An Israeli official has hit out at the International Criminal Court as news reports suggest it will soon issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and army chief Herzi Halevi

“There’s nothing more distorted than attempting to prevent Israel from defending itself against a murderous enemy openly calling for the destruction of the state of Israel,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a warning to diplomatic staff abroad according to Al Jazeera.

“If the warrants are issued, they will harm IDF [Israel Defense Force] commanders and soldiers and encourage the Hamas terror organization and the radical Islamic axis led by Iran against whom we are fighting,” he added.

“Israel operates with full adherence to all laws of war […] accompanied by a robust and independent legal system, and provides extensive humanitarian aid to the population in Gaza in collaboration with international bodies, even though Hamas uses the population as human shields, attacks, and complicates the delivery of aid.”