ICC issued secret arrest warrants for Israeli officials – report

The Hague-based court has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out arrests.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The International Criminal Court has issued secret arrest warrants for additional Israeli officials, Haaretz reported Sunday, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter.

A diplomatic source told the newspaper that the warrants target two Israeli politicians and two military officials, though the report suggested that a total of five officials were targeted by the secret arrest warrants.

Haaretz said the timing of the warrants’ issuance was also unknown.

The report could not be independently confirmed, and the ICC has not announced new public warrants against Israeli officials beyond those it issued in November 2024 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Oriane Maillet, a spokesperson for the ICC, told reporters that the Haaretz report was inaccurate, adding that the court “denies the issuance of new arrest warrants in the situation in the state of Palestine.”

The Hague-based court has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out arrests.

The ICC issued the Netanyahu and Gallant warrants on November 21, 2024, saying judges found reasonable grounds to believe they bore responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The court also issued a warrant at the time for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, which was later withdrawn after his death was confirmed.

Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes in Gaza. The United States, which is not an ICC member, also rejected the warrants. A White House National Security Council spokesperson said at the time that Washington “fundamentally rejects” the court’s move.

The ICC investigation has remained active despite Israeli legal challenges.

The Associated Press reported last year that prosecutors urged judges not to withdraw the Netanyahu and Gallant warrants while the court reconsidered Israel’s jurisdictional objections, arguing there was “no basis to withdraw or vacate” them.

The court has accepted the Palestinian Authority as a member state, a position that allows it to assert jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria.

Israel argues that the ICC lacks authority over Israeli nationals because Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute.

Haaretz’s report comes after earlier reporting that ICC prosecutors had weighed potential cases involving Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Le Monde reported in August that prosecutors had been working on files against the two ministers before the cases were effectively frozen amid turmoil inside the prosecutor’s office and heavy international pressure on the court.