1 years ago / 10:15 AM EST

Netanyahu 'unequivocal' fighting will continue after negotiations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the return of dozens of hostages is “a great achievement” but was “unequivocal” that fighting would resume after negotiations are finished.

In the video speech released by the government, Netanyahu said the return of 85 hostages held in Gaza “would have sounded imaginary” a week ago “but we achieved it.”

However, he repeated a caveat that’s been hammered home by him and his top officials this week.

“In the last few days, I hear a question: After this phase of returning our abductees is exhausted, will Israel return to fighting?” he said. “So my answer is an unequivocal yes.”

“There is no way we are not going back to fighting until the end,” he added. “This is my policy, the entire Cabinet stands behind it, the entire government stands behind it, the soldiers stand behind it, the people stand behind it — this is exactly what we will do.”

Israeli soldiers gather today for a briefing on the border with the Gaza Strip.Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
1 years ago / 9:52 AM EST

Graphic video shows boys shot in West Bank amid Israeli raid

Video shared on social media this morning showed a group of boys being shot at in a side street in the occupied West Bank. It comes as Israeli forces conducted an intense raid on the Jenin refugee camp today.

In surveillance video that NBC News geolocated to Al Yasmine in Jenin, four boys are seen running for cover, one falling limp to the ground. Another boy drags him behind a car, leaving a trail of blood. The video is dated Nov. 29 and timestamped 2:19 p.m.

Social Media

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement today that two children were “killed by occupation bullets in Jenin,” naming them as Adam Samer Al-Ghoul, 8, and Basil Suleiman Abu Al-Wafa, 15. It was unclear whether the video showed this incident.

Israel's military said it had killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander in a raid on the camp today. It did not mention the statement of the children being shot.

“In a joint operation by the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces in the Jenin refugee camp, two high-ranking terrorists were eliminated by the IDF fighters, including the commander of the camp, Muhammad Zabeidi, who carried out shooting attacks in the sector and was involved in sending terrorists to the attacks,” a joint statement from the Israeli forces said. It added that “During the activity, exchanges of fire developed and explosives were thrown at the forces who shot at the terrorists and hit them.”

1 years ago / 9:18 AM EST

At least 2 communities on Gaza border say they won't send representatives to meeting with Netanyahu

NBC News

At least two kibbutzim that were violently attacked by Hamas last month said they will not meet with Israel's prime minister during his scheduled visit with the Gaza border communities.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu said yesterday he would meet with the leaders of southern areas, 4 kilometers from the border with Gaza.

Kibbutz Nir Oz said today it was joining Kibbutz Be’eri in not sending a representative to the meeting with Netanyahu, saying the current meeting format was "not acceptable." Both kibbutzim were devastated by the Hamas attack Oct. 7.

Osnat Peri, head of Nir Oz, said they urge Netanyahu to meet with the kibbutz community as a whole, including those who survived the Hamas attack.

"All of us, not only the representatives of the kibbutzim, need answers. All of us deserve to know why a quarter of our community was abducted or slaughtered," Peri said.

It comes amid growing discontent with what some view as Netanyahu's failure to prevent the attack and his government's treatment of the victims.

1 years ago / 8:58 AM EST

Bereaved Israeli families say police broke up protest

Bereaved Israelis demonstrating against the government said their weekly protest outside the Jerusalem parliament was this morning broken up by police.

Around 200 people supporting those who lost loved ones during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack were outside the Knesset when police used “violence and threats of false arrests” even though they were not blocking the roads, the loosely organized group said in a statement to NBC News.

The group is calling for the Israeli government to resign over the failures leading to and during the attack. It released video appearing to show police officers shoving some of the demonstrators and confiscating a sign belonging to Yael Alon, whose father, an army medic, was killed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and whose son, a platoon commander, was killed Oct. 7. Her sign reads: “My father was killed in the failure of ‘73, my son was killed in the failure of ‘23.”

1 years ago / 8:24 AM EST

Truce extension for at least 2 days is current expectation, source says

The expectation is that the truce between Israel and Hamas will be extended for at least two additional days, a senior Arab diplomat directly involved in the negotiations told NBC News.

Talks are ongoing in Qatar to secure a new deal beyond tonight's deadline, and allow for the release of more hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

The talks are, of course, fluid and nothing remains finalized.

1 years ago / 8:01 AM EST

Israeli soldiers conduct operations within Gaza

Max Butterworth

IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, in images released by the Israeli military today.

Israel Defense Forces / via Reuters
1 years ago / 8:00 AM EST

U.S. military warns Iran over 'unsafe' drone behavior in the Gulf

An Iranian drone "took unsafe and unprofessional actions" yesterday near a U.S. aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, the U.S. military has said.

“The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) was conducting routine flight operations in the international waters of the Central Arabian Gulf when it detected an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV was visually identified as Iranian. Its closest point of approach to IKE was approximately 1,500 yards. Multiple hails and warnings were ignored by Iran," said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

No injuries were reported and no aircraft was damaged, he said in a statement. “This unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior by Iran risks U.S. and partner nation lives and needs to cease immediately," he added.

The strike group was the second deployed to the region in a show of support for Israel and deterrence against Iran. This latest incident follows a growing number of attacks by Tehran-backed militant groups against U.S. forces across the region.

1 years ago / 7:39 AM EST

Aunt of 12-year-old released hostage says boy was forced to watch Hamas attack videos in captivity

Nancy Ing and Yuliya Talmazan

PARIS — The aunt of an Israeli boy who was released as part of the hostage deal on Monday said he was forced to watch videos of the Oct. 7 attack while held captive by Hamas.

Deborah Cohen told French news broadcaster BFM TV that her nephew, Eitan Yahalomi, had experienced “horrors" while in captivity.

She said Yahalomi, 12, was forced to watch "horror films" of the Hamas attack and was beaten when he arrived in Gaza. She also said that each time a child cried, the militants would threaten them with a weapon for them to keep quiet.

NBC News has not independently confirmed Cohen’s claim.

Cohen said after the happiness about her nephew's release, she is now worried about the things he has seen and experienced.

"Lots of psychologists. Lots of love. Lots of hugs," Cohen said, when asked about Eitan's readjustment back into normal life. "Surrounded by family that are there for him. He will feel we are there for him. All the time there for him."


1 years ago / 7:34 AM EST

Negotiations underway to keep Israel-Hamas cease-fire in place

TEL AVIV — Time could be running out for more hostage releases, as negotiators — and families of captives — push for an extended deal before tonight's deadline.

In Gaza, people are also hoping the cease-fire will be extended. They're lining up to get what aid is coming in now, before Israeli airstrikes resume. With large parts of the enclave destroyed, many are living in tents as winter sets in.

These talks are being led by Qatar in Doha. The CIA director and the head of Israel's Mossad are involved, with the hope being that these extensions could eventually lead to a longer-term deal.

1 years ago / 6:58 AM EST

Presidential envoy for hostage affairs traveling to Israel today

Abigail Williams

Roger Carstens, special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, is traveling to Israel today to support Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to the region and meet with his Israeli counterparts, a senior State Department official said.

He will also visit the families of Americans being held hostage in Gaza.