ICC Prosecutor Who Targeted Netanyahu Suspended After Misconduct Probe

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan was suspended from duty with immediate effect Monday following a United Nations investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Khan is the prosecutor who pursued arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war, a move Israel rejected as politically driven and legally baseless.

The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties, the oversight body representing countries that ratified the court’s founding treaty, approved the suspension after reviewing the UN investigation, underlying evidence and legal advice from an ad hoc panel of judicial experts. The full Assembly is expected to convene an emergency session “as soon as possible” to decide Khan’s future.

According to reports, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation supported allegations made by a female ICC staffer. A separate judicial review, however, reportedly found the evidence insufficient or inconclusive, creating a sharp procedural dispute over the case.

Khan has denied wrongdoing and called the proceedings “unlawful, procedurally unfair, and unsupported by evidence.” He and his legal team have also claimed the allegations are part of a politically motivated campaign to undermine his work at the court.

Khan had already voluntarily stepped aside in May 2025 while the investigation was nearing completion. Monday’s decision formally sidelined him from all official duties and moved the matter to the ICC’s member states.

The case comes amid intense scrutiny of the ICC over its handling of Israel. In May 2024, Khan requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. He also sought warrants for Hamas terrorists, including Yahya Sinwar, over the October 7 massacre.

The Trump administration later imposed sanctions on the ICC, accusing the court of illegitimate actions against the U.S. and Israel. Israel has also challenged Khan’s role in the case and argued that the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant should be canceled.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the suspension exposed the court’s failure.

“The suspension of ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan following a UN investigation proves that this institution is rotten to its core. Now it is time to cancel the outrageous arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu!” Danon said.

The ICC’s full Assembly must now decide whether Khan will be removed from office. For Israel, the immediate focus remains the same: whether the court will continue advancing the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant while its own chief prosecutor faces a formal misconduct process.