US risks being held responsible for war crimes in Gaza, warns HRW | Live

Netanyahu 'offended' France, must stop 'murderous headlong rush' into Gaza, Macron says

France's President Emmanuel Macron considers that the "accusations of inaction" made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu towards France in the fight against anti-Semitism constitute an "offense" for the country "as a whole" and urges the Israeli Prime Minister to get out of his "murderous headlong rush" in Gaza, in a letter made public on Tuesday by the daily Le Monde.

Catholic and Orthodox priests and nuns intend to remain in Gaza City, where the Israeli army has tightened its grip in recent days in preparation for an announced offensive, the two religious communities have announced.

“We do not know exactly what will happen there, not only for our community, but for the entire population,” the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a joint statement.

But “leaving Gaza City and attempting to flee south would be tantamount to a death sentence,” and “that is why the priests and nuns have decided to stay and continue to care for all those who remain in the parish compounds,” they said.

Update on the situation in south Lebanon:

An Israeli drone targeted a farmer in Mais al-Jabal, without injuring him, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters, Hussein Ahmad Bdah, who was killed yesterday in the strike on the road to Tibnin.

At least 14 Palestinians were injured on Tuesday during an Israeli military operation in the center of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The medical organization said it treated 14 wounded people (seven by bullets, four by rubber bullets and three by bullet fragments), as well as five people suffering from gas inhalation, including two pregnant women.

Israeli soldiers were deployed in downtown Ramallah, mainly around al-Manara Square, near the market, and some soldiers were seen positioned high up in buildings in the same neighborhoods, an AFP journalist on the scene reported.

The Israeli army confirmed to AFP that an operation was underway, without giving further details about its purpose.

Iran has stated that it is “negotiating with all its might” to prevent Europeans from triggering the mechanism for reinstating international sanctions (known as “snapback”) provided for in the 2015 nuclear agreement this fall.

“Our priority is to prevent any action or incident that could cost the country dearly,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing ahead of talks scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva with Britain, France and Germany.

Qatar said it is still waiting for a response from Israel to a cease-fire proposal in Gaza, presented by mediators and approved by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

“We are still waiting for a response. And the statements we are hearing at the moment do not give us confidence that, if there were a commitment, it would be positive,” said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari at a press conference.

The humanitarian aid that Israeli authorities are allowing into war-torn Gaza remains “a drop in the ocean,” Carl Skau, head of the World Food Program (WFP), told AFP on Tuesday.

On Friday, the U.N. officially declared a famine in Gaza and blamed Israel, which has been stepping up deadly military operations there since the Islamist movement Hamas attacked its territory on Oct. 7, 2023.

A man was killed in an Israeli strike on a village in southern Syria, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported on Tuesday, following an Israeli incursion into the region that Damascus condemned.

Since an Islamist coalition overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on the country with which it is technically at war, while initiating dialogue with the new authorities.

According to SANA, “a young man was killed by an Israeli bombing raid on a house in the village of Tarnaja” on the Syrian Golan Heights, part of which is occupied and annexed by Israel.

Israel: Protesters demand agreement on hostages ahead of government meeting

Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic on the outskirts of Tel Aviv early this morning to demand an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for this evening.

At the northern entrance to the coastal city, an AFP photographer saw around 400 people stopping cars, waving Israeli flags and photos of the hostages.

Other protesters gathered near a local branch of the U.S. embassy, as well as outside the homes of several ministers across the country, according to an AFP journalist and Israeli media reports.

Gaza: Norwegian sovereign wealth fund divests from Caterpillar over 'human rights violations'

The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the richest in the world, announced yesterday that it had sold its shares in the U.S. construction equipment group Caterpillar, citing human rights violations in Gaza.

“There is no doubt that Caterpillar products are being used to commit widespread and systematic violations of international humanitarian law” in the territory, which has been at war for nearly two years, the fund said in a statement.

'Naim Qassem and Hezbollah do not represent the Lebanese people,' Ortagus says in Beirut

Arriving in Beirut on Monday evening on the eve of a new round of talks with Lebanese authorities, U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said that Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and his party “do not represent the Lebanese people.”

US risks being held responsible for war crimes in Gaza, warns HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that U.S. military and intelligence personnel assisting Israeli forces in Gaza could be held legally responsible for war crimes.

The organization said Washington's involvement in operations, including providing intelligence for Israeli attacks and planning with Israeli forces, has made the U.S. a party to the war since October 2023.

“The direct participation of the United States in military operations with Israeli forces means that, under international law, the United States has been and currently is a party to the armed conflict in Gaza,” said Sarah Yager, director of HRW in Washington. “U.S. military and intelligence personnel, as well as contractors assisting Israeli forces committing war crimes, could at some point find themselves facing criminal prosecution for atrocities in Gaza.”

U.S. officials have acknowledged providing Israel with actionable intelligence for strikes and ensuring close coordination in targeting Hamas leaders. The Trump administration also stepped up its support by approving the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs that President Joe Biden had previously withheld.

Congressman Benny Gantz joined a demonstration for the hostages at the Sha'ar HaNegev junction in southern Israel, where around 200 people are protesting.

Israeli security cabinet to meet on Tuesday

The Israeli security cabinet will meet tonight in Jerusalem, a spokesperson for the prime minister announced on Monday, with local media reporting that it is expected to discuss a possible resumption of negotiations for a truce in Gaza.

Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Israeli army's extensive destruction of civilian property in south Lebanon, including after a cease-fire with Hezbollah, should be investigated as a war crime.

The Nov. 27 truce largely ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops and conducted a major bombing campaign.

"The Israeli military's extensive and deliberate destruction of civilian property and agricultural land across southern Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes," Amnesty said in a statement.

The rights group's Erika Guevara Rosas said in the statement that the destruction had "rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives."

More details here.

Read our ☀️ Morning Brief ☀️ to know what happened yesterday and what to expect today.

Good morning! We are now launching our live coverage of events in the Middle East: in Gaza, where the Israeli army continues its bloody offensive and prepares to occupy the main city; in Lebanon, where Israel continues its bombings and targeted strikes, as well as in Iran and Syria.