Gaza border opens for first evacuations

Five Americans included on list of foreign passport holders expected to pass through Rafah crossing today

Five names with “USA” listed next to them are among those on a list of 500 “foreign passport holders” expected to travel through the Rafah crossing to Egypt today.

Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority, confirmed to NBC News that the list is authentic.

One of the Americans is Barbara Preston, also known as Barbara Zind, who said she was “at the gate” in a text to NBC this morning.

E.U.’s top diplomat ‘appalled’ by Jabaliya refugee camp casualty numbers

The European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, said today that he was “appalled” by the Israeli bombing of the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.

“The right to self-defense should always be balanced by the obligation to spare civilians to the greatest extent possible,” he wrote on X, adding that the protection of civilians was a “legal obligation.”

Americans will be assigned ‘specific departure dates’ out of Gaza, State Department says

Only five Americans are on a list of foreign nationals expected to cross from Gaza into Egypt today, according to a list compiled by the Gaza border control authority and obtained by NBC News.

In a separate advisory, the State Department said U.S. citizens would be “assigned specific departure dates to ensure an orderly crossing.”

Abood Okal, an American citizen from Massachusetts, told NBC News that he had been waiting with his wife and year-old son to cross into Egypt.

“It’s the wounded, then some foreign nationals that are supposed to leave today,” he said via a WhatsApp message.

Jordan recalls its ambassador to Israel

Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Israel as its expression of condemnation over the ongoing war in Gaza, its Foreign Ministry announced today on X.

Ayman Safadi, who serves as Jordan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said in a statement that the return of the ambassador was contingent on Israel halting the war and ending “the humanitarian crises it had caused.”

The statement added that Israel’s ambassador to Jordan, who has been away from the country, would only be allowed to return on the same terms.

A salvo of rockets is fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel

Max Butterworth

Smoke trails followed multiple rockets as they were shot from northern Gaza today.

Dozens trapped in rubble after second strike on Jabaliya refugee camp

Dozens are trapped under the rubble after a second strike hit the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza today, a day after a previous strike killed dozens and left hundreds injured there.

A NBC camera crew saw about 20 collapsed homes, with dozens dead and wounded and some bodies still stuck under the rubble.

Hamas blamed Israel for the “second new massacre” in a post on its Telegram.

NBC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

Gaza health system has ‘completely collapsed,’ official says

The health system in Gaza has “completely collapsed,” a spokesman for the enclave’s Health Ministry said today.

Ashraf al-Qedra added that around 1,000 people need to be “urgently evacuated” to Egypt.

Even before Hamas launched its multipronged attack on Israel on Oct. 7, almost 100 patients needed care outside Gaza daily, the World Health Organization said today on X.

“Just a third of primary care facilities are functioning,” the WHO said, adding that the crisis in Gaza is having a “devastating impact” on patients with long-term needs.

Muslim countries should end oil and food exports to Israel, Iran’s Khamenei says

Iran’s supreme leader called on Muslim countries to cut off exports of food and oil to Israel, Iranian state media reported today.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with a group of students in Tehran for National Student Day and told them that Israel was in a “state of shock and desperation,” the IRNA news agency reported

“What Islamic governments must insist on is the immediate cessation of crimes in Gaza,” he said, according to IRNA. “They must immediately stop the [Israeli] bombing of Gaza and block the export of oil and food to the Zionist regime.”

Hamas says 7 hostages killed in Israel’s strike on Jabaliya refugee camp

Seven civilian hostages were killed by an Israeli strike on the Jabaliya refugee camp, Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said today.

At least three of the hostages held foreign passports, the group said in a post on Telegram.

The Israeli military told NBC News it did not have any comment on Hamas’ claims.

Separately, it has said that it was targeting a Hamas leader at the refugee camp and blamed Hamas for using civilian buildings as cover for its “underground infrastructure.”

Scenes at the Rafah border crossing

Max Butterworth

People wait as their documents are processed at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt today.

A group of men read signs posted on a door at the Rafah crossing, as injured Palestinians and foreign nationals are being helped to evacuate.

First foreign nationals cross into Egypt from Gaza

The first foreign nationals have crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, a spokesperson for the the Egyptian Health Ministry told NBC News.

Hossam Abdul Gafar said that some people had already cleared the crossing, while others were still being processed.

Around 500 people are expected to cross today, according to a list compiled by the Gaza Border Control Authority that was obtained by NBC News. This includes five American aid workers.

Earlier today, the first batch of ambulances carrying injured people also entered Egypt. It was the first time civilians have been allowed to cross into Egypt since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

Section of Jewish cemetery in Austria set on fire, vandalized with swastikas

Austria’s main Jewish leader said today that a fire was set during the night in the Jewish section of Vienna’s Central Cemetery and swastikas were spray-painted on external walls.

Jewish Community of Vienna President Oskar Deutsch wrote on X that the fire burned the entrance lobby to a ceremonial hall but did not cause any injuries. The fire service and police were investigating, he said.

Fire service spokesperson Gerald Schimpf told the Austria Press Agency that the fire appeared to have broken out during the night and had largely extinguished itself by the time firefighters were alerted shortly after 8 a.m.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he condemned “the attack on the Jewish cemetery in the strongest terms.” He wrote on X that “antisemitism has no place in our society” and added that he hoped the perpetrators would be found quickly.

A column of Israeli tanks moves toward Gaza border

Max Butterworth

Israeli tanks move toward the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel today. Ground forces have been expanding their operations in Gaza in recent days as Israel presses ahead with its war against Hamas militants.

First Americans leaving Gaza, with more expected to cross tomorrow

The first American citizens are leaving Gaza today after weeks trapped in the besieged enclave, a U.S. official confirmed to NBC News. They are evacuating through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt but are still in transit and in process, the official said.

It’s unclear how many were able to leave but the official said it was fewer than 10, with more Americans expected to exit through Rafah tomorrow.

The official said it was “encouraging” that a deal was finally reached to allow some Gazans and foreigners to leave after days of round-the-clock diplomatic efforts.

NBC News has confirmed with a Palestinian border official a list of around 500 foreign passport holders allowed to cross into Egypt, which included five American aid workers.

Cancer patients in ‘critical situation’ as hospital runs out of fuel, Gaza Health Ministry says

Dozens of cancer patients are in a “critical situation” after the Turkish Friendship Hospital was forced to shut down because a lack of fuel, the Gaza Health Ministry said in a Facebook post today.

It is the only hospital dedicated to cancer patients in Gaza, the ministry said, adding that 60 of the 2,000 cancer patients living in the enclave were being treated at the hospital in northern Gaza.

Global leaders condemn Israeli strike on Jabaliya refugee camp

Leaders of several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Kuwait, have condemned Israeli’s deadly strike on the Jabaliya refugee camp.

Israel said it killed a Hamas leader. Palestinian health officials said it left dozens dead and hundred injured.

Saudi Arabia, in a statement from its Foreign Ministry, said the strike was “inhumane targeting.” It added that “preventing bloodshed, protecting civilians and stopping military operations” were urgent priorities. 

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry described the attack as “barbaric.”

Injured civilians enter Egypt from Gaza for first time since war started

Injured civilians have entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing for the first time since Oct. 7. It was unclear exactly how many people were allowed to leave.

Hundreds of people had gathered near the crossing today and ambulances were stationed on the Egyptian side preparing to receive the sick and injured.

Until this morning, only aid trucks have been allowed through the crossing to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, the United Nations and aid agencies have said the aid is not enough for Gaza’s population of around 2.3 million people, half of whom are children.

Palestinian ambulance enters Rafah border crossing

Max Butterworth

A Palestinian Health Ministry ambulance passes the gate to enter the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip before crossing into Egypt earlier today.

List of more than 500 people approved to leave through Rafah crossing

ISRAEL/GAZA BORDER — A list of more than 500 foreign nationals has been approved to cross from Gaza into Egypt, Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Gaza side of the Rafah border, confirmed to NBC News today.

The list includes people from Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Indonesia, Jordan and Japan, as well as a group of aid workers from various countries.

Five American aid workers are also on the list.

Two hospitals will run out fuel within hours, Palestinian health official says

Two hospitals in northern Gaza will completely run out of generator fuel within hours, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry said today.

“We send an urgent distress call to all our brothers from oil-producing countries to intervene urgently to supply the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and the Indonesian Hospital with fuel to save the lives of the wounded and sick,” Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra told a news conference.

There are 42 children on life support, including incubators, 62 on artificial respiration, and 650 patients with kidney failure among the hundreds of wounded patients, he said.

IDF blames Gaza tunnels for Jabaliya refugee camp deaths

The Israeli military has blamed Hamas for using civilian buildings as a cover following a strike on the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, in which dozens were killed and hundreds were injured.

IDF troops had “close encounters” with Hamas militants who shot from inside the buildings, spokesperson Daniel Hagari said today.

A military aircraft then attacked from the air, killing a top Hamas commander “in an area that has a headquarters and an underground within a civilian area,” he said.

The “underground infrastructure of tunnels collapsed and brought down other buildings,” he added.

Injured people await care at Rafah border crossing

Max Butterworth

An injured man lies inside an ambulance waiting at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip this morning.

As sirens sound in Ashdod, a frantic mother searches for her children

ASHDOD, Israel — As a quick succession of booms rang out in Ashdod, a mother frantically searched for her children.

Clutching a small dog, she ran breathlessly into the shelter to find them there. Eventually her panic subsided.

But her dog, still in her arms, was shaking as the booms from above sounded.

Several puffs of smoke could be seen hanging in the air in the aftermath, with Israel’s Iron Dome appearing to have intercepted the attempted strikes.

First batch of foreign nationals enter Rafah border crossing

The first foreign passport holders have crossed into the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the secretary general of the Red Crescent in North Sinai told NBC News today.

Dr. Raed Abdel Nasser said they were “waiting for the completion of entry procedures for them.”

They had “entered in groups consisting of several foreign and Arab nationalities,” he said, adding “more than 500 foreigners will enter.”

Ambulances were also seen entering the border crossing.

Border opening a Qatar-brokered deal separate from hostage talks, diplomat says

LONDON — For weeks, diplomats in multiple countries have been hoping to facilitate the kind of scenes we’re seeing at Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt today.

A diplomat briefed on the deal, who is not authorized to speak publicly, told NBC News that foreign passport holders and some critically injured civilians will be allowed to leave the enclave.

This agreement among Egypt, Hamas and Israel was mediated by Qatar in co-ordination with U.S. officials. Negotiations to open the crossing have gone on since the start of the war.

However, the diplomat stressed that there was “no link between the agreement of Gaza opening and other items under negotiation, including the release of hostages, cease-fires or pauses in the fighting, or the import of humanitarian goods.”

Women in Hamas hostage video ‘look rattled,’ kibbutz resident says

EILAT, Israel — At a hotel in Eilat, many residents evacuated from the Nir Oz kibbutz suffered a sleepless night after a massive explosion woke them up in the early hours of the day.

But sleep has been hard to come by for many, since Hamas took around 80 people hostage from their community of around 440 people Oct. 7. Among those kidnapped were Danielle Aloni and Yelena Tropanov, who appeared in a video released by Hamas on Monday, alongside Rimon Kirscht. 

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui Dekel-Chen was also kidnapped, told NBC News today that the video was “a little piece of good news,” but that the women “look rattled.”

The community was relieved to see a sign of life but at the same time, he said, the video was “Hamas’ vicious, brutal attempt at psychological warfare.” What they needed now, he said, was “as much information as can possibly be gained about the welfare of the hostages and everything be done to guard their safety and bring them back home.”

Netanyahu warns of ‘long war’ as forces ramp up ground assault

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today warned of a “long war” ahead as his forces ramped up the ground assault on Gaza.

“We have so many important achievements but also painful losses,” he said in a video released by his office. “I promise the citizens of Israel: We will complete the work — we will continue until victory.”

Field hospital set up on Egypt border with Gaza

A field hospital, pictured yesterday, has been constructed for injured Palestinians close to the border with Gaza in the Sheikh Zuweid area of Rafah, Egypt.

Senior U.N. official resigns in protest against ‘genocide’ by Israel

The United Nations is failing to prevent a “text-book case of genocide,” a senior U.N. official said as he resigned from the world body.

In an Oct. 28 letter to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, Craig Mokhiber wrote: “We are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes.”

Mokhiber, director of the New York office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, added: “The organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it.”  

He also accused Western governments of being “wholly complicit” and “giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s atrocities.”

Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza Strip, IDF says

Nine Israeli soldiers were killed in battle in northern Gaza, the country’s military said today on its website.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, later wrote on X that “fighting in the depths of the Gaza Strip unfortunately comes with a heavy price.”

He added that Israel was “prepared for a long and complex campaign that requires courage, determination and perseverance.”

The deaths of two other soldiers were announced last night.

People enter Rafah border crossing with Egypt

Max Butterworth

People walk from southern Gaza into the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

How Israelis in southern kibbutzim are dealing with war trauma

Josh Lederman

KIBBUTZ RE’IM, Israel — Three weeks after Hamas launched its terror attacks against towns in a kibbutz in southern Israel, people there are still trying to clean up and piece together their lives.

Much of the areas remains evacuated, with activity confined to troops and armored vehicles, but some have returned after the Oct. 7 attacks.

Waiting at the Rafah border crossing

Max Butterworth

Palestinians wait at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip this morning.

Gaza faces another communications ‘blackout’

ASHDOD, Israel — Residents of Gaza appear to have been plunged into another communications “blackout” this morning, with internet and phone services reported down.

“Live metrics show that the #Gaza Strip is in the midst of a new internet blackout with high impact to the last remaining major operator, Paltel,” NetBlocks, a U.K. company that tracks global internet connectivity, said in a post on X this morning. “The incident will be experienced as a total loss of telecommunications by most residents,” it said.

Paltel confirmed the incident, saying there was a “complete interruption” of all telecommunications and internet services in the Gaza Strip “due to the international Lines being disconnected again.”

It comes after people across Gaza lost access to electricity and communication services over the weekend as Israel ramped up its bombardment of the enclave, as well as its ground operations across the border. The incident stoked fears over what would happen if Gazans lost their primary way of communicating with the outside world and sharing what was happening on the ground.

South American countries recall ambassadors, cut ties with Israel

Bolivia said it was breaking diplomatic ties with Israel, citing airstrikes in Gaza, while Chile and Colombia said they were recalling their ambassadors.

Bolivia’s announcement is a step further than the actions announced by Chile and Colombia.

“Bolivia demands an end to the attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have so far caused thousands of civilian deaths and the forced displacement of Palestinians; as well as the cessation of the blockade that prevents the entry of food, water and other essential elements for life,” Bolivia’s minister of the presidency, María Nela Prada, said in a statement.

Israel’s military has said it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and that it is striking Hamas in Gaza. The country’s foreign ministry responded furiously to the news this morning, accusing Bolivia of a “surrender to terrorism.”

Gazans search through the rubble at Jabaliya refugee camp

Catch up with NBC News’ latest coverage of the Israel-Hamas war