The court issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders in November 2024 – which Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, also described as “outrageous”.

Judges concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC’s prosecutor also sought arrest warrants in respect of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.

The court issued a warrant in respect of Mr Deif as it believed he was the only one of the three who could still be alive, despite Israeli claims to have eliminated them all – but Hamas last week confirmed he is dead.

In an executive order issued yesterday, Mr Trump wrote: “The United States unequivocally opposes and expects our allies to oppose any ICC actions against the United States, Israel, or any other ally of the United States that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.

“The United States remains committed to accountability and to the peaceful cultivation of international order, but the ICC and parties to the Rome Statute must respect the decisions of the United States and other countries not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction, consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives.”

He promised “tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members”.

In a statement this morning, the ICC said: “The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an executive order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work.

“The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it.

“We call on our 125 states parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.”

Amnesty International described Mr Trump’s executive order as “vindictive” and “aggressive”, saying the sanctions “constitute another betrayal of our common humanity”.

“At an historic moment when we are witnessing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the global rule of law coming under threat from multiple fronts, institutions like the court are needed more than ever to advance human rights protections, prevent future atrocities and secure justice for victims,” Amnesty’s secretary general Agnès Callamard said.

She said the sanctions would “negatively impact the interests of all victims globally and those who look to the court for justice in all the countries where it’s conducting investigations, including Darfur, Libya, the Philippines, Palestine, Ukraine and Venezuela”.

Ms Callamard urged governments and regional organisations to “do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of President Trump’s sanctions”.