Israel strikes Gaza after ICC issues arrest warrants
The Hindu
ICC issues arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over war crimes in Gaza, sparking global controversy and condemnation.
Israel's military said on Friday (November 22, 2024) that it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, pressing its north Gaza offensive a day after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants over the war.
With Israel also fighting Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, live AFPTV footage showed several strikes early Friday on Beirut's southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed group holds sway.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday (November 21) said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant may bear "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and other crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Hague-based court's decision drew mixed reactions from world leaders, with some vowing to arrest the Israelis if they entered their country's territory.
Other leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have condemned the court's decision which Mr. Netanyahu dismissed as "absurd" and "driven by anti-Semitic hatred of Israel".
Israel has similarly pushed back against accusations of genocide in its war against Hamas, with a case brought before the International Court of Justice in December and, more recently, a report issued by a UN special committee last week.
On the ground in Gaza, the military said an air strike on the territory's north killed five Hamas militants including two company commanders "who participated in the October 7 massacre" last year.
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