Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could issue an arrest warrant for him before he visits the US on 24 July, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
Potential ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have been discussed at high-level meetings at Israeli ministries, Israeli Channel 12 News reported, with expectations that they will be issued in the next few weeks.
Last month, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said he would ask the court to issue warrants for the two Israeli leaders for suspected crimes including "causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, [and] deliberately targeting civilians in conflict".
Israel’s ongoing brutal war on Gaza has killed over 37,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children according to the Gaza health ministry. The war has also totally devastated the enclave.
Israel has imposed a "total siege" on the Strip which has brought it to the brink of starvation, with over 30 dying as a result of malnutrition and dehydration.
Khan is also seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Al-Deif related to the 7 October surprise Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed 1,160 people.
The US is not a signatory to the Rome Treaty which established the ICC and has provided Israel with diplomatic and military cover throughout the Gaza war. It has also criticised the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu and the Israeli leader is unlikely to face arrest if he travels there.
However, according to Israeli Channel 12, the Israeli Prime Minister’s visit to the US on July 24 could still carry some risk if the arrest warrants are issued.
Netanyahu could face arrest in a third country if his plane is forced to make an emergency landing on the way to the US, according to Channel 12.