Israeli embassies worldwide on alert over potential ICC arrest warrants for Gaza war crimes

Israel braces for possible International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes in Gaza Strip

Anadolu staff |29.04.2024 - 


JERUSALEM

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has instructed its embassies worldwide to be prepared for potential repercussions if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants against Israeli officials for war crimes and human rights violations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement released Sunday evening, the ministry addressed "rumors" surrounding the possibility of ICC arrest warrants targeting "senior Israeli political and military figures."

Amid these "rumors," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz reportedly directed all Israeli embassies to prepare immediately for a surge in anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli events.

Katz also instructed the involvement of Jewish organizations abroad in readiness for these events, including coordinating security enhancements around Jewish institutions with local authorities.

He said Israel "expects the court to refrain" from issuing arrest warrants.

Israel fears arrest warrants being issued against senior military and government leaders, foremost among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for its ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 77,575 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul