Israeli PM Netanyahu is a ‘war criminal’, says Chilean president

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has described Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal,” reiterating his call for an immediate end to the Tel Aviv regime's bloody military campaign against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“At this time of year, as we celebrate Christmas, which symbolizes hope and humanity, we must move and think about the Palestinian people suffering in Gaza,” Boric said during an annual Christmas event organized by the Palestinian community in Chile.

Boric stressed that the actions of Netanyahu’s administration in Gaza constitute “crimes against humanity” that should not be ignored.

He noted that he had raised the issue of double standards as regards human rights during his participation in the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month.

“It is difficult to talk about human rights while turning a blind eye to the genocide taking place in Gaza. Defending humanity does not tolerate half-measures,” the 38-year-old Chilean leader stated.

Boric called on the international community to take concrete steps to stop the ongoing “massacre” in Gaza, adding that “Christmas should be an occasion for reflection and action for peace, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank.”

This is not the first time that the Chilean president has slammed Israeli war crimes in Palestine. In June, Boric called Netanyahu a war criminal during the Ukraine Peace Summit held in Switzerland.

In September, Chile joined South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is accused of committing genocide in Gaza.

ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant for war crimes

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant.

As many as 620 Chilean lawyers filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March regarding the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu, former Israeli minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, and demanded their precautionary detention.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to the occupying entity’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed 45,206 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,512 others, the Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Israel's military has systematically blocked the entry of lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents into the besieged Palestinian territory since October 2023.

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