The Israel-Hamas war: international legal cases and war-crimes allegations
Gone quiet · last story Jun 23, 2026
What this arc covers
The international legal cases and accusations over the war: South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the World Court, filed in December 2023, and the court's orders that Israel prevent genocide, let in more aid and halt its Rafah offensive, the case against Germany, the Dutch court order to stop exporting F-35 parts to Israel, the ICC prosecutor's request and the court's November 2024 arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and a Hamas leader, the House vote to sanction the court and Hungary's withdrawal from it, the findings by UN bodies, rights groups and scholars accusing Israel, and in some cases Hamas, of war crimes or genocide, US sanctions on a UN investigator, and reports on Palestinians who died or were mistreated in Israeli custody.
Earliest story we hold Oct 15, 2023 · 49 stories · 220 independent sources (counted once each) · 982 days
Part of The Israel-Hamas war
- Hunger, famine and the fight over aid to GazaOct 9, 2023 – Jul 23, 2026
- Israel's wartime unity government and Gantz's break with NetanyahuOct 11, 2023 – Jun 17, 2024
- international legal cases and war-crimes allegationsThis arcOct 15, 2023 – Jun 23, 2026
- The push to recognize a Palestinian stateDec 12, 2023 – Sep 16, 2026
- Trump's plan to take over Gaza and move Palestinians outJan 26 – Sep 18, 2025
- The Trump administration's bid to deport student activistsMar 9, 2025 – Jul 21, 2026
- The fight over Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar's removalMar 16 – Mar 31, 2025
- The activist boats that tried to break Gaza's blockadeMay 2, 2025 – May 20, 2026
Show remaining 8 arcs
- The warnings, failures and inquiries around the October 7 attackOct 7, 2023 – Sep 8, 2026
- Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on IsraelOct 7, 2023 – May 12, 2026
- Israel's offensives in Gaza and the civilian tollOct 7, 2023 – Sep 16, 2025
- The hostages and the cease-fire talks, 2023-2025Oct 7, 2023 – Oct 5, 2025
- US backing for Israel and the pressure over its conductOct 7, 2023 – Sep 26, 2025
- The protests in the US over the warOct 8, 2023 – Mar 31, 2024
- Campus protests and universities' responsesOct 9, 2023 – Sep 21, 2026
- Trump's peace plan, the 2025 cease-fire and what followedSep 25, 2025 – Sep 27, 2026
Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning
Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below
- Jan 10 – 12, 2024South Africa tells top UN court Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as landmark case begins130 articles · 61 independent sources
- Jan 26 – 27, 2024Top UN court orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza but stops short of ordering cease-fire72 articles · 48 independent sources
- Apr 29, 2024Israeli officials concerned about possible ICC arrest warrants as pressure mounts over war in Gaza39 articles · 32 independent sources
- May 20 – 22, 2024ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu142 articles · 76 independent sources
- May 24 – 25, 2024World court orders Israel to halt its military offensive into Rafah102 articles · 62 independent sources
- Nov 21 – 23, 2024ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader125 articles · 68 independent sources
- Sep 16 – 17, 2025UN commission says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza39 articles · 30 independent sources
Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side
LeftCenterRight
Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.
Every week as a table
| Week of | Left | Center | Right | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2023 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Oct 16, 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Nov 6, 2023 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Dec 11, 2023 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Dec 25, 2023 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 29 |
| Jan 1, 2024 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 28 |
| Jan 8, 2024 | 22 | 23 | 6 | 128 |
| Jan 22, 2024 | 19 | 27 | 8 | 116 |
| Feb 12, 2024 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 24 |
| Feb 19, 2024 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Mar 4, 2024 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Apr 1, 2024 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Apr 8, 2024 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 44 |
| Apr 29, 2024 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| May 13, 2024 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| May 20, 2024 | 24 | 44 | 17 | 263 |
| Jun 3, 2024 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 16 |
| Jun 10, 2024 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 31 |
| Jul 29, 2024 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| Nov 11, 2024 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Nov 18, 2024 | 11 | 24 | 16 | 111 |
| Dec 16, 2024 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
| Mar 10, 2025 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 42 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 18 |
| Sep 1, 2025 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 14 |
| Sep 15, 2025 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 31 |
| Oct 20, 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Nov 17, 2025 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.
28% left · 61% center · 11% right of 220 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 49 stories.
Every storyoldest first
October 2023
Oct 15– 19How international law applies to war, and why Hamas and Israel are both alleged to have broken it17 articles · 15 independent sources3 left, 4 center, 0 rightNovember 2023
Nov 9UN rights chief says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes4 articles · 4 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 1 rightDecember 2023
Dec 15Dutch court to rule on export of F-35 parts to Israel9 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 0 right- Dec 29– 30South Africa files case at top UN court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza17 articles · 14 independent sources3 left, 6 center, 0 right
- Dec 29– Jan 3South Africa's genocide case against Israel sets up a high-stakes legal battle at the UN's top court28 articles · 23 independent sources5 left, 9 center, 2 right
January 2024
Jan 2Israel says it will defend itself against genocide accusations at world court filed by South Africa17 articles · 12 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 2 right- Jan 8– 11ICJ hears South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over Gaza war22 articles · 12 independent sources4 left, 4 center, 0 right
- Jan 10– 12South Africa tells top UN court Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as landmark case begins130 articles · 61 independent sources19 left, 20 center, 6 right
- Jan 11Nelson Mandela's support for Palestinians endures with South Africa's genocide case against Israel6 articles · 6 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 1 right
- Jan 22– 27Netanyahu is defiant after UN court ruling as deaths in Gaza offensive continue7 articles · 7 independent sources2 left, 3 center, 0 right
- Jan 24– 26The top UN court is set to issue a preliminary ruling in South Africa's genocide case against Israel19 articles · 13 independent sources2 left, 6 center, 2 right
- Jan 25– 28How Israel is responding to the ICJ ruling37 articles · 14 independent sources5 left, 2 center, 3 right
- Jan 26South Africa's genocide case against Israel explained8 articles · 6 independent sources1 left, 3 center, 0 right
- Jan 26Live updates | UN court keeps genocide case against Israel alive as Gaza death toll surpasses 26,0008 articles · 8 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 1 right
- Jan 26– 27Top UN court orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza but stops short of ordering cease-fire72 articles · 48 independent sources14 left, 16 center, 4 right
February 2024
Feb 12– 13Dutch appeals court orders Netherlands to stop exporting F-35 parts to Israel amid humanitarian concerns22 articles · 20 independent sources3 left, 5 center, 4 right- Feb 13South Africa asks UN court to urgently examine Israel's targeting of Rafah in ongoing genocide case6 articles · 6 independent sources3 left, 0 center, 0 right
- Feb 20UN experts call for probe into alleged Israeli abuses of Palestinian women and girls7 articles · 7 independent sources1 left, 2 center, 1 right
March 2024
Mar 6S. Africa urges more emergency ICJ measures against Israel over Gaza 'starvation'5 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 0 rightApril 2024
Apr 7– 8Top UN court opens hearings in case accusing Germany of facilitating Israel's Gaza conflict25 articles · 16 independent sources3 left, 4 center, 2 right- Apr 8– 9Nicaragua urges top UN court to halt German military aid to Israel because of its assault in Gaza10 articles · 10 independent sources3 left, 4 center, 0 right
- Apr 8– 9Germany Rejects Allegations that It's Facilitating Acts of Genocide in Gaza at UN Court32 articles · 20 independent sources3 left, 6 center, 0 right
- Apr 29Israeli officials concerned about possible ICC arrest warrants as pressure mounts over war in Gaza39 articles · 32 independent sources8 left, 4 center, 5 right
May 2024
May 16The top UN court is holding hearings on the Israeli military’s incursion into Rafah14 articles · 13 independent sources3 left, 4 center, 1 right- May 20– 22ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu142 articles · 76 independent sources13 left, 25 center, 14 right
- May 20Biden slams 'outrageous' ICC bid to arrest Israeli leaders12 articles · 12 independent sources2 left, 5 center, 3 right
- May 20– 21Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended war crimes charges in Israel-Hamas war26 articles · 20 independent sources5 left, 5 center, 3 right
- May 21France and Belgium support ICC request for arrest warrants of Israel and Hamas leaders14 articles · 9 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 3 right
- May 24– 25World court orders Israel to halt its military offensive into Rafah102 articles · 62 independent sources13 left, 16 center, 11 right
June 2024
Jun 4– 5House passes proposal sanctioning top war-crimes court after it sought Netanyahu arrest warrant17 articles · 17 independent sources3 left, 4 center, 1 right- Jun 10– 11UN says Israeli forces, Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes in deadly raid19 articles · 17 independent sources4 left, 1 center, 3 right
- Jun 11– 12UN inquiry finds Israel and Hamas have both committed war crimes since October 716 articles · 12 independent sources4 left, 3 center, 2 right
July 2024
Jul 31UN report says Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since Oct. 7 faced torture, mistreatment28 articles · 23 independent sources5 left, 3 center, 2 rightNovember 2024
Nov 14Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of mass displacement in Gaza amounting to a war crime15 articles · 11 independent sources2 left, 3 center, 1 right- Nov 21– 23ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader125 articles · 68 independent sources11 left, 22 center, 16 right
- Nov 22Hungary's Orban breaks with neighbors to dismiss ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu9 articles · 9 independent sources2 left, 2 center, 2 right
December 2024
Dec 19HRW accuses Israel of 'acts of genocide' for Gaza water access19 articles · 17 independent sources0 left, 6 center, 2 rightMarch 2025
Mar 13– 14Israel accused of genocidal acts and sexual violence in Gaza by U.N. experts12 articles · 10 independent sources2 left, 2 center, 2 rightApril 2025
Apr 2– 3Israel's Netanyahu arrives in Hungary, defying ICC warrant10 articles · 10 independent sources2 left, 1 center, 2 right- Apr 3Hungary announces ICC withdrawal as Israel's Netanyahu visits31 articles · 28 independent sources3 left, 7 center, 6 right
- Apr 6Palestinian teen died in Israeli prison after suffering ‘likely prolonged malnutrition’, autopsy finds11 articles · 11 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 0 right
July 2025
Jul 9– 10U.S. issues sanctions against United Nations investigator probing abuses in Gaza17 articles · 16 independent sources3 left, 3 center, 4 right- Jul 28– 29Two Israeli rights groups say their country is committing genocide in Gaza22 articles · 21 independent sources3 left, 7 center, 1 right
August 2025
Aug 31– Sep 2Strikes across Gaza kill at least 31 as international scholars accuse Israel of genocide9 articles · 9 independent sources2 left, 2 center, 0 rightSeptember 2025
Sep 1Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, says scholars' association9 articles · 9 independent sources3 left, 2 center, 0 right- Sep 16– 17UN commission says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza39 articles · 30 independent sources6 left, 10 center, 3 right
October 2025
Oct 22UN’s top court rebukes Israel over Gaza aid restrictions during war19 articles · 16 independent sources3 left, 3 center, 0 rightNovember 2025
Nov 17At least 98 Palestinians have died in custody since October 2023, Israeli data shows13 articles · 10 independent sources1 left, 4 center, 0 rightJune 2026
Jun 23– 24Israel deliberately targeting children in ongoing genocide against Palestinians, UN commission finds12 articles · 10 independent sources2 left, 2 center, 2 right