Reports on June 25 suggested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) might make its decision on probing Israelis for alleged war crimes in the very coming days. The reports said that Jerusalem is preparing for an imminent ICC decision on whether it can open an investigation into potential war crimes allegedly committed by Israeli officials in Palestinian territories.

A July 16 report now claims that Israeli authorities have compiled a list of 200 to 300 names of senior officials and ex-officials who could be targeted by the ICC.

This confidential internal list is reportedly composed of names of decision-makers in the political, diplomatic, security and military arenas. They are people whom the ICC might decide to probe on alleged actions taken by Israel in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. More particularly, the ICC might target senior Israelis who served during the 2014 Gaza war (Operation Protective Edge).

Israeli legal experts estimate that the list might include even the highest echelons of decision-makers such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, especially since both of them served as senior officials during the 2014 Gaza war. At the time, Netanyahu served as premier, while Gantz served as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff. Current Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman and Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen each served in sensitive security positions in 2014 and could also be at risk of being persecuted. Other seniors who might be targeted are current Knesset members: former defense ministers Moshe Ya’alon, Avigdor Liberman and Naftali Bennett, and current IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, who in 2014 was head of Military Intelligence.