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.