The International Criminal Court has been thrust back into the spotlight after Haaretz reported that its prosecutor secretly requested arrest warrants for five Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Hague swiftly denied the report, stating that no warrants had been requested or issued. The episode comes just months after the ICC issued public arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Gaza offensive.

Viewed from Jerusalem, the report, even if unconfirmed, deepens the diplomatic isolation of Israel’s most hardline government in years. The Rome Statute does not oblige the court to notify suspects of warrants, and secrecy is designed to prevent flight — a rationale that, as analysts in London note, also fuels suspicion and political recrimination. In The Hague, the court’s swift denial suggests either a premature leak of an internal request or a deliberate attempt to undermine its credibility. Italian and Russian commentaries alike highlight how the story, regardless of its veracity, has already served to refocus global attention on the legal dimensions of the Gaza war.

Forward-looking, the uncertainty itself becomes a strategic asset for the ICC’s critics and advocates. Israel has not ratified the Rome Statute and refuses to recognise the court’s jurisdiction, but the prospect of secret warrants complicates international travel for sitting ministers. The Biden administration, which opposed the earlier warrants, faces renewed pressure from Congress to sanction the ICC if new charges emerge. Whether the Haaretz report is confirmed or dismissed, the chronic ambiguity over the court’s next steps reinforces its role as a central arena in the battle for global legitimacy over the conflict in Gaza.