The Hague. The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday rejected Israel's appeal to cancel arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, accused of war crimes, as well as its request to freeze the ongoing investigation into atrocities committed during the Gaza genocide, Channel 12 in Tel Aviv reported.

“The judicial process into the crimes committed by officials of the Zionist regime continues, and Israel has requested an appeal, but the date for the request has not yet been determined,” said ICC spokesman Fadi al-Abdullah, adding that “the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant remain valid and can only be revoked by the court's judges,” and can even be executed years later, reported Hispan TV.

In the context of the international conference on supporting journalists in zones of armed conflict held in Doha, he declared that"the suspension of the activities of ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has no effect on the validity of the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former Minister of Military Affairs, Yoav Gallant."

Khan temporarily stepped down pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has categorically denied.

Last November, the international court found"reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian enclave, and issued arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders for their role in the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, which triggered an offensive that left more than 65,000 Palestinians dead. The three defendants from the Islamic resistance movement were killed by Tel Aviv, prompting the ICC to withdraw the warrants.

The court was established in 2002 and aims to hold leaders and senior officials accountable for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. It is made up of 125 member states, but three major world powers (the United States, Russia, and China) are not members.