Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested if he visits any of the countries participating in the ICC. Photo by Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP via Getty images

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.

All three have been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for the war in Gaza, where at least 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gazan authorities. The war started after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, when the terrorist group killed least 1,200 people and captured hundreds, with at least 100 hostages still held in Gaza.

Israel believes it killed Deif, Hamas’ military leader, in airstrikes, but under the warrants both Netanyahu and Gallant could be arrested in any of the 124 countries that are members of the ICC. The United States does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, and neither does Israel.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Netanyahu fired Gallant as defense minister earlier this month, while Israel is embroiled in conflict on two fronts — with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both terrorist groups backed by Iran, which has twice attacked Israel this year.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office called the prosecutions “antisemitic” and likened them to the Dreyfus affair, the late-19th-century prosecution of a French Jewish officer that was revealed to be an antisemitic plot. The affair spurred the modern Zionist movement.

“There is no war more just” than the war Israel has conducted since Hamas launched the war on Oct. 7, 2023, when it massacred some 1,200 people in Israel, Netanyahu’s statement said. “The decision was made by a corrupt chief prosecutor trying to save his skin from serious sexual harassment allegations,” he statement said. Netanyahu was referring to an investigation of Khan on charges of sexual misconduct.

The Biden administration, which has provided Israel with military aid, has also criticized the warrants.

“Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas,” President Joe Biden said in a statement in May, when Khan sought the warrants. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

JTA contributed to this report.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount