International Criminal Court Archives - Page 2 of 8

‘All Hell Won’t Be Breaking Loose After All’

CrossFireArabia
February 13, 2025

The crisis arising from a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas seems to be heading toward a resolution, Israeli media reported late Wednesday.

“After Hamas announced that it would suspend the release of prisoners, the crisis that erupted in the prisoner swap agreement appears to be on the path to being resolved,” said Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The report also said that three Israeli prisoners are expected to be released on Saturday.

An unnamed Israeli official was quoted as saying that both Israel and Hamas want the first phase of the agreement to succeed and Hamas has sent messages indicating its willingness to continue the deal.

The official also said US President Donald Trump’s threat that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages by noon Saturday “put Israel in a dilemma.”

Israel’s Channel 12 also reported that international organizations are expected to deliver urgently needed fuel and medical supplies to Gaza on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Tuesday to end the Gaza ceasefire deal if Hamas failed to release hostages by Saturday at noon.

The threat came a day after Hamas said that it would delay the next hostage release in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Palestinian authorities have listed a series of Israeli violations of the deal, including the shooting of civilians and denying access to relief materials, including tents for displaced civilians in Gaza.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

News

Amnesty Slams White House For Hosting ‘War Criminal’ Netanyahu

CrossFireArabia
February 5, 2025

Amnesty International criticized the US on Tuesday for hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with his army’s genocidal war in Gaza.

“The Biden administration flouted any efforts at international justice for Palestine. Now, by not arresting Netanyahu or subjecting him to US investigations, President Trump is doubling down, welcoming him as the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the inauguration,” said the UK-based organization in a statement on X.

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement took hold in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s war that killed more than 47,500 people and left the enclave in ruins according to Anadolu.

The ICC issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Amnesty emphasized that the US has a legal obligation under the Geneva Conventions to prosecute or extradite individuals accused of war crimes. “There must be no ‘safe haven’ for individuals alleged to have committed war crimes,” the statement read.

The human rights group also condemned the US for supplying weapons used in Israel’s deadly offensive in Gaza, calling it a violation of the obligation to prevent genocide.

Amnesty said compliance with ICC arrest warrants is “crucial” to address Israel’s actions in Gaza and its treatment of Palestinians and to hold those responsible for Israel’s “unlawful occupation and system of apartheid.”

Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, the first by a foreign leader since Donald Trump’s inauguration, comes amid ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank. The two leaders are expected to discuss the Gaza conflict, hostages held by Hamas, and regional tensions involving Iran and Lebanon.

News

IDF Kills Israeli Contractor by ‘Accident’

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

The Israeli army “accidentally” killed an Israeli worker on Tuesday from a construction company in the central Gaza Strip, according to media reports.

“Earlier today a worker from a construction company carrying out engineering tasks for the Israeli army, commissioned by the Ministry of Defense, was killed in central Gaza,” the army said in a statement.

“A military police investigation has been opened into the incident under the direction of the military prosecution,” it added without providing details about the circumstances of the death.

The Israel Hayom newspaper identified the victim as 38-year-old Jacob Avitan.

Channel 12 cited initial investigations that suggested Avitan was killed in an operational accident, where he was shot due to a misidentification by Israeli forces.

⚡️ Hebrew sources:

In Gaza, Kobi Avitan, an Israeli army contractor, was killed by Israeli forces in Netzarim area after it was mistaken for a Hamas fighter. pic.twitter.com/6Qqd5tvwAx
— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) January 28, 2025

The report said he was shot by soldiers while working in the Nitzarim Corridor in central Gaza.

The Israeli military withdrew from most of the Nitzarim Corridor on Monday, allowing more than 300,000 displaced civilians to return to northern Gaza under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.

The first six-week phase of the truce took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave as reported in Anadolu.

News

Israeli Minister Forced to Cancel Brussels Trip Over ICC Ruling

CrossFireArabia
January 28, 2025

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli canceled a planned visit to Brussels over fears of arrest, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. The office cited “concrete warnings” and guidance from security officials but did not provide specific details. Chikli was scheduled to attend an event at the European Parliament and meet with Brussels’ zionist lobby.

Belgian authorities reportedly informed Israel that Chikli would not enjoy diplomatic immunity, as his visit was not an official state trip. Security sources told Israeli media that the National Security Headquarters warned of attempts to arrest Chikli, though no direct threat was identified.

The incident follows the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November. The ICC warrant cited crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024. Several countries, including France and Hungary, have stated they would not enforce the warrants, while others, like Germany and Norway, indicated they would comply.

Although several western countries announced that they would not comply with the ICC warrant, dozens of rights groups and activists have been filing lawsuits against Israeli officials and soldiers, resulting in many if them canceling their trips according to the Quds News Network.

News

Amidst Hamas Fighters 4 Female Israeli Soldiers Release

CrossFireArabia
January 25, 2025

In a dramatic display of power, elite fighters from the Palestinian resistance group Hamas appeared with Israeli Tavor rifles during the handover of four female Israeli soldiers in Gaza City.

The rifles, reportedly seized during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israeli military bases and settlements near Gaza, were prominently featured on podium set up at Palestine Square in Gaza City to hand over the four soldiers.

“Hamas chose to include fighters from an elite unit carrying Tavor rifles from the Israeli army’s elite unit during the handover process,” Amir Bohbot, a military correspondent for the Israeli news web Walla, said, citing a military source.

“These rifles were most likely seized on Oct., 2023,” he added.

Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers early Saturday under the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.

The freed soldiers are members of the Israeli army’s surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz base.

The four freed soldiers wearing the Israeli military uniform smiled and waved on a stage set up at the square as they were transferred to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“The handover event organized by Hamas was meticulously planned and executed at Palestine Square in Gaza City,” the Israeli Channel 12 said.

“Hamas exploited this dramatic moment to convey propaganda messages, erecting a platform in the middle of the square with symbols of the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security service, along with a Hebrew headline: ‘Zionism will not win’.”

Message of superiority

The Israeli channel said long convoys of armed men from Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups streamed into the square since early morning.

“Activists carrying weapons and organization flags were positioned around the central platform in a pre-planned formation to create an image of victory for the cameras broadcasting the release of the captives to the entire world,” it added.

“The carefully chosen setting and decor – Israeli symbols and Hebrew inscriptions – show a planned effort by Hamas to turn the ceremony for the release of the female soldiers into a propaganda show,” the channel said.

“Hamas invested significant resources in designing the square, with the aim of conveying a message of control and superiority.

“The female soldiers were brought to the podium, where they held each other’s hands, smiled and waved,” the channel commented.

Some 200 Palestinian prisoners are also scheduled to be released on Saturday in exchange for the four freed Israeli soldiers.

Under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire day, Israel is planned to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor area that separates northern Gaza from its south, allowing displaced Palestinian to return to their areas in northern Gaza.

The first six-week phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 111,400 since Oct. 7, 2023.

On the first day of the ceasefire, Israel released 90 Palestinian detainees in return for three Israeli captives set free by Hamas.

The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.