ISRAELI officials appeared increasingly concerned today that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue arrest warrants against the country’s leaders as international pressure mounts over the war in Gaza. 

Air strikes in the early hours of Monday killed 22 people in the southern city of Rafah, according to hospital records.

The deaths in Rafah included six women and five children, one of whom was reportedly just five days old. 

Israel has repeatedly said that it is planning to invade the city even though its closest ally, the United States, has warned against it, saying an offensive would spell catastrophe for the more than a million Palestinians sheltering there.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have referred in recent days to an ICC probe launched three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian militants going back to 2014’s outbreak of hostilities between it and Hamas.

The probe is also looking at Israel’s construction of settlements in illegally occupied Palestinian territory.

There was no comment from the court today, and it has given no indication warrants in the case are imminent.

But Israel’s Foreign Ministry said late on Sunday it had informed Israeli missions of “rumours” that warrants might be issued against senior political and military officials. 

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said any such warrants would “provide a morale boost” to Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defence.

“The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” he posted on the social media platform X.

It was not clear what had sparked the Israeli concerns. 

Neither Israel nor the United States accept the ICC’s jurisdiction, but any warrants could put Israeli officials at risk of arrest in other countries and would be a huge victory for the pro-Palestinian movement.

A separate body, the International Court of Justice, is investigating whether Israel has committed acts of genocide in the current war in Gaza, with any ruling expected to take years. 

Israel has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and accused both international courts of anti-semitism.

Israel invaded Gaza after Hamas and other resistance fighters launched an attack on October 7 during which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli action.