ICC prosecutor urges judges to reject Israel’s arrest warrant bid

The Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday opposed Israel’s arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing no legal basis.

The prosecutors urged the judges to proceed with investigation into alleged crimes committed in Gaza.

In a ten-page legal submission posted on its website, prosecutor Karim Khan responded to Israel’s filing earlier this month.

Israel has asked the court, or the Pre-Trial Chamber I, to withdraw the warrants and suspend the ICC’s investigation until a ruling is made on Israel’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction.

The prosecutor emphasised that “there is no basis to withdraw or vacate the warrants,” asserting that the court had already determined that Netanyahu and Gallant’s alleged actions fall within the court’s jurisdiction.

The ICC previously found “reasonable grounds to believe” the two officials bear responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza between Oct. 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024.

Israel’s jurisdictional challenge had been dismissed in November 2024, but the Appeals Chamber reversed that decision in April 2025, citing insufficient reasoning.

However, the prosecutor clarified that this reversal has no bearing on the warrants.

In conclusion, the prosecutor asked the judges to deny Israel’s request to withdraw or vacate the arrest warrants, and reject Israel’s request for a suspension of the investigation into the situation in Palestine.

In November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In February 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the international body, including financial penalties and visa restrictions, blaming the court of being engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.

Recently, U.S. software giant Microsoft blocked the email account of the ICC chief prosecutor Khan, citing Trump’s sanctions.

This cutting-off action has reportedly paralysed the court’s work due to the institution’s heavy dependence on service providers such as Microsoft. (Xinhua/NAN)