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Israel At War: Week Thirty-One Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
ISRAEL WAR — TIMELINE
Day 217 — Friday, May 10
Iran Will Build Nukes If Its Existence Is In Danger, Senior Iranian Official Warns
The Iranian regime will build nuclear bombs should its existence be threatened, a senior Iranian official charged, weeks after an Iranian officer made similar threats.
“We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb, but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” said Kamal Kharrazi, who heads the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations and is an advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday, Kharrazi was asked about Iran’s response if Israel was to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
If this happened, “our level of deterrence will change,” Kharrazi declared. “We have experienced deterrence at the conventional level so far. If they intend to strike Iran’s nuclear capabilities, naturally, it could lead to a change in Iran’s nuclear doctrine.”
Tensions between Israel and Iran flared up after Israel killed several Iranian military operatives in Syria who were responsible for directing Iran’s actions against Israel.
Shortly after the massive drone and missile strike by Iran against Israel, the Jewish state struck a radar station guarding a nuclear site in retaliation.
A few days later, Ahmad Haghtalab, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander in charge of nuclear security said that Israeli threats made it “possible to revise our nuclear doctrine and deviate from our previous considerations.”
The Iranian regime has been working toward building nuclear weapons for decades while simultaneously threatening to “wipe Israel off the map.”
The Iranian regime claims its nuclear ambitions are solely for generating electricity, even though officials have stated that pressure from Western nations could push it to pursue nuclear weapons.
Khamenei officially banned the development of nuclear weapons in a fatwa (ruling of Islamic law) in the early 2000s, which he reiterated in 2019.
“Building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is haram (religiously forbidden),” he said.
On Tuesday, Rafael Grossi, the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog IAEA slammed the regime for its “completely unsatisfactory” conduct after returning from a visit meant to work out details of a deal to expand inspections of the regime’s nuclear program.
“The present state is completely unsatisfactory for me. We are almost at an impasse and this needs to be changed,” Grossi told reporters. There was no “magic wand” to solve a “very, very complex set of issues.”
“But of course, for me and also I would say for the international community, there is a need to have some results sooner rather than later,” he said.
Day 217 — Friday, May 10
'The IDF Has The Necessary Weapons For Future Missions, Including In Rafah,' Says IDF Spokesperson
“The IDF has the necessary weapons for future missions, including in Rafah,” stated IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari during a press briefing.
His remarks come after US President Joe Biden threatened to freeze some weapon deliveries if Israel proceeded with its planned offensive in Rafah, located in the south of the Gaza Strip.
“The Israeli army has weapons for the missions it is planning, as well as the missions in Rafah. We have what we need,” he affirmed. The IDF’s operation in Rafah has been limited to the eastern outskirts of the city, with Hagari emphasizing that it hasn’t encompassed the entire area where more than a million Palestinians reside.
The delayed arms shipment, which included significant quantities of bombs, raised concerns about their potential use in Rafah, where over 1 million Gazans reside. Additionally, since March, the Biden administration has refrained from advancing the transfer of additional weapons worth around $1 billion to Israel, including tank ammunition, military vehicles, and mortar missiles.
Day 216 — Thursday, May 9
Erdan: Biden’s Pause Of Arms Encourages Israel’s Enemies
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. on Thursday morning slammed U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to withhold weapons shipments, saying the move gives hope to Jerusalem’s enemies that they may achieve their genocidal aims.
“I don’t attribute bad intentions to the president, but I think it’s quite clear that any pressure on Israel, any restrictions imposed on Israel, even if they are from close allies who want our best interests, are interpreted by our enemies—and that could be Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah—as something that gives them hope to succeed in their goals,” Gilad Erdan told KAN radio.
“This may give them encouragement, the enemies of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel,” continued the envoy. “If Israel is restricted from entering such an important and central area such as Rafah, where thousands of terrorists, hostages and the leaders of Hamas are still present, how exactly is the goal of destroying Hamas supposed to be achieved?”
Erdan spoke after Biden threatened to withhold arms shipments if Israel enters Rafah, where four of Hamas’s six remaining terror battalions are stationed.
“If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities—that deal with that problem,” he said.
Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana said the decision was not becoming of the American leader, who has repeatedly described his commitment to Israel’s security as ironclad.
“Withholding weapons for a loyal ally in the middle of a war with a murderous terrorist organization is an act that should not be done,” said Kahana, who is a member of War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party.
Added Likud MK Dan Illouz: “President Biden’s stance on Rafah and conditional weapons sales not only jeopardizes Israel but the entire free world.”
“His policy risks undermining our vital battle against the horrific terrorist organization Hamas, thereby threatening global security and emboldening terrorism worldwide,” he continued. “Israel remains resolute: We will win, we will defeat Hamas, and we will continue to protect freedoms worldwide.”
Heritage Minister and Otzma Yehudit MK Amichay Eliyahu paraphrased a famous quote from Winston Churchill, writing, “Joe Biden can be Churchill but he is choosing to be [Neville] Chamberlain, he chooses dishonor and will get both dishonor and war.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the operation in Rafah will help achieve the destruction of Hamas and the return of the 132 hostages.
“Israel will not allow Hamas to restore its evil regime in the Gaza Strip, Israel will not allow it to restore its military capabilities and continue to seek our destruction. Israel cannot accept a proposal that endangers the security of our citizens and the future of our country,” he explained.
“We have already proven with the previous release of the hostages—military pressure on Hamas is a prerequisite for the return of our hostages,” he said.
The IDF began operating in “a targeted manner” against Hamas sites in the eastern part of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday night.
IDF ground troops took full control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing on Tuesday morning as tanks from the 162nd Division’s 401st Armored Brigade were deployed there.
The operation started as Hamas claimed it had accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by mediators, in what senior officials in Jerusalem described as “an exercise by Hamas meant to present Israel as the refuser.”
Day 216 — Thursday, May 9
UNRWA Caught Stealing, Selling Humanitarian Aid - UN Watch
UNRWA has been caught stealing and then selling humanitarian aid that came into Gaza that was intended to be given to Palestinian civilians, UN Watch reported on Wednesday, citing reports published by Palestinians in “an UNRWA-related chatroom.”
The Watch report also claims that those who report UNRWA‘s actions with the humanitarian aid “face reprisals.”
According to the report, Palestinians claimed that staff working for the UN agency “have their homes full of aid.” Additionally, a UNRWA warehouse chief sold 50 cartons of food for $5,000.
Items such as pampers, canned sweets, and tissues were sold at a UNRWA school door. This comes amid statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillipe Lazzarini, who was quoted in the UN Watch report saying “there is more food available… it still does not mean that the food is accessible” as he was calling countries to increase direct cash assistance to Gazans.
Former UNRWA employee Haitham al-Sayyed ran the chatroom that exposed the agency’s theft and selling of aid. The UN Watch reported that he had “created several chat rooms for staff and educators to share posts, many of which feature antisemitism, incitement to hatred and Jihadi terrorism” during the near two decades he worked for the agency.
However, today, he disseminates information about UNRWA salaries in his chatrooms, which the Watch also reports that thousands of UNRWA employees were celebrating Iran’s drone attacks on Israel.
Day 216 — Thursday, May 9
Analysis — Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are On A Collision Course With God
Last week, a video was posted on X that showed a Palestinian man visiting the Auschwitz Birkenau Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he called on Jews to return to the site where they belong.
Just read this man’s demonic hatred for the Jewish people, “From these ‘Ghettos’ [concentration camps] from which the Zionists came, [I say] Allah have mercy on all the Palestinians and our martyrs and free Palestine! Allah willing, we will be free from you, and you will return to the [concentration] camp or to your countries, and any [other] place, as long as you leave our place [Palestine]. Because this is our land, and you belong here [Auschwitz]. This is your place of origin. You left the camps, these Ghettos… Long live Palestine!”
“You belong here,” “This is your place of origin,” “Long live Palestine”—How disgusting is that? While he is not among those who deny the Holocaust, he is among those who wish the Jewish people dead. That demonic hatred is growing in our world at an alarming rate.
Just this past weekend, I attended a pro-Palestinian encampment. Of course, we’ve been hearing primarily about those in the United States, and I hate to report to you today, but they’re here in Canada as well.
I attended an encampment at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus on King’s College Circle. There were signs posted all over saying, “This Is The Intifada,” “End The Genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and a large banner saying, “From The River To The Sea.”
Of course, their mantra, “From The River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,” speaks of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Look at a map and ask yourself, where does Israel fit in that? Simply, it doesn’t. They’re calling for the elimination of the State of Israel and, ultimately, the elimination of the Jewish people.
They were calling Israel an apartheid state, and there was even a poster that said, “Glory To All Martyrs.” I can’t believe that here in Canada, we would allow people to glorify the killing of Jews and spread evil disinformation about Israel. I thought to myself, “Pinch me! I must be in a bad dream.” I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing with my own eyes.
People all over the encampment were proudly wearing masks and keffiyehs—those terrorist neck scarves that Yasser Arafat made popular—as they boldly condemned Israel and called for their further destruction.
Day 215 — Wednesday, May 8
IDF Tanks Take Control Of Gazan Side Of Rafah Crossing To Egypt, Key Road Captured
Israeli tanks rolled into the southern Gaza Strip early Tuesday, capturing the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing on the Egypt border, in what the military called a “pinpoint operation” against the Hamas terror group.
The ground incursion in the eastern part of the city of Rafah came after Jerusalem said a truce offer from Hamas the previous day did not meet its demands, and announced that it had okayed moving ahead with the long-threatened offensive.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that it was a “limited operation” aimed at pressuring Hamas to accept a deal.
The Israel Defense Forces said its 401st Armored Brigade captured the Gazan side of Rafah Crossing on Tuesday morning, apparently with little resistance. Israeli flags were raised by troops at the border crossing, footage showed.
The crossing, located some 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the Israeli border, was captured amid a “pinpoint operation” against Hamas in “limited areas of eastern Rafah,” the IDF said. It is located along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, separating Egypt and Gaza.
As of Tuesday morning, Israel controlled all of the known overground crossings with Gaza.
The IDF said it had “intelligence information that terrorists were using the crossing area for terror purposes.” On Sunday, rockets were fired by Hamas from near the crossing toward the Kerem Shalom area in southern Israel, killing four soldiers and wounding others.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt was now disconnected from Gaza’s main north-south road, Salah a-Din. Part of the road in eastern Rafah was separately captured by the Givati Infantry Brigade in the overnight operation, the IDF said.
The IDF said some 20 gunmen were killed and troops located three “significant” tunnel shafts.
It remains unclear if Hamas still has tunnels running from the Rafah area into Egypt’s Sinai desert, which it had previously used to smuggle in weapons and supplies.
The Egyptian military over the past decade cracked down on the smuggling tunnels and destroyed hundreds of them, saying they were used to funnel weapons to jihadist groups in Sinai.
Also amid the overnight offensive, an explosive-laden car driving toward an IDF tank was struck and destroyed, the military said.
No soldiers were wounded in the operation as of Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, the IDF said more than 50 Hamas sites in Rafah were struck by the air force overnight. Another 50 sites had been hit in the area late Monday, according to the military.
Day 215 — Wednesday, May 8
US Paused A Shipment Of Bombs To Israel Last Week, Over Concerns That Israel Was Approaching Full-Scale Rafah Op
A senior US administration official confirmed on Tuesday that the US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, The Associated Press reported.
The official said the decision to pause the shipment was made last week and no final decision had been made yet on whether to proceed with the shipment at a later date.
The shipment which was paused was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to the official, with the focus of U.S. concern being the larger explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban setting.
The confirmation follows a report by Axios’ Barak Ravid that the Biden administration had stopped a shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel last week.
According to the report, the incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held.
The US has long been vocal in its opposition to an Israeli operation in Rafah.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to reporters at Ashdod Port during his visit to Israel last week, was asked about a potential Israeli operation in Rafah and whether Israel has provided a viable plan for such an operation.
“On Rafah itself, look, our position is clear. It hasn’t changed; it won’t change. We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed. And no, we have not seen such a plan. And at the same time, there are other ways – and in our judgment, better ways – of dealing with the real ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not involve or require a major military operation in Rafah. We’ve been talking with the Israelis about that; we’ll continue those conversations,” replied Blinken.
Day 214 — Tuesday, May 7
'Moral Decay Of The United Nations': UN To Vote On Motion Granting PA The Rights Of A State
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote on Friday on a proposal that will grant the Palestinian Authority (PA) the rights of a state de facto.
The resolution would give the PA “the rights and privileges” to ensure its full and effective participation in the work of the General Assembly and other UN organs, “on equal footing with member nations.”
The PA’s initiative follows its failure to achieve full UN membership, after the US vetoed its bid at the UN Security Council.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, said in response to the expected vote, “The Palestinians are once again taking advantage of the automatic majority and the moral decay of the UN. After failing to obtain the status of a member state through the Security Council as required, they bypass the Council while trampling all the rules to bring the decision to the General Assembly.”
“If passed, the decision will not change anything on the ground but will prove how disconnected the UN is from reality and how it rewards terrorism,” he added.
“Since the initiative is against the UN Charter, if it is approved, I expect the United States to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law,” concluded Erdan.
Day 213 — Monday, May 6
IDF Strikes Hamas Terror Targets In East Rafah; War Cabinet Unanimously Decide To Continue Planned Operation In Rafah
The IDF Spokesperson said on Monday night that the military conducted precise, targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in Eastern Rafah.
The Prime Minister’s Office said earlier on Monday night that the War Cabinet had agreed to continue with Israel’s planned Rafah operation.
“The War Cabinet unanimously decided that Israel continues the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to promote the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war,” the statement read.
Day 213 — Monday, May 6
IDF Tells 100,000 Gazans To Evacuate Eastern Rafah Ahead Of Planned Offensive
The Israeli military on Monday morning began calling on Palestinians to evacuate the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip that are close to the Israeli border, ahead of a planned ground offensive in the area.
The civilians were being called to move to an expanded humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas of southern Gaza.
At 8 a.m. the Israel Defense Forces started to drop flyers in eastern Rafah, send text messages, and make phone calls to Palestinians with instructions on the areas that need to be evacuated, and which routes to take to a designated humanitarian zone.
The evacuation order only applied to some of the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, and not the entire city in southern Gaza for now, although Israel has vowed to operate throughout the area, considered to be Hamas’s last major redoubt.
Israeli officials have said the terror group has six remaining battalions in the Gaza Strip, four of them in Rafah: Yabna (South), Shaboura (North), Tel Sultan (West) and East Rafah. Two more Hamas battalions remain in central Gaza, in the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah camps.
A senior official in Hamas said the evacuation order was a “dangerous escalation that will have consequences.”
“The US administration, alongside the occupation, bears responsibility for this terrorism,” the official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters, referring to Israel’s alliance with Washington.
More than a million Palestinian civilians are sheltering in Rafah. Around 100,000 were estimated to be in the zone where the IDF called for evacuation.
A map published by the IDF showed that the zones that are to be evacuated included the Rafah crossing area on the Egyptian border. Three of Hamas’s Rafah battalions — Yabna, Shaboura, and East Rafah — are also located in the area that was being evacuated.
The military said in a statement that “in accordance with the approval of the political echelon, the IDF calls on the population, which is under the control of Hamas, to temporarily evacuate from the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah to the expanded humanitarian zone.”
“This matter will progress gradually, according to an ongoing assessment of the situation,” it said.
The expanded humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas includes field hospitals and tent camps for displaced Palestinians, with the IDF saying that “there has been a surge of humanitarian aid going into Gaza” recently.
Day 213 — Monday, May 6
COGAT Refutes Claims Of North Gaza Famine, Says Int’l Organizations Requested Drop In Amount Of Aid
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) released a statement on Sunday evening, saying they had been asked by international organizations to reduce the volume of goods transported to the northern Gaza Strip due to quantities being “too high.”
The statement came via a thread posted to X (formerly Twitter) by the government organization which has been coordinating and facilitating aid into Gaza for years.
“Israel has continuously enhanced its humanitarian efforts to increase aid into Gaza, spearheading initiatives that significantly improve conditions in both northern and southern Gaza, while addressing security concerns related to Hamas,” the statement read.
According to COGAT “close to 100 food aid trucks traveled to northern Gaza daily” over the past few weeks.
COGAT also pushed back against the recent statements by World Food Program chief executive Cindy McCain claiming “full-blown famine” in the northern Gaza Strip.
In an interview with NBC News, the widow of former U.S. Senator John McCain, who was appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden as the American ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture, said, “There is famine — full-blown famine in the north, and it’s moving its way south.”
In its statement, COGAT said, “In talks between Israeli and UN representatives, including WFP, none of the entities indicated a risk of famine in northern Gaza. They noted that the humanitarian situation is improving and that there is a variety of goods in both warehouses and markets in the north.”
“Noting the improved situation, international organizations stated last week that the volume of goods transported to northern Gaza must be reduced since the quantities are too high in relation to the population,” COGAT claimed.
The Israeli government organization said that 26 bakeries are operational in the Gaza Strip, including four belonging to the World Food Program, and that the total output is around 5 million pitas per day. There are believed to be slightly less than 2 million people in Gaza following the start of the October 7 War.
“We remain committed to expanding aid efforts for Gaza’s civilians while addressing security concerns related to Hamas,” COGAT said in closing.
There have been several accusations from UN and U.S. leaders that Israel is preventing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite GOGAT publishing almost daily numbers of aid trucks entering the strip.
At the end of March, COGAT shared a picture on social media of around 400 trucks-worth of humanitarian aid sitting on the Gaza side of the Karen Shalom Crossing, after being inspected by Israel, waiting to be picked up by aid organizations.
COGAT said the UN and UNRWA “lack the logistic capacity for performing their jobs,” and called on the UN enhance its capacity and “admit its failures.”
Day 213 — Monday, May 6
Hamas Fires From Rockets And Mortars From Rafah On Israel Border Crossing, 3 IDF Soldiers Killed
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the deaths of three soldiers in a Hamas attack earlier today on the Kerem Shalom area in southern Israel.
The soldiers were identified as First Sergeant Ruben Marc Mordechai Assouline, 19, from Ra’anana; First Sergeant Ido Testa, 19, from Jerusalem; and First Sergeant Tal Shavit, 21, from Kfar Giladi.
The attack resulted in the deaths of the three soldiers and left at least eleven others wounded, some with serious injuries. The soldiers were members of the Shaked Battalion, Givati Brigade, and the 931st Battalion, Nahal Brigade.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that their Al-Qassam Brigades intentionally targeted the Kerem Shalom area using 114 mm short-range “Rajoum” rockets. The attack originated from the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF reported that approximately ten rockets and mortars were launched from the vicinity of Rafah towards the Kerem Shalom area. As a precautionary measure, the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing has been temporarily closed in response to the barrage.
Following the attack, the IDF conducted strikes on Hamas rocket launchers in Rafah in retaliation for the assault.
Day 213 — Monday, May 6
IDF Says Its Fighter Jets Have Shot Down A Drone Heading To Israel From The East
Israeli fighter jets during the night shot down a drone that was heading toward Israel from “the eastern direction,” the military says.
The IDF says the aircraft had been tracked throughout the incident, and there was no threat to civilians.
It does not elaborate on where the drone was shot down.
Amid the war, several drones have been launched at Israel by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. Iran itself also carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel last month with hundreds of drones and missiles.
Day 212 — Sunday, May 5
As Antisemitism Rises, Netanyahu Tells Holocaust Survivors Israel Is The Sole Guarantor Of The Jewish People’s Safety
In a meeting ahead of Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told survivors of the Shoah that the Jewish state would stand alone if necessary to defend its very existence.
“If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” Netanyahu told the Holocaust survivors gathered at his office in Jerusalem on Thursday. “If it is possible to recruit the nations of the world, how much the better. But if we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us,” he added.
The premier’s remarks came during an annual event where Israel’s government leaders meet with the Shoah survivors selected to light torches at the official state ceremony on May 5 marking Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
This year’s torch lighters include Itzhak Kabilio and Michael Bar-On. Netanyahu referenced comments from the survivors highlighting the reality that Israel is the sole guarantor of the Jewish people’s safety.
“Izi [Itzhak Kabilio] said here: ‘The State of Israel is the one and only sanctuary of the Jewish people.’ This is so correct,” he stated. “And Michael said: ‘We cannot rely on the nations of the world who make promises.’”
The Israeli leader then cited the examples of former U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, arguing that even those powerful figures failed to take critical action to try to save Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
“Great leaders like Roosevelt, who was told what was happening at Auschwitz and Birkenau and in the [other] death camps. They told him and he knew. His answer was that he would be not prepared to lose a single pilot and he also refused to accept the Jews,” Netanyahu said. “Churchill, who I greatly admire, tried to involve his army, but his army rebelled against him.”
At an Israel Defense Forces memorial ceremony held earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu told attendees that the military would “do what is necessary to win and overcome our enemies, including in Rafah.”
Netanyahu previously told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that while Jerusalem would appreciate Washington’s support for the military action against Hamas in Rafah, Israel would go it alone if it needed to.
Day 211 — Saturday, May 4
ICC Accuses Israel Of ‘Intimidating’ The Court; Netanyahu: Arrest Warrants Would Be Antisemitic Hate Crime
Officials at the International Criminal Court warned on Friday against efforts to try and sway the court after reports that Israel and its allies are attempting to dissuade the UN court from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza.
While the ICC “welcomes open communication” with government officials and non-governmental bodies alike, it will only engage in such dialogue so long as it is “consistent with its mandate under the Rome Statute to act independently and impartially,” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement.
“That independence and impartiality are undermined, however, when individuals threaten to retaliate… should the office, in fulfillment of its mandate, make decisions about investigations or cases falling within its jurisdiction,” he added, demanding that “all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence its officials cease immediately.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Tuesday of trying to prevent Israel from defending itself against terrorism, amid reports that the UN court could issue arrest warrants for some of Israel’s top officials — including him.
“Eighty years after the Holocaust, the international bodies that were established to prevent another Holocaust are considering denying the Jewish state the right to defend itself against those who came to commit genocide against us, and are still actively working to do so,” the prime minister said in an English-language video statement. “What an absurdity, what a distortion of justice and history.”
Israel fears the arrest warrants will be sought due to the humanitarian crisis amid the fighting in the Gaza Strip, with countries that accuse Israel of breaching international law said to be leading the effort.
Should the court issue arrest warrants against top Israelis for war crimes, it would be “a scandal on a historical scale,” Netanyahu said, calling such a move “an indelible stain on all of humanity” and an “unprecedented antisemitic hate crime.”
Day 211 — Saturday, May 4
Leaked Students For Justice In Palestine Texts Show Support For Massacres Of Israelis
Texts written by Boston University students belonging to the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organization chapter show them enthusiastically celebrating the October 7 massacre on the day it occurred, according to leaked texts obtained by N12.
During the discussion, some students called the Hamas terrorists “freedom fighters” and hoped that the situation would erupt into a genocidal war against Israel.
Several students voiced active support for violent Palestinian “resistance,” saying slogans such as “Long live the intifada!”
Texts written by Boston University students belonging to the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organization chapter show them enthusiastically celebrating the October 7 massacre on the day it occurred, according to leaked texts obtained by N12.
During the discussion, some students called the Hamas terrorists “freedom fighters” and hoped that the situation would erupt into a genocidal war against Israel.
Several students voiced active support for violent Palestinian “resistance,” saying slogans such as “Long live the intifada!”
Another student, named James, in the conversation said that he hopes for “the State of Israel to collapse and be replaced with something actually democratic.”
After the posters of hostages began appearing on campus, several students were outraged and said they would take down these “zionist posters.”
Day 211 — Saturday, May 4
IDF Holds Surprise Exercise On Northern Israel
The soldiers of the 282nd Artillery Brigade have been operating in defensive and offensive operations on the northern border for three months after operating in the southern arena.
Last week, a surprise exercise was held, in which they practiced a variety of scenarios.
The exercise included quick deployment of artillery pieces for offensive purposes and was intended to simulate combat in various battle scenarios on the Lebanese border against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The IDF noted that “since the beginning of the fighting, the artillery forces on the northern border have fired thousands of artillery munitions at thousands of terrorist targets.”
These strikes are “part of an ongoing sequence of swift strikes on identified targets as well as planned strikes on Hezbollah’s infrastructure and targets in the border area,” the IDF stressed.
ISRAEL WAR — TIMELINE
