Israel-Hamas war: Israel to expand Rafah military operation

• Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that expanding the ground operation in Rafah was 'Israel's duty'
• ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants against Israel's Gallant and Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas' leaders Haniyeh and Sinwar
• Israeli forces have continued to pound Gaza, with the Hamas-run health authorities saying the death toll is at 35,562 Palestinians

Here are the latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war and the wider Middle East region on May 20:  

05/20/2024May 20, 2024

ICC prosecutor seeks warrant against Israel's Netanyahu, Hamas leaders

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for three top Hamas leaders as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said in a statement on Monday.

The warrants, announced by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, would target Hamas political head Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, who is in charge of Hamas' armed wing the Qassam Brigades. 

Khan is also seeking a warrant for Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The arrest warrants are sought over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and Gaza.

A senior Hamas official condemned the ICC's decision in statements to the Reuters news agency, saying it "equates the victim with the executioner." Sami Abu Zuhri added that it encourages Israel to continue its "war of extermination" in Gaza.

Benny Gantz, a former military chief and member of Israel's War Cabinet with Netanyahu and Gallant, also harshly criticized Khan's announcement/ He said Israel fights with "one of the strictest" moral codes and has a robust judiciary capable of investigating itself.

The prosecutor must request the warrants from a pre-trial panel of three judges, who take on average two months to consider the evidence and determine if the proceedings can move forward.

05/20/2024May 20, 2024

4 Hezbollah fighters reportedly killed in southern Lebanon

Israel has announced it is carrying out airstrikes on two areas in southern Lebanon, targeting members of the militant Hezbollah group, while media outlets have said four Hezbollah members were killed.

Hezbollah confirmed the death of at least three of its members in separate statements on Monday. Both the German DPA news agency and the French AFP news agency, meanwhile, cited a death toll of four.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its air force identified a Hezbollah "terrorist cell" in southern Lebanon's Mays al Jabal area, as well as a munition warehouse and a Hezbollah military structure in the Naqoura area.

Confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah have occurred regularly on the border between Israel and Lebanon since the October 7 terror attacks.

Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.

05/20/2024May 20, 2024

Israel to broaden Rafah operation, Gallant tells Sullivan

Israel's military plans to expand its ground operation in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday.

Sullivan was in Tel Aviv, where he also discussed postwar plans for the Gaza enclave.

"I emphasized to him [Sullivan] Israel's duty to expand the ground operation in Rafah, to dismantle Hamas and to return the hostages," Gallant said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Israel's long anticipated operation in Rafah has been rejected by several of the country's allies, including the US. Israel insists the operation is necessary to eliminate Hamas, alleging the border city is the militant group's last stronghold in Gaza.

Rafah is currently home to some 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom had fled to the city during the past seven months of war. It also lies on the border with Egypt.

Two weeks ago, Israel ordered Palestinian civilians to evacuate parts of the city and began troop and tank incursions. However, Israel said at the time the operation was "limited."

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the EU, the US and several other countries.

rt/wd (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)