Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said he had ordered the eviction of Palestinian residents from the Bedouin hamlet of Khan al Ahmar in the West Bank after learning that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court had requested a warrant for his arrest. The court said it had not issued any new warrants and declined to confirm whether a request had been made.

Smotrich said the move was a forceful response and pledged to make Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank irreversible. If confirmed, he would become the third senior Israeli leader facing arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court, which has already issued warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Both men deny the accusations.

Khan al Ahmar, home to about 150 residents, has long faced demolition orders from Israeli authorities, who say it was built without proper permits. Palestinians and much of the international community argue that such permits are rarely granted to Palestinians and warn that removing the village would undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.

Smotrich has sought to expand Israeli settlements and limit the authority of Palestinian governing bodies in the West Bank, backing permanent Israeli control over the territory without extending voting rights to its Palestinian residents.