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Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and pressed the case for preventing escalation and protecting civilians, but to no avail.
“It is very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas’ making, that everything be done to protect them,” he said as he stood before reporters in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu said in a statement after the meeting that Israel will refuse any temporary cease-fire proposals made in the absence of the release of hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden called for a “pause” in warfare to negotiate for the release of hostages, which include Americans.
The U.S. has been flying unarmed MQ-9 Reaper drones over Gaza to help recover hostages, Pentagon officials confirmed. There are 241 hostages, according to the IDF.
Hassan Nasrallah, a leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group aligned against Israel, made no promises to back off in the group’s ongoing skirmishes with Israeli forces along Israel’s northern border.
In a highly anticipated speech, Nasrallah said the extent of Hezbollah’s involvement in the war depends on how Israel behaves. “All options are laid out and we can adopt any at any point of time,” he said.
He was deliberate in saying Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 was “100% Palestinians in terms of execution” and that Hamas kept it a secret. And he urged an end to the war. But he also committed to continuing attacks along Israel’s northern boundary.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said it was ready for anything launched by Hezbollah.
An exodus from Gaza continued amid Israeli forces’ encircling of Gaza City and the continuation of a ground incursion throughout the north.
One hundred U.S. citizens and their family members left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. More than 360 Americans were on a list of those who would be allowed to pass through the boundary Friday, according to the Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority.
Palestinian workers who crossed into Israel each day from Gaza are apparently being shut out after Netanyahu’s office said it was “severing all contact” with the enclave. Some workers who were stranded in Israel walked back into Gaza on Friday, with no prospects for their immediate return.
The home they find will not be the same. More than 1.4 million people have been displaced in Gaza, where health officials say at least 9,200 have been killed. Israel says more than 1,400 have been killed.
What we know
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders this morning at a crucial moment, with the U.S. pushing for a pause in fighting to allow hostages to be released and humanitarian relief to get into Gaza as a worsening civilian toll fuels mounting concerns.
- The IDF says one of its aircraft struck an ambulance it believes was being used by Hamas in Gaza after Hamas accused Israel of targeting the Al Shifa, Al Quds and Indonesian hospitals. The Palestine Red Crescent Society released images it says are of one of its ambulances, blood-stained and damaged in a strike.
- The U.S. military is flying unarmed drone flights over Gaza to help with hostage recovery, the Pentagon confirmed. Israel continues to bombard the densely populated Palestinian enclave, but is also pushing forward with its ground assault against Hamas and claims to have encircled Gaza City in the north.
- 100 U.S. citizens and their family members left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on Thursday and received assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, the White House said. More than 1.4 million people have been displaced in Gaza, where health officials say more than 9,200 have been killed. Israel says 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack, and 241 are being held hostage.
- The leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah broke his silence for the first time since Oct. 7 in a hotly anticipated speech that comes amid mounting concerns the conflict could trigger a wider war in the Middle East.
- NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Kelly Cobiella, Josh Lederman, Matt Bradley, Ellison Barber, Meagan Fitzgerald, Jay Gray, Hala Gorani, Chantal Da Silva and Alexander Smith are reporting from the region.
Palestinian journalists and digital creators document Gaza strikes see surge in followers
Before early October, Motaz Azaiza’s Instagram account documented life in Gaza to about 25,000 followers with a mix of daily life and the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
That began to change in the days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and the retaliation on Gaza. Since then, more than 12.4 million people have begun following Azaiza’s feed, which has become a daily chronicle of Israeli strikes.
Many other journalists, digital creators and people active on social media based in the region have seen a similar uptick in followers. Plestia Alaqad, a journalist whose work has been featured by NBC News, has gained more than 2.1 million, according to the social media analytics company Social Blade. Mohammed Aborjela, a digital creator, gained 230,000.
The unfiltered coverage, as seen in the Instagram post below, adds a unique element to the broader journalistic efforts to capture what’s happening in Gaza.
NBC News’ Jay Gray got a rare look at the “Oasis of Peace,” a small village in central Israel — about 30 miles from Gaza — where Israelis and Palestinians have lived side-by-side for decades.
One woman who lives in the community said there have been open discussions about the Israel-Hamas conflict among Jews and Arabs alike.
As the war continues, "Oasis of Peace" members are worried about how the conflict could challenge the core principles of the community's mission.
Above all else, though, "We have to be the bridge between the ugly reality and the future that we wish for our kids," one "Oasis of Peace" member told Gray.
Honduras recalls ambassador to Israel, condemns situation in Gaza
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations today as it condemned what it called “genocide and other serious violations of international law” in the Israel-Hamas war.
The Central American country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina wrote on X that President Xiomara Castro had decided to immediately recall the ambassador in light of “the serious humanitarian situation the civilian Palestinian population is suffering in the Gaza Strip.”
The Foreign Affairs Ministry added in a statement that “Honduras energetically condemns the genocide and serious violations of international humanitarian law that the civilian Palestinian population is suffering in the Gaza Strip.”
Castro, a leftist who took office in January 2022 as the first female president in Honduras, has sought to align with other leftist governments in the hemisphere like Venezuela and Cuba, but without completely alienating the United States.
Roberta Elliott and Tahija Vikalo are part of the leadership of Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, an organization that works to build trust and respect between Muslim and Jewish women.
They told NBC News' Blayne Alexander how their friendship and the sisterhood has helped them as the war rages on, a situation that is personal for both women.
Elliott, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, has a friend who is being held hostage. Vikalo, who grew up in war-torn Bosnia, has friends living in Gaza.
"That is the importance of the interfaith work that we're doing right now, is that we're building bridges across tribes and just seeing humanity in each other," Elliott said.
German Chancellor and King of Jordan agree on necessity of a "two-state solution"
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke on the phone with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein, about the Israel-Gaza war. They agreed it is important to prevent the conflict from spreading regionally, and that a "two-state solution" is the only way that Israel and Palestine can live in peace.
Scholz reiterated that Germany is committed to protecting civilians and ensuring safe access for humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. He said the German government has expanded its humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Palestine Red Crescent Society says at least 15 killed in shelling of ambulance
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement Friday that more than a dozen people were killed when a caravan of ambulances was shelled near the entrance of Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, where many people have sought sanctuary.
The caravan set off for the Rafah crossing from Al Shifa but turned back a little more than 2 miles away after drivers concluded the only road there was blocked by rubble created by shelling, the PRCS said.
Less than a mile away, the lead ambulance in the caravan was struck by shelling, it said. Those inside, including patients, were injured but survived, the PRCS indicated in its statement.
Then, the PRCS' own ambulance was struck by a missile fired by Israeli forces, it said. That attack killed at least 15 people and injured more than 60, including many who were seeking refuge from the war, the PRCS said.
Among the injured was the vehicle’s driver and a medic, it said. The fate of the patient inside, described as having shrapnel injuries and needing treatment in Egypt, wasn’t clear. The attacks happened about 4:30 p.m. Gaza time, the PRCS said earlier.
Four Red Crescent medics have been killed in the warfare and 21 medics and volunteers have been injured, the humanitarian group said. It characterizes the targeting of ambulances as a violation of the Geneva Conventions on warfare.
Israel Defense Forces said one of its aircraft struck an ambulance it claimed was being used by Hamas and was near a stronghold for the militant group. It said Hamas fighters were killed, and it has evidence Hamas uses ambulances to transport combatants and weapons.
NBC News has not independently verified the Palestine Red Crescent’s casualty numbers for the attack Friday, nor IDF’s statements on who was killed or its claim about Hamas’ use of ambulances.
Protesters calling for cease-fire blocked entrances to federal building in Seattle
SEATTLE — A couple hundred people calling for a cease-fire as Israel continues its bombardment of the Gaza Strip blocked entrances to a federal building in downtown Seattle today where U.S. Sen. Patty Murray has an office.
Protesters, many wearing black sweatshirts that said “Cease Fire Now,” sang songs about freedom and chanted while one person climbed a ladder and hung a banner on the building that said: “Murray: Ceasefire Now!”
Participants linked arms, blocking the building’s entrances for several hours despite attempts by federal and other law enforcement officers to shove them away.
Advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace organized the demonstration, one of several similar events that have happened across the United States in recent days.
Murray, who is president pro tempore of the Senate, yesterday called for a “humanitarian pause” in the war to “allow critical humanitarian aid to reach innocent civilians in Gaza.” She also reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism.
KFAR SABA, Israel — There was an empty chair at the Sabbath table when Evyatar David’s family sat down to dinner after sundown Friday.
It was the fourth time since the 22-year-old Israeli was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 that those who love David the most had to break bread without him.
And even though on this night the traditional Jewish meal was held at the home of David’s uncle, the ache was the same.
“His energy is missing,” David’s 18-year-old sister, Ye’ela, said.
“That’s exactly what I was going to say,” David’s mother, Galia, 56, replied.
White House provides insight to Rafah crossing negotiations
During negotiations on opening the Rafah crossing, Hamas said it would allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza if "a number of" wounded Palestinians could leave as well. But upon vetting the list, officials discovered that about a third of the people listed as wounded Palestinians were Hamas fighters, according to a senior administration official.
Originally, Hamas would not allow anyone to leave Gaza, the official added.
“Until that arrangement was, was worked out — and again, the list of wounded that Hamas handed over originally had about a third of people that were actually Hamas fighters, which was not going to be part of the deal,” the official said. “So that’s what kind of complicated and took a while for it to get worked out.”
The official said that the U.S., Egypt and Israel rejected that Hamas fighters be allowed to pass through the crossing, pointing to countering Hamas’ demand as a reason for the timing of getting foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians out of Gaza.
Wounded Palestinian civilians who were ultimately able to leave Gaza were not Hamas fighters, the official said, adding later that Qatar and Egypt were "critical" in making this happen.
The official also said that there are negotiations on a "larger package" of hostages through the same channels that resulted in the release of the American mother and daughter, appearing to refer to Judith and Natalie Raanan.
The official addressed the possibility of a “pause” in the fighting.
"When you heard the president say the other night, talking about a pause in the context of a prisoner release — releases to get the hostages out and the numbers that we’re talking about, it would take a very significant pause in the conflict, in the fighting to be able to do this,” the official said. “It is something that is under very serious and active discussion.”
17 injured Palestinians arrive in Egypt
Seventeen injured Palestinians arrived and were treated in Egypt today, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Health said in a statement.
In total, 28 injured Palestinians were expected to arrive, the statement said, adding that 11 of that total were unable to make it due to unspecified "events in Gaza."
Additionally, 448 foreign nationals received medical exams in Egypt including 96 kids who received vaccines, according to the health ministry.