President Biden rejects ICC calls for arrest warrants against Israel

2024-05-24 18:42:27, Kosova & Bota CNA

US President Joe Biden on Thursday rejected calls by the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on suspicion of war crimes related to the war in Gaza.

In a press conference at the White House, President Biden was asked if the US had any evidence that Israel was using starvation of Palestinians as a weapon of war against Hamas militants, as the court claimed this week.

Mr. Biden did not respond directly, but said: "We do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction as it is being exercised in this case."

"We don't think there is a parallel between what Israel did and what Hamas did," he continued.

The Israel-Hamas war began after the October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Hamas also took 250 hostages.

In response, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 35,700 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but says most of the dead are women and child.

Meanwhile, according to media reports, CIA director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Europe soon to meet with the head of Israel's intelligence agency, the Mossad, as well as the prime minister of Qatar in an effort to revive the release talks. of the hostages still being held in Gaza and for a ceasefire in the territory.

Israeli officials say their campaign in Gaza is not targeting civilians, but Hamas.

On the battlefront, Israeli forces ended a two-day raid on Thursday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin that Palestinian health officials say left at least 12 people dead and 25 others wounded.

Israel launched the operation on Tuesday and said it was battling militants in the area. The Israel Defense Forces also reported conducting ground combat and airstrikes Thursday in Rafah, central Gaza, and the Jabaliya area of ??northern Gaza.

Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians in air and ground attacks across Gaza on Thursday, according to health officials and Hamas media, and also carried out airstrikes against Hamas-led militants in Rafah.

The main UN agency in Gaza estimated on Monday that more than 800,000 people have fled Rafah since Israel's offensive on the city began earlier this month./ VOA