The war between Israel and Hamas and the situation in Gaza, live: news, reactions and more

Israel’s legal team, along with Yaron Wachs, Malcolm Shaw and Avigail Frisch Ben Avraham, await their entry into the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday. (Credit: Peter Dejong/AP)

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the ranks of world leaders branded international pariahs by the International Criminal Court, whose lawyer is seeking arrest warrants against him and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on suspicion of war crimes. and crimes against humanity during Israel’s war in Gaza.

The court has previously sought injunctions against Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, among others.

This Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately end its controversial military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the humanitarian situation there is “catastrophic” and expected to “further escalate.”

Seven months after Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory war has failed to achieve its objectives. Top Hamas leaders remain at large and 125 hostages are being held in the enclave. Gaza is now in ruins and more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s offensive, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

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

Israeli officials are struggling to contain the fallout. They accused their critics of anti-Semitism and vowed not to bow to international pressure. “Even if Israel is forced to stand alone, we will stand alone and continue our powerful offensive until we defeat our enemies,” Netanyahu declared in a fiery speech this month.