33m ago / 5:49 PM UTC
UNRWA on the West Bank: ‘Violence has reached levels not seen in the last 15 years’
The situation in the West Bank is “dangerously deteriorating,” said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
“Violence has reached levels not seen in the last 15 years,” Lazzarini said. “Since 7 October, 200 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli forces, in addition to eight, including one child, by settlers.”
The IDF is conducting up to 40 raids a day, including into refugee camps, and rising settler attacks and movement restrictions have displaced over 1,000 people in the West Bank since Oct. 7, Lazzarini said.
“Restrictions on the movement of people and goods have strongly impacted the economy,” he said. “The situation is seriously undermining UNRWA’s ability to deliver services, particularly education. Over 10,000 students in refugee camps in northern West Bank, Hebron H2, East Jerusalem and Jericho area are especially impacted.”
According to Lazzarini, “fear and anxiety are growing among Palestinians,” who have been “subjected to harassment and violence, barred from employment, and denied free movement.”
.
52m ago / 5:30 PM UTC
IRC: ‘Gaza is now the deadliest war zone in the world for civilians’
Gaza is now the “the deadliest war zone in the world for civilians,” according to the International Rescue Committee.
The organization says over 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza in six weeks, 40% of which are children. According to health officials in Gaza, the death toll there has surpassed 14,000, including over 5,000 children, more than 3,000 women and 201 medical personnel.
“This is over twice the number of people killed in the same period in Ukraine, Sudan, and Syria together,” the IRC said in a statement. Gaza is more densely populated than Ukraine, Sudan and Syria, with over 2 million people living within roughly 140 square miles.
“The way the conflict is being waged is unacceptable from a humanitarian point of view,” the IRC said. “Civilians are bearing the brunt.”
As the situation persists, IRC staff and partners aren’t able to do their humanitarian work, according to the organization.
The organization reiterated calls for a “meaningful humanitarian ceasefire,” that includes “safety for aid workers and civilians, release of hostages, and restoration of fuel, water, and electricity supplies.”
“We urge the UN Security Council and all parties with influence in the region to do all in their power to bring about such a ceasefire, without limits on its duration, to protect lives and allow aid to flow,” the IRC said. “This is the only way to serve the humanitarian imperative.”
1h ago / 5:11 PM UTC
Biden says deal to release hostages in Gaza is ‘very close’
President Biden discussed efforts to negotiate a deal for the release of hostages taken by Hamas and assured that the U.S. is working “intensively” on the negotiations.
“You could bring some of these hostages home very soon,” Biden said. “But I don’t want to get into the details of saying because nothing is done until it’s done and when we have more to say we will. Things are looking good at the moment.”
1h ago / 5:05 PM UTC
‘We cannot even protect people under the United Nations flag’ in Gaza, U.N. official says
Scores of people have been killed in Gaza as a result of attacks on locations run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, according to Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
Almost 67 UNRWA installations have been hit since Oct. 7, 17 of them directly, Lazzarini said.
As many as 176 displaced people who were sheltering in these installations were killed, and at least 778 were injured, Lazzarini said. Recent attacks on two UNRWA schools led to additional deaths and injuries.
A total of 108 staffers with the UNRWA have also been killed in Gaza, according to Lazzarini.
“We cannot even protect people under the United Nations flag,” he said. “The people of Gaza are not safe anywhere: not at home, not under the U.N. flag, not in a hospital, not in the North, and not in the South.”
Almost 80% of Gaza’s population, 1.7 million people, have been displaced. More than 900,000 people are sheltering at UNRWA locations.
“The conditions in these shelters are indescribable,” Lazzarini said. “They are massively overcrowded and shockingly unsanitary.”
2h ago / 4:32 PM UTC
Israeli law allows for appeal of any prisoner deal
As news of a potential swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners circulates today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office noted that any deal is subject to appeal from victim families.
“An important point of procedure under Israeli law to the extent that any deal involves a prisoner exchange, or families of victims of terrorists within Israeli jails have a right to appeal to the Supreme Court against their release and they would have 24 hours to do so,” Eylon Levy, a spokesperson for Netanayhu’s office, said.
Sources told NBC News that a potential deal that has been reached by negotiators to stop hostilities between Hamas and the Israeli military for multiple days, and would include around 50 women and children hostages being exchanged for around 150 Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners in a first phase. The deal is pending approval from the Israeli government, the sources said, and U.S. officials said it could still fall apart.
Israeli officials have not confirmed whether a deal is in the works but Israel’s war Cabinet is set to meet tonight, followed by a security Cabinet meeting and a full parliamentary session.
2h ago / 3:52 PM UTC
A deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages and pause fighting is close to being finalized, pending approval from the Israeli government. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports on the details of the agreement that could include a hostage-prisoner swap, a pause in fighting for multiple days and allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
3h ago / 3:16 PM UTC
Sources: Tentative hostage deal reached, pending Israeli approval
Sources tell NBC News that a tentative deal between negotiators has been reached. The agreement, which is pending Israeli government approval and could fall apart at any moment, according to U.S. officials, would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war began Oct. 7.
As it stands now, the tentative deal would include around 50 women and children hostages being exchanged for around 150 Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners in a first phase, according to a senior U.S. official. The numbers are subject to change. There would also be a pause of four to five days in fighting to allow for hostage exchanges and for more fuel trucks to enter Gaza.
A source familiar with the talks in the region said that Israel would choose which Palestinian prisoners it would release — pending a security check. The source also said the deal would include a suspension of overhead drone flights for up to six hours per day so that Hamas could consolidate the remaining hostages. Some hostages are being held by other groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The U.S. officials stressed that any potential deal is very tenuous and could fall apart at any moment. As National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said yesterday, “Nothing is done until it’s all done.”
If the temporary cease-fire holds and everyone abides by it, the expectation is that another round of hostages would be released once Hamas can consolidate all of the kidnapped captives.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced it was convening special Cabinet meetings in “light of the developments regarding the release of our abductees.”
4h ago / 2:25 PM UTC
Qatari foreign minister says deal at its ‘closest point’ ever
A Qatari spokesperson said that officials are closing in on a truce agreement, according to a post on X from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are working towards an agreement taking place and we are now at the closest point we ever have been in reaching and an agreement,” Majed Al Ansari said during a weekly news briefing. “We are very optimistic, we are very hopeful, but we are also very keen for this mediation to to succeed in reaching a humanitarian truce.”
4h ago / 1:59 PM UTC
Netanyahu calls ‘war Cabinet’ after truce reports
TEL AVIV — The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is convening special Cabinet meetings today following reports that a truce deal with Hamas was close.
“In light of the developments regarding the release of our abductees,” the prime minister will convene a ‘war Cabinet’ at 6 p.m. (11 a.m. ET). This will be followed by a “political-security Cabinet” and “government.”
Earlier, multiple news organizations reported that the possible deal could include the release of at least 50 hostages in waves.
5h ago / 1:32 PM UTC
630 people crossed from Gaza into Egypt today, official says
As many as 630 “foreigners and dual nationals,” 35 of whom are U.S. citizens, crossed into Egypt from Gaza, Dr. Raed Abdel Nasser, secretary general of the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai, told NBC News.
In addition, 30 injured people are being transported to Qatar for treatment, he said. Two fuel and 50 aid trucks also crossed at Rafah, Nasser added.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that 70 aid trucks were received yesterday.
5h ago / 1:06 PM UTC
The Israeli military released video showing fierce fighting with militants in Jabalia. The IDF said that it had surrounded the urban area in northern Gaza. NBC News cannot independently verify the footage.
6h ago / 12:30 PM UTC
Two journalists killed in southern Lebanon
A pan-Arab Lebanese satellite channel has says two of its journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon today.
Correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Maamari were “targeted” by Israel, Al-Mayadeen TV said in a statement on X. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned their deaths, which he also blamed on Israel.
Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement. NBC News has not independently verified the report.
Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been trading fire across their border since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.
6h ago / 12:19 PM UTC
More than 5,000 children killed in Gaza, UNICEF head says
Among the 13,000 reported killed in Gaza, 5,000 children have died, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell wrote in a post on X.
She called it “Another horrifying milestone,” and added that “Each one is a life extinguished and a family devastated.”
6h ago / 12:07 PM UTC
Hezbollah attacked a house in northern Israel
The Iran-backed militia group, Hezbollah, attacked a house in northern Israel this morning, where soldiers were stationed, it said in a statement.
The IDF said three anti-tank missiles had been launched from Lebanon, but no injuries were reported.
“In response, IDF soldiers are striking toward the source of the fire in Lebanon,” it said in a statement.
7h ago / 11:43 AM UTC
Israeli military questions 300 Gaza detainees, says they gave ‘very valuable’ information
Some 300 people detained during Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip gave “very valuable” information when interrogated, the Israeli government’s press office said yesterday.
The information obtained by Israeli military intelligence included “locations of underground terrorism tunnels, warehouses and weapons, along with exposing the enemy’s methods of operation, and the enemy’s assimilation efforts within the civilian population,” it said in a statement.
“Each and every interrogation leads to the release of new locations and the human intelligence that emerges from the Gaza Strip,” it added.
NBC News has not verified the claims.
7h ago / 11:22 AM UTC
Displacing Palestinians from Gaza a ‘declared policy,’ Egypt says
Israel is pushing Palestinians out of Gaza, Egypt said yesterday, as Israel continues its siege of the enclave.
“Israel’s policy of obstructing aid entry is a systematic, and aimed at pushing Palestinians to leave Gaza under the continued bombing & siege,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in Beijing yesterday, the Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
Arab and Muslim leaders are touring various United Nations Security Council permanent members, calling for a cease-fire.
“Enforced displacement shall threaten peace, security & stability in the region & the world,” the Foreign Ministry added.
7h ago / 11:06 AM UTC
Israeli minister calls for ‘voluntary resettlement’ of Palestinians instead of rebuilding Gaza Strip
Bringing back the Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza will fail, an Israeli minister says, promoting “voluntary resettlement” of the population in other countries.
“Instead of funneling money to rebuild Gaza or to the failed UNRWA, the international community can assist in the costs of resettlement,” Gila Gamliel, Israel’s intelligence minister, said in an opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post. She added that the U.N. agency has “done zero to help the Palestinian people.”
Gamliel is not a part of the Israeli government’s war Cabinet so would not have a say on the matter.
The donation-funded UNRWA was founded in 1949 and has been responsible for providing health care, education and other social services in the Gaza Strip.
Gamliel did not say if Israel would contribute under her proposed plan, but added, “It is important that those who seek a life elsewhere be provided with that opportunity.”
Forced displacement of populations is a war crime in violation of international humanitarian law.
7h ago / 11:06 AM UTC
Premature babies are receiving care in Egypt
7h ago / 10:57 AM UTC
Possible truce deal in the works, according to multiple reports
TEL AVIV — A possible truce deal is in the works that would include a multiday cease-fire and at least 50 Israeli and international hostages freed in waves, with more to follow, according to multiple news reports quoting Hamas and Israeli officials this morning.
A part of the deal could include exchanging Palestinian women and children detained in Israel for the hostages held by Hamas, the reports added.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group is “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel. Israeli officials declined to comment on the announcement, which came in a statement on Hamas’ website.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said its president, Mirjana Spoljaric, had traveled to Qatar, which has been helping broker a deal between Hamas and Israel. Spoljaric will meet with Hamas officials and separately with Qatari officials.
The ICRC, which helped with the evacuation of four previously released hostages, does not take part in negotiations leading to their release. Still, Spoljaric’s trip may be another clue that events are moving quickly.
7h ago / 10:57 AM UTC
Israeli military say it has encircled Jabalia
The IDF said today it had encircled Jabalia, a refugee camp in northern Gaza.
“Terrorists were eliminated and infrastructure was destroyed,” the IDF wrote in a post on X. It added that it was targeting Hamas’ underground shafts in the area. NBC News could not verify its claims.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said its team saw wounded people leaving the area yesterday. One woman said she was leaving Jabalia, “where her home had been bombed and she sustained shrapnel injuries in her abdomen. She had been walking while pressing a towel against her wounds.”
She said she wasn’t able to get treatment at Indonesian Hospital “due to collapse of services there,” OCHA added.
7h ago / 10:53 AM UTC
Watch: Workshops and healing for survivors of Hamas attack
Survivors of the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival Oct. 7 and families of victims are receiving the opportunity to find healing in creative workshops.
9h ago / 9:50 AM UTC
IDF says its aircrafts struck 250 targets in Gaza Strip yesterday
The Israel Defense Forces said today its aircrafts attacked some 250 targets in the Gaza Strip yesterday, including Hamas infrastructure, militants and missile launchers.
IDF also destroyed a rocket launcher placed near a residential area, it said in a post on X.
Israeli ground forces also recovered a weapons cache in Gaza, including an anti-tank missile, the IDF said.
NBC News has not verified the claims.
9h ago / 9:31 AM UTC
Deadliest month for journalists with most killed being Palestinian, CPJ says
At least 50 journalists, 45 of them Palestinians, have been killed since the war began Oct 7, the Committee to Protect Journalists says. The first four weeks of the conflict were the deadliest month for journalists since the organization began tracking fatalities in 1992, it says.
“Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in a statement on its website.
“Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit,” Mansour added.
9h ago / 8:57 AM UTC
Hamas leader says group ‘close to’ truce agreement with Israel
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says the group is “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the announcement, which came in a statement on Hamas’ website.
Asked yesterday whether a deal was near to secure the release of hostages, President Joe Biden replied, “I believe so.”
9h ago / 8:56 AM UTC
Almost the entire Gaza population is in need of urgent food assistance: WFP
An estimated 2.2 million people in Gaza are in urgent need of food assistance, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said in a post on X.
“Existing food systems are collapsing, and to reach those in need, WFP and our partners need increased access and resources like fuel, gas, and connectivity,” said the agency, which provides food and financial resources to hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza and the West Bank.
“To make a real impact, we need hostilities to halt,” it added.
9h ago / 8:56 AM UTC
More wounded are fleeing northern Gaza, U.N. agency says
A growing number of wounded Palestinians are fleeing northern Gaza amid continued heavy violence there, the United Nations says.
Some 25,000 people left northern Gaza yesterday, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“One woman interviewed reported that she had come from Tal Az Za’tar in Jabalia, where her home had been bombed and she sustained shrapnel injuries in her abdomen,” it said in a report.
“She had been walking while pressing a towel against her wounds,” it said. The woman had attempted to receive treatment at the Indonesian Hospital “but was not admitted due to collapse of the services there.” The besieged hospital has seen bombings and assaults nearby as Israeli forces say they are only responding to fire in the vicinity.
