The head of the International Criminal Court has denounced US President Donald Trump's executive order authorizing sanctions against the organization's officials, staff and their family members.

Trump signed the order on Thursday, saying the ICC abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants. The order referred to the warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others issued for crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

The ICC's President Judge Akane Tomoko expressed her deep regret in a statement on Friday, condemning Trump's order as harming the court's independence and impartiality. She said the court firmly rejects any attempt to politicize its judicial function.

Akane's statement said, "The ICC is a judicial body which performs functions that align with the interests of the international community by enforcing and promoting universally recognized rules of international law, including the law of armed conflicts and human rights law." It also described the court as representing "the most significant legacy of the immense suffering inflicted on civilians" by atrocities including the world wars and the Holocaust.

About 80 member states of the ICC, including Germany and Canada, released a joint statement on Friday, saying such US sanctions threaten to erode the international rule of law.