The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on November 21, 2024, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have urged judges to reject Israel’s request to withdraw or vacate arrest warrants targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In a 10-page filing published on the court’s website on Wednesday, the prosecutors also dismissed Israel’s attempt to suspend the court’s investigation into the situation in Palestine as lacking “legal basis and should be dismissed.”
“There is no basis to withdraw or vacate the Warrants. In issuing the Warrants and on the basis of the material provided, PTCI found that the alleged conduct of NETANYAHU and GALLANT falls within the jurisdiction of the Court; and that there are reasonable grounds to believe that they bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024,” the prosecutors stated.
War Crimes
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on November 21, 2024, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel submitted a request on May 9, 2025, calling on the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I (PTCI) to withdraw the warrants and suspend its investigation into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
ICC Rejects Israeli Appeal: Arrest Warrants Still Stand, Legal Expert Tells Palestine Chronicle
However, ICC prosecutors argued that Israel’s claims are unfounded, saying the Israeli request “has no legal basis and should be dismissed.”
They urged the court to reject both the requests to vacate the arrest warrants and pause the ongoing investigation.
“In the cases against Netanyahu and Gallant, there is no basis to withdraw or vacate the warrants,” it added.
The Prosecution has requested PTCI to “reject Israel’s request for withdrawal/vacating of the Warrants; reject Israel’s request for a suspension of the investigation into the situation in Palestine; and grant the reliefs requested in the Prosecution’s Observations.”
Israel Rejects ICC Jurisdiction
Israel, not a member of the ICC, rejects the court’s jurisdiction over developments in the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestine, however, is a member state, and the ICC asserts its authority to investigate the situation in the region.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, leaving approximately 1.5 million of the territory’s 2.4 million Palestinians homeless after their homes were destroyed in Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on the enclave.
The military operation has also triggered a famine in Gaza, claiming numerous lives, including children.
Staggering Death Toll
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 52,000, wounding more than 118,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
The director of Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza says they are unable to contain the fire in the medicine warehouse after Israeli forces targeted the facility. He added that Israeli troops are still firing toward the hospital. pic.twitter.com/xVRUQVxduY
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 22, 2025
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, Anadolu)
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