The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He believes Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
The ICC’s move coincides with a new Israeli offensive in central Gaza. Israel has bombarded towns in the north of the Strip and stated its intention to expand its military operation in Rafah, despite warnings from the U.S. about the potential for mass casualties in the southern city.
According to Gaza medics, at least 23 people have been killed in the latest fighting. Residents reported intense battles in Jabalia, located in the north of the Palestinian enclave. Israeli tanks also conducted a limited incursion into areas near Deir Al-Balah, a central Gazan city that Israeli forces had not entered in over seven months of conflict.
Fighting continued as U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held talks in Israel. The White House had stated that Sullivan would urge Israeli forces to target Hamas militants in Gaza rather than launch a full-scale assault on Rafah. However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated that the operation would continue, with the aim of clearing Hamas militants from Rafah and rescuing hostages taken in the Hamas-led raid on Israel on October 7th, which triggered the war.
In a statement from his office, Gallant was quoted as telling Sullivan, ‘We are committed to broadening the ground operation in Rafah to the end of dismantling Hamas and recovering the hostages.’ Israel considers Rafah, which borders Egypt, to be Hamas’ last stronghold. Western powers have expressed concern about the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking shelter there, despite Israeli assurances about humanitarian safeguards.
