‘I really have to go’: NYC man goes back to Israel to fight Hamas
NEAR THE GAZA BORDER, Israel — When the 40-year-old Israeli-American father of three, living in New York City, was called back by Israel’s military after Hamas’ terror attacks on the country, he could have avoided it.
“But I really have to go,” Capt. Shai, who asked that his first name not be used, told NBC News at an Israeli military training camp in southern Israel.
“They took hostages — women, children and grandparents, back to Gaza,” he said. “And at that moment, I knew I have to go back.”
Israel called up more than 300,000 reservists after Hamas’ unprecedented terror attack on the country, which killed more than 1,300 people in Israel. Israel’s military said it is preparing for a ground attack on Gaza.
Airstrikes in Gaza have killed more than 2,200 people in the densely populated enclave, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Capt. Shai said he feels bad for the plight of Palestinian civilians. “There are many Palestinians in Gaza that are innocent, that didn’t do these attacks necessarily,” he said. “But Hamas is holding them captive.”
“This is unprecedented. We’re at war,” he said. “And so, we always try to minimize civilian casualties. Always. That’s the way we operate. But at the same time, we have to understand that they’re not giving us another choice.”
Family of missing Israeli festivalgoer pleads for her safe return
Sharona Shmunis Harel was celebrating her 40th birthday at a music festival when Hamas militants began their violent attacks in south Israel.
Ohad Harel, her brother-in-law, says her family believes she is among the Israeli hostages, and they are desperately pleading for her return.
Read more about Hamas’ terrorist attack on an Israeli music festival.
'Israel needs to protect its people,' rabbi says
Joshua Davidson, a senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-el in New York City, today described Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip as a “necessary act of self-defense.”
“The message to the Jewish community and all who are friends in the Jewish community and supporters of Israel is the need for solidarity. Israel needs to be able to defend itself. It’s bombing of Gaza. It’s probable ground invasion of Gaza is not retaliation," Davison said. "It’s not some cathartic act of vengeance. It’s a necessary act of self-defense. Nothing would make us happier than if Hamas laid down their weapons and marched out of Gaza with their hands in the air. But in all likelihood, that’s not going to happen. Israel needs to protect its people.”
Renat Lifshitz of New York says the war is affecting even the small details of daily life for Jews everywhere.
“There’s a lot of fear. There’s fear now more than ever since the Holocaust. I feel like this is the fear in New York, Israel, Florida and all over the world. It’s like everyone is afraid to walk around, people are afraid to wear their Jewish Star," Lifshitz said. "The other day I was afraid to order an Uber because my name is Jewish and Israeli, and God forbid the Uber driver says ‘Are you Jewish?’ and ‘I’m going to kill you,’ so, yeah, it’s extremely terrifying. It’s extremely hurtful. Everyone makes us feel so hated nowadays.”
FBI director: Threats related to the war are on the rise in the U.S.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told a gathering of police chiefs today that threats related to the Middle East's latest warring factions are on the rise in the U.S.
In prepared remarks to the 2023 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in San Diego, Wray said the Hamas attacks and the subsequent war may be inspiring threats and hatred.
NBC News has not immediately determined whether the remarks were delivered as planned.
"In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats, and we have to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own," Wray said in the prepared version of his words.
He asked for vigilance among the chiefs and the departments they lead.
"As the first line of defense in protecting our communities, you’re often the first to see the signs that someone may be mobilizing to violence.”
NBC affiliate WGAL of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, reported that a demonstration in the state capital, Harrisburg, to bring attention to the plight of the residents of Gaza and the occupied territories was interrupted by a man in a vehicle who allegedly brandished a firearm and yelled racial slurs.
The station said Pennsylvania Capitol Police are investigating the incident at the Harrisburg Rally for Palestine as a possible hate crime. The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations urged authorities to prosecute the man in the vehicle for alleged hate crimes.
Pennsylvania Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mother desperate for information after daughters' kidnapping was livestreamed
For a week now, Maayan Zin has been desperate for information about her daughters who were taken hostage from the kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Hamas attackers livestreamed the kidnapping of 8-year-old Ela Elyakim and 15-year-old Dafna Elyakim from the kibbutz Oct. 7.
Hamas later posted a photo of Dafna online.
Ela and Dafna were supposed to have spent the weekend at their mother’s home in Tel Aviv, but they went to their father’s in Nahal Oz to take part in a ceremony celebrating the 70th anniversary of the kibbutz’s founding.
Maayan Zin, 50, learned his daughters had been kidnapped when her sister called and shared the image of Dafna several hours after the kidnapping.
"I thought it must be Photoshopped," Zin said.
Only when she saw the video of the kidnapping did the reality start to sink in for Zin.
The video shows the family seated and scared as men armed with semi-automatic weapons walk around their house and, speaking in English, ask the adults for their IDs.
In addition to the girls, their father, Noam Elyakim, 48; his girlfriend, Dikla Arava Eliaz, 50; and Eliaz’ 17-year-old son, Tomer, were kidnapped.
The video appears to show Noam Elyakim was shot in the leg.
Israeli strikes slowing as Saturday turns to Sunday near Gaza border
SDEROT, Israel — It's just past midnight on the border with Gaza, and the streets remain quiet, save the constant hum of an Israeli drone hovering above.
The tempo of outgoing Israeli strikes has slowed in the last several hours.
In the darkness of night, the skyline of Gaza City is black; only a few lights can be seen flickering in the distance.
Iran foreign minister meets Hamas political leader, state news says
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh met for talks in Qatar, the Iranian state news agency IRNA said.
It was the first meeting between Iranian and Hamas officials since Hamas attacked Israel last Saturday, the state-run news agency said.
Iran has had a long relationship with Hamas and supports it, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, but he said this week the U.S. had no “direct evidence” that Iran was involved in the Hamas terrorist attacks.
U.S. intelligence had reported increased threat from Hamas but not details of imminent assault, sources say
U.S. intelligence agencies reported a heightened risk of violence from Hamas in the weeks before the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel but did not pick up detailed information about an imminent large-scale assault, according to two sources familiar with the intelligence.
The U.S. assessments, based partly on Israeli intelligence, included information that Hamas appeared ready to ratchet up its rocket attacks on Israel and a broader threat of more violence by the Palestinian militants, the sources said.
However, the U.S. intelligence reporting did not have specific information about a pending massive attack like the one carried out a week ago, which took Israel by surprise, the sources said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday that the U.S. did not have intelligence in advance of an imminent attack and that if it had, the administration would have shared the information with Israel.
CNN first reported on intelligence assessments about the threat of a potential increase in violence from Hamas.
At an event at Georgetown University in February, CIA Director William Burns expressed concern about the climate in the Middle East and the potential for an eruption of violence between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Burns said that “in the conversations I had with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, ... it left me quite concerned about the prospects for even greater fragility and even greater violence between Israelis and Palestinians, as well.”
President Biden speaks to Palestinian Authority President Abbas on two-state solution
Biden and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discussed implementing a two-state solution to achieve peace in the region, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
In a phone call this evening, Abbas talked about allowing humanitarian corridors in the Gaza Strip to provide vital supplies to people in the area.
Abbas thanked Biden for the administration's efforts and said he is ready to engage in peace talks if Palestinian people are given their rights.
29 Americans killed in Israel-Hamas conflict, State Department says
Twenty-nine U.S. citizens were confirmed dead in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, a State Department spokesperson said Saturday afternoon.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” the spokesperson said, adding the department would not comment further on the identities of those killed or the circumstances of their deaths.
The spokesperson said the department was also aware of 15 U.S. citizens who are unaccounted for, as well as one lawful permanent resident.
“The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts.”