Israeli forces conducted a raid against a Hamas compound in Gaza, uncovering a tunnel and a cache of weapons and explosives. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage and images from the operation, which targeted a building used by Hamas troops to fire on Israeli forces. The IDF soldiers eliminated “dozens” of Hamas terrorists during the operation. The soldiers discovered a weapons warehouse containing short-range anti-tank missiles, grenades, weapons, and explosives in a tunnel shaft, which was intended for terrorist attacks against Israeli forces. This warehouse was destroyed as part of the operation.
The raid in Rafah, the last major stronghold for Hamas in Gaza, was part of Israel’s ongoing precision strikes in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for a full-scale invasion of the city, but the U.S. opposed the plan and threatened to withhold military aid from Israel if Netanyahu proceeded with the invasion. Netanyahu complied with the U.S.’s demands and limited the IDF to operations like the one conducted on Tuesday. Despite these limitations, the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and other Hamas leaders.
President Biden supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and condemned the ICC’s move to request arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials criticized the decision as disgraceful and antisemitic. The ICC panel of three judges is currently deciding whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow the case to proceed. It typically takes two months for the judges to make such decisions. The U.S. has continued to pressure Israel to exercise restraint and avoid a full-scale invasion of Rafah.
The IDF’s raid in Gaza targeted a building used by Hamas to launch attacks on Israeli forces. The soldiers discovered a tunnel shaft containing a weapons warehouse intended for terrorist attacks against Israeli forces. This operation was part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to conduct precision strikes in Rafah, the last major stronghold for Hamas in Gaza. Despite calls from Prime Minister Netanyahu for a full-scale invasion of the city, the U.S. opposed the plan and threatened to withhold military aid from Israel if Netanyahu proceeded. The ICC is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Sinwar, and other Hamas leaders, which has been criticized by Israeli officials as antisemitic.
President Biden supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and condemned the ICC’s request for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. The ICC panel of three judges is currently deciding whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow the case to proceed, a process that typically takes two months. The U.S. has continued to pressure Israel to exercise restraint and avoid a full-scale invasion of Rafah, limiting the IDF to operations like the one conducted on Tuesday. Israeli officials have criticized the ICC’s move, while maintaining their commitment to defending against attacks from Hamas in Gaza.
