The Worldwide Felony Courtroom issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former protection minister and a Hamas army chief, accusing them of conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity. The announcement got here as well being officers within the Gaza Strip mentioned the dying toll from the 13-month-old conflict between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000.
The warrant marked the primary time {that a} sitting chief of a significant Western ally has been accused of conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity by a world courtroom of justice. The ICC panel mentioned there have been affordable grounds to consider that each Netanyahu and his ex-defense minister bear duty for the conflict crime of hunger and the crimes towards humanity of homicide, persecution and different inhumane acts.
Israel’s conflict has brought about heavy destruction throughout Gaza, decimated elements of the territory and pushed virtually the whole inhabitants of two.3 million folks from their houses, leaving most depending on assist to outlive.
Israel launched its conflict in Gaza after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 folks, largely civilians, and abducting one other 250. Round 100 hostages are nonetheless inside Gaza, no less than a 3rd of whom are believed to be lifeless.
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KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The three kids have been taking part in exterior a cluster of tents housing displaced folks within the Gaza Strip when an Israeli airstrike killed them, together with six different folks.
It’s develop into a grim, near-daily ritual greater than 13 months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, which native well being authorities mentioned Thursday has killed over 44,000 Palestinians.
Israel carries out frequent strikes towards what it says are militants hiding in civilian areas, and girls and kids are practically all the time among the many lifeless.
Wednesday’s strike killed Hamza al-Qadi, 7, his brother Abdulaziz, 5, and their sister Laila, 4, in a tent camp within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis.
Areej al-Qadi, their mom, says they have been taking part in exterior after they have been killed.
“All that’s left of them are their notebooks, their books and a blood-stained jacket,” she mentioned as she broke into tears. “They have been kids who did nothing.”
The Israeli army didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the strike.
Gaza’s Well being Ministry mentioned Thursday that 44,056 Palestinians have been killed and 104,268 wounded for the reason that begin of the conflict, which was ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault into Israel. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 folks that day, largely civilians, and kidnapped round 250 folks.
The Well being Ministry doesn’t say what number of of these killed in Gaza have been fighters however says girls and kids make up greater than half the fatalities.
Israel, which not often feedback on particular person strikes, says it has killed over 17,000 militants, with out offering proof.
Hours after the ministry introduced the most recent toll, the Worldwide Felony Courtroom issued arrest warrants towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former protection minister and a Hamas army chief.
Mahmoud bin Hassan, the youngsters’s father, mentioned he buried them on Thursday.
He requested when the worldwide group would take motion to cease the conflict. “When the whole Palestinian inhabitants has been killed?” he mentioned.
NEW YORK — Human Rights Watch applauded the Worldwide Felony Courtroom’s arrest warrants issued Thursday towards each Israeli and Hamas officers.
The warrants “break via the notion that sure people are past the attain of the regulation,” the affiliate worldwide justice director at Human Rights Watch, Balkees Jarrah, mentioned in a press release.
The New York-based rights group earlier this month launched a report saying Israel has dedicated conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity within the Gaza Strip, together with large compelled displacements that quantity to ethnic cleaning.
JERUSALEM — Israeli prosecutors have charged a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with leaking categorized paperwork to worldwide media, apparently to guard the Israeli chief from criticism as a hostage deal was collapsing.
Eli Feldstein, a former media adviser to Netanyahu, was charged Thursday with leaking categorized info with the intent of harming state safety and obstruction of justice.
The leaked paperwork are mentioned to have fashioned the idea of a extensively discredited article within the London-based Jewish Chronicle — which was later withdrawn — suggesting Hamas deliberate to spirit hostages out of Gaza via Egypt, and an article in Germany’s Bild newspaper that mentioned Hamas was drawing out the hostage talks as a type of psychological warfare on Israel.
Critics say the leaks have been aimed toward giving Netanyahu political cowl because the case-fire talks floor to a halt. Some have accused Netanyahu of resisting a deal in to protect his governing coalition, which incorporates hard-line members who’ve threatened to carry down the federal government if he makes concessions to Hamas.
The leaks got here at a time of public uproar over the deaths of six hostages who have been killed by their Hamas captors as Israeli troopers have been closing in.
The indictment mentioned the leaks have been meant “to create media affect on the general public discourse in Israel regarding the dealing with of the hostage state of affairs, after the information of the homicide of six hostages.”
The indictment recognized two different Netanyahu aides as being linked to the scheme, however solely Feldstein and an unidentified reservist in Israeli army intelligence have been charged.
Netanyahu, who denies the accusations, has not been recognized as a suspect within the burgeoning investigation.
Israeli media say if convicted, Feldstein might probably face life in jail.
JERUSALEM — The Israeli army has launched an investigation into the dying of a 70-year-old Israeli man who entered Lebanon with Israeli forces and was killed in a Hezbollah ambush.
Investigators try to find out, amongst different issues, who allowed Zeev Erlich into the fight zone with the forces and why he was permitted to enter.
In line with Israeli media studies, Erlich was not on lively obligation when he was shot, however was carrying a army uniform and had a weapon. The military mentioned he was a reservist with the rank of main and recognized him as a “fallen soldier” when it introduced his dying.
Erlich was a well known West Financial institution settler and researcher of Jewish historical past. Media studies mentioned Erlich was permitted to enter Lebanon to discover an area archaeological web site.
The military mentioned a 20-year-old soldier was killed in the identical incident, whereas an officer was badly wounded.
The military introduced Thursday that the chief of workers, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, has appointed a workforce of specialists “to look at and strengthen operational self-discipline and army tradition” following the incident.
It mentioned its commander for northern Israel, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, would launch a separate “command inquiry,” whereas Israeli army police conduct a separate probe. Such investigations can result in legal expenses.
BEIRUT — A minimum of 29 folks have been killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on totally different cities and villages throughout Lebanon, in response to Lebanon’s Well being Ministry and state-run media.
In japanese Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 26 folks in six totally different cities in Baalbek province, the well being ministry and the Nationwide Information Company mentioned.
In Tyre province, southern Lebanon, three folks have been killed in an Israeli strike, the well being ministry mentioned.
The well being ministry Wednesday mentioned that over 3,550 folks have been killed within the 13-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the bulk following Israel’s escalation in late September.
The European Union’s international coverage chief has underlined that the arrest warrants issued by the Worldwide Felony Courtroom towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas officers are a authorized and never political matter, and that they’re binding on all 27 EU member nations and different signatories to the ICC to implement.
“The tragedy in Gaza has to cease,” Josep Borrell instructed reporters throughout a go to to Jordan. “It isn’t a political choice. It’s the choice of a global courtroom of justice, and the choice of the courtroom must be revered, and applied.”
“This choice is a binding choice on all state events of the courtroom, which embody all members of the European Union,” he added.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling partyhas welcomed the choice by the Worldwide Felony Courtroom to challenge arrest warrants towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamn Netanyahu and former Protection Minister Yoav Gallant, calling it a judgement made for the sake of “humanity.”
Omer Celik, spokesman for the Erdogan’s get together, mentioned on the social media platform X that Netanyahu and Gallant would “finally be held accountable for genocide.” Celik additionally criticised Israeli officers who described the ICC choice as antisemitic.
Turkey is among the many most vocal critics of Israel’s army actions in Gaza and has submitted a proper request to affix a genocide case that South Africa has filed towards Israel on the U.N.’s Worldwide Courtroom of Justice.
Dutch international minister Caspar Veldkamp, whose nation hosts the Worldwide Felony Courtroom, has confirmed The Netherlands would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he arrived on Dutch soil.
“The road from the federal government is evident. We’re obliged to cooperate with the ICC … we abide 100% by the Rome Statute,” he mentioned in response to a query in parliament Thursday.
Different European officers have been extra cautious.
In France, a spokesman for the International Ministry mentioned he supported the Worldwide Felony Courtroom’s prosecutor however declined to remark when requested extra particularly if France would arrest Netanyahu if he have been to step on French soil.
“Immediately, combating impunity is our precedence. We ratified the ICC Statute in 2000 and have constantly supported the courtroom’s actions. Our response will align with these ideas,” Christophe Lemoine instructed reporters at a press convention.
Lemoine added that the warrants have been “a fancy authorized challenge … It’s a state of affairs that requires a number of authorized precautions.”
In Italy, the international and justice ministries didn’t instantly reply to emails in search of remark about whether or not Italy, an ICC member which hosted the Rome convention that gave delivery to the courtroom, would honor the arrest warrant.
Premier Giorgia Meloni hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March 2023 and has strongly supported Israel since Oct. 7, whereas offering humanitarian assist for Palestinians in Gaza.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s largely ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, has known as the Worldwide Felony Courtroom’s arrest warrants towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a darkish day for justice. A darkish day for humanity.”
In a publish on X, he mentioned the worldwide courtroom “has chosen the aspect of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice right into a human protect for Hamas’ crimes towards humanity.”
Israel Katz, Israel’s new protection minister, mentioned the choice was “an ethical shame, solely tainted by antisemitism, and drags the worldwide judicial system to an unprecedented low.” He mentioned it “serves Iran, the top of the snake, and its proxies.”
Benny Gantz, a retired normal and political rival to Netanyahu, additionally condemned the choice, saying it confirmed “ethical blindness” and was a “shameful stain of historic proportion that may by no means be forgotten.”
Hamas has welcomed the choice by the Worldwide Felony Courtroom to challenge warrants towards Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and his former protection minister Yoav Gallant, calling it an “vital and historic precedent” after what it mentioned was a long time of injustice by the hands of a “fascist occupation.”
The assertion didn’t confer with the warrants issued for the militant group’s personal leaders.
Hamas known as on all nations to “cooperate with the courtroom in bringing the Zionist conflict criminals, Netanyahu and Gallant, to justice, and to work instantly to cease the crimes of genocide towards harmless civilians within the Gaza Strip.”
DEIR AL-BALAH, The Gaza Strip — Bakeries have reopened within the central Gaza Strip after being closed for a number of days due to flour shortages.
The shortages seem to have been linked to the looting of practically 100 truckloads of assist by armed males in southern Gaza final weekend.
Related Press footage confirmed a crowd of lots of pushing and shouting exterior a bakery within the central metropolis of Deir al-Balah on Thursday. The day earlier than the reopening, the value of a bag of 15 loaves of pita bread had climbed above $13.
“In my home, there’s not a morsel of bread, and the youngsters are hungry,” mentioned Sultan Abu Sultan, who was displaced from northern Gaza in the course of the conflict.
The quantity of assist getting into Gaza plunged in October as Israel launched a significant offensive within the remoted north, the place specialists say famine could also be underway.
Starvation is widespread throughout the territory, even in central Gaza the place assist teams have extra entry. Humanitarian organizations say Israeli restrictions, ongoing combating and the breakdown of regulation and order make it tough to ship help.
Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ October 2023 assault, has displaced round 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants of two.3 million folks. A whole bunch of 1000’s are crammed into tent camps with little in the way in which of public providers and are reliant on worldwide meals assist.
NICOSIA — The president of Cyprus says the European Union should play a much bigger function within the Center East as it could possibly not stand by as an observer.
President Nikos Christodoulides mentioned the 27-member bloc wants to ascertain nearer ties with nations that bolster regional stability like Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states.
“The battle within the Center East is going down on the EU’s doorstep, in an space of significant curiosity to the bloc’s pursuits, the place any escalation or regional spillover can have vital penalties on its safety and stability,” Christodoulides instructed an Economist convention within the Cypriot capital.
Christodoulides mentioned EU member Cyprus for years has tried to get this message throughout to Brussels. The island nation earlier this 12 months was the staging floor for a maritime hall delivering some 20,000 tons of humanitarian assist to Gaza.
The EU is wracked by members’ divisions over how peace ought to come about within the Center East
THE HAGUE — The Worldwide Felony Courtroom issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former protection minister and Hamas officers, accusing them of conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity over the conflict in Gaza and the October 2023 assaults that triggered Israel’s offensive within the Palestinian territory.
The choice turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally needed suspects and is prone to additional isolate them and complicate efforts to barter a cease-fire to finish the 13-month battle.
However its sensible implications may very well be restricted since Israel and its main ally, the US, will not be members of the courtroom and a number of other of the Hamas officers have been subsequently killed within the battle.
Netanyahu and different Israeli leaders have beforehand condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for the warrants as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S. President Joe Biden additionally blasted the prosecutor and expressed help for Israel’s proper to defend itself towards Hamas. Hamas additionally slammed the request.
The dying toll within the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old conflict between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, native well being officers mentioned Thursday.
The Gaza Well being Ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its depend, however it has mentioned that greater than half of the fatalities are girls and kids. The Israeli army says it has killed over 17,000 militants, with out offering proof.
The Well being Ministry mentioned 44,056 folks have been killed and 104,268 wounded for the reason that begin of the conflict. It has mentioned the actual toll is greater as a result of 1000’s of our bodies are buried below rubble or in areas that medics can’t entry.
The conflict started when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 folks, largely civilians, and abducting one other 250. Round 100 hostages are nonetheless inside Gaza, no less than a 3rd of whom are believed to be lifeless. Many of the relaxation have been launched throughout a cease-fire final 12 months.
Round 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants of two.3 million folks have been displaced, usually a number of occasions, and lots of of 1000’s reside in squalid tent camps with little meals, water or primary providers.
Israel says it tries to keep away from harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas as a result of the militants function in residential areas, the place they’ve constructed tunnels, rocket launchers and different army infrastructure.
JERUSALEM — A rocket fired from Lebanon killed a person and wounded two others in northern Israel on Thursday, in response to the Magen David Adom rescue service.
The service mentioned paramedics discovered the physique of the person in his 30s close to a playground within the city of Nahariya, close to the border with Lebanon, after a rocket assault on Thursday.
Israel in the meantime struck targets in southern Lebanon and a number of other buildings south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, after warning folks to evacuate.
