International Criminal Court Pursues Israeli Leaders Over War Crimes in Gaza

SadaNews Translation - Israel estimates that the International Criminal Court in The Hague will issue arrest warrants for five officials over allegations of committing war crimes in Gaza.

The arrest warrants are expected to include Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

It is also anticipated that the warrants will target the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, and the commander of the southern region of the army, Yaniv Asor.

According to estimates, the arrest warrants will be issued as part of the investigation into war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

The International Criminal Court had issued arrest warrants in 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the same allegations.

The areas of operations for the Southern Command of the Israeli army include the Gaza Strip and the surrounding regions.

On the other hand, Haaretz reported, citing a diplomatic source according to SadaNews translation, that the International Criminal Court is indeed seeking to issue arrest warrants for several Israeli officials, without revealing their names.

However, the court denied, in a statement released on Sunday, the issuance of any new arrest warrants so far.

In this context, Smotrich held a press conference on Tuesday, where he commented on reports about the imminent issuance of an arrest warrant against him.

During the conference, he stated that he would use his influence to evacuate a Palestinian village in the West Bank, adding: "As soon as I finish speaking here, I will sign an order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar, within my authority as a minister in the Ministry of Defense. I warn all our enemies: this is just the beginning."