored into Israeli decision-making in recent years. weeks.
Such warrants could pose obstacles to the travel of Israeli officials and could also be issued against Hamas leaders, according to the New York Times.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a war cabinet meeting at the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 14. (Xinhua via Getty Images)
The developments come after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that “we expect the court to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” reports Reuters .
“We will not bow our heads, we will not be deterred and we will continue to fight,” Katz reportedly added, warning Israeli embassies to step up security in the face of the risk of a “wave of serious anti-Semitism.”
On Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on “.
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Israeli soldiers ride on top of a tank near the Israel-Gaza border, seen from southern Israel, Thursday, April 25. (AP/Léo Correa)
“Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense,” he added. “The threat to seize the soldiers and leaders of the Middle East's only democracy and the world's only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to this threat.”
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said in October that the court had jurisdiction over potential war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.
The news agency reports that Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted with membership status in 2015.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.” (Israeli Prime Minister's Office)
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The ICC states on its website that it “investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals accused of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.” “.