The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Netherlands-based court said it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

It rejected Israel’s challenge of the court’s jurisdiction over the matter.

Israel isn’t a member of the ICC. The Palestinian Authority is however party to the Rome Statute that established the court and has joined as the State of Palestine. The court does not have its own enforcement mechanism and has relied on countries’ support for arrests.

The court also issued a warrant for Hamas official Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, who Israel says was one of the masterminds of the October 7 attack, Israel said it killed him in an airstrike in September but Hamas hasn’t confirmed his death.

The ICC said it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Deif was responsible for “crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, and rape and other form of sexual violence, as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture, taking hostages, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and other form of sexual violence.”

The court added that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that the crimes against humanity were part of a widespread and systematic attack directed by Hamas and other armed groups against the civilian population of Israel.”

Israeli condemnation

A number of Israeli politicians condemned the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

President Isaac Herzog described the warrants as “a dark day for justice. A dark day for humanity.”

He said in a statement on X that “the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughing stock. It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice.”

He added that the decision “ignores the basic fact that Israel was barbarically attacked and has the duty and right to defend its people. It ignores the fact that Israel is a vibrant democracy, acting under international humanitarian law, and going to great lengths to provide for the humanitarian needs of the civilian population.”

Recently appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the ICC acted as a political tool serving the most extreme elements working to undermine peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.”

“From an ethical perspective, this is a moral aberration that turns good into evil and serves the forces of evil,” he said. “From a diplomatic perspective, issuing orders against a country acting according to international law is a reward and encouragement for the axis of evil (of Iran-led groups), which flagrantly and consistently violates it.”

Far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the ICC as “antisemitic from start to finish,” adding that Israel should respond by “applying sovereignty” to the occupied West Bank and building Jewish settlements in all the territories under Israel’s control.

Gallant served as defense minister until this month, when Netanyahu fired him after months of clashes over domestic politics and Israel’s war effort. The prime minister said at the time that “trust between me and the minister of defense has cracked.” Katz, who served as foreign minister until then, became defense minister.