Yahoo Web Search

STORY: :: Graphic Warning :: Gaza City, Gaza In Gaza City on Saturday, displaced people sheltering at a school were cleaning up after an Israeli airstrike hit the grounds, killing at least 10, according to the ministry of health. This woman was among the hundreds sheltering at the school. "I do not know where to go. We were in the schools in the camp, they threw bombs at us, and burnt down the classrooms, they burnt the tents, a handicapped girl was killed in the tent. Isn't this awful? We came here and we saw catastrophes. We want to flee but we do not know where to go. Where can we go?" :: May 25, 2024 Israeli forces killed dozens in new attacks on the strip, according to Palestinian medics, amid reports that ceasefire talks could soon resume. The Israeli military had said it is trying to prevent Hamas from reestablishing its hold in northern Gaza. :: May 24, 2024 :: The Hague, Netherlands The attacks took place just a day after judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel to halt its offensive on the southern city of Rafah. :: Southern Israel :: May 25, 2024 Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising over the Gaza Strip's southern border. New talks are set to restart next week between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to an official with knowledge of the matter. :: Deir al Balah, Gaza :: May 24, 2024 The decision was made after the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar, said the source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality, given the sensitivity of the matter. A Hamas official denied Israeli media reports that the talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, telling Reuters: "There is no date." After more than seven months of war in Gaza, mediators have struggled to secure a breakthrough. :: Gaza City, Gaza :: May 25, 2024 Israel is seeking the release of hostages held by Hamas, while Hamas is seeking the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and an end to the war. Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, Gaza's health ministry says. In Israel, 1,200 people were killed and another 250 seized hostage, according to Israeli tallies, after Hamas-led militants attacked on October 7.

STORY: Italy became the latest country on Saturday (May 25) to resume funding for the United Nations' Palestinian relief organization UNRWA. It made the announcement on a visit to Rome by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Mustafa that Italy supported efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and improved humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, her office said in a statement. Italy was one of a number of countries to block aid for UNRWA following accusations by Israel that some of the agency's staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. The step came a day after judges at the U.N.'s World Court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide. Foreign minister Antonio Tajani announced a 35 million euro, or $38 million, aid package for the Palestinians, of which five million euros would go to UNRWA projects. UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running the enclave's schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributing humanitarian aid. It has set out an action plan to better ensure its impartiality, strengthen internal reviews, and improve how its staff are monitored. In recent weeks, several countries have resumed funding the agency, including Austria and Germany.

The International Court of Justice, the United Nations' top judicial body, has ordered Israel to pause all operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces say they have recovered the bodies of three more hostages killed in the initial Hamas attack on Oct. 7. CBS News national security contributor Sam Vinograd joins to discuss the latest developments in the war.

STORY: :: Enforcement of a World Court ruling ordering Israel to halt its assault on Rafah could be hard to enforce, analysts say :: May 24, 2024 :: Heidi Matthews, Assistant law professor, York University “The court itself doesn't have any enforcement powers, so it's the highest judicial body of the United Nations, but it doesn't have, you know, its own police or military force that would perform that kind of enforcement. What it does have pursuant to the U.N. charter is resort to the security Council." // "And so that's the option. Clearly, the big problem with that is the U.S. veto on the Security Council." :: Kenneth Roth, Former executive director of Human Rights Watch “South Africa used genocide because that was its jurisdiction hook, that's how it could get before the International Court of Justice. And indeed, there is a very credible case of genocide. But the court will not resolve that case on the merits for some time to come. Today's ruling was just a preliminary ruling, which it has a very low threshold of proof. But we should not let the genocide debate deter us from focusing on the other serious war crimes and crimes against humanity that quite clearly are going on." Reading out the ruling, World Court president Nawaf Salam said the situation in the Palestinian enclave had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order. Israel launched its air and ground war on Gaza after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the offensive, Gaza's health ministry says. Under the U.N. charter the U.N. Security Council could compel enforcement of the ICJ ruling, Matthews said, but it would likely face opposition from the United States which frequently uses its veto power to support Israel.

The bodies of the three hostages who Hamas terrorists murdered on Oct. 7 have now been returned to Israel for burial.

STORY: :: Pro-Palestinian protesters say the International Court of Justice’s ruling is ‘not enough’ :: after the UN's top court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah :: The Hague, Netherlands :: May 24, 2024 :: ML Hagui, Protester “Today’s hearing is good, but it’s not enough, it’s not enough. We are looking for a free Palestine without any problems, and you see that more than 15,000 children have died. What do you want more? Only a free Palestine, also a free two-state solution is enough.”

 :: Eman Khasawneh, Protester “Yes, we appreciate the halt in Rafah operations, but that’s not merely enough. That’s signaling to us that the rest of Gaza is fair game, and that’s absolutely not OK. We demand a ceasefire.”

 Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide. The court also ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow in humanitarian aid, and said it must provide access to the besieged enclave for investigators and report back on its progress within one month. Israel has repeatedly dismissed the case's accusations of genocide as baseless, arguing in court that its operations in Gaza are self-defense and targeted at Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to halt its military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Israel insists it has the right to defend itself from Hamas militants and is unlikely to comply with the ruling.

The bodies of the three hostages, who were murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, have now been returned to Israel for burial.

STORY: :: Mike Johnson says Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu will soon address a joint meeting of Congress :: May 23, 2024 :: Washington, D.C. :: Mike Johnson, U.S. House Speaker "Today, as international bureaucrats have issued arrest warrants for Israel's leaders and likened Israel's just war to the barbarism of October 7th, Washington has been united, I'm proud to tell you in a bipartisan manner against this madness." "Tonight, I'm happy to announce something else to you that we will soon be hosting Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress. Yes, this will be a timely and I think a very strong show of support to the Israeli government in their time of greatest need." Delivering a keynote speech at the Israeli embassy's annual Independence Day reception, Johnson, the top congressional Republican and a critic of the Democratic president’s Israel policy, said it would be “a strong show of support for the Israeli government in their time of greatest need.” Such a speech is sure to further anger some progressive Democrats who are increasingly critical of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and Biden's support for it. The diplomatic gathering came amid strains between Biden and Netanyahu over a U.S. push for Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians in the war against Hamas militants in Gaza. Previous U.S. administrations have usually sent a high-level official to the Independence Day receptions, reflecting Israel's status as Washington’s top Middle East ally.

Smoke was seen rising over the Gaza Strip on Friday morning as the Israel-Hamas war rages on across the Palestinian enclave.

Israel's war cabinet is ordering negotiators to restart hostage release talks with Hamas. CBS News' Imtiaz Tyab reports.

STORY: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan's request for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu creates a quandary for Israel's allies: How can they support Israel and the ICC? ANTONY BLINKEN: "Extremely wrongheaded." RISHI SUNAK: "This is a deeply unhelpful development." Khan's move was the first attempt to go after a sitting, Western-backed head of state. He requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war. ICC judges must still sign off on it. :: A difficult balance Many European countries support the ICC and also send military support to Israel. Germany has already had to defend its policy of supplying arms to Israel at another international court in The Hague. Tom Buitelaar of the Netherlands' Leiden University says that balance could become hard to maintain. "It's going to be very difficult to say 'we are supporting Israel unconditionally, and we feel that this is the party that we should be supporting in this war' because now the ICC has made a certain declaration, and a certain attack against the legitimacy of the Israeli war effort in Gaza." If warrants are issued, member states would be obliged to detain Netanyahu or Gallant if they got the chance. Buitelaar said governments failing to obey could face legal challenges in their own courts. "It might be challenged though from the domestic level, because many states have implemented the Rome Statute, the important founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, into their domestic laws, which means that parties here could also be challenging, for example the Dutch state, the Dutch government, for a breach of international law if it doesn't arrest the prime minister of Israel in this case." :: Upholding other rulings And then there's the difficulty of upholding some ICC rulings but not others. The United States, like Israel itself, is not a member of the court. But it has supported past prosecutions, for example last year's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. This time though, U.S. President Joe Biden called the request "outrageous." Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration is willing to work with Congress to potentially impose sanctions on ICC officials. :: European divisions The ICC step has exposed divisions among European ICC members. France, Ireland and Spain were among supporters of the decision. The French Foreign Ministry backed quote, "the fight against impunity in all situations." While Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz said: "International law must apply to everyone." Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations: "I think the most important principle at this point is that European countries should not do anything to try and undermine, attack or block, or politically influence the operations of the Court, and I hope that they would consider ultimately that the actions of the Court could be helpful in terms of trying to bring an end to any crimes that are being committed there..." The exposed divisions reflect a deeper international schism over the Palestinians' longtime quest for statehood. This moved to the forefront on Wednesday (May 21) when Ireland, Norway and Spain said they would recognize a Palestinian state.

Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state, a historic but largely symbolic move that further deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel immediately denounced the decisions and recalled its ambassadors to the three countries.

Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state, a historic but largely symbolic move that further deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza.