The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has called on judges to “urgently” rule on his request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others linked to the war on Gaza.

Prosecutor Karim Khan said that “any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims”.

Khan had applied for arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including War Minister Yoav Gallant.

Khan stressed, in court filings made public on Friday, that the ICC had jurisdiction over Israeli nationals who commit atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territory and asked the judges to dismiss legal challenges filed by several governments and other parties.

He rejected claims by Israel that it is carrying out its own investigations into alleged war crimes.

ICC prosecutors have said there are reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.