Experts and United Nations rapporteurs advocated for full compliance with the arrest warrants the International Criminal Court issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant. 

In a joint statement, the experts and UN officials declared that compliance with the warrants marks a significant step toward "accountability and justice" and could help save lives, clarifying that it offered "hope for ending decades of impunity for long-standing serious violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)."

“The protracted lack of accountability, especially of the State of Israel, has been an enabling factor to the increasing and untenable violence in the region, affecting the lives and futures of both Palestinians and Israelis,” the statement further read. 

The experts emphasized that evidence of grave international law violations against civilian populations has been extensively gathered and documented since October 7, 2023, stressing that these acts, often amounting to international crimes, must cease immediately and must not go unpunished.

The 44 signatories include Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967; and Ashwani K. P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

While welcoming the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision, the experts reminded states bound to the court of their legal and moral duty to uphold international law and hold war criminals accountable. They stressed that governments bear the responsibility to enforce arrest warrants, noting that compliance is essential to address long-standing impunity, prevent further grave crimes in the OPT and Israel, and ensure justice for victims.

The statement lastly concluded with the fundamental right of victims and their families to full and meaningful reparations, urging all parties to respect these rights, emphasizing the necessity for the ICC to operate without interference or undue pressure to fulfill its mandate effectively.

ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant over war crimes

The International Criminal Court issued last week arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of "crimes against humanity and war crimes."

This marks a significant escalation in legal actions concerning the war on Gaza, obliging the ICC’s 124 member states to detain Netanyahu and Gallant should they enter their territory.

The court announced its unanimous rejection of "Israel's" appeal challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction. 

The ICC stated that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare."

It also indicated that they "intentionally and knowingly deprived" Gaza’s civilian population of essential resources, including food, water, medical supplies, and fuel.

Netanyahu's office dismissed the International Criminal Court’s decision, labeling the move as "anti-Semitic", stating that "Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions leveled against it by ICC," asserting that the occupation government would not "give in to pressure."