The court said Washington’s actions against Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia amounted to an assault on an impartial international institution mandated by its member states.

“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions,” the ICC said in a statement.

The court warned that targeting judges for applying the law endangered the broader international legal system.

It added that such measures undermined the rule of law and reiterated its support for its staff and for victims of alleged atrocities.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions, accusing the two judges of being “directly engaged” in what he described as the “illegitimate targeting of Israel.”

He said the judges had taken part in efforts to investigate Israeli nationals without Israel’s consent.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel's consent, including voting with the majority in favour of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on December 15,” Rubio said in a statement.

Separately, the Netherlands, which hosts the ICC, also criticized the sanctions, saying international courts must be able to function without political interference.

In a related development, the ICC noted that it has 125 member states and recalled that it faced earlier US restrictions in February, when the White House said it was responding to what it called “illegitimate actions” against the United States and Israel.

Those measures, imposed through an executive order by President Donald Trump, restrict access to key services and prohibit entry into the United States.

They followed the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war minister Yoav Gallant over “crimes against humanity and war crimes” during the war in Gaza.

Reports have said the sanctions form part of wider efforts to pressure the court over the warrants.

Notably, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has reportedly received threats linked to the potential consequences of issuing such warrants, including warnings from figures connected to Israeli leadership.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have reportedly killed about 70,667 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 171,000 others.

Experts say Israeli regime, backed by the United States and other Western countries, has committed acts of genocide against Palestinians in the besieged enclave.