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ICC ‘Ready to Freeze’ Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)
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ICC ‘Ready to Freeze’ Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)

Former Israeli Supreme Court president Aharon Barak said on Friday that the UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) is ready to freeze its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant if a state commission of inquiry is formed to look into the October 7, 2023 events and the war that followed.
Barak represented Israel as an ad-hoc judge at the International Court of Justice for the genocide case that was brought against Netanyahu and Gallant by South Africa amid the war in Gaza.
In comments to several Hebrew media outlets, Barak said that a few days ago he addressed officials at the ICC and inquired about their position if a state commission of inquiry was formed in Israel.
The officials clearly said that in such a case, they will cancel their decision to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant and freeze the trial.
Barak, 89, said the Netanyahu-led government continues to undermine Israel's judicial system and harm its international status.
On November 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan withdrew his request for warrants for two other senior Hamas figures, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, who have both since been killed.
The three arrest warrants were classified as “secret” to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of investigations.
However, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber decided to release the information due to the continuation of the war and likely violations of international law, in particular the fact that hostages continue to be held in Gaza.
“The Chamber considers it is also in the interest of victims and their families to be aware of the warrant’s existence,” the Court said.
Also, the chamber rejected Israel’s challenges to jurisdiction and warrants of arrest for Netanyahu and Gallant. It considered that the alleged conduct of Netanyahu and Gallant falls within the jurisdiction of the Court in the situation extended to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu’s office described the ICC’s decision as “antisemitic.” Israel then urged what it called “nations of the civilized world” to refuse to implement any international criminal court arrest warrants.
The US rejected the ICC decision while Argentina and Hungary said they will not enforce the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

 

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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee Makes First Appearance as US Ambassador

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee Makes First Appearance as US Ambassador

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 25 people on Friday including children, hospital workers said, as the new US ambassador to Israel made his first public appearance in Jerusalem.

The dead included 15 people killed in three strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Ten people were killed in Jabalia, including eight from the same home, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where the bodies were brought.

The strikes came a day after more than two dozen people died in Gaza as Israel continued attacks, pressuring Hamas to return the hostages and disarm.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited the Western Wall on Friday, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem’s Old City. He inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by US President Donald Trump. "Those are his initials, D.T.,“ said Huckabee while showing the note to the media.

In his first act as ambassador, Huckabee said Trump told him to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Huckabee also said every effort was being made to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. A one-time presidential hopeful, Huckabee has acknowledged his past support for Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population into Israel but said it would not be his “prerogative” to carry out that policy.

During his first term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital over Palestinian objections and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv. Palestinians seek the eastern part of the city, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as their future capital.

Huckabee's arrival comes at a pivotal time in the 18-month war, as international mediators including the US are trying to get a broken ceasefire back on track.

Israel is demanding that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory. Israel has said it plans to occupy large “security zones” inside Gaza.

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said Thursday the group had rejected Israel’s latest proposal along those lines. He reiterated Hamas’ stance that it will return hostages only in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached in January.

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Friday’s airstrikes came a day after aid groups raised alarm over Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where it has barred entry of all food and other goods for more than six weeks. Thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, the United Nations said.

Israel’s Defense Minister says the blockade is one of the “central pressure tactics” against Hamas, which Israel accuses of siphoning off aid to maintain its rule. Aid workers deny there is significant diversion of aid, saying the UN closely monitors distribution. Rights groups have called it a “starvation tactic.”

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.  

The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90% of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.