Israel Challenges ICC Arrest Warrant Request Against Netanyahu

Israel has officially contested the request made by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor for the issuance of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In May, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan had submitted a request to the court for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Orin Marmurstein, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, announced on social media platform X that Israel has formally challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction and questioned the legal basis of the prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants targeting Israeli leaders.

Prosecutor Khan has also sought warrants for senior Hamas figures Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif over similar charges.

Israel has claimed that Deif was killed in a July airstrike in southern Gaza, though Hamas denies this. The ICC continues to deliberate on the prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.