Hamas launches war on Israel

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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kGe34UM-JmQ

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International court appeals panel orders judges to reconsider Israel's jurisdiction challenge

Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday ordered a pretrial panel to reconsider an Israeli appeal against the court's jurisdiction over Gaza and the West Bank.

The decision comes amid ongoing litigation into Israel's assertion that the court did not have the legal authority to issue arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

The warrants allege that Netanyahu and Gallant are responsible for crimes against humanity in the Gaza war. Israel, which is not a member of the court and rejects its jurisdiction, strongly refutes the allegations.

Judges at The Hague-based court dismissed a request from Israel to suspend the warrants.

But in a legal victory for Israel, appeals judges said in their written decision that the pretrial panel “committed an error of law by failing to sufficiently address Israel’s argument that it was entitled to make a jurisdictional challenge” under the court's founding treaty, the Rome Statute.

It ordered the pretrial judges to make a “new ruling on the substance of Israel’s challenge to the jurisdiction of the Court.” The challenge was filed in September — before the warrants were issued — and rejected two months later. It was not immediately clear how long judges will take to issue a new ruling.

In a statement on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the arrest warrants were issued unlawfully and are “null and void.”

Israel has long argued that it does not have jurisdiction. The court, however, has accepted “The State of Palestine” as one of its 125 member nations.

"We said it from the start: The International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) doesn’t have, and never had, jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister and its former Minister of Defense. Israel is not a member of the ICC and is not party to the 'Rome Statute.'” Saar wrote.

The ICC prosecutor's office said in a written response that it was studying the decision and had no immediate comment.

When issuing the arrest warrants, judges said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.

Along with the warrants for the Israeli officials, the court also issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ armed wing, over the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza. It said it found reasonable grounds to believe Deif was involved in murder, rape, torture and the taking of hostages amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The warrant was withdrawn in February, after his death in an Israeli airstrike was confirmed.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...06182085&ei=11

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US Reaper drone losses mount in Yemen as campaign against Houthis intensifies

The US has lost seven MQ-9 Reaper drones over Yemen in under six weeks, it has emerged, with three reportedly shot down in the past week as Washington escalates its military campaign against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

The high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft — each costing around $30 million (€26 million) — have been downed in a costly offensive launched by President Donald Trump on 15 March.

According to unnamed defence officials, the drones were involved in both strike and surveillance missions when they were shot down by the Houthis, with the losses occurring both over land and at sea.

According to one official, hostile fire is likely the cause, though investigations are ongoing.

The US has conducted near-daily airstrikes on Houthi positions, with Central Command confirming that over 800 targets have been hit, including command centres, weapons storage facilities and air defence systems.

“These strikes have… killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” said Central Command spokesperson Dave Eastburn on Thursday.

The attacks by the Houthis underscore their growing ability to strike advanced US platforms. One defence official confirmed that drone losses occurred on 31 March and on 3, 9, 13, 18, 19 and 22 April.

Civilian casualties raise alarm

Alongside the drone losses, concerns are growing in Washington over the civilian toll of the intensified US strikes.

In a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Democratic senators Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kaine questioned whether the administration was “abandoning the measures necessary to meet its obligations to reducing civilian harm”.

“Civilian casualties actually undermine the mission that the military has been sent in to do,” the senators wrote, citing reports that recent strikes at the Ras Isa oil terminal may have killed more than 70 civilians.

Yet despite the increasing scrutiny of the offensive, the US military continues to maintain an aggressive posture in the region. A naval presence has been assembled, including two aircraft carriers, the USS Harry S. Truman and USS Carl Vinson, and their associated strike groups.

The Truman is currently operating in the Red Sea, while the Vinson is positioned in the Gulf of Aden. Defence Secretary Hegseth is reportedly considering extending the Truman's deployment further.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...a85957e6&ei=42

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Hamas says it is prepared for comprehensive ceasefire agreement

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is prepared for a comprehensive ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to a statement on Saturday.

"We don't want a partial agreement, but a comprehensive settlement that ends the war," a Hamas official told Palestinian journalists.

As part of such an agreement, the Islamists would release all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, he added.

Earlier on Saturday, a delegation of senior Hamas figures reached Cairo for talks with Egyptian mediators.

Egypt, Qatar and the US are acting as mediators in the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, which have been at a standstill for weeks.

A ceasefire that came into force in January collapsed after two months.

Israel had refused to negotiate an end to the war as part of the next phase of the ceasefire, originally agreed, arguing Hamas should be disarmed as part of a future peace settlement. Hamas categorically reject this.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...5ba56f57&ei=19

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Anti-Hamas protests on rise in Gaza as group's iron grip slips

"Out! Out! Out!"

The voice in the Telegram video is insistent. Loud. Sometimes musical.

And the message unambiguous.

"All of Hamas, out!"

On the streets of Gaza, more and more Palestinians are expressing open defiance against the armed group that's ruled the strip for almost 20 years.

Many hold Hamas responsible for plunging the tiny, impoverished territory into the worst crisis faced by Palestinians in more than 70 years.

"Deliver the message," another crowd chants, as it surges through Gaza's devastated streets: "Hamas is garbage."

"The world is deceived by the situation in the Gaza Strip," says Moumen al-Natour, a Gaza lawyer and former organiser of the 2019 anti-Hamas "We Want to Live" movement.

Al-Natour spoke to us from the shattered remains of his city, the flimsy canvas side of the tent which now forms part of his house billowing behind him.

"The world thinks that Gaza is Hamas and Hamas is Gaza," he said. "We didn't choose Hamas and now Hamas is determined to rule Gaza and tie our fate to its own. Hamas must retreat. "

Speaking out is dangerous. Hamas has never tolerated dissent. Al-Natour seems undaunted, writing a furious column for the Washington Post at the end of March.

"To support Hamas is to be for Palestinian death," he wrote, "not Palestinian freedom".

Wasn't it dangerous to speak out in this way, I asked him.

"We need to take a risk and speak out," he replied without hesitation.

"I'm 30 years old. When Hamas took over, I was 11. What have I done with my life? My life has been wasted between war and escalating violence for nothing."

Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 by violently ousting political rivals, a year after winning national elections, there have been three major wars with Israel and two smaller conflicts.

"Humanity demands that we raise our voices," al-Natour said, "despite suppression by Hamas".

Hamas may be busy fighting Israel, but it's not afraid to punish its critics.

At the end of March, 22-year old Oday al-Rubai was abducted by armed gunmen from a refugee shelter in Gaza City.

Hours later, his body was found covered in horrific wounds.

The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights said Oday had been tortured, calling his death "a grave violation of the right to life and an extrajudicial killing".

Al-Rubai had participated in recent anti-Hamas protests. His family blamed Hamas for his death and demanded justice.

Days earlier, a frightened al-Rubai posted a dark, grainy video on social media in which he expressed his fear that Hamas militants were coming for him.

"Gaza has become a city of ghosts," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm stranded in the street, not knowing where to go. I don't know why they're after me. They destroyed us and brought ruin to us."

At his funeral, a small crowd demanded revenge and repeated demands for Hamas to get out of Gaza.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c175z14r8pro

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Netanyahu says destroying Hamas more important than freeing hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the victory over Hamas as a more important goal in the Gaza war than the return of the hostages, according to Israeli media reports on Thursday.

The release of the abductees is "a very important goal, but there is a superior goal," he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel and other outlets.

"The supreme objective is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve," he said at an event to mark Israel's Independence Day.

According to the Israeli authorities, 24 hostages and 35 bodies of abductees are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

Relatives of the hostages have long accused Netanyahu of jeopardizing the lives of the abductees with the military operation to destroy Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group.

The mother of one of the abductees reportedly reacted indignantly to Netanyahu's comments, saying she herself now wanted to overthrow Netanyahu in order to get her son back.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, whose motto is "Bring them home now," reacted with shock to the comments.

The return of the abductees should be no less important, and also a top priority for the Israeli government, it said in a statement.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...6c75824&ei=102

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Lebanon warns Hamas not to carry out any attacks from its territory

Lebanese authorities warned the Palestinian Hamas group Friday not to carry out any attacks from Lebanon otherwise they will face the “harshest measures.”

The warning by the Higher Defense Council, Lebanon’s top military body, came weeks after several Lebanese and Palestinians were detained on suspicion of firing rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel.

The move comes as Lebanese authorities are spreading their authority throughout the country, mainly in the south near the border with Israel after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in late November with the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

“Hamas and other factions will not be allowed to endanger national stability,” the council said. “The safety of Lebanon’s territories is above all.”

Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests by The Associated Press for comment on the Lebanese decision.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, the Palestinian group that has armed presence in Lebanon has carried out several attacks against Israel. Israel has since carried out airstrikes that killed Hamas official, including one of its top military chiefs, Saleh Arouri, in Beirut.

Lebanese authorities detained last month several people, including a number of Palestinians, who were allegedly involved in firing rockets toward Israel in two separate attacks in late March that triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denied at the time that it was behind the firing of rockets. “The harshest measures will be taken to put a complete end to any act that infringes on Lebanon’s sovereignty,” said the statement that was read by Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Mustafa.

The meeting of the Higher Defense Council was attended by senior officials including the country’s president, prime minister, army commander and heads of security services. The council’s statement quoted Prime Minister Nawaf Salam as saying that all “illegal weapons” should be handed over to the state.

The announcement in Beirut came as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Lebanon later this month. Since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect in late late November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that left dozens of civilians and Hezbollah members dead.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone fired three missiles Friday morning at a gas station in the southern village of Houla wounding five poeple. On Thursday, Israel said it killed an official with Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force in a drone strike in south Lebanon.
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