Israel has formally petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to withdraw arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing ongoing legal challenges to the court’s jurisdiction over alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict.
Documents dated May 9 and signed by Israeli Deputy Attorney General Gilad Noam—published on the ICC website—also reveal that Israel has asked the court to instruct the prosecution to suspend its investigation into alleged atrocities in the Palestinian Territories.
The ICC had initially issued warrants on November 21 against Netanyahu, his former defense chief, and Hamas military commander Ibrahim al-Masri (Mohammed Deif), for suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, in February, the court revoked the warrant for al-Masri following credible reports of his death.
Israel continues to reject the ICC’s jurisdiction and denies any war crimes in Gaza. In April, the court’s appeals chamber ordered the pre-trial judges to reconsider Israel’s objections regarding the legitimacy of the arrest warrants and the ICC’s jurisdiction. The structure and timeline of this judicial review remain unclear, and no formal deadline has been established for rulings on Israel’s request.
