ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

The three judges who made the decision hail from Benin, France, and Slovenia, but were elected by all 124 member states of the ICC and went through a rigorous vetting process. Their months-long deliberations included engaging with the Israeli government and assessing its claim that its own courts could handle the matter.

The international community and the European Union “cannot undermine the International Criminal Court,” the EU foreign policy chief said on Thursday in the wake of the ICC issuing arrest warrants for Israel's premier and former defense minister.

The high aspirations with which the tribunal was founded should not shield it from the consequences of its decision to pursue other agendas.

The court accused Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister of having “intentionally and knowingly deprived” Gaza’s population of food, water, fuel and medicine.

The document makes six recommendations to the EU and its member states to advance arrest strategies for outstanding ICC arrest warrants. These arrest strategies include complying with the clear legal obligation of EU member states to arrest individuals sought by the ICC if they are on their territory.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crime during the conflict in Gaza.