ICC denies Haaretz publication: no new arrest warrants for Israeli ministers and military personnel

The ICC statement said the information released was “inaccurate” and the court “has not issued any new warrants against Israel.” The Hague did not provide details.

Earlier, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing a diplomatic source, reported that the ICC allegedly issued secret arrest warrants for three Israeli politicians and two representatives of the army command. Who exactly we are talking about and when this happened was not stated in the publication. The author of the material, Lisa Rozovskaya, recalls that previously such warrants were issued for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. These warrants were issued in November 2024 on charges “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023 to at least May 20, 2024.”

Specifically, the ICC charges Netanyahu and Galant with “using hunger as a method of warfare” (war crime) and “murder, persecution and other inhumane acts” (crimes against humanity). In addition, the court in The Hague found that Netanyahu and Galant “are criminally responsible as civilian commanders for deliberate attacks on the civilian population” (another war crime).

The court’s decision on Netanyahu and Galant drew condemnation both in Israel and internationally. Then-US President Joe Biden called it outrageous, and his successor Donald Trump imposed sanctions against those involved. Government legal adviser Gali Baarav-Miara ruled that the ICC did not have jurisdiction to make such a decision.