International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu And Hamas Officials
HuffPost
The practical implications could be limited though since Israel and the United States are not members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have been killed.
THE HAGUE (AP) — The world’s top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants Thursday for the leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with their war that began more than a year ago.
The warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant focus on allegations Israel has used food as a weapon in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza, a charge Israeli officials deny. Experts have warned that hunger has become widespread across Gaza and may have reached famine levels in the north of the territory, which is under siege by Israeli troops.
The action by the International Criminal Court came as the death toll from Israel’s campaign in Gaza passed 44,000 people, according to local health authorities, who say more than half of those killed were women and children. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Netanyahu condemned the arrest warrant against him, saying Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” by the court. In a statement released by his office, he said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.”
The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and could further isolate them, as well as complicate efforts to negotiate a cease-fire. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court.
Trump's administration has reportedly rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war.
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was struck by an overnight missile attack.
Trump said U.S. forces “obliterated” targets on Iran’s Kharg Island — home to the primary terminal that handles the country’s oil exports.
New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on Iran's neighbors to shut U.S. bases on their territory and warned that Iran would continue to target them.
Devices running Microsoft Windows, including cellphones, laptops and others were all wiped.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East and prompted plans for a record release of strategic oil reserves to dampen one of the worst fuel shocks since the 1970s.
The Trump-inspired political veteran won a landslide victory in December against government-backed communist candidate Jeannette Jara.
Russia's Venice Biennale pavilion was closed after the Ukraine invasion but, as the Winter Paralympics show, Russia is now returning to the global stage.
The U.S. Navy says the risk of attacks is too high for now, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel on Monday, reaching peaks unseen since 2022, as the Iran war triggered a global energy crisis.
The officials also claimed that the sharp increase in gasoline prices resulting from the Iran war would last only weeks.
Bahrain has accused Iran of striking a desalination plant as the regional war expands and targets more civilian sites in Gulf states.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blast or who was involved, the Oslo police department said in a separate statement.