Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court for his conduct during the Gaza war would not prevent the country from defending itself, the AFP news agency reported.

In a video statement, he said: “No outrageous anti-Israel decision will stop us – and it will not stop me – from continuing to defend our country by all means. We will not give in to pressure.

Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant face charges of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” for their actions in Gaza.

Israel’s prime minister said the ICC, created to protect human rights, had become “an enemy of humanity” and called its decision a “dark day in the history of nations.”

He also denied the allegations made by the international body as “totally unfounded”.

Israel has been engaged in a conflict in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when a cross-border attack carried out by Hamas militants left 1,206 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

Their campaign of retaliation over the past year has resulted in the deaths of 44,056 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry considered reliable by the United Nations.

UN agencies have warned of a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the risk of famine due to shortages of food and medicine.

The ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for war crimes committed in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity , such as murder and persecution. , and other inhumane acts.

Netanyahu rejected the court’s findings, calling the accusations against Israel “fictitious crimes” and saying real war crimes committed against Israel and other countries around the world were being ignored.

In addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, the court also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing. Israel previously reported that Deif was killed in an airstrike last July, although Hamas never confirmed his death.

Netanyahu criticized the court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for “the body of Mohammed Deif.”