Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Arrest Netanyahu for 'crimes against humanity'

May 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said Israel is about to commit "crimes against humanity" and on Tuesday urged the International Criminal Court to arrest Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Over 1.5 million Palestinian civilians, including over 600,000 children, are trapped in Rafah," Tlaib said in a statement Tuesday.

Tlaib said the people in Rafah are "living in makeshift tents, without food, clean water, sanitation, medicine, or any form of shelter."

"Israeli forces have already killed over 35,000 Palestinians," she said, "and the families displaced in Rafah will now face even more unimaginable human suffering."

Tlaib urged the ICC to arrest Netanyahu and top Israeli officials to "hold them accountable" for what she described as genocide as described by "the Genocide Convention under international law."

Regardless of Tlaib's request, Israel and the United States do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction. The Hague-based organization is not a part of the United Nations' efforts to investigate war crimes.

Tlaib said her fellow members of Congress "just voted to send Netanyahu billions [of dollars] more in weapons" and "gave their consent for these atrocities."

She said nowhere in Gaza is safe after the war was started when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killed about 1,200 and kidnapped some 250 Israeli citizens and others.

An estimated 99 hostages remain after Hamas released some and others died while in captivity.

Hamas on Sunday fired rockets and mortars into the largest humanitarian-aid crossing point into Gaza at Kerem Shalom, Time, the BBC and CBS News reported.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed at least four and injured another 10, prompting Israel to close the crossing and leaving Rafah as the only entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The Hamas attack Sunday came as cease-fire talks failed. Israeli forces warned Gazans sheltering in Rafah to leave as Israel Defense Forces prepared to enter Rafah.

While Tlaib blamed Israel in large part for the plight of Gazan civilians, The Jerusalem Post on April 23 reported Hams militants had "deliberately killed aid workers, stolen food and manufactured a food crisis" in Gaza.

The Post cited a recent Fatah TV news video, which said Hamas militants are attacking aid workers and stealing supplies for two reasons. One reason is to prevent activity in Gaza by anyone but Hamas, according to Fatah. The other is to ensure Hamas controls all aid and its storage. That leads to food prices that no Gazans can afford, forming a food crisis, according to the report.

Fatah is an offshoot of the Palestine Liberation Organization and currently is led by Mahmoud Abbas.

The PLO formerly was among organizations listed as a foreign terrorist organization, but the United States removed the PLO from that list in 1988 after its leaders denounced terrorism.

The United States on Oct. 8, 1997, added Hamas to its list of foreign terrorist organizations and has maintained that designation throughout the war in Gaza.