One of the three judges reviewing the ICC’s arrest warrant requests against Netanyahu and others will be replaced

THE HAGUE – The chairman of a panel of the International Criminal Court considering: requests to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister and senior Hamas leaders have been replaced for medical reasons.

The court published a decision on Friday granting a request by Romanian judge Iulia Motoc to be removed from the case “on the basis of medical grounds and the need to ensure the proper administration of justice.”

The ruling did not elaborate or reveal any further details, saying that “Judge Motoc’s personal medical situation is entitled to medical confidentiality.”

Motoc was replaced by Beti Hohler, a Slovenian who was elected a court judge last year after previously serving as a trial lawyer in the court’s prosecutor’s office.

The decision is likely to further delay a decision on the request from the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

In his May request for arrest warrants, Khan accused Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh – of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Netanyahu called the prosecutor’s accusations against him a “disgrace” and an attack on the Israeli army and all of Israel.

US President Joe Biden called the request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant “outrageous,” adding: “Whatever this prosecutor may imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas.”

Hamas also denounced the actions of the ICC prosecutor, saying the request to arrest its leaders “equates the victim with the executioner.”

Since the request, Sinwar And Haniyeh have been confirmed killed. Israel claims to have killed Deif, but Hamas says he survived.

Israel is not a member of the court, so even if the arrest warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant are not at immediate risk of prosecution. But the threat of arrest could make it difficult for Israeli leaders to travel abroad.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. There are still about 100 hostages in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. The Health Ministry did not say how many fighters there were, but said women and children made up more than half of the fatalities. The Israeli army says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The Israeli campaign has since expanded to Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground invasion Oct. 1, after spending much of the past year feuding with the militant group Hezbollah.

Friday’s announcement about Motoc appeared to be unrelated accusations it emerged that Khan tried to force a female assistant into a sexual relationship for more than a year and groped her against her will. He categorically denied the allegations, saying there was “no truth to the suggestions of wrongdoing.” Court officials have said they were made possible as part of an Israeli smear campaign by the intelligence services.

A court watchdog could not determine misconduct but urged Khan in a memo to minimize contact with the woman to protect the rights of all involved and ensure the integrity of the court.