Western foreign ministers denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza aid seekers
A group of over two dozen mostly European foreign ministers denounced Israeli attacks on Palestinian aid seekers in a joint statement condemning the 'drip feeding' of aid and saying 'the war in Gaza must end now.'
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Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Belgium refers war crimes complaint against Israeli soldiers to ICC
Belgian prosecutors have referred a war crimes complaint against two Israeli soldiers to the International Criminal Court (ICC), following allegations that they participated in atrocities in Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation, which filed the complaint alongside the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), confirmed that the Belgian Federal Prosecutor has decided to forward the case to the ICC. The foundation said the decision was made in accordance with Belgium's obligations under international law. 'The International Criminal Court is currently investigating possible serious violations of humanitarian law in the Palestinian territories,' the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said, according to Belgium's Belga news agency. The complaint centres on two Israeli soldiers, allegedly members of the Givati Brigade. They were seen waving their military unit's flag during the performance of an Israeli DJ at the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium. Following the complaint, Belgian police were instructed to identify, arrest and interrogate the two soldiers, before they were later released. Legal group pushes for stronger action The Hind Rajab Foundation, based in Belgium, is named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli fire in Gaza City earlier in the war. Since its formation in 2023, the group has filed dozens of complaints across more than 10 countries targeting Israeli military personnel. While the foundation welcomed the referral to the ICC with 'cautious encouragement', it criticised Belgian authorities for not taking stronger action. 'In our view, the suspects should not only have been arrested, but also detained and either prosecuted in Belgium or extradited to the ICC,' the foundation said in a statement. 'Releasing individuals credibly accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity not only undermines public trust in justice,' the group added, 'but risks reinforcing a sense of impunity and may enable those individuals to commit further atrocities.' The foundation called the referral 'a strategic pivot to the international level', and urged the ICC to act swiftly. 'Every day of inaction by international institutions is a day of continued suffering and unaccountability,' it said. 'Let it be clear: this case sets a legal and moral precedent. Israeli military personnel, no matter where they travel, are not beyond the reach of justice.' Israel summons Belgian diplomat On Tuesday, the Israeli government reportedly summoned a Belgian diplomat in protest over the arrests. The row between the two nations comes amid growing international concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and Israel's ongoing war against the Palestinian people. Earlier on Wednesday, Belgium announced it would send a military aircraft with food and medical supplies destined for Gaza to Jordan, while the country also joined 27 others in signing a declaration calling for an immediate ceasefire. However, Belgium itself is facing legal pressure for allegedly failing to act against Israeli crimes in Gaza. On July 7, the Belgian state was formally summoned to appear before the French-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels, where the claimants accuse the country of inaction and failing to meet its international obligations. They allege Belgium should take urgent steps including banning arms transport to Israel via Belgian territory, halting trade with Israeli settlements, suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, freezing Israeli leaders' assets, and ending institutional cooperation with Israel.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Hezbollah rejects calls to disarm, says demands serve Israel
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has said that calls for the Lebanese group's disarmament serve only Israel, amid pressure from the United States for Beirut to take such steps. 'Those who call for submitting arms practically demand submitting them to Israel … We will not submit to Israel,' Qassem said on Wednesday in a televised address marking the first anniversary of the targeted killing by Israel of senior commander Fuad Shukr. Hezbollah emerged weakened from a war with Israel last year that eliminated most of the group's leadership, killed thousands of its fighters and left tens of thousands of its supporters displaced from their destroyed homes. Sources told Reuters that the US is pushing Lebanon to issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm Hezbollah, saying that is needed before talks can resume on a halt to Israeli military operations in the country – which are still taking place despite a ceasefire agreed upon in November last year. Under the truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties to its south. Hezbollah has publicly refused to hand over its arsenal in full, but has privately weighed scaling it back. 'Those who call for disarmament on a domestic, global or Arab level serve the Israeli project,' Qassem said. He also said the US was demanding a removal of Hezbollah's missiles and drones because they 'scare' Israel, accusing US special envoy Tom Barrack of calling for disarmament for the sake of Israel and not Lebanon's own security. 'Israel will not be able to defeat us, and it will not be able to take Lebanon hostage,' he added. 'Israeli aggression … must stop' In early July, Barrack met Lebanese officials in Beirut to discuss the disarmament proposal. It would see Hezbollah fully disarmed within four months in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying several posts in south Lebanon and a halt to Israeli air strikes that have so far killed thousands of Lebanese nationals. Hezbollah has been under pressure in recent months both within Lebanon and from Washington to completely relinquish its weaponry. In his speech, Qassem said he considered the ceasefire agreement to apply 'exclusively south of the Litani River'. 'However, if some link weapons to the agreement, I say to them, 'Weapons are an internal Lebanese affair that has nothing to do… with the Israeli enemy'.' Under the truce deal, Israel was supposed to have withdrawn all of its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five areas it deems strategic. 'The imminent danger is the Israeli aggression … this aggression must stop,' Qassem said, referring to ongoing Israeli attacks targeting various parts of Lebanon. 'All political discourse in the country must be directed towards stopping the aggression, not towards handing over weapons to Israel.' A Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that 'Lebanese authorities are currently under international and regional pressure, with demands that they formally commit to disarming Hezbollah in a cabinet meeting'. Lebanon's demand that Israel complete its withdrawal before Hezbollah is disarmed was rejected by the US, a Lebanese source with knowledge of the matter told AFP. Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called a cabinet meeting for next week to discuss 'the extension of state sovereignty over all its territories exclusively by its own forces'. Leaders who took office after the year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have promised a state monopoly on bearing arms. The meeting will reportedly also focus on 'arrangements for the ceasefire … which include ideas from ambassador Barrack's proposal regarding its implementation'. Hezbollah insists Israel must halt its strikes and withdraw from the remaining positions it holds in the south before it will discuss the future of its weapons.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Leader of Israeli Knesset taunts UK, France over Palestinian state
Leader of Israeli Knesset taunts UK, France over Palestinian state NewsFeed The speaker of Israel's Knesset told the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Geneva that Europe is becoming 'more and more similar to the Middle East' and London or Paris should therefore be the site of a Palestinian state. France recently announced it would recognise the state of Palestine, and the UK is considering doing the same. Video Duration 00 minutes 39 seconds 00:39 Video Duration 01 minutes 11 seconds 01:11 Video Duration 02 minutes 57 seconds 02:57 Video Duration 01 minutes 35 seconds 01:35 Video Duration 01 minutes 58 seconds 01:58 Video Duration 03 minutes 14 seconds 03:14 Video Duration 02 minutes 34 seconds 02:34
