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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)
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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.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.