Israel will likely restrict plans to attack Rafah in the Gaza war

Updated from May 22, 7:29 a.m: The discussion about the planned attack on Rafah is supposed to be “constructive.” According to a US government official, Israel has now taken US concerns into account. The senior government official, who requested to remain anonymous, said the Israelis have updated their plans France Press agency. It is a discussion that will continue and is “constructive.”

What matters is what actually happens. The American official said: “We do not give the green light to Israeli operations, as this is not our mission.”

Update from May 21, 9:40 p.m.: Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has criticized the request made by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, to issue arrest warrants against the top Israeli government. Meanwhile, Khan also applied for arrest warrants against the Hamas leadership. „To be honest, I don’t really understand that these two disparate issues are being brought together in one file,” Pistorius said on Tuesday during a visit to Lithuania. „This is a decision we must respect. However, I do not think its impact is appropriate.”

Netanyahu disagreement With Gallant – The General talks about an „embarrassing” incident.

Update from May 21, 7:57 p.m.: As the war in Gaza progressed, the rift between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister João Galante became increasingly apparent. Yesterday, Monday, before the International Court of Justice announced the arrest warrant request against Netanyahu, the prime minister reportedly excluded Gallant from a phone conversation with high-ranking military and judicial officials. As reported by the government broadcaster Channel 12. According to the report, Gallant then ordered all participating IDF generals to get out of the line — which they did. One general is said to have later described the incident as „embarrassing”.

Requesting an arrest warrant against Israeli Netanyahu: Schulz protects the high government

Updated from May 21, 4:55 p.m.: In light of the arrest warrant requests against the Hamas leadership and against the senior government in Israel, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) emphasized that the atrocities committed by the terrorists cannot be even remotely compared to Israel’s conduct in the war. “The federal government absolutely rejects any appearance of comparison,” a spokesman for Schultz said. picture.

She added that requests for arrest warrants would be reasonable. Regarding possible arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, Shultz explained: “The federal government has always maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself against deadly attacks by Hamas in accordance with international law. Against this background, the plaintiff’s allegations This is a serious matter and must be proven. Germany assumes that the fact that Israel is a constitutional, democratic state with a strong and independent judiciary is taken into account.”

Khan’s trip cancelled: Requests for arrest warrants continue to draw criticism

Update from May 21, 1:50 p.m.: The US government announced the cancellation of the trip of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan. The visit was scheduled to take place next week. Khan should talk to the Israeli government about the investigation and also listen to their point of view. The Attorney General’s team is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday to prepare for the visit. The Israeli government did not discover that they had not boarded their plane until the requests for arrest warrants were announced on television.

According to the German News Agency, the Criminal Court did not respond to reports about a possible trip to Israel by the Public Prosecutor or his employees. But he stressed that the Attorney General has been trying for three years to improve dialogue with Israel and obtain information.

Director of Public Prosecutions described as 'the great anti-Semite of modern times’: Netanyahu angry after arrest warrant request

Updated from May 21, 11:50 a.m.: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the request to issue an arrest warrant against him by strongly criticizing the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Netanyahu described Karim Khan as “one of the greatest anti-Semites of modern times” because of his request for arrest warrants against him and Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

In a video message Monday evening, Netanyahu said Khan was „wholeheartedly adding fuel to the fires of anti-Semitism raging around the world” and likened him to Nazi executioners. “He now stands shoulder to shoulder with those notorious German judges who took up their robes and defended laws that deprived the Jewish people of their most basic rights and enabled the Nazis to commit the worst crime in history.”

The situation in the Gaza-Israel war remains tense: the Houthis shoot down an American drone

Updated from May 21, 10:15 a.m.: The situation in the Middle East remains tense due to recent developments in Iran. As the funeral and burial ceremonies for Ibrahim Raisi begin, there are frequent reports of small skirmishes in Israel. Now the Houthi rebels from Yemen have announced that they have shot down a US drone. The incident is said to have occurred in the south of the country in Al Bayda Governorate. This was stated by a military spokesman for the group in a television broadcast. The incident could not be independently verified.

Israel kills Hezbollah leader in an air strike

First report from May 21, 8:52 a.m.: TEL AVIV – Since the beginning of the war in Israel, the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has regularly fired rockets into Israel. The Israeli army responds with air strikes and precise strikes on Lebanese territory. The Israeli military reported on Tuesday (May 21) that another airstrike killed another Hezbollah commander.

An Israeli air strike in Lebanon kills a Hezbollah commander

Accordingly, the commander of Hezbollah’s coastal division, Qassem Saqlawi, was killed in a drone strike in the Lebanese Tire region. The Israeli army published a short video clip showing the explosion of Saqlawi’s car. Hezbollah confirmed the killing of its leader.

According to the Israeli army, the slain militia commander was responsible for planning and carrying out “several” rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on Israel. It is believed that the attacks that will come from Lebanon’s southern coastal region are Saqlawi’s responsibility.

Israel Plans Limited attack on Rafah

Meanwhile, the attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip remains the focus of the Israeli army. Consequently Washington PostAccording to author David Ignatius, the Israeli leadership now made a final decision to launch an attack on Rafah.

Israel would not advance into the city with two divisions and launch a large-scale attack as planned, but would instead carry out a limited attack. According to the United States, such an approach would lead to fewer civilian casualties, Ignatius wrote in his blog post. Citing officials from President Joe Biden’s administration, he confirmed that at least 800,000 of the 1.5 million Palestinian refugees in Rafah have left the city.

The Israeli army insists on attacking Rafah: Netanyahu wants to destroy the remaining Hamas brigades

For months, the Israeli army has wanted to carry out a final attack on Rafah. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the last four Hamas brigades are there and must be crushed to achieve “complete victory.” This is one of the war goals that the Israeli government seeks to achieve.

If Netanyahu and the extreme right wing of his government succeed in achieving what they want, military pressure is the only way to return the hostages to Gaza. The measures taken by Israel in the Gaza Strip recently led to tensions with the United States.

Conflict in the Middle East: Interactive maps for Israel war

Our interactive maps of the war in Israel show the locations and course of the conflict. (bb/dpa)