Hamas Official Blames U.S. Administration for Alleged Israeli War Crimes; Calls for International Prosecution

In a press conference held in Beirut, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan pointed fingers at the United States administration, specifically President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for alleged Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. Hamdan accused the U.S. of complicity in what he termed as Palestinian genocide, ethnic cleansing, and Israeli massacres.

Hamdan didn't stop at accusations; he urged the international community to prosecute these American officials as war criminals. These remarks come amid ongoing Israeli strikes on Gaza, which Hamdan described as indiscriminate.

In the United States, progressive activists staged nationwide protests, demanding an immediate ceasefire and accusing President Biden of complicity in genocide. While some Democrats in Congress echoed the call for a ceasefire, the majority supported Biden's policy of backing Israel while urging efforts to minimize civilian casualties and advance peace negotiations.

The Israel-Hamas conflict elicited diverse global responses. Israel's UN ambassador criticized George Soros for financially supporting NGOs backing Hamas. The French Foreign Ministry accused Russia of fueling recent anti-Semitic incidents in Paris. Simultaneously, the International Criminal Court affirmed its mandate to investigate alleged war crimes in Palestine since June 2014, extending to the current conflict. The UN Human Rights Council and Human Rights Watch identified war crimes by both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces, calling for accountability for those violating international law and targeting civilians.