News|Israel-Palestine conflictICC rejects Israeli bid to block Gaza war crimes investigationThe decision comes amid mounting international pressure over the humanitarian toll of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a legal challenge by Israel, allowing an investigation into alleged actions during the conflict in Gaza to proceed. The decision, issued on Mon, Dec 15, 2025, supports a prior…
The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a legal challenge by Israel, allowing an investigation into alleged actions during the conflict in Gaza to proceed. The decision, issued on Mon, Dec 15, 2025, supports a prior ruling permitting the ICC prosecutor to investigate alleged crimes related to the conflict following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
This ruling enables the continuation of the ICC's investigation into events in Palestine, which had already resulted in arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Despite not recognizing the ICC's jurisdiction, Israel has denied allegations of war crimes.
The ICC had previously issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri but retracted it following reports of his death.
The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a legal challenge by Israel, allowing an investigation into alleged actions during the conflict in Gaza to proceed.
The appeal contested whether a new notification was necessary for investigating events following October 7, 2023. Israel argued that these events, involving additional referrals from countries such as South Africa, Chile, and Mexico, constituted a new situation. However, judges determined that the initial notification from 2021, when the ICC began its investigation into alleged crimes in occupied Palestine, was sufficient to cover subsequent events.
The court ruled that no additional notification was required, maintaining the validity of the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant casualties. Since a ceasefire on October 11, 2025, at least 391 Palestinians have been killed, 1,063 wounded, and 632 bodies recovered, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Since October 7, 2023, the ministry reports at least 70,663 Palestinians have been killed and 171,139 injured.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
