All EU member states “are under an obligation to execute arrest warrants issued by the ICC,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano has told Anadolu in a written statement, specifically noting the warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former defence minister in the ongoing offensive on Gaza.

While some EU countries announced they would implement the warrants if the Israeli officials set foot on their territory, others were less clear, while one said there would be no arrests.

Taking note of the arrest warrant, Stano wrote that the EU is “strongly committed to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity”.

The bloc supports the ICC and “the principles set out in the Rome Statute” — which founded the court — as well as the court’s “independence and impartiality”, Stano also said.

The ICC’s mandate is “to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law”, he said, stressing that all EU member states “that have ratified the Rome Statute … are under an obligation to execute arrest warrants issued by the ICC”,