Live: Thousands return home as Lebanon ceasefire takes hold

Our live coverage from Israel's war on Gaza and Lebanon will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are some of the day's key developments:

• Gaza's health ministry said that 71 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 44,056 killed since 7 October 2023

• Additionally, 104,268 people have been wounded since the start of the war

• The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said that, on average, Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian children per week in the occupied West Bank since 7 October 2023

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said that the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for the leader and former defence minister Yoav Gallant is "antisemitic"

• EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the ICC warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant are not political and the court decision should be respected and implemented

• South Africa has hailed the ICC's arrest warrant decision as a "significant step towards justice for crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Palestine"

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "now officially a wanted man", Amnesty International declared, following the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli leader and his former defence minister

• The US has issued a statement rejecting the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant

• Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of at least 3,583 people and injured 15,244 in Lebanon since October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry reported on Thursday

• Among the casualties, 25 deaths were recorded on Wednesday

• The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the recent Israeli air strikes on Palmyra were the most intense by Israeli forces in Syria to date, with the death toll reaching 79

The International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has been repudiated by Republican lawmakers in the US, who have threatened to sanction the court and invoke US law to shield Israeli officials from prosecution.

Within hours of the ICC's announcement, Congressman Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be the next national security advisor, said the court has "no credibility" and that it can "expect a strong response" when the Trump administration comes into office in January 2025.

In response to the ICC, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called the court "a rogue and politically motivated organization that is trampling on the very concept of the rule of law".

"I am confident that President Trump understands that the Court’s actions against Israel sets the foundation for the ICC to come after the United States one day. We must respond forcefully to the Court for our own good," he said.

Graham previously welcomed the ICC arrest warrant issued in March 2023 against Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it "a step in the right direction for the international community".

Read more: US: Republicans condemn ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, Democrats keep quiet

The Israeli military has announced the death of another soldier during combat in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to the army, the Israeli soldier was killed by shrapnel from an artillery shell in Jabalia. The incident also injured two other soldiers, who suffered minor wounds, as reported by The Times of Israel, citing a military source.

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have emboldened organisers to push harder for an end to the war on Gaza, anti-war activists and pro-Palestinian advocates told Middle East Eye on Thursday.

At the same time, they say the warrants are a grossly inadequate development, given the carnage still unfolding in Gaza.

With the death toll in Gaza said to be anywhere between 44,000 and 186,000 or even more, activists in the US said the development would be a step forward in making Israel a pariah state, though the priority remained to find a way to halt the flow of weapons to Israel, which the US government refuses to do. 

On Thursday, human rights groups were scampering to respond to a failed Senate vote led by Bernie Senators to block new arms sales to Israel the previous night, as well as to the other development later in the morning that saw Congress vote in favour of Resolution 9495; which, if passed by the Senate, would make it easier to criminalise and target charities and pro-Palestinian nonprofits in the US.

Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace, called the bill "a five-alarm fire for anyone who seeks to protect free speech, civil society and democracy".

Read more: 'We want an arrest warrant for Biden': Activists call for wider accountability for Gaza war

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday expressed support for the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, six months after the ICC prosecutor’s request.  

In a statement, the ministry said, “The ICC’s decision restores hope and trust not only in international law along with UN institutions, but also in the importance of justice, accountability, and prosecution of war criminals, particularly at a time when the Palestinian people is still subject to genocide.”  

The ministry also urged ICC member states and the UN to cease all communications and meetings with the two Israeli leaders.

The Israeli military confirmed that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Thursday, stating that the projectile was shot down outside Israeli territory. This announcement came after sirens were triggered in the Dead Sea area. The missile was reportedly targeted by Israel’s air defences. 

The Houthis, the armed group in Yemen, have not officially claimed responsibility for the launch. The Houthis have previously said their intent is to attack Israeli interests in retaliation for Israel’s actions against Palestinians and Lebanese.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said that, on average, Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian children per week in the occupied West Bank since 7 October 2023.

This figure marks a significant increase compared to the first nine months of 2023, during which 40 children were killed.

Ocha reports that over 60 percent of these fatalities occurred in the Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Nablus governorates, areas heavily impacted by Israeli military operations.

Additionally, 35 of these children died in air strikes, which Ocha said were “lethal, war-like tactics”.

The report also noted that 1,132 children have been injured, with nearly half wounded by live ammunition.

The UN also highlighted the ongoing violence in the occupied territories, with Israeli forces or settlers contributing to these injuries and fatalities.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration “fundamentally rejects” the arrest warrants issued for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. 

When asked about the possibility of sanctions against International Criminal Court officials, Jean-Pierre responded that the administration is “in consultation with our partners, which include Israel, about our next steps”.

Six long months have passed since chief prosecutor Karim Khan applied to the pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, at least two of whom are now dead.

In that time, at least 9,000 more Palestinians in Gaza have been killed under Israel’s ferocious bombing and unrelenting starvation, with the total official death toll approaching 45,000, with The Lancet calculating it could be several times higher.

That this issue took six months for the three judges of the pre-trial chamber to decide, when the average wait is two months, is a testament to the unprecedented pressure that the highest court of international law has come under.

In contrast, it took just three weeks for the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights. 

The pressure on those three brave judges came exclusively from those countries that claim to be fighting for a rules-based world order. 

Read more: ICC arrest warrants: The US must distance itself from an increasingly toxic Israel

The Independent Alliance, a group of five independent MPS in the UK Parliament, has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, seeking clarity on whether the UK will fulfil its obligations concerning the recent ICC arrest warrants.

“Today’s historic decision by the ICC is the first step toward justice, accountability, and peace. As a signatory to the ICC, the UK has an obligation to uphold the rulings,” the lawmakers said in their letter.

“There is no ambiguity here: the UK’s continued supply of arms to Israel means the government is aiding and abetting war crimes. When will the government honour its obligations under the Geneva Convention to prevent genocide and end all arms sales to Israel?”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, sparking widespread reactions on social media. 

The 124 state parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, are now under an obligation to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant. 

In this case, Netanyahu and Gallant will likely restrict their travel so as not to be detained - something Russia's Vladimir Putin has done since being indicted by the ICC in March last year.

Many of the states that will be compelled to hand over Netanyahu and Gallant are allies of Israel, including the UK, France, Germany, and Hungary. 

People who have been condemning Israel’s devastating war on Gaza for the past year celebrated the decision. An outspoken critic of the war, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, said the decision shows that “fighting by war crimes, starvation and deprivation, is not allowed”.

Read more: ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant spark celebrations online and call for action

Although 124 countries are International Criminal Court signatories, not all have openly supported the court's decision to issue arrest warrants to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Below are the countries that have confirmed their stance:

• Canada said it will adhere to all rulings issued by international courts

• European Union: The foreign policy chief confirms that all 27 EU member states are bound to enforce ICC decisions

• Italy confirmed it will arrest Netanyahu or Gallant if they enter the country

• The Netherlands said that it would comply with the ICC arrest warrants

• Belgium: Calls for European compliance with the ICC ruling and urges economic sanctions, as well as the suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel

• Iraq called on call on all free nations to enforce the ICC warrants

• Turkey: Regards the ICC warrants as an important step in holding Israeli officials accountable for genocidal crimes

• United Kingdom: The government affirms its respect for the ICC's independence, although some are seeking clarity on whether the UK will fulfil its obligations concerning ICC arrest warrants

• Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the ICC’s decision must be respected and implemented. “Palestinians deserve justice,” he said.

• South Africa: In a statement, the government welcomed the ICC decision and said it marked a “significant step towards justice for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Palestine”

• France: The foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Christophe Lemoine, said that France would act “in line with the ICC’s statutes”

• Norway: Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, “It is important that the ICC carries out its mandate in a judicious manner. I have confidence that the court will proceed with the case based on the highest fair trial standards”

• Ireland: Prime Minister Simon Harris said the warrants are “an extremely significant step”. He added that Ireland respects the ICC’s role and that anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must do so “with urgency”

• Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said that both Sweden and the European Union "support the court’s important work and protect its independence and integrity". She also noted that Swedish law enforcement authorities are responsible for deciding whether to arrest individuals subject to ICC warrants on Swedish soil

• Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg described the ICC warrant as "incomprehensible and ludicrous". However, Schallenberg’s office stated that as a party to the Rome Statute, Austria is obligated to implement ICC arrest warrants

• The Swiss Federal Office of Justice confirmed that Switzerland, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, is required to cooperate with the ICC. Therefore, if Netanyahu, Gallant, or Masri were to enter Switzerland, the country would be obligated to arrest them 

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan has called on both ICC member and non-member states to support the arrest warrants issued by the court today.

In a statement, he said that countries that are members of the court must "live up" to their obligations.

Khan also raised concerns about reports of increasing violence, reduced humanitarian access, and the ongoing expansion of alleged international crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has directed Israeli ambassadors worldwide to act against countries that choose to uphold what he calls the "scandalous decision" by the ICC to issue arrest warrants. 

“Many significant voices are now being heard in the world against the injustice done to Israel,” Saar said on X.

“This is part of Israel’s campaign for its right to defend itself and its citizens. And we will fight!”

Saar also shared a statement from Paraguay’s foreign ministry, which expressed regret over the ICC warrants, claiming they violate Israel's right to self-defence and represent a “political exploitation of international law”.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has extended its suspension of flights to and from Israel, pushing the resumption date from the end of 2024 to late March 2025.