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Palestinian U.N. ambassador Riyad Mansour was moved to tears Feb. 19 during the ICJ’s hearing on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. (Video: Reuters)

Middle East conflict live updates Palestinian U.N. envoy urges ICJ to rule Israeli occupation illegal

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The International Court of Justice on Monday began six days of public hearings into Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, in proceedings that could intensify international pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Gaza. In his remarks, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, choked back tears as he called on the court to rule that Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories is illegal, a finding that he said would contribute to “paving the way to just and lasting peace.” Israel will not attend the hearings, and the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that it does not recognize the discussion’s legitimacy.

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The Gaza Health Ministry accused Israel of turning Nasser Hospital into a “military barracks,” and endangering lives amid a days-long raid that Israel has described as a “precise and targeted” effort aimed at finding hostages and taking out militants. The World Health Organization on Sunday said the hospital is “not functional anymore,” and Gaza officials said eight patients have died of lack of oxygen during power outages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday responded to what he called international pressure “to force upon us a Palestinian state,” which he said would endanger the existence of Israel. The Biden administration and a group of Middle East partners are working on a peace plan, including a firm timeline for Palestinian statehood, The Washington Post reported last week.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed strikes on two warehouse sites in southern Lebanon on Monday that targeted what they called “Hezbollah weapons storage facilities.” Mohammad Layla, who said he owns one of the warehouses, told local TV station Al Jadeed that the building housed an electricity generator company.
At least 29,092 people have been killed in Gaza and 69,028 injured since the war began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 237 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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The Gaza Health Ministry accused Israel of turning Nasser Hospital into a “military barracks,” and endangering lives amid a days-long raid that Israel has described as a “precise and targeted” effort aimed at finding hostages and taking out militants. The World Health Organization on Sunday said the hospital is “not functional anymore,” and Gaza officials said eight patients have died of lack of oxygen during power outages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday responded to what he called international pressure “to force upon us a Palestinian state,” which he said would endanger the existence of Israel. The Biden administration and a group of Middle East partners are working on a peace plan, including a firm timeline for Palestinian statehood, The Washington Post reported last week.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed strikes on two warehouse sites in southern Lebanon on Monday that targeted what they called “Hezbollah weapons storage facilities.” Mohammad Layla, who said he owns one of the warehouses, told local TV station Al Jadeed that the building housed an electricity generator company.
At least 29,092 people have been killed in Gaza and 69,028 injured since the war began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 237 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: Footage and satellite imagery show that Egypt is clearing off, and building a wall around a plot of land along its border with the Gaza Strip, amid fears of an Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Many Gazans are attempting to flee Rafah where about 1.4 million people are sheltering.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn it would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.