The Israeli government seriously fears that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue arrest warrants for a number of high-ranking Israeli officials due to the military operation in the Gaza Strip.
This was reported by the American publication The New York Times (NYT) with reference to five Israeli and foreign officials.
Interlocutors of the publication said on condition of anonymity that the International Criminal Court may accuse Israeli officials of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and an excessively harsh response to the attack by Hamas militants on Israel in October 2023.
According to some sources, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also among those who may be named in ICC warrants.
They also added that ICC prosecutors are considering issuing arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.
Interlocutors of the publication emphasized that it is currently unclear which of the Hamas leaders may be indicted by the ICC.
One source told the NYT that the possibility of issuing warrants could influence the policy of Israel, which continues its military operation in Gaza.
"This has already influenced Israel's decision-making in recent weeks," the message reads.
Israeli and foreign officials said they did not know what stage the process was at.
Any warrants would require approval by a panel of judges and would not necessarily result in a trial or even an immediate arrest.
The publication notes that the chief prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan, previously confirmed that his team is investigating incidents during Israel's war against the Gaza Strip.
He declined to comment for this NYT story, saying he does not respond to speculation in media reports.
Israel was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023. As a result of the attack, 1,200 people were killed, and about 240 people were captured by the militants.
The attack by Hamas became the reason for Israel's operation "Iron Swords", as a result of which units of the Israel Defense Forces invaded the territory of the Gaza Strip. The operation continues to this day.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, at the end of January this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused the US proposal to stop hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
We also reported that in February, Egypt threatened to cancel the peace treaty with Israel if Israeli forces began an offensive on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
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