In Gaza: ICC Decisions Have No Impact, Bombs Are Present

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With the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and his former Defense Minister, Palestinians breathed a sigh of relief, hoping for immediate positive outcomes.

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However, these hopes were dashed by Israel’s continued assault on Gaza, sparing no part of the Palestinian enclave. Strikes hit both the north and south, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Medics reported that eight people were killed in an airstrike targeting a house in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, in the northern part of the strip. Three others were killed near a bakery, a fisherman was killed on his way to the sea, and nine individuals were killed in three airstrikes in central and southern Gaza.

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Israeli Incursion

At the same time, Israeli forces advanced further into northern Gaza, intensifying bombardments as part of a major offensive launched early last month.

While the Israeli military claims its aim is to prevent Hamas fighters from launching attacks and regrouping, residents fear the objective is to permanently clear parts of Gaza to create a buffer zone, a claim Israel denies.

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Residents of the three besieged northern towns – Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun – reported that Israeli forces had demolished dozens of homes.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health stated in a press release that an Israeli airstrike targeted Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, one of the three barely functional medical facilities in the region. Six medical workers were injured, some critically.

Human casualties were accompanied by material losses, including the destruction of the hospital’s main generator and the puncturing of water tanks, leaving the facility without oxygen or water. This situation poses severe risks to the lives of 80 patients and eight individuals in intensive care, the statement said.

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Limited Impact

Gaza residents viewed the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for two Israeli leaders for war crimes as international acknowledgment of the territory’s suffering. Yet, those queuing for bread at a bakery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, doubted any real impact.

“This decision will never be implemented because Israel is protected by the U.S., which has veto power over everything,” said Saber Abu Ghaly while waiting his turn. “Israel will never be held accountable,” he added.

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Said Abu Youssef, 75, noted that even if justice is achieved, it will come decades too late. “The ICC has delayed far too long. For over 76 years, we’ve heard these decisions, but they are never implemented or make any difference to us,” he said.

Palestinian health officials reported that approximately 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, with much of the enclave reduced to rubble.

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The ICC Rulings

ICC prosecutors stated that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Netanyahu and Galant are criminally responsible for acts such as murder, persecution, and using starvation as a weapon of war as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against Gaza’s civilian population.”

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ military commander, whom Israel claims to have killed in an airstrike in July. However, Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied his death.

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Israel claims Hamas is responsible for all civilian harm in Gaza due to its fighters being embedded among them, a claim Hamas denies.

Israeli politicians across the political spectrum condemned the arrest warrants, calling them biased and based on false evidence. Israel argues that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over war-related cases. Meanwhile, Hamas praised the warrants as a preliminary step toward achieving justice.

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