The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, Yoav Gallant, his former defence minister, and a Hamas leader.

The warrants are “for crimes against humanity and war crimes” over the war in Gaza and the Oct 7 attacks on Israel, the court, based in The Hague, said.

The decision turns Mr Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to end the 13-month Gaza conflict.

But its practical implications could be limited because Israel and the United States, its major ally, are not members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have subsequently been killed in the conflict.

Mr Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders had previously condemned a request by Karim Khan, the ICC chief prosecutor, as disgraceful and anti-Semitic.

Joe Biden, the US president, also disagreed with prosecutors and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.