ICC rejects appeal to freeze Netanyahu, Gallant warrants

Shafaq News – The Hague

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday rejected Israel’s latest appeal to suspend the arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The ICC issued the warrants, on November 2024, over alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the October 7 attacks. Prosecutor Karim Khan has accused Netanyahu and Gallant of targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare—charges Israel rejects as politically motivated.

The ruling was delivered by a three-judge pre-trial panel, all of whom are under US sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Israel had argued that the warrants should be frozen until the ICC clarified whether it has authority to prosecute its officials, given that Israel is not a member of the court. The pre-trial panel dismissed the claim, confirming that the investigation led by Khan will continue, while noting that two additional Israeli appeals remain under review—one challenging the court’s jurisdiction and another contesting the complementarity clause, which allows the court’s intervention only when national investigations are lacking.

The ICC and Israel have not yet commented officially.

In August, the US State Department imposed sanctions on four ICC officials—including two judges and two deputy prosecutors—under a reinstated Trump-era executive order. The measures froze any US-based assets and imposed visa restrictions. The ICC denounced the move as an attempt to undermine its judicial independence.