The EU has stood in solidarity with Israel since the start of the war with Hamas, and has been consistent in saying the country has the right to defend itself. But the EU has always said that this has to be done in line with international law, which Israel has been accused of breaching. In July 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advised that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories was unlawful. Then, in October, Israel’s parliament voted to ban the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) from operating in Israel – and therefore Gaza. This ruling will only mean further…
Author: Catherine Gegout, Associate Professor in International Relations, University of Nottingham
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif. The court claims both sides have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes from the day Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 onwards. Although a warrant was issued for Deif, Israel has said he was killed in an air strike in July. But Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this claim. If they were ever to be judged at the ICC, a conviction is conceivable. The charges of the court against Netanyahu are severe.…