The International Criminal Court may seek arrest warrants for five additional senior Israeli officials, including ministers and senior military officers, in connection with its investigation into alleged crimes against Palestinians, according to Israeli officials familiar with the matter.
The court denied Sunday that any new warrants had been issued, saying a report claiming additional arrest warrants had already been approved was “not accurate.” The ICC said it "denies the issuance of new arrest warrants in the situation in the state of Palestine."
The development comes about a year and a half after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war. The court accused them of responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Israel has rejected the allegations and disputes the court’s jurisdiction.
It is not clear whether a formal request for new warrants has been filed with the court. Israeli officials said the Foreign Ministry informed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the officials whose name has previously been raised in connection with possible warrants, that such a request had been submitted.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan had previously pushed for arrest warrants against Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to Israeli officials. The names of Defense Minister Israel Katz, former IDF chief Herzi Halevi and current military chief Eyal Zamir have also been mentioned.
Before Khan stepped aside amid a sexual misconduct investigation, the ICC had been examining issues including funding for settlements and the supply of weapons to settlers. Khan has denied the misconduct allegations and has been on leave since May 2025 while the matter has been reviewed. Deputy prosecutors have handled his responsibilities during his absence.
The Israeli officials said the official overseeing the investigation is Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal. They said Khan’s replacement, Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan, decided to advance the request.
Unlike the public warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC can also issue sealed warrants, including in cases in which it does not want suspects to know they are wanted and take steps to avoid arrest. Israeli officials said any new warrants, if approved, could be issued secretly.
The ICC’s case against Israeli leaders has been one of the most politically charged proceedings in the court’s history. Israel and the United States are not members of the ICC, but the court says it has jurisdiction because the Palestinian territories are a party to the Rome Statute. ICC judges rejected Israeli challenges to the court’s jurisdiction when the Netanyahu and Gallant warrants were issued.
In July 2025, ICC judges rejected Israel’s request to withdraw the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, leaving them in place while broader jurisdictional challenges continued.