The war between Israel and Hamas and the situation in Gaza, live: news, reactions and more

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the ranks of world leaders labeled international pariahs by becoming the target of the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutors are seeking arrest warrants against him and his Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s war in Gaza.

The court has previously sought injunctions against people including Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Libya’s Muammar Gadhafi.

And this Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its controversial military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the humanitarian situation there is “catastrophic” and expected to “deteriorate further.”

Seven months after Hamas attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory war has failed to achieve its objectives. Top Hamas leaders are still at large and 125 hostages remain held hostage. Gaza is now in ruins and more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli assault, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Pressure is mounting on Israel to end the war from all sides: American college campuses, international courts, American celebrities, Israel’s Western allies and even the families of Israeli hostages.

Israeli officials have struggled to contain the fallout. They have accused their critics of anti-Semitism and vowed not to bow to international pressure. “Even if Israel is forced to stand alone, we will stand alone and continue to strike powerfully at our enemies until victory,” Netanyahu declared in a fiery speech this month.