On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) would not deter him from defending Israel amidst ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The warrant accuses Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu denounced the charges as baseless and criticized the ICC as an adversary of humanity.

The conflict escalated in October 2023 following a Hamas attack, leading to extensive casualties on both sides.

The Israeli campaign has resulted in over 44,000 deaths in Gaza, predominantly civilians, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry.

The United Nations has raised alarms about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing severe shortages of essentials.

The ICC claims to have reasonable grounds to allege Netanyahu and Gallant's responsibility for war crime acts, including starvation.

An arrest warrant was also issued for Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, whose reported death in a previous Israeli airstrike remains unconfirmed.

Netanyahu dismissed the charges as ignoring actual global war crimes while targeting fictitious ones against Israel.