Live blog: Time to enforce ICC warrants against 'bullies' — UN rapporteur

Friday, November 22, 2024

0912 GMT — UN special rapporteur on the rights to food, Michael Fakhri, said it is time for world to enforce International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

"The finding by the ICC that there are reasonable grounds that Netanyahu and Gallant are guilty of crimes against humanity and using starvation as a method of warfare reflects what we have all known for months."

The court said on Thursday it "found reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant bear criminal responsibility for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts".​​​​​​​

It also believes that both "bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population".

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0846 GMT — Israeli opposition leader accuses government of prolonging war

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unnecessarily prolonging the war in Palestine's Gaza due to Netanyahu's political troubles.

In a post on X, Lapid said: "The current government is extending the war without reason due to the political issues facing the Prime Minister and the delusions of the far-right wing about annexation and returning to Gaza".

Lapid referred to Netanyahu's avoidance of appearing before court due to his involvement in a corruption trial, citing the ongoing war as a reason for his absence. He emphasised that "it is time for a political move, it is time for a new regional system."

0827 GMT — Lithuania says it will abide by ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Premier

Lithuania said it will abide by the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu as well as a former Israeli defence minister and a senior Hamas leader, local media reported.

"The Court's decisions are binding on member states. Once the court issues an arrest warrant, its execution is binding in all state parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC or those states or territories that accept the ICC’s jurisdiction," Lithuania's Foreign Ministry said in a commentary forwarded to the BNS news agency.

Lithuania has consistently supported and sustained the work of the ICC and respects its independence and impartiality, the ministry added.

0800 GMT — Israel imposing measures to obstruct aid to Gaza: Hamas

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has condemned Israel for implementing a series of measures aimed at obstructing humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in besieged Gaza.

"Israel is imposing measures to obstruct aid to the Palestinian people," Khalil Al-Hayya, the acting head of Hamas in Gaza, said in a press release.

"Israel allows only a meager number of trucks — fewer than 40 in the north and 60 in the south — and sometimes none at all," he said.

Before the war in October 2023, over 600 trucks of goods and food entered Gaza daily, according to Palestinian officials.

0753 GMT — China urges ICC to take 'objective' position after Netanyahu arrest warrant

China urged the International Criminal Court to remain objective and fair after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"China hopes the ICC will uphold an objective and just position (and) exercise its powers in accordance with the law," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press conference in response to a question about the court's warrant for Netanyahu.

0753 GMT — UK home secretary avoids direct answer on arrest possibility for Netanyahu, Gallant after ICC warrants

The British home secretary failed to respond to give a direct answer to the question of whether the UK would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant if they stepped on British soil.

Responding to questions on Sky News, Yvette Cooper said: "That's not a matter for me as home secretary ... (but) the International Criminal Court (ICC) is, of course, independent, and we respect its independence and the role that it has to play.

"But in the overwhelming majority of international criminal court investigations, they never become a matter for either the British legal rule and law enforcement processes or for the British government, in any case ... there are proper processes that need to be followed, and therefore it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on those."

0739 GMT — Orban to invite Netanyahu in defiance of ICC arrest warrant

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said he would invite Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to visit and defy an ICC arrest warrant.

"Later today, I will invite the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, to visit Hungary, where I will guarantee him, if he comes, that the judgment of the International Criminal Court will have no effect in Hungary, and that we will not follow its terms", Orban told state radio.

0736 GMT — Muslim bloc welcomes ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Gaza war crimes

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

In a statement late Thursday, the OIC described the move as "a crucial step toward ending decades of impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials" and "restoring confidence in international justice and accountability".

The organisation emphasised that the decision "represents a victory for international legitimacy and the rule of law".

0723 GMT — 21 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza

At least 21 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli air strikes targeting homes and makeshift shelters for displaced people across Gaza.

A medical source at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza told Anadolu that eight fatalities and multiple injuries were reported following an Israeli air strike on a home in the Shujaiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City.

Four more bodies and several injured individuals were pulled from the rubble when an Israeli air strike targeted a home in the same area, Gaza Civil Defence Forces confirmed.

In central Gaza, five Palestinians were killed and others injured in an air strike that hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to medical sources. Two more Palestinians were killed, and others injured, when an Israeli helicopter targeted a home in Deir Al Balah.

In southern Gaza, a woman and her daughter were killed when an Israeli helicopter struck a tent sheltering displaced people in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, according to medical sources.

0635 GMT — Israel issues evacuation orders in Beirut suburbs, southern Lebanon

The Israeli army issued fresh evacuation orders to residents in two areas of Beirut's southern suburbs and five villages in southern Lebanon.

In separate statements, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted maps highlighting targeted buildings and areas marked in red.

Adraee ordered residents in the southern suburbs of Beirut, specifically in the areas of Haret Hreik and Hadath, to vacate their buildings and neighbouring areas immediately.

0634 GMT — Australia backs ICC amid arrest warrants for Israeli premier, former defence minister

Australia cautiously backed the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) but refused to directly refer to the arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

"Australia respects the independence of the ICC and its important role in upholding international law," said Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Calling on all parties to comply with international law, Wong added that Australia is "focused on working with countries that want peace to press for an urgently needed ceasefire".

0500 GMT — 'I agree with the decisions of the ICC': Bernie Sanders

US Senator Bernie Sanders backed a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) Thursday to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Sanders said in a statement that the ICC charges are "well-founded", emphasising the importance of the Geneva Conventions, which were created to protect civilians and prevent inhumane actions during war.

He said the ICC's charges against Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes like using starvation as a weapon and targeting civilians were justified. "If the world does not uphold international law, we will descend into further barbarism," he said. "I agree with the decisions of the ICC."

0158 GMT — Israel strikes kill 52 people in Lebanon

Israel has killed at least 52 people in ongoing indiscriminate strikes on Lebanon's east and south, Beirut said.

"Israeli enemy strikes that targeted the Baalbek district" in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley left "40 dead and 52 wounded", a Health Ministry statement said, listing tolls for 10 different locations.

Lebanon's official National News Agencysaid a couple and their four children were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the village of Maqneh, while another couple and their young daughter were among 11 people killed in an Israeli raid on nearby Nabha.

The ministry also reported "seven dead and 24 wounded" in "Israeli enemy strikes" on south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh district, and "five dead and 26 wounded" in strikes elsewhere in south Lebanon.

2346 GMT — Biden calls ICC arrest warrant 'outrageous'

US President Joe Biden has called the International Criminal Court's move to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister "outrageous".

"The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous," said Biden in a statement.

"Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security."

2203 GMT — 90 killed within 24 hours in Israeli strikes on north Gaza

At least two Palestinians were killed and several others injured when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in northern Gaza, raising the death toll in the besieged territory since Thursday morning to 90, according to medical sources.

The Israeli bombing targeted the Al-Dayah family home in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City, a Palestinian news outlet WAFA reported, adding that ambulance and rescue crews were still searching for missing people under the rubble.

A number of medical staff were also injured inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, some of whom were seriously injured, as a result of Israeli drones dropping bombs at the hospital yard.

A medical source at the hospital said that the drones bombed the electricity generator, causing significant damage, on which all hospital departments depend.

2200 GMT — Rashida Tlaib welcomes ICC warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has welcomed the "long overdue" decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for genocide-accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In a statement, the Michigan Democrat said the warrants signal an end to the days of the Israeli government operating with impunity.

"Since this genocide began, the United States has provided more than $18 billion in weapons to the Israeli government," Tlaib said, adding the Biden administration "can no longer deny that those same US weapons have been used in countless war crimes," including the use of "starvation as a weapon of war."

"Our government must urgently end our complicity in these violations of human rights and international law," she said. "Netanyahu and Gallant must be arrested and brought before the ICC."

2140 GMT — Israeli soldier killed in northern Gaza

An Israeli soldier has been killed during clashes with resistance fighters in northern Gaza.

In a statement, Israeli army said that Staff Sergeant Ron Epshtein, 19, served in the Tzabar Battalion of the Givati Brigade.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported that Epshtein was killed during fighting in Jabaliya after an artillery shell hit a building.

The newspaper noted that Epshtein was the 29th soldier killed since the Israeli army launched its invasion, part of wider genocide, of northern Gaza.

The latest casualty raised the officially reported death toll of the Israeli military since October 7, last year to 804.

For our live updates from Thursday, November 21, 2024, click here.