What we know
- The U.S. conducted another, unilateral strike in Yemen last night, according to two U.S. defense officials. The strike targeted a Houthi radar site.
- The strike was on a much smaller scale than the coordinated strikes on Thursday, when the U.S. and British militaries targeted more than 60 sites in Yemen, after weeks of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea that the militants say are aimed at backing Hamas.
- The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have vowed retaliation, raising concerns of a broader regional conflict. Biden said the U.S. will respond if the Houthis "continue this outrageous behavior."
- Tomorrow will be the 100th day since hostages were taken by Hamas into Gaza, a grim milestone Israelis have begun to commemorate. Yesterday, family members gathered at the Israel-Gaza border, shouting words of support to the estimated 100 hostages still held in Gaza.
- The International Court of Justice wrapped up hearings in The Hague yesterday, though a decision to halt the war will likely take weeks. South Africa claimed “genocidal intent” in Israel's assault on Gaza, a charge Israel rejected as "atrocious and preposterous."
- In the last 24 hours, 135 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry, as the Israeli military continues its offensive across the enclave. Health and living conditions continue to deteriorate for Gaza's 2.2 million people, and access to food remain at crisis levels.
- More than 23,800 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 60,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
- Israeli military officials say at least 186 soldiers have been killed during the country's ground invasion of Gaza, which came after 1,200 people were killed and about 240 hostages were seized after Hamas launched multipronged attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
- NBC News’ Richard Engel, Keir Simmons, Raf Sanchez, Ali Arouzi, Chantal Da Silva and Josh Lederman are reporting from the region.
This live blog has ended. For the most recent updates, please click here.
Genocide case against Israel: Where does the rest of the world stand on the momentous allegations?
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa says more than 50 countries have expressed support for its case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
Others, including the United States, have strongly rejected South Africa’s allegation that Israel is violating the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Many more have remained silent.
The world’s reaction to the landmark case that was heard Thursday and Friday at the International Court of Justice in The Hague shows a predictable global split when it comes to the inextricable, 75-year-old problem of Israel and the Palestinians. Sunday marks 100 days of their bloodiest ever conflict.
The majority of countries backing South Africa’s case are from the Arab world and Africa. In Europe, only the Muslim nation of Turkey has publicly stated its support.
No Western country has declared support for South Africa’s allegations against Israel. The U.S., a close Israel ally, has rejected them as unfounded, the U.K. has called them unjustified, and Germany said it “explicitly rejects” them.
China and Russia have said little about one of the most momentous cases to come before an international court. The European Union also hasn’t commented.
March on Washington protesters rally outside White House for cease-fire
Thousands of people converged near the White House today as part of a global day of action to decry the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.
The protest was mostly peaceful, but anti-scale fencing erected for the protest sustained temporary damage, and some reporters and others were relocated to facilitate its repair, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
There was no damage to the White House, and the Secret Service did not make any arrests, he said.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a statement, "There were instances of illegal and destructive behavior in Lafayette Park, including items being thrown at our officers."
She said D.C. police and the U.S. Park Police were investigating and will hold lawbreakers accountable.
At the march, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein spoke and urged Israel and Hamas to institute another cease-fire. She said the crowd had the power to affect the war.
"I see power, I see justice, I see Democracy as far as the eye can see," she said. "We are unstoppable."
Families of Hamas hostages prepare to mark loved ones’ 100th day in captivity
LONDON — It has become a daily ritual.
Every morning, before she’s even out of her pajamas, Rachel Goldberg-Polin tears a piece of masking tape off the roll, grabs a marking pen and in thick black strokes writes down the number of days her son, Hersh, has been held hostage by Hamas militants. Then she sticks the tape to her chest.
“I find it so remarkable how nauseating it is every single time,’’ she said. “And it’s good. I don’t want to get used to it. I don’t want anybody to get used to the fact that these people are missing.’’
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was last seen Oct. 7, when militants loaded him into the back of a pickup truck with other people who were abducted from a southern Israel music festival where over 300 attendees were killed. The native of Berkeley, California, lost part of an arm when the attackers tossed grenades into the shelter where a group of young people had taken refuge.
Sunday will mark 100 days since he and about 250 others were taken hostage by the militants who stormed across the border from Gaza, triggering the latest war between Israel and Hamas. While dozens of women, children and foreigners were released during a weeklong November cease-fire, and a number of hostages have been confirmed dead, 132 others remain in captivity. The Red Cross hasn’t been permitted to see them, and almost nothing is known about their conditions.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, 54, now spends her days trying to bring Hersh and the other hostages home.
The mother of three has spent the past three months in relentless motion, crisscrossing the globe, reminding anyone who will listen that her child is more than just an inconvenient statistic: He is her only son, a music lover, a young man who deserves the chance to fulfill his dream of traveling the world.
Goldberg-Polin and her family, who moved to Israel from the United States when Hersh was 7, have met with U.S. President Joe Biden, Pope Francis, Elon Musk and dozens of journalists. She’s spoken at the United Nations, gone to protests and carried placards.
The plight of the hostages has gripped Israel’s attention, and the tireless campaign by families has gained widespread support and sympathy, ratcheting up pressure on the Israeli government to make concessions to win their release.
The Goldberg-Polin family planned to attend the start of a 24-hour rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday and another Sunday on the Jerusalem Promenade, a collection of parks and walkways overlooking the city. Similar events are scheduled in cities outside Israel, including London, New York and Paris.
Hezbollah claims responsibility for 8 attacks on Israeli targets
Hezbollah said it conducted eight attacks on Israeli targets today, including a settlement and disputed territory.
The Iran-backed militant group said its weapons damaged buildings in the Shtula settlement, as well as directly hit targets in the Shebaa Farms area. Additionally, Hezbollah said, the crew members of an Israeli tank were killed or wounded in the Israeli town of Metula after being attacked while they were bombing Lebanese villages across from the town.
Another attack saw missile weapons striking a gathering of Israeli soldiers, Hezbollah said. The group did not claim any more deaths or injuries in the other four attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately issue a statement in response to the attacks.
ICJ case won't stop Israel from fighting in Gaza, Netanyahu says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in remarks today that the case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice will not stop the nation from continuing to fight in Gaza.
"We are continuing the war to its conclusion — to total victory, until we have achieved all of our objectives: the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages and the guarantee that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said. "We will restore security, both in the south and in the north. No one will stop us — not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil, nor anyone else."
South Africa brought the case accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It could see the ICJ order Israel to stop the fighting.
In a later statement from Netanyahu's office, the prime minister accused Hamas of executing "attacks against targets in the Middle East, Africa and Europe," adding "considerable information has been uncovered that proves how the Hamas terrorist organization has acted to expand its violent activity abroad in order to attack innocents around the world."
The statement said an "in-depth picture of Hamas’s terrorist activities has been revealed" and added that Hamas "draws inspiration from the terrorist activity of the Iranian regime, and like it, aspires to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets at any price."
Israeli security, defense and intelligence forces will continue efforts to prevent Hamas' attacks worldwide, the statement said.
Marchers in Washington call for cease-fire in Gaza, say women, children and elderly are 'paying the price'
WASHINGTON — One theme was common among Washington, D.C., protesters who spoke to NBC News today: They want a cease-fire in Gaza now and are calling on President Joe Biden to implement one.
"Nobody should be oppressed. Nobody should be killed indiscriminately," Hind Abi Akar said. "Be just. Be fair. Cease-fire now and start talking. That’s what we want them to do."
Nick Cream and Sara Azraq also called for an immediate cease-fire, with Azraq pleading to stop the killing of children in Gaza.
"A lot of innocent children are dying. A lot of kids are dying from starvation, injuries. They don’t even have medicine at the hospitals," said protester Hannah Abel. "There is no reason for any of this. There should have been a cease-fire a long time ago."
Mazen Badr said he lost 10 members of his family in the nearly 100 days since Oct. 7, including his mother, whose home in central Gaza was destroyed.
Women, children and the elderly are "paying the price" and "don't deserve this," he said, adding that children in Gaza should be afforded the same upbringing as kids in Washington.
Badr called on the Biden administration to "present the truth to your people."
"Very simple thing. Cease-fire now," said Alaa Hussein Ali, who said his brother was killed while trying to get water and that more than 100 members of his extended family have died in Gaza.
"We’re just begging President Biden and his administration. Stop the bloodshed. Their blood is in their hands," Ali said, referring to Biden and Congress. "They all can stop this and we all know that they can stop with the other hand."
Thousands gather in Tel Aviv for 24-hour rally marking 100 days of war
TEL AVIV — Thousands of people have crowded into "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv, with thousands more spilling out into the streets to join a 24-hour rally marking 100 days since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack — and for dozens of families, 100 days since their loved ones were taken hostage.
The words "bring them home now" echoed across the square as demonstrators called on the Israeli government and international community to do more to see the more than 100 people still held hostage in Gaza released.
"I feel awful. ... We don't see the end," said Shuki Benjamin, whose brother, Ron Benjamin, was taken hostage on Oct. 7 while on a cycling trip near Be'eri. He had been trying to return home after hearing sirens blaring when he was kidnapped, Benjamin said.
Speaking with NBC News at the rally, Benjamin said he struggles to imagine how his brother has survived 100 days possibly sitting “in tunnels without light, without food.”
He said he also felt disappointed by the international community’s response, adding: "I expect from the world to shout out, you know, to do something. Nothing happened, so it’s very disappointing."
Those planning to stay for the full 24-hour rally face a long night ahead, with rain beginning to fall a few hours into the event and expected to continue into the morning.
Family members blast words of support for hostages over the Israel-Gaza border
RE’IM, Israel — Armed with just a microphone and loudspeakers, they delivered a message of hope for their loved ones held hostage by Hamas for almost 100 days.
“We’re turning the entire world upside down for you,” said Meirav Gonen, whose 23-year-old daughter Romi remains in captivity, as she stood on Israel’s border with Gaza on Thursday.
“We’re here. We’re here on the fence, we’re here for you and for the rest of the abductees. We’re bringing you home. We’re doing everything, turning the whole world upside down, bringing the entire world together just to ensure that you return,” she added.
Others took the microphone and delivered their own messages, hopeful that their relatives would hear them above the din of the ongoing war.
“It’s Mom and Dad. We’re here, we’re really close to you, we’re fighting for you every single day,” one said.
Some shed tears as they spoke at the event. Most held posters with pictures of their loved ones. Others stood silently, reflecting on the fact that they have not seen or heard from their relatives after they were taken captive on Oct. 7 — 100 days ago Sunday.
‘They don’t deserve this’: Thousands rally in U.S. in support of Gaza
Thousands of Americans are gathered in Washington, D.C., for a march in support of Gaza. The march includes a stop at the White House, where protesters are demanding a cease-fire.
A global day of protests draws thousands in London and other cities in pro-Palestinian marches
LONDON — Children joined thousands of other demonstrators making their way through central London for a pro-Palestinian march on Saturday, part of a global day of action against the longest and deadliest war between Israel and Palestinians in 75 years.
The plight of children in the Gaza Strip after nearly 100 days of the Israel-Hamas war was the focus of the latest London march, symbolized by the appearance of Little Amal, a 11.5-foot puppet originally meant to highlight the suffering of Syrian refugees.
The puppet had become a human rights emblem during a 4,970-mile journey from the Turkish-Syrian border to Manchester in July 2021.
Nearly two-thirds of the 23,843 people killed during Israel’s campaign in Gaza have been women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border attack on Oct. 7 in which the Islamic militant group killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage. It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history and the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust.
March organizers had said the Palestinian children would accompany Little Amal through the streets of central London.
“On Saturday Amal walks for those most vulnerable and for their bravery and resilience,” said Amir Nizar Zuabi, artistic director of The Walk Productions. “Amal is a child and a refugee and today in Gaza childhood is under attack, with an unfathomable number of children killed. Childhood itself is being targeted. That’s why we walk.”
London’s Metropolitan Police force said some 1,700 officers would be on duty for the march, including many from outside the capital.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said he had been briefed by police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on plans to “ensure order and safety” during the protest.
“I back them to use their powers to manage the protest and crack down on any criminality,” Cleverly said.
A number of conditions were placed for the march, including a directive that no participant in the protest shall venture near the Israeli Embassy.
A pro-Israel rally was set to take place in London on Sunday.
The London march was one of several others being held in European cities including Paris, Rome, Milan and Dublin, where thousands also marched along the Irish capital’s main thoroughfare to protest Israel’s military operations in the Palestinian enclave.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags, held placards critical of the Irish, U.S. and Israeli governments and chanted, “Free, free Palestine.″
In Rome, hundreds of demonstrators descended on a boulevard near the famous Colosseum, with some carrying signs reading, “Stop Genocide.” One demonstrator waved the flag of South Africa, the nation whose accusations of genocide against Israel prompted the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, to take up the case.
At one point during the protest, amid the din of sound effects mimicking exploding bombs, a number of demonstrators lay down in the street and pulled white sheets over themselves as if they were corpses, while others knelt beside them, their palms daubed in red paint.
Many hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Paris’ Republic Square to set off on a march calling for an immediate cease-fire, an end to the war, a lifting of the blockade on Gaza and to impose sanctions on Israel. Marching protesters waved the Palestinian flag and held aloft placards and banners reading, “From Gaza to Paris. Resistance.”