This morning, the International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced his intent to seek the arrest of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The charges are baseless, morally bankrupt, and illegitimate.
Khan also announced his intent to bring charges against Hamas leaders, outrageously drawing a moral equivalency between Israeli leaders and barbaric terrorists.
The administration and congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle issued strong condemnations, as did Israeli leaders across the political spectrum.
President Biden: "The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken: "We reject the Prosecutor’s equivalence of Israel with Hamas. It is shameful. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "The prosecutor’s absurd charges against me and Israel’s defense minister are merely an attempt to deny Israel the basic right of self-defense. And I assure you of one thing: This attempt will utterly fail."
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid: "The ICC arrest warrants are a complete moral failure, we cannot accept the outrageous comparison between Netanyahu and Sinwar, between the leaders of Israel and the leaders of Hamas."
Click here to read an AIPAC memo distributed to Capitol Hill offices this afternoon, detailing these baseless charges and what Congress and the administration must do moving forward.
Urge Congress to Condemn the ICC’s Latest Anti-Israel Attack
Urge your elected officials to publicly condemn this outrageous attempt to isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state.
Israel safely evacuates 950,000 civilians out of Rafah
Israel is working to evacuate civilians out of the last Hamas stronghold of Rafah, ahead of additional operations to root out the terror group in the area and free the hostages.
Nearly one million civilians have now moved out of the city and relocated to a humanitarian safe zone in just two weeks.
Israel has located dozens of tunnel shafts and "a number of significant underground routes" in the eastern Rafah area. The IDF estimates that Hamas can launch rocket attacks on central Israel with its remaining stockpile in Rafah.
Israeli troops continue to operate against Hamas in the eastern part of the city. In a recent airstrike, the IDF eliminated a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and three other terrorists in the area.
72% of Americans stand with Israel and support an IDF operation in Rafah to destroy Hamas.
Israel sends another 402 trucks of aid into Gaza
Israel continues to surge aid into the Gaza Strip.
Today, the IDF secured and transferred 402 aid trucks through multiple routes, including the Kerem Shalom and Erez Crossings.
Over 1,000 aid trucks entered Gaza last week alone, along with over 42,000 gallons of fuel.
IDF strikes 80 Hamas targets in the last 24 hours
The IDF struck 80 more Hamas targets across Gaza in the last day, including weapon depots, rocket launchers, and buildings used to attack troops, along with cells of Hamas terrorists.
In Jabaliya, Israeli troops raided Hamas sites, uncovered weapons, and fought in close-quarter combat against Hamas terrorists. Soldiers also located a cache of weapons at an UNRWA complex, the U.N. agency exposed for employing Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.
The IDF announced today that the bodies of the four Israeli hostages rescued in recent days were discovered in Hamas tunnels in Jabaliya.
The bodies of Ron Benjamin, Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk were found hidden inside the tunnel, and the area surrounding it was guarded by Hamas. In an alley close to the tunnel shaft, terrorists had planted a large explosive device, which was disarmed by troops.
Israeli schoolchildren in Sderot take cover under desks during rocket fire
Students at the Bereshit elementary school in Sderot were forced to take shelter under their school desks as rocket sirens blared and terrorists launched rockets toward them from Gaza.
Multiple rockets were launched into southern Israel this morning at Sderot and the surrounding area, falling in open areas.
In this video, students sing a prayer for the protection of IDF soldiers and all who safeguard the Jewish state.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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