The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected an appeal by Israel against the arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who are accused of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
In a ruling made public on Friday, the ICC reaffirmed its November decision that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that both Netanyahu and Gallant bear “criminal responsibility” for actions committed during Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The initial warrants sparked outrage in Israel and the United States, which subsequently imposed sanctions on ICC judges. Netanyahu described the court’s move as “antisemitic”, while then–U.S. President Joe Biden called it “outrageous”.
Israel had earlier asked the ICC to suspend the warrants pending a separate appeal challenging the court’s jurisdiction. However, the ICC dismissed that request on July 16, ruling that there was “no legal basis” to annul the warrants before the jurisdictional issue was resolved.
A week later, Israel sought permission to appeal that ruling, but on Friday the judges determined that “the issue, as framed by Israel, is not appealable.”
The decision marks another major setback for Israel’s efforts to contest the ICC’s authority over alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict, as the international community continues to debate accountability for both Israeli and Hamas actions.
