Netanyahu pledges to launch incursion into Rafah amid potential ICC arrest warrants

US top diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday after seeing off a first truck convoy of aid to Gaza through the newly reopened Erez crossing. The top US diplomat is on a tour of the Middle East, his seventh to the region since the Israel-Hamas conflict started in October. Blinken urged Hamas to accept a truce in Gaza, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch a military offensive on Rafah "with or without" a deal. Netanyahu’s comments came hours before Blinken was to arrive in Israel to advance the truce talk. Also on Tuesday, Netanyahu said the International Criminal Court (ICC) was "contemplating issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli government and military officials as war criminals." Speaking to reporters at the State Department, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the Biden administration doesn't believe the International Criminal Court has the "jurisdiction" to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders for conduct during the Israel-Hamas conflict.