ICC's Prosecutor ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Situation in Rafah

People stand around craters caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
People stand around craters caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
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ICC's Prosecutor ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Situation in Rafah

People stand around craters caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
People stand around craters caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan is "deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah", he said on social media platform X on Monday.

He reiterated that the ICC was "actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed" in Gaza and said that "those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said four Hamas battalions are in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people displaced by violence further north are trapped in desperate conditions.

It says Israel cannot achieve its goal of eliminating the militants while they remain there. Civilians should be evacuated from the combat zone, it said.

Khan also called for the immediate release of all the hostages held in Gaza after Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, adding that this "also represents an important focus of our investigations".

Israel is not a member of the Hague-based court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. But Khan in October stressed his court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes carried out by Hamas in Israel and by Israelis in the Gaza Strip.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.