Sporadic clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Gaza militants -- plus deadly IDF airstrikes -- continue despite the Gaza ceasefire.

THE HAGUE, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday rejected one in a series of legal challenges brought by Israel against the court's probe into its conduct of the Gaza war.

The ruling deals a setback to Israel’s efforts to overturn the arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The International Criminal Court on Monday rejected Israel’s challenge to the legality of its investigation into war crimes committed in Gaza after

President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan is set to enter a new phase within weeks, but crucial pieces of the agreement remain undefined as Israel tightens its military grip on the battered enclave.

The killing of the commander, Raed Saad, on Saturday was the highest-profile assassination of a Hamas leader since a cease-fire came into force two months ago.

Message follows Israel’s killing of 4 Palestinians, including senior Hamas commander Raed Saad, over weekend despite ceasefire - Anadolu Ajansı

As President Trump prepares to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this month to advance his peace plan for Gaza, on-the-ground developments are reducing the odds that the plan’s all-important Phase II – which would ensure long-term peace and create a brighter future for Gazans – will be successfully implemented.