Videos show IDF soldiers destroying supplies and goods in Gaza
Two videos circulated over social media this weekend of IDF soldiers apparently destroying goods in Gaza, which the Israeli military condemned and said it will be reviewing.
In one video that appears to be from Dec. 8, two soldiers are in front of a truck in Shuja’iyya, Gaza, telling the camera that they are lighting the second candle of Hanukkah before setting a fire inside the cargo. The truck appears to have some food inside and one of the soldiers say they are in a "sweets" factory, alleging that children are given treats in Gaza to "celebrate terror attacks," according to an NBC translation.
In a different video, a soldier is recorded inside a store in Jabalia mocking children's toys and notebooks as he smiles and throws items around. It's unclear when this video was initially filmed.
The IDF said in a statement to NBC News that it condemns this type of behavior from its soldiers. "The behavior of the soldiers in the video is inappropriate and contrary to the values of the IDF," the statement said. "The case will be reviewed and handled accordingly."
Israel says Houthi attacks on ships 'will be dealt with force'
Attacks on international cargo ships by Yemeni Houthi rebels "pose a threat to international merchants and Israel," Israeli government spokesperson Ofir Gendelman said in a news briefing today.
"This threat will be dealt with force," he said hours after a cruise missile launched from a Houthi-controlled area struck a Norway-flagged ship.
Gendelman also said the Lebanese militia-group Hezbollah was escalating fighting along the Lebanese border north of Israel.
"Beirut will become like Gaza if Hezbollah decides to wage war against us," he added.
Biden invites families of American hostages to White House
President Joe Biden has invited family members of Americans taken hostage by Hamas to a meeting at the White House tomorrow, according to a senior administration official. This will be their first in-person meeting since those Americans were kidnapped Oct. 7 during the terrorist attacks in Israel.
Biden has previously spoken with them over Zoom, and other senior administration officials have met with some of them, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Vice President Kamala Harris.
It’s unclear how many families will attend and some may appear virtually, the official said.
Flour is rationed in southern Gaza
Palestinians wave their identity cards as they gather to receive flour rations outside a United Nations Relief and Works Agency warehouse in Rafah, southern Gaza, today.
Less than a third of Gaza's hospitals are partially functional, WHO says
A total of 11 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional, the WHO's representative for the occupied Palestinian territory said today. That is only a third of the 36 total functionals hospitals in the area before Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks.
Just one hospital in the north and 10 in the south are functioning, Richard Peeperkorn told a U.N. press briefing by video from Gaza. Those hospitals are overburdened, severely understaffed and out of supplies.
"Devastation is simply enormous," he said. "I have never seen scenes like this in my life."
"The hospital grounds are full of IDPs," he said, referring to internally displaced people, adding people were turning up injured on donkey carts or on foot.
Israeli forces have stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, Gaza officials say
Israeli forces have stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, after besieging and bombing it for several days, Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra said today in a statement on Telegram.
"The Israeli occupation forces are currently gathering the males, including the medical staff, in the hospital courtyard, and we fear that they and the medical staff will be arrested or liquidated," Al-Qudra said.
There are 12 children in intensive care, six premature babies and 3,000 displaced people inside the hospital, the Palestinian Information Ministry said in a statement, adding that two women and their children were killed after the maternity ward was bombed.
The IDF said that it continued to pursue Hamas in northern Gaza, and that it "takes all feasible precautions to mitigate harm to noncombatants," including civilians and medical teams.
NBC News has not independently verified the claims.
Gaza is facing 'collective punishment,' Qatari minister says
Qatar's state minister yesterday called what's happening in Gaza a "collective punishment."
In his speech at the Doha forum, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh al-Khulaifi said that humanitarian actions have become political, "which led to collective punishment, with innocent civilians becoming victims of political agendas."
He also stressed the importance of "rebuilding not only the physical infrastructure, but also people’s dignity, and their hopes and potential for a better tomorrow.”
Displaced Gazans say they have been 'abandoned' near Rafah
Members of the Bakar family, who said they were displaced from Shifa in Gaza, are now sheltering at the Al-Mawasi camp near Rafah. They fear they may next be forced to move across the border into the Sinai Desert.
Israeli strike leaves large crater in Rafah
People salvage belongings following an early morning Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip today.
Harvard president to stay amid outcry over antisemitism testimony
Claudine Gay, the embattled president of Harvard University, will remain in the role, the school’s governing board announced today, following almost a week of outcry over testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
“As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University. Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing,” the Harvard Corporation said in a statement signed by the college’s fellows.
“President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the University’s fight against antisemitism,” the statement said.
Gay was appointed to the university presidency less than six months ago. She is the second woman and first Black person to lead the Ivy League institution.