International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague in The Netherlands is the world's sole permanent court with the power to prosecute individuals for international crimes. These crimes include genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

Typically, cases will advance to the ICC once they have cycled through local and national courts with no prosecution of crimes.

As of September 2021, 123 countries are signed on the Rome Statute, the binding legal treaty that enacted the creation of the court and serves as its legal guide. Israel signed on to the Statute on December 31, 2000, but its signature was never approved or accepted.

The Judicial Division is the body of lawmakers that hears cases, headed by the president. Cases are brought to the Judicial Division by the Prosecutor.

On March 3, 2021, then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced the opening of a full war crimes probe against Israel and Hamas, focusing on the Gaza wars in 2014 and 2018, as well as the launching of rockets by Hamas against Israeli civilians and the settlement enterprise.

Smotrich orders evacuation of Palestinian village after reports of ICC arrest warrant against him

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announces plans to evacuate a West Bank village during a press briefing, following reports of potential ICC investigations into Israeli officials.

MAY 19, 2026|ByJAMES GENN

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference ahead of the vote on the state budget at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after a press conference at the ministry, December 4, 2025; illustrative.

ICC plans to seek arrest warrant for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich - report

The request reportedly concerns suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed against Palestinians in the West Bank.

MAY 18, 2026|ByIDAN KWELLER

JUDGES ARRIVE for a session of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

ICC denies ‘inaccurate’ report it is seeking new warrants against Israeli officials

The ICC said no new arrest warrants were issued in the “situation in the state of Palestine,” rejecting a Haaretz report on Israeli officials.

MAY 17, 2026|BySHIR PERETS

A Hamas terorrist stands guard as Palestinians walk on a street during Eid al-Fitr, in Gaza City, March 20, 2026.

First Palestinian ICC filing against Hamas alleges war crimes, seeks arrests - exclusive

To date, the ICC has not charged Hamas with any crimes committed against its own civilians. This filing, therefore, is the first by a Palestinian against the terror group.

MAY 15, 2026|ByMATHILDA HELLER

Israel's ICC appeal is not about Karim Khan, but Trump - analysis

Israel’s attempt to overturn the Netanyahu and Gallant warrants comes as the ICC faces mounting pressure from the Trump administration.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025ByYONAH JEREMY BOB

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan talks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2025.

Israel submits request to disqualify ICC prosecutor Khan, annul Netanyahu, Gallant arrest warrants

New information suggests ICC prosecutor Karim Khan used false claims to target Israel to deflect from allegations of sexual harassment.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks in Caracas, Venezuela, earlier this year. This week, he faces charges over accusations he made against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, says the writer.

Qatar-linked intelligence operation reportedly targets ICC prosecutor's alleged victim - Guardian

Private intelligence firms target woman who accused ICC prosecutor of sexual abuse, seeking personal details about her family in an attempt to discover ties to Israel.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

: International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the United Nations headquarters on January 27, 2025 in New York City.

Sde Teiman leak: Does Israel's government fear the extreme Right more than ICC's legal fallout?

How did this leak get caught out of so many against the prime minister that were not caught?

NOVEMBER 2, 2025ByYONAH JEREMY BOB

Demonstrates protest against the detention of Israeli reserve soldiers suspected of assaulting a Hamas terrorist, at the Sde Teiman military base near Beersheba, July 29, 2024.

Israel urges Canadian PM Carney to drop call for arrest of Netanyahu

Carney stated on Monday that he would uphold former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to uphold the ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

OCTOBER 21, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, October 20, 2025

Italy's Meloni says she has been denounced to ICC for complicity in genocide

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni says she and two ministers were reported to the ICC for alleged complicity in genocide over Israel’s Gaza offensive.

OCTOBER 8, 2025ByREUTERS

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni waits to welcome Bahrain's Crown and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, September 29, 2025.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announce exit from International Criminal Court

The announcement ended the West African countries' two-decade-long membership in the ICC.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2025ByREUTERS

An exterior of The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, September 22, 2025.

Trump says he would intervene if NYC mayor tried to have Netanyahu arrested

Trump vowed to step in if mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani directed NYPD to arrest Netanyahu, calling the idea “inappropriate.”

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the opening of a temporary migrant detention center informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, US, July 1, 2025.

Qatar says it is pursuing legal action against Israel at ICC

Qatari State Minister Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi announced in a post on X on Wednesday that Qatar was pursuing legal avenues to "respond to the Israeli aggression against the State of Qat

SEPTEMBER 17, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court building in The Hague: The ICC has no viable plan to bring to justice the Hamas leaders who conceived the mega-atrocity in Israel, or the terrorist organization’s supporters who slaughtered 1,200 civilians and seized 251 people as hostages on October 7, 2023

ICC starts hearing on charges against Uganda's fugitive warlord Joseph Kony

Kony's victims were happy the ICC was moving forward with the case but lamented the lack of financial compensation for his alleged victims.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2025ByREUTERS

Joseph Kony, November 12, 2006.