Israel is preparing to send a high-level delegation to the Qatari capital Doha to discuss continued implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.
Under the terms of the original deal that sealed a 42-day truce and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, talks on a second phase, paving the way to a possible end to the war, are due to begin on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to meet President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. Speaking to reporters, Trump says he has “no guarantees” the Gaza ceasefire is going to hold.
Hamas says talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal have begun.
A gunman has been shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank after he allegedly opened fire at a military checkpoint, killing two soldiers and wounding several others.
Medical evacuations from Gaza have been put on hold after a delay in Israel’s list of patients approved for travel.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 61,700 people, according to a revised toll by the Gaza Government Media Office, which says thousands of missing people are now presumed dead. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Amnesty International says the US “has a clear obligation” under the Geneva Conventions “to search for & try or extradite persons accused of having committed or ordered the commission of war crimes”.
“There must be no ‘safe haven’ for individuals alleged to have committed war crimes & crimes against humanity,” the rights group said in a social media thread
As we reported earlier, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November of last year, accusing the Israeli prime minister of “crimes against humanity and war crimes”.
Amnesty International added that Washington “has been consistently provided with evidence that US-origin weapons contributed to war crimes, including those that established the evidence that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza”.
“Complying with ICC arrest warrants & pursuing accountability in domestic courts is crucial to bring to justice those responsible for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the continued dispossession and oppression of Palestinians under Israel’s unlawful occupation and system of apartheid,” it said.
Netanyahu’s trip is first since ICC arrest warrant over war crimes allegations
This is the first time the Israeli prime minister has left Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in November of last year.
The ICC has accused Netanyahu of “crimes against humanity and war crimes” related to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. His former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders, also faced arrest warrants.
There are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Gallant and Netanyahu “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity”, the court said.
Israel has rejected the allegations, saying it won’t “give in to pressure” in the defence of its citizens.The US, which is not a party to the ICC and does not recognise the court’s authority over its citizens or territory, also rejected the allegations against Netanyahu and Gallant.ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu an “incredible step forward”
The Israeli prime minister is set to become the first foreign leader to meet Trump since he returned to the White House two weeks ago.