Dozens of Israeli teenagers burned at Habima Square in Central Tel-Aviv on Tuesday, July 15, their draft orders during a demonstration, refusing to serve in the Israeli army in protest against war and genocide in Gaza. They claimed, “We won’t take part in genocide” and “won’t serve apartheid, occupation and war crimes.”

Israeli teenagers burning draft orders at Habima Square in Central Tel-Aviv on last Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (Photo: Zo Haderekh)

On Wednesday and despite overwhelming pressure from Israel and the US, the International Criminal Court (ICC) dismissed requests concerning the arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and former defense minister. The ICC’s judges ruled that the tribunal’s arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip would stand.

The orders were issued due to the duo’s actions either leading to, prolonging or reinforcing the October 2023 war of genocide on Gaza that has so far claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The judges said the warrants would remain active while the court continued to review the regime’s so-called objections to its jurisdiction in the case.

They also rejected a parallel Israeli plea to freeze the broader investigation into crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, underscoring the tribunal’s refusal to yield to diplomatic pressure. The ICC’s determination to proceed with the Gaza war crimes case has unfolded against a backdrop of mounting threats, political interference, and retaliation targeting its senior officials.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32499