Israel (Washington Insider) – On Monday, Dec 15, 2025,
ICC appeals judges dismissed one of Israel’s legal challenges, allowing the war
crimes investigation in Gaza to continue, keeping arrest warrants for Netanyahu
and Gallant in effect.
As Newz AZ reported, on Monday, Dec 15, 2025, the
International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber has rejected one of Israel’s
challenges against its investigation into alleged war crimes during the Gaza
conflict.
Judges confirmed a lower court decision that allows
prosecutors to examine events that happened after the 7 October attacks. This
ruling ensures the investigation can continue without limits and cover all
actions in the days following the initial violence.
What does ICC’s ruling mean for the Gaza war probe and
Netanyahu’s arrest warrant?
According to officials, the ruling also means that arrest
warrants
issued last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant remain valid. Both leaders are still under
possible international legal scrutiny.
Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court in The Hague and denies committing war crimes in Gaza. The
country says the court has no authority over its military operations.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) initiated a formal
investigation into the events in Gaza on October 1st, 2015, in which it
examined allegations of War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity by both
Palestinians and Israeli Military Forces alike.
Following Israel’s conduct of a large-scale offensive
operation in response to attacks from Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of
more than 70,000 Palestinians between October 1 and October 31, 2023,
tensions between the 2 sides increased substantially.
In 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for multiple
current Israeli governmental officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, the warrant that had
been issued for the Hamas political leader Ibrahim al-Masri was later revoked
as he was confirmed to have been killed.
Israel has consistently stated it will not accept, or
cooperate with, the authority of the ICC and the IPC continues to investigate
alleged War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity perpetrated during the current
conflict or ongoing hostilities between the two sides.
