Israel, Hamas reject ICC bid to arrest leaders for 'war crimes'

Israel and Hamas, engaged in heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip, both angrily rejected on Monday moves to arrest their leaders for "war crimes."

The International Criminal Court (ICC)'s prosecutor Karim Khan said he had applied for arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders over the conflict.

Israel slammed as a "historical disgrace" the demand targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, while the Palestinian militant group Hamas said it "strongly condemns" the move.

The U.S., Israel's top ally, also rejected the ICC bid, with President Joe Biden denouncing it as "outrageous" and Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning the move "could jeopardize" efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza.

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland called for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Hamas at the UN Security Council on Monday.

"If talks do not resume, I fear for the worst for the beleaguered and terrified civilians in Rafah, for the hostages held in unimaginable conditions for more than 225 days, and for an overstretched humanitarian operation that remains on the brink inside the (Gaza) Strip," Wennesland said.

Also on Monday, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis urged enhanced joint efforts to halt the hostilities in Gaza and called on the international community to promote the two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. 

The Israel-Hamas conflict continues to grind on unabated, with Israeli forces battling Hamas in Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, as well as in other flashpoints in central and northern areas.

Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 35,562 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry.

The UN said more than 812,000 Palestinians had fled Rafah, near the Egyptian border. Meanwhile, the European Union warned that 31 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are no longer functioning while the rest are on the verge of collapse with more than 9,000 severely injured people at risk of dying.

The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has been eased only by sporadic aid shipments by land, air and sea, but truck arrivals have slowed to a trickle amid the Rafah operation.

The UN did not receive any aid from the pier on Sunday or Monday. "We need to make sure that the necessary security and logistical arrangements are in place before we proceed," Reuters cited a UN official, who asked not to be named, as saying.

Another senior UN aid official, Edem Wosornu, told the UN Security Council that the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt had stopped the delivery of at least 82,000 tonnes of supplies, while access at Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing was limited due to "hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination procedures."

(With input from agencies)