US President Donald Trump has praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war hero", despite the Israeli leader being wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Gaza.
"He's a good man. He's in there fighting... He's a war hero, because we worked together. He's a war hero. I guess I am too," Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Mark Levin on Tuesday.
Trump dismissed accountability efforts against Netanyahu, saying, "They're trying to put him in jail."
It was unclear if he referred to the ICC arrest warrant or Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial in Israel.
Netanyahu, on trial since 2020, is the first sitting Israeli leader to face criminal proceedings while in office.
Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its devastating war on Gaza.
Occupy Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that Defence Minister Yisrael Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved plans to occupy Gaza City, following a decision by the security cabinet.
The army will accelerate the call-up of 60,000 reservists and extend the service of 20,000 others by 40 days.
Channel 12 said Katz and Zamir held talks at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv with senior officials from the southern command, general staff, military intelligence, operations division, and the Shin Bet.
According to the report, Zamir outlined stages of the occupation plan, including reinforcing Israeli forces in northern Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US support, has waged what Palestinians and international legal experts describe as genocide in Gaza, encompassing mass killing, forced displacement, destruction, and starvation.
The genocide has left more than 62,000 dead, 156,000 wounded, over 10,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
