The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif.

The arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant relate to "crimes against humanity committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024," according to the ICC's statement from The Hague.

Significantly, the warrants obligate the ICC's 124 member states to detain these individuals if they enter their territories; however, the ICC lacks direct enforcement power.

Neither Israel nor the US are ICC members, though Palestine accepted ICC jurisdiction in 2015.

In response, Israeli officials have rejected the warrants. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called Israel's Gaza operation a fight for survival against "terrorists," while former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman termed it evidence of the international community's "double standards."

The United States previously expressed concerns about the ICC investigating Israel, questioning its jurisdiction; however, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan stated in October that the court has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in Gaza by both Israel and Hamas. The US had previously welcomed the ICC's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ICC's investigation of individual war crimes differs from the ICJ genocide case against Israel. While both courts are in The Hague, the ICJ is a UN court handling disputes between states.