A began early Wednesday morning, after Beirut residents endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began.
Many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold. Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement, which was announced Tuesday.
At least 42 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, according to local authorities. Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens in the country鈥檚 north.
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire marks the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas鈥� attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating
Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after Hamas鈥� attack. The fighting in Lebanon escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across the country and an Israeli ground invasion of the south.
In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in the between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry.
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Lebanon sees quiet, but recovery could be slow
BEIRUT 鈥� As the ceasefire went into effect early Wednesday, much of Lebanon was quiet for the first time since late September, following weeks of intense overnight strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Some celebratory gunshots could be heard in parts of Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs, battered over the past two months.
Israel鈥檚 Arabic military spokesperson Avichay Adraee has warned displaced Lebanese not to return to their villages in southern Lebanon, but some videos circulating on social media show displaced Lebanese defying these calls and returning to villages in the south near the coastal city of Tyre.
Israeli troops are still present in parts of southern Lebanon after Israel launched a ground invasion in October.
Lebanese have also been displaced from other parts of the country, notably the southern Beirut suburbs and the eastern Bekaa province. It鈥檚 unclear how long it will take cash-strapped Lebanon to rebuild these bombarded neighborhoods.
The war has displaced some 1.2 million people, according to the Lebanese government.
Israeli military says its evacuation orders in south Lebanon are in still in effect
JERUSALEM 鈥� As the ceasefire took effect early Wednesday, Israel鈥檚 military warned people with homes in areas of south Lebanon that it ordered evacuated to stay away for now.
Israeli military spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued the warning on the social platform X.
鈥淵ou are prohibited from heading towards the villages that the IDF has ordered to be evacuated or towards IDF forces in the area,鈥� Adraee wrote, using an acronym for the Israeli military. 鈥淔or your safety and the safety of your family members, refrain from moving to the area.鈥�
There were no immediate signs of renewed fighting as the ceasefire took hold early Wednesday morning.
Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon begins
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah militants has begun as a region on edge wonders whether it will hold.
The ceasefire announced Tuesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. An international panel led by the United States will monitor compliance.
The ceasefire began at 4 a.m. Wednesday, a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict that in recent weeks turned into all-out war.
French president calls planned ceasefire a 鈥榥ew page鈥� for Lebanon
PARIS 鈥� French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah marked a 鈥渘ew page鈥� for Lebanon and called on its leaders to elect a president 鈥渨ithout delay.鈥�
In a video message on X, Macron said restoring Lebanon鈥檚 sovereignty depends on ending the presidential vacuum.
鈥淚t is the responsibility of Lebanese authorities and all those in senior political roles,鈥� he said.
Residents of Lebanon's capital flee Israeli strikes
BEIRUT 鈥� Ahmad Khateeb, a musician and artist who performs in a renowned theater in Beirut鈥檚 Hamra neighborhood, fled to the city鈥檚 seaside promenade with seven members of his family after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for four targets in central Beirut, including one close to his area.
鈥淭his is the first time this area in Ras Beirut, Hamra, has received such a threat. This neighborhood has historically been a refuge for everyone,鈥� Khateeb told The Associated Press.
Outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Hamra, dozens of people sought refuge, hoping the hospital would not be targeted. Among them was Rima Abdkhaluk, who sat on a sidewalk with a backpack at her side.
鈥淚 was at home having lunch when I received a call from (relatives) in Syria telling me they were about to hit Hamra,鈥� she said.
She quickly packed her belongings and left with her mother. She convinced the hospital鈥檚 staff to allow her mother inside while she waited outside on a piece of cardboard.
Israeli jets struck Beirut鈥檚 Mar Elias neighborhood as Abdkhaluk was speaking to The Associated Press. She held her hands tightly together and prayed. 鈥淚 just need to see where they hit,鈥� she started saying frantically.
Asked about the expected ceasefire, Abdkhaluk was skeptical. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe it. Israel can鈥檛 be trusted.鈥�
Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least 42 people in the final day before a ceasefire with Hezbollah
BEIRUT 鈥� The Health Ministry in Lebanon says 18 more people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes across the country, bringing the total death toll on Tuesday to at least 42 people.
Eleven people were killed by Israeli bombing in eastern Lebanon, four were killed by strikes on border crossings between northern Lebanon and Syria, and three people were killed in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said early Wednesday.
In the hours before a ceasefire with Hezbollah was to take effect, Israel launched its most intense wave of strikes on the capital Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict. Strikes have targeted what Israel said were Hezbollah-related targets in several other parts of the country as well.
Israel鈥檚 military issued a record number of evacuation warnings in Beirut, sending people fleeing from their homes.
Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens across the country鈥檚 north.
UN chief welcomes ceasefire in Lebanon
UNITED NATIONS 鈥� The United Nations chief welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, and hopes it can end the violence and suffering of people in both countries, the U.N. spokesman says.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Hezbollah to swiftly implement all commitments under the agreement, and take immediate steps toward fully implementing the 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said late Tuesday.
Resolution 1701 called for the deployment of Lebanese forces throughout the south, which borders Israel and is now mainly controlled by Hezbollah, and it calls for all armed groups including Hezbollah to be disarmed. Neither has happened in the past 17 years.
Dujarric said U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon 鈥渂oth stand ready to support the implementation of this agreement, in line with their respective mandates.鈥�
Trump team was kept in the loop as negotiations unfolded, Biden administration official says
WASHINGTON 鈥� President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 senior national security team was briefed by the Biden administration as negotiations unfolded, according to the senior U.S. official.
The official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity in a White House-organized call, added that the incoming Trump administration officials were not directly involved in the talks, but that it was important that the incoming administration knew 鈥渨hat we were negotiating and what the commitments were.鈥�
The official said 鈥渁ll fire will stop from all parties鈥� at 4 a.m. local time. The next step would be what the official described as a 鈥減hased withdrawal鈥� by the Israeli military. As the Israelis pull back, Lebanese national forces will occupy the territories.
The process is slated to finish within 60 days. Lebanese forces is supposed to patrol the area and remove Hezbollah weaponry and infrastructure there.
鈥淗ezbollah is incredibly weak at this moment, both militarily and politically,鈥� the official said. 鈥淎nd this is the opportunity for Lebanon to re-establish its sovereignty over its territory.鈥�
The official said the ceasefire agreement will strengthen what鈥檚 known as the 鈥渢ripartite mechanism鈥� by including the United States and France. The goal is to address violations of the ceasefire without a return to hostilities.
Top UN envoy for Lebanon welcomes Lebanon ceasefire
UNITED NATIONS 鈥� The top U.N. envoy for Lebanon welcomed the ceasefire announcement and urged Israel and Hezbollah militants to take concrete actions to fully implement the 2006 agreement that ended their last war.
U.N. Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the agreement 鈥渕arks the starting point of a critical process鈥� that must see both sides fully implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.
It called for the deployment of Lebanese armed forces in the south bordering Israel and the disarmament of all armed groups including Hezbollah 鈥� neither of which has happened in the past 17 years.
鈥淣othing less than the full and unwavering commitment of both parties is required,鈥� Hennis-Plasschaert said. 鈥淣either side can afford another period of disingenuous implementation under the guise of ostensible calm.鈥�
She commended the parties for 鈥渟eizing the opportunity to close this devastating chapter,鈥� stressing that 鈥淣ow is the time to deliver, through concrete actions, to consolidate today鈥檚 achievement.鈥�
Palestinian president urges action to halt the war in Gaza
UNITED NATIONS 鈥� Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is calling for urgent international intervention to stop what he described as 鈥渁n ongoing genocidal war鈥� in Gaza.
Abbas heads the Palestinian Authority which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but not Gaza, which has been controlled by Hamas. The U.S. and others want a reinvigorated Palestinian Authority to run Gaza when the war ends.
In a speech on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Abbas accused Israel of repeating what happened to the Palestinians in 1948 and 1967 鈥� displacing them and seizing their land and resources.
Abbas demanded to know how long the world will remain silent and refuse to compel Israel to abide by international law. The speech to U.N. member nations was read by Palestinian U.N. ambassador Riyad Mansour.
鈥淭he only way to halt the halt the dangerous escalation we are witnessing in the region, and maintain regional and international stability, security and peace, is to resolve the question of Palestine,鈥� Abbas' speech said. This must be done in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions which call for a two-state solution, he said.
Lebanon鈥檚 prime minister welcomes Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
BEIRUT -- Lebanon鈥檚 Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah, describing it as a crucial step toward stability, the return of displaced people to their homes and regional calm.
Mikati made these comments in a statement issued just after U.S. President Joe announced the truce deal.
Mikati said he discussed the ceasefire agreement with Biden by phone earlier Tuesday.
The prime minister reaffirmed Lebanon鈥檚 commitment to implementing U.N. resolution 1701, strengthening the Lebanese army鈥檚 presence in the south, and cooperating with the U.N. peacekeeping force. He also called on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and withdraw from southern Lebanon in accordance the U.N. resolution.
Netanyahu鈥檚 office says his security Cabinet has approved ceasefire deal with Hezbollah
JERUSALEM 鈥� Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 security Cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, clearing the way for the truce to take effect.
Netanyahu鈥檚 office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin. The late-night vote came shortly before President Joe Biden was expected to announced details of the deal in Washington.
Earlier, Netanyahu defended the ceasefire, saying Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah and could now focus its efforts on Hamas militants in Gaza and his top security concern, Iran. Netanyahu vowed to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the expected deal.
Trump's pick for key adviser credits the president-elect with helping cement Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
WASHINGTON 鈥� Rep. Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 designate to be national security adviser, credited Trump鈥檚 victory with helping bring the parties together toward a ceasefire in Lebanon.
鈥淓veryone is coming to the table because of President Trump,鈥� he said in a post on X on Tuesday. 鈥淗is resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won鈥檛 be tolerated. I鈥檓 glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.鈥�
He added: 鈥淏ut let鈥檚 be clear: The Iran Regime is the root cause of the chaos & terror that has been unleashed across the region. We will not tolerate the status quo of their support for terrorism.鈥�
Israel airstrikes keep pounding Lebanese capital in the war's biggest wave of attacks
BEIRUT 鈥� Israeli jets targeted a building in a bustling commercial area of Beirut for the first time since the start of the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. The strike on Hamra is around 400 meters (yards) from the country鈥檚 central bank. A separate strike hit the Mar Elias neighborhood in the country鈥檚 capital Tuesday.
There was no immediate word on casualties from either strike, part of the biggest wave of attacks on the capital since the war started. Residents in central Beirut were seen fleeing after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for four targets in the city.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on at least 30 targets in Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs Tuesday, including two strikes in the Jnah neighborhood near the Kuwaiti Embassy. Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry reported that 13 people were injured in the strikes on the southern suburbs.
Hezbollah official says the group hasn't seen a final ceasefire agreement
BEIRUT 鈥� Hezbollah has said it accepts the ceasefire proposal with Israel, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form.
鈥淎fter reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,鈥� Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah鈥檚 political council, told the Al Jazeera news network.
鈥淲e want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.鈥� of Lebanon, he said. 鈥淎ny violation of sovereignty is refused.鈥�
Among the issues that may remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu recommends his Cabinet approve a Hezbollah cease-fire proposal
JERUSALEM 鈥� Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would recommend his Cabinet adopt a United States-brokered with Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people.
The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings 鈥� a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon鈥檚 Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal.
In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting.
Netanyahu said the vote was expected later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel鈥檚 war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon鈥檚 south and east kill at least 13 people
BEIRUT 鈥� Lebanon鈥檚 state media said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 10 people in Baalbek province the country鈥檚 east.
At least three people were killed in the southern city of Tyre when Israel bombed a Palestinian refugee camp, said Mohammed Bikai, a representative of the Fatah group in the area. He said several more people were missing and at least three children were among the wounded.
He said the sites struck inside the camp were 鈥渃ompletely civilian places鈥� and included a kitchen that was being used to cook food for displaced people.
Israelis protest for a Gaza hostage release deal
JERUSALEM 鈥� Dozens of Israeli protesters took to a major highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, as the country awaited news of a potential ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
Protesters chanted 鈥淲e are all hostages,鈥� and 鈥淒eal now!鈥� waving signs with faces of some of the roughly 100 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are thought to be dead. Most of the other hostages Hamas captured in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack were released during a ceasefire last year.
The prospect of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon has raised desperation among the relatives of captives still held in Gaza, who once hoped that the release of hostages from Gaza would be included. Instead of a comprehensive deal, the ceasefire on the table is instead narrowly confined to Lebanon.
Dozens of Israelis were also demonstrating against the expected cease-fire, gathering outside Israel鈥檚 military headquarters in central Tel Aviv.
One of the protesters, Yair Ansbacher, says the deal is merely a return to the failed 2006 U.N. resolution that was meant to uproot Hezbollah from the area. 鈥淥f course that didn鈥檛 happen,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his agreement is not worth the paper it is written on.鈥�
G7 leaders endorse Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and insist Israel follow international law
FIUGGI, Italy 鈥� Foreign ministers from the world鈥檚 industrialized countries said Tuesday they strongly supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that Israel comply with international law in its ongoing military operations in the region.
At the end of their two-day summit, the ministers didn鈥檛 refer directly to the International Criminal Court and its recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over .
Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official meeting agenda, even though the G7 was split on the issue. The U.S., Israel鈥檚 closest ally, isn鈥檛 a signatory to the court and has called the warrants 鈥渙utrageous.鈥� However, the EU鈥檚 chief diplomat Josep Borrell said all the other G7 countries were signatories and therefore obliged to respect the warrants.
In the end, the final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, 鈥渕ust fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.鈥�
And it said all G7 members 鈥� Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States 鈥� 鈥渞eiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.鈥� It stressed that 鈥渢here can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel.鈥�
The ICC warrants say there's reason to believe Netanyahu used 鈥渟tarvation as a method of warfare鈥� by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel鈥檚 campaign against Hamas in Gaza 鈥� charges Israeli officials deny.
Israel strikes in central Beirut kill at least 7 people and wound 37
BEIRUT 鈥� An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta 鈥� the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city鈥檚 downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded in Beirut, according to Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry.
It was not immediately clear if anyone in particular was targeted, though Israel says its airstrikes target Hezbollah officials and assets.
The Israeli military spokesman issued a flurry of evacuation warnings for many areas, including areas in Beirut that have not been targeted throughout the war, like the capital鈥檚 commercial Hamra district, where many people displaced by the war have been staying.
The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks in Lebanon during the final hours before a ceasefire is reached, sparked panic and sent residents fleeing in their cars to safer areas.
In areas close to Hamra, families including women and children were seen running away toward the Mediterranean Sea鈥檚 beaches carrying their belongings. Traffic was completely gridlocked as people tried to get away, honking their car horns as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead.
The Israeli military also issued warnings for 20 more buildings in Beirut鈥檚 suburbs to evacuate before they too were struck 鈥� a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah in the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold.
Independent Israeli commission blames Netanyahu and others for October 2023 attack
TEL AVIV, Israel 鈥� The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services.
The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.
The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services 鈥渇ailed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.鈥� It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring 鈥渞epeated warnings鈥� ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for 鈥渦ndermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion鈥� on security issues.
The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army鈥檚 presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means. On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army鈥檚 response was both slow and lacking.
The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack.
Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.
Israeli ground troops in Lebanon reach the Litani River
JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon鈥檚 Litani River 鈥� a focal point of the emerging ceasefire.
In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces.
Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.
The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation.
The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in 鈥渃lose-quarters combat鈥� with Hezbollah forces.
The announcement came hours before Israel鈥檚 security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting.
Israeli airstrikes hit buildings near Beirut airport
BEIRUT 鈥� Israeli jets Tuesday struck at least six buildings in Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs Tuesday, including one that slammed near the country鈥檚 only airport.
Large plumes of smoke could be seen around the airport near the Mediterranean coast, which has despite its location beside the densely populated are based.
The strikes come hours before Israel鈥檚 cabinet was scheduled to meet to discuss a proposal to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The proposal calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from Tuesday鈥檚 airstrikes.
EU top diplomat calls for urgent aid to Gaza
FIUGGI, Italy 鈥� EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded.
鈥淭he two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,鈥� for desperate Palestinians, he said. 鈥淗unger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.鈥�
It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister.
Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court鈥檚 decisions.
Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel鈥檚 closest ally, has called the warrants 鈥渙utrageous.鈥�
Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
鈥淟ike it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,鈥� Borrell said. 鈥淎nd if the Europeans don鈥檛 support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,鈥� he said.
Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded.
鈥淭he two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,鈥� for desperate Palestinians, he said. 鈥淗unger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.鈥�
It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister.
Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court鈥檚 decisions.
Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel鈥檚 closest ally, has called the warrants 鈥渙utrageous.鈥�
Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
鈥淟ike it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,鈥� Borrell said. 鈥淎nd if the Europeans don鈥檛 support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,鈥� he said. (edited)
The Associated Press
