The Biden administration said Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international law, but specific instances could not be confirmed due to wartime conditions. There has been widespread concerns over Israel's indiscriminate use of weapons for causing "excessive" civilian harm.
The UN voted overwhelmingly on granting additional Palestinian rights on Friday, with 143 members in favour, nine against and 25 abstaining. Israel's act of protest was intended to show a mirror that the UN was destroying the principles inscribed in its own Charter.
The Israeli military's remarks came as Joe Biden threatened not to supply offensive weapons to Israel for their use in an all-out assault on Rafah, the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza.
President Biden's decision to withhold offensive weapons followed escalating tensions and calls for restraint amid the ongoing conflict. Netanyahu's statement underscored Israel's commitment to defending its interests regardless of external factors.
Biden's remarks mark the strong public warning of Israel as the US seeks to deter an Israeli assault on Rafah that has led to a rift between the two close allies. This came after the US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns of an invasion in the southern Gaza city.
The United States has halted a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel, a US official said, as Washington puts pressure on its ally to avoid a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip's crowded southern city of Rafah and give more time for ceasefire talks.
The Israel military announced late Monday that it carried out "targeted strikes" in Rafah, despite intense international alarm, which killed 20 Hamas militants. Hours after the evacuation of Rafah was announced, Hamas approved a ceasefire proposed by Egypt and Qatar.
Israel's attack on Rafah, which has attracted international criticism, has already claimed the lives of five Palestinians. Meanwhile, Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal by Egypt and Qatar that has increased the chances of a brief pause in the seven-month-long war.
Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, have repeatedly said that Israel shouldn’t attack Rafah. The looming operation has raised global alarm over the fate of around 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
Smoke could be seen rising from Rafah Monday afternoon, although the cause was unclear. This came after the Israeli army ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating.
Some Palestinian families were leaving areas east of Rafah on Monday after receiving evacuation orders from the Israeli military, witnesses in the city on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt confirmed.
Hamas had claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on the Kerem Shalom border crossing in which three Israeli soldiers were killed. The Jewish country launched a counter-attack on Rafah.
The statement from Netanyahu’s office said that under a law passed last month, the government can take action against a foreign channel seen as “harming the country.”
Some reports indicate that there has been some progress in negotiating a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the latter demanding a complete withdrawal of troops. However, an Israeli official has downplayed such reports, saying Israel will not end the war until Hamas is eliminated.
A security expert has revealed that Israel had shared crucial intelligence input that there was a threat to the life to Rajiv Gandhi. The intelligence contained transcripts which said that the 'Godman' had made the payment.
The protests began at Columbia University on April 17 with students calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, which quickly spread to other colleges. The students have demanded their universities to cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling the conflict in Gaza.
The decision follows remarks by Israel's foreign minister, who accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of violating agreements by obstructing Israeli imports and exports from ports.
Joe Biden said that freedom of speech and the rule of law must be respected in protests at college campuses over the war in Gaza.
A deal proposed by Egypt suggested the release of 33 hostages in exchange for 600 Palestinian prisoners and a pause in fighting. However, Israel has pledged to attack the Rafah city "with or without" a deal, further raising global alarm.
Colombia follows in the footsteps of its neighbour Bolivia, which broke diplomatic ties with Israel in October last year following the deadly assault in Gaza. Several countries in Latin America have criticised Israel's offensive and called for an immediate ceasefire.
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