VIENNA, May 21. /TASS/. International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan's demand to issue arrest warrants for Israeli politicians won't stop hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Observer to the UN in Vienna Salah Abdel-Shafi told TASS.

"Look at Israel's reaction. I don't see Israel paying attention to this request for an arrest warrant. Israel will continue to act with impunity, ignoring all decisions of the ICC and other international bodies," the diplomat pointed out.

According to him, "there are no signs" that a ceasefire can be reached soon.

"I don't think a ceasefire can be expected soon. Israel is insisting on a military operation in Rafah. I think that will complicate the situation. In addition, Israel continues to shell different parts of the Gaza Strip every hour," the ambassador added.

Earlier, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he had appealed to the Pre-Trial Chamber to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The document said that based on the evidence gathered, the prosecution has reasonable grounds to believe that both "bear criminal responsibility for the <…> war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) from at least October 8, 2023." The ICC prosecutor also demanded to issue arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders.