Rockets fired at Tel Aviv as Israeli war in Gaza rages: live updates

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the ranks of world leaders labeled international pariahs when he became the target of the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for him and his defense minister , Yoav Gallant, on suspicion of war crimes. and crimes against humanity during the Israeli war in Gaza.

The court has previously sought arrest warrants for figures including Sudan’s Omar Al Bashir, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.

And on Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately end its controversial military operation in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, saying the humanitarian situation there is “dire” and expected to “intensify further.” .

Seven months after Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s war of retaliation has failed to achieve its goals. Top Hamas leaders remain at large and 125 hostages remain captive in the enclave. Gaza is now in ruins and more than 35,000 Palestinians have died in the Israeli attack, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Pressure on Israel to end the war is mounting from all sides: from American college campuses, international courts, American celebrities, Israel’s Western allies and even the families of Israeli hostages.

Israeli officials are working to contain the consequences. They accused critics of anti-Semitism and vowed not to give in to international pressure. “Even if Israel is forced to stand alone, we will stand alone and continue to strike powerfully at our enemies until victory,” Netanyahu said in a fiery speech this month.