PM Netanyahu: Attacking Rafah necessary to return captives
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the capture of the Rafah crossing is an “important step” towards “dismantling Hamas”. Netanyahu added military pressure on Hamas is a necessary condition for “the return of our captives”.
The proposal Hamas agreed to on a ceasefire “falls far short of Israel’s essential demands”, the beleaguered Israeli leader said.
UN chief tells the international community to act to halt Gaza ‘tragedy’
In his speech, Guterres urges Israel’s allies to press its leadership to stop the war on Gaza.
“I appeal to all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to help avert even more tragedy. The international community has a shared responsibility to promote a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and a massive surge in life-saving aid,” he said.
“It is time for the parties to seize the opportunity and secure a deal for the sake of their own people.”
‘Hold him accountable for genocide’: Tlaib urges ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American lawmaker in the US Congress, has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and other senior Israeli officials over the country’s military conduct in Gaza.
The Democrat called on the ICC to “finally hold them accountable for this genocide, as is obviously warranted by these well-documented violations of the Genocide Convention under international law”.
In a statement posted on X, Tlaib, who serves as a representative for Michigan, said: “There is nowhere safe in Gaza. Nearly 80 percent of the civilian infrastructure has been destroyed. There is no feasible evacuation plan, and the Israeli government is only trying to provide a false pretense of safety to try to maintain legal cover at the International Court of Justice. Netanyahu knows that he will only stay in power as long as the fighting continues.”
She added: “Many of my colleagues are going to express concern and horror at the crimes against humanity that are about to unfold, even though they just voted to send Netanyahu billions more in weapons.
“Do not be misled, they gave their consent for these atrocities, and our country is actively participating in genocide. For months, Netanyahu made his intent to invade Rafah clear, yet the majority of my colleagues and President Biden sent more weapons to enable the massacre,” Tlaib wrote.
US senators call on Biden administration to apply Leahy Law to Israel
Nine US senators have called on the Biden administration to consistently apply the Leahy Law to Israel as it does for other recipients of US military assistance. The Leahy Law prohibits assistance to foreign military units that commit abuses. (You can find out more about it here.)
“My predecessor Patrick Leahy wrote the law that bans U.S. aid to foreign military units that violate human rights, yet multiple administrations have failed to equally implement the law,” Senator Peter Welch said on X.
“My colleagues and I are calling for the consistent application of the Leahy Law to the [Israeli forces].”