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Italy’s PM says ICC complaint accused her of Gaza genocide complicity

By
IFP Media Wire
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Meloni made the statement during an interview with state television company RAI, in the first public comment on the situation, which has not been confirmed by the international court.

Meloni said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have also been “denounced”, referring to when the court is officially alerted to a possible crime. She said that she believes that Roberto Cingolani, head of Italian weapons and aerospace company Leonardo, might also have been named.

The complaint, dated October 1, was signed by some 50 people, including law professors, lawyers, and several public figures who accused Meloni and others of complicity by supplying arms to Israel.

“By supporting the Israeli government, particularly through the supply of lethal weapons, the Italian government has become complicit in the ongoing genocide and the extremely serious war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people,” the authors of the court filing against the Italian leaders wrote.

The Palestinian advocacy group behind the complaint naming Meloni is calling for the court to assess the possibility of opening a formal investigation into the charge of genocide against the Italian prime minister.

Last month, a UN Independent Inquiry found that Israel’s war on Gaza is a genocide, adding to similar assessments from a broad range of experts in human rights, genocide and international law.

The ICC has outstanding arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including starvation, murder and persecution.

However, neither Netanyahu nor Gallant has been charged with genocide specifically.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for Hamas officials; however, those named have all since been killed in Israeli attacks.

“I don’t think there is another case in the world or in history of a complaint of this kind,” Meloni said of the complaint against her in the televised comments.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Italy was one of only three countries to export “major conventional arms” to Israel from 2020 to 2024, although the United States and Germany were responsible for 99 percent of the exports of the larger weapons category, which include aircraft, missiles, tanks and air defence systems.

The major arms that Italy provided to Israel in this period included light helicopters and naval guns, SIPRI said. It is also one of several countries involved in making parts for F-35 fighter jets, under a US-led programme, SIPRI added.

“Concerns about the potential use of the F-35 by Israel to carry out violations of international humanitarian law have led to much criticism of transfers of the aircraft or its parts to Israel,” SIPRI announced in a recent report.

Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has stated that Italy is only sending deliveries of arms to Israel under contracts signed before October 7, 2023 and that Italy has sought assurances from Israel that the weapons would not be used against civilians in Gaza, after Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani had earlier claimed Italy had stopped sending the weapons altogether.

Meloni’s acknowledgement of the complaint against her comes as hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in mass protests against Israel’s war on Gaza in recent weeks.

Italy’s major labour unions have actively supported the protests. The country’s dockworkers have threatened strike action over Israeli forces preventing the Sumud Global Flotilla from delivering aid to Gaza.

Following earlier protests, Meloni’s government sent naval ships to accompany the fleet of international vessels, but the Italian navy pulled back before Israeli forces intercepted the boats in international waters and detained close to 500 international activists.

Six crew members remained in Israeli detention as of Tuesday, according to the flotilla’s organisers.

The latest complaints against Italian leaders join a growing number of legal challenges to Israel’s actions in Gaza, alongside the ICC case against Netanyahu and Gallant.

At the International Court of Justice (ICJ), South Africa has submitted a case against Israel, accusing it of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

In April this year, the ICJ ruled against pursuing a case brought by Nicaragua that accused Germany of aiding genocide in Gaza for its role in selling arms to Israel.

The US, which is the largest exporter of weapons to Israel, is not a member of the ICC.

It has also actively pushed back against the ICC pursuing charges against Israel.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US was imposing sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organisations, Al-Haq, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, for engaging in efforts to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals” at the ICC.

 

Israeli army intercepts another Gaza aid flotilla

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Israeli military was jamming signals with at least two boats being boarded, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on Instagram.

“The Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters,” it added.

“Our flotilla poses no harm.”

“Three vessels – Gaza Sunbirds, Alaa Al-Najjar, and Anas Al-Sharif – have been attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military” early morning, 220km off the coast of Gaza, organisers said on X.

It added another ship, the Conscience was also “under attack”.

The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed it had intercepted boats attempting to reach Gaza and that those on board would be transferred to an Israeli port where they would be deported.

“Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,” the ministry announced in a post online.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is an international network of pro-Palestinian activist groups that organises civilian maritime missions aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians there.

The ships carried aid worth more than $110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment and nutritional supplies intended for Gaza’s starving hospitals, the FFC noted.

The incident was the second such event in recent days, after Israel intercepted about 40 vessels and detained more than 450 activists in an aid convoy, the Global Sumud Flotilla, that was also attempting to deliver supplies to Gaza.

Some activists on board – including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg – alleged being subjected to brutal physical and verbal abuse by Israeli forces during their detention this week

Their detention drew mass protests across Europe.

 

Iran’s Foreign Minister: I have had no contact with Witkoff

By
IFP Media Wire
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Araghchi Witkoff

Speaking on Wednesday, Araqchi denied the report published by the Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida, which alleged that Witkoff had contacted him to seek Iran’s support for Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

“This is incorrect — I categorically deny it. There has been no such contact,” Araqchi said.

Al-Jarida had claimed that Witkoff called Araqchi to request Tehran’s backing for Trump’s 20-point plan to establish peace in Gaza, discussions which are currently underway in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

President Pezeshkian urges Swiss envoy to convey Iran’s peaceful nuclear intentions to US

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Receiving the credentials of Ambassador Olivier Bangerter in Tehran on Wednesday, President Pezeshkian described Switzerland as a “constructive and balanced” European country with an important historic role as a diplomatic channel between Tehran and Washington since Iran’s 1979 Revolution.

The president highlighted his recent meeting with his Swiss counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, saying Iran values expanding cooperation with Switzerland in various fields, especially in pharmaceuticals and food supply amid unjust sanctions by the US and some European states.

President Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran pursues regional peace and stability and dismissed Western claims about its nuclear program as “baseless propaganda.”

He also condemned Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, calling them “inhumane” and “the main source of regional instability.”

Ambassador Bangerter expressed satisfaction with his appointment and pledged to strengthen bilateral ties while maintaining Switzerland’s role as a trusted intermediary between Iran and the US.

IRGC Commander-in-Chief: any enemy miscalculation in Strait of Hormuz to face decisive response

By
IFP Media Wire
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General Mohammad Pakpour

In a message marking the IRGC Navy Day, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour stated that this day symbolizes the strong faith, intelligent resistance, and deterrent power of the IRGC, which — under the leadership of the Supreme Leader — stands as the flagbearer of lasting security in the Persian Gulf, the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and the surrounding waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He added that today, the IRGC Navy — relying on its committed human capital and indigenous, advanced technologies in surface, subsurface, missile, drone, electronic, and cyber warfare — holds the position of an undisputed strategic and deterrent power.

According to General Pakpour, the IRGC, operating within the framework of Iran’s defensive-offensive doctrine, maintains its combat, intelligence, and operational readiness at the highest level, warning the enemies of the Revolution, the Islamic system, and Iran against any strategic miscalculation.

He further noted that the IRGC Navy today is not only a guarantor of Iran’s national and regional security, but also a founder of a new maritime order based on justice, power, and the independence of nations in the face of global arrogance and hegemonic ambitions.

Putin claims Russia captured nearly 5,000 square km in Ukraine in 2025

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia’s 2025 gains would amount to nearly 1% of Ukraine’s land area, and the country controls nearly 20% in total.

Putin, addressing a meeting with Russian top military commanders on his 73rd birthday, said Ukrainian forces were retreating in all sectors of the front. He added Kyiv was trying to strike deep into Russian territory, but it would not help it to change the situation in the more than 3 1/2-year-old war.

“At this time, the Russian armed forces fully hold the strategic initiative,” Putin told the meeting in northwestern Russia near Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, according to a Kremlin transcript.

“This year, we have liberated nearly 5,000 square km of territory – 4,900 – and 212 localities.”

Ukrainian forces, he noted, “are retreating throughout the line of combat contact, despite attempts at fierce resistance.”

Ukraine’s military in August dismissed Russia’s recent offensives as a failure, with Moscow’s forces failing to capture a single major Ukrainian city this year.

Ukrainian accounts say Kyiv’s troops have made gains in the Donetsk region, particularly around Dobropillia, a town near the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also said Ukrainian forces have regained ground in the border Sumy region, where Russia has established a foothold.

Russian Army General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, told the meeting of top commanders that Russian forces were “advancing in practically all directions.” Ukrainian forces, he said, were focused on slowing the Russian advance.

Gerasimov, overall commander of Russia’s war effort, added the heaviest fighting was gripping Pokrovsk and areas towards Dnipropetrovsk.

Moscow’s troops were moving on the key cities of Siversk and Kostyantynivka in the main theatre of the Donetsk region.

Gerasimov stated that they were clearing Ukrainian forces from the city of Kupiansk, under Russian attack for months in Ukraine’s northeast, and were moving forward in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions further south.

They were also progressing in setting up buffer zones in Sumy and Kharkiv regions in the north.

In his remarks to the meeting, Putin said Russia’s objectives remained the same as when he launched its “special military operation” in February 2022, adding it was aimed at “demilitarising and denazifying” its smaller neighbour.

 

Iranian daily calls for continued expulsions of illegal Afghans amid economic strain

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Afghan Refugee

The editorial, citing official reports, said only about 10% of Afghan residents have left in recent months, and that reductions in their numbers have already led to significant savings in consumption of food, housing and services.

It added that, given sanctions, economic difficulties, drought and energy shortages, Iran cannot sustain several million foreign nationals.

Separately, the director-general of the Education Ministry for Tehran county municipalities told the paper that 53,000 Afghan students have registered in schools in Tehran so far this year under a new interior ministry guideline. The director noted that last academic year registrations reached 149,000, a figure the paper said would be far larger if tallied across all 31 provinces.

Tehran’s governor is quoted as saying that the departure of some undocumented Afghans has freed up about 300 classrooms.

The article invoked an “international norm” it described as permitting up to 3% foreign presence per country and urged the interior and foreign ministries to prevent returns of expelled migrants and to restrict visa issuance except in special cases.

The paper called for firm government action and for legal accountability over earlier mass visa grants.

Hamas says wants ‘guarantees’ Israel will end Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Speaking at the White House on the second anniversary of the start of the war, Trump said that there was a “real chance” of a Gaza deal, as Tuesday’s talks wrapped up in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Senior Qatari and US officials are headed to Egypt to join the talks that are set to continue on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, an umbrella of Palestinian factions – including Hamas – issuing a statement that promised a “resistance stance by all means”, stressing that “no one has the right to cede the weapons of the Palestinian people” – an apparent reference to a key demand for the disarmament of the armed group contained in Trump’s plan.

Senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum stated that the group’s negotiators were seeking an end to the war and “complete withdrawal of the occupation army” from Gaza. But Trump’s plan is vague regarding the exit of Israeli troops, offering no specific timeline for the staged rollout, which would only happen after Hamas returns the 48 Israeli captives it still holds, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

A senior Hamas official who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity after Tuesday’s talks indicated that the group intends to release captives in stages linked to the withdrawal of Israel’s military from Gaza.

The official stated that Tuesday’s talks had focused on scheduling the release of Israeli captives and withdrawal maps for Israeli forces, with the group stressing that the release of the last Israeli hostage must coincide with the final withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Hamas’s top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said the group did “not trust the occupation, not even for a second”, according to Egyptian state-linked Al Qahera News. He added Hamas wanted “real guarantees” that the war would end and not be restarted, accusing Israel of violating two previous ceasefires in the war on Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement to mark the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked Israel’s war on Gaza, calling the last two years of conflict a “war for our very existence and future”.

He said that Israel was “in fateful days of decision”, without alluding directly to the ceasefire talks. Israel, he added, would “continue to act to achieve all the war’s objectives: the return of all the hostages, the elimination of Hamas’s rule, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel”.

Despite signs of continued differences, the talks appear to be the most promising sign of progress towards ending the war yet, with Israel and Hamas both endorsing many parts of Trump’s plan.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the mediators – Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye – were staying flexible and developing ideas as the ceasefire talks progress.

“We don’t go with preconceived notions to the negotiations. We develop these formulations during the talks themselves, which is happening right now,” he added.

Al-Ansari told Al Jazeera that Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will join other mediators – including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the US – on Wednesday in Egypt.

The Qatari prime minister’s “participation confirms the mediators’ determination to reach an agreement that ends the war”, al-Ansari added.

Even if a deal is clinched, questions linger about who will govern Gaza and rebuild it, and who will finance the huge cost of reconstruction.

Trump and Netanyahu have ruled out any role for Hamas, with the former’s plan proposing that Palestinian “technocrats” run day-to-day affairs in Gaza under an international transitional governance body – the so-called “Board of Peace” – that would be overseen by Trump himself and the divisive former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Barhoum stated that the group wanted to see “the immediate start of the comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of a Palestinian national body”.

The Palestinian group has agreed to not participate in the future governance of Gaza after the end of the war.

Still, even amid the talks in Egypt, Israel pressed on with its offensive in Gaza, with drones and fighter jets strafing the skies, targeting the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa residential areas in Gaza City and the road to nearby Shati camp.

At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Tuesday, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, adding to the grim toll of more than 66,600 deaths over the entire conflict. More than 100 people have been killed in Gaza by Israel since Friday, the day Trump called on Israel to halt its bombing campaign.

Iran summons European envoys over PGCC-EU statement

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry

The development took place shortly after issuance of the joint statement that had disputed Iran’s ownership of a trio of Persian Gulf islands, besides portraying the Islamic Republic’s defensive missile might and its peaceful nuclear energy program in a bad light.

Addressing the envoys, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi formally conveyed the Islamic Republic’s “strong protest” regarding the meddlesome stances.

Takht-Ravanchi reaffirmed Iran’s “absolute and permanent” sovereignty over the Iranian islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, calling them “inseparable” parts of the country’s territory.

European support for “baseless” remarks to the contrary violates the principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the official added, and called the statement politically-charged and biased.

Additionally, Takht-Ravanchi vehemently denounced allegations aimed at tarnishing Iran’s missile program, calling them “clear interference” in the Islamic Republic’s internal affairs.

He rejected any false claims concerning the program as “exaggerated narratives,” and stressed that Iran’s indigenous defensive capacities, including its missile power, were part of its inherent right to self-defense and a guarantor of regional stability and security.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the diplomat strongly criticized the European envoys over the statement’s similarly false claims about Iran’s nuclear program.

“Instead of repeating baseless and stereotypical accusations regarding Iran’s nuclear program, the European parties should be held accountable for their own destructive conduct” that sabotaged a 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and others, he stated.

The official was referring to the move that saw the European trio of the UK, France, and Germany, which are part of the deal, suspend their trade with Iran after the United States unilaterally and illegally left the agreement in 2018 and returned its sanctions against Tehran.

The official also slammed the troika’s triggering the agreement’s so-called “snapback” mechanism in August, which led to re-imposition of nuclear-related sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

He noted how the trio’s own sheer non-commitment to the deal had already robbed them of any right to resort to the mechanism.

Iran FM to Trump: With zero uranium enrichment, there won’t be any deal

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Abbas Araghchi

“When I left for the fifth round of talks with Mr. Whitcoff on May 23, I wrote: ‘Zero nuclear weapons equals agreement; zero enrichment equals no agreement,’” Araghchi stated.

He added that if Trump “looks at the minutes of those negotiations—which were recorded by the mediators—he will see how close we were to celebrating a new and historic nuclear agreement.”

The Foreign Minister stressed that the U.S. administration should have learned from past mistakes. “There was never any intelligence proving that Iraq concealed weapons of mass destruction. What followed were unimaginable destructions, thousands of American casualties, and seven trillion dollars wasted from U.S. taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Araghchi compared the current approach to that period, noting that “likewise, there is no ‘intelligence’ showing that Iran was a month away from developing nuclear weapons had Israel not deceived the U.S. into attacking the Iranian people.”
He said the Israeli regime, after the failure of that operation, “is now trying to fabricate an imaginary threat out of Iran’s defensive capabilities,” while “Americans are tired of fighting Israel’s endless wars.”

Underscoring Iran’s resilience, Araghchi said: “Iran is a great nation, the heir to a great ancient civilization. Buildings and machinery may be destroyed, but our willpower will never be shaken. Insisting on such miscalculations will solve nothing. There is no solution other than reaching a negotiated one.”

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