<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Israel has long been accused of acting with impunity in the Palestinian territory it occupies, relying on support from the United States and the broader West to protect it from repercussions.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet a recent flurry of media reports out of Israel indicates that Israeli officials may be worried about the winds changing with the International Criminal Court (ICC) reportedly planning to charge top Israeli military and political figures with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Israeli media reports indicate that arrest warrants could be issued as soon as this week and that Israel has asked the US to pressure the court to not issue them. Al Jazeera has been unable to independently confirm the potential warrants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ICC has spoken to medical staff in Gaza about possible war crimes, according to the Reuters news agency on Tuesday, reviving discussion of possible warrants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In March 2021, an ICC investigation of Israeli conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2014 was launched under former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In November last year, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti and South Africa referred Israel’s conduct to the court again, resulting in current Prosecutor Karim Khan announcing that the ongoing investigation had been expanded to include violence since Israel’s latest war in Gaza began in October.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A month later, on a visit to the West Bank and Israel, he said the court would investigate crimes by both Israel and Hamas on and since October 7.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why an investigation that has been under way for three years has caused such sudden concern within Israel has raised some questions. Source: Al Jazeera&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd/fas</div>