What we know
- A U.S. fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea from Houthi militant-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. military has said. The first attack by the Iran-backed rebels after American-led strikes will add to fears of regional escalation after deadly new clashes on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.
- As the war in Gaza passed the 100-day mark, the White House signaled that it is now "the right time" for its ally to scale back its war against Hamas. Protests calling for a cease-fire erupted around the world over the weekend, while in Israel families and supporters of the remaining hostages gathered to mark the milestone.
- In Gaza, famine looms as the devastation mounts. More than 24,000 people have been killed in the enclave 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, Raf Sanchez, Ali Arouzi, Chantal Da Silva and Josh Lederman are reporting from the region.
Veterinarian cares for displaced Gaza cats
Veterinarian Aed Abu Najm, 25, treats a cat in Rafah, Egypt, where he set up a clinic to provide care and shelter for cats of displaced Palestinians.
U.S. ignored warnings about Houthi threat, senior Yemeni leader says
DAVOS, Switzerland — U.S. officials were warned about the dangers Houthi rebels posed to the Middle East before Israel’s war with Hamas, but “they didn’t do anything,” the vice president of Yemen’s U.N.-recognized government told NBC News.
Maj. Gen. Aidarus al-Zubaidi said he met with American and British officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September and told them that the Iran-backed militant group was regrouping and rearming during a pause in fighting in its long-running war with a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
“They wrote everything down,” al-Zubaidi said yesterday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan are expected to speak about returning stability to the Middle East.
“They didn’t do anything,” al-Zubaidi said.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
IDF denies claims made in Hamas hostage video
TEL AVIV — The Israel Defense Forces has rebutted claims made in a video posted online overnight by Hamas, accusing it of being responsible for the alleged deaths of two Israeli hostages.
The video released on the Telegram channel of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, appeared to show Noa Argamani, who was taken hostage at the Nova music festival, saying that she had been injured and that two other hostages, Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky, had been killed. The video blamed the IDF for their deaths. NBC News was not immediately able to independently verify the video or its claims.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a news conference that IDF representatives had met with the families of Sharabi and Svirsky in recent days and had “expressed grave concern for their fate, due to information we have.” He did not expand on what information the IDF had at the time or exactly when representatives met with the two men’s families.
Hagari denied that the IDF shot one of the two men. He also said the building where the three hostages were held was “not a target and was not attacked by our forces.” He said the IDF does not attack “where we know there may be abductees,” but he said Israeli forces were unaware of the three hostages’ location “in real time.” Hagari said the IDF had attacked targets close to where they were held, however, and he said it was investigating the event and the circumstances surrounding it.
NBC News was not able to independently verify Hagari’s statements about the alleged incident.
100 days is an 'eternity,' family of baby who'll turn 1 on Thursday says
HERZLIYA, Israel — He will turn 1 on Thursday as a hostage of Hamas and his relatives told NBC News they were worried about his health.
Kfir Bibas was 10 months old when he was taken hostage with his mom, Shiri, 32, his father, Yarden, 34, and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel, from their home in kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel.
“I thought they would be returned to us in a week, and then we’re sitting here three months after with no information,” Shiri’s cousin Yifat Zailer said. “It’s really hard.”
Yosi Shnaider, another of Shiri’s cousins, added that 100 days in a baby’s life was “an eternity.”
“It’s supposed to do so many things in those 100 days for its development,” he said, referring to Sunday marking 100 days since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched multipronged attacks on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostage.
After dozens were freed in an exchange for Palestinian prisoners in late November, Israeli officials estimate around 100 people remain in captivity.
“There is the law of war, and you cannot hold children as prisoners of war, it’s not allowed,” Shnaider said. “Everybody makes promises but in the end when we’re leaving the room, everybody is going back to their business and they’re not doing anything.”
Zailer added that she did not feel like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has our interests at heart.”
“He has his own problems and he thinks through endless war he will make people forget,” she said. Hamas “should be stopped, there is no doubt about it” she said. But, she said, Netanyahu “could sign a deal now” for a cease-fire that would allow the remaining hostages to return home.
“He’s leaving my family there to die,” she said.
Hamas releases third video about hostages, including Noa Argamani
TEL AVIV — A video released by Hamas today appears to show Israeli hostage Noa Argamani, who has become the face of the crisis, stating that she has been injured and that two other hostages, Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky, have been killed.
NBC News was not immediately able to independently verify the claims in the video, which Argamani is clearly making under duress and was released on the Telegram channel of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. It is also not known when the video was made.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Hamas of “psychological terror” following the video’s release. “The IDF is in contact with the families of the abductees,” he said.
Sharabi’s brother-in-law, Raz Matalon, told NBC News he had nothing to say about the video. Previously, he said his other brother-in-law, Eli Sharabi, was also taken hostage by Hamas. Svirsky’s family could not be reached. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of people taken hostage into Gaza, did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News.
The video comes after Hamas shared separate undated footage on social media yesterday appearing to show Argamani, Sharabi and Svirsky.
IDF withdraws one of four divisions in Gaza for rest and training
The Israel Defense Forces says it has withdrawn one of four divisions in the Gaza Strip for "a period of refreshment and training."
The IDF said the 36th Division's withdrawal would allow for "strengthening readiness." The Israeli military did not say how long the division would be out of Gaza.
"At the end of the period, and according to the assessment of the situation, it will be decided on the continuation of the operational activity of the division’s forces according to the operational need," the IDF said.
Three combat divisions remain in Gaza, along with special forces, according to the IDF.
Coons reacts to Houthi hit on U.S. containership
DAVOS, Switzerland — It is clear that the U.S. needs to take “further steps” against Yemen’s Houthi rebels “to deter them from interrupting the flow of commerce through the Red Sea,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told NBC News today.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Joe Biden’s campaign co-chair said the Iran-backed militant group continued “to challenge freedom of navigation.”
His comments came as details filtered through about the attack on the U.S.-owned and operated containership M/V Gibraltar Eagle, which U.S. Central Command said was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile.
There were no reports of injuries or significant damage and the ship’s U.S.-based owner, Eagle Bulk Shipping, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UNRWA: 'People live through the unliveable'
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East posted a comment on 100 days of war.
Australian foreign minister calls for a "sustainable cease-fire"
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for a “sustainable cease-fire” as she left for a Middle East tour today.
“Our position is that we want to see a sustainable cease-fire and that we see an international humanitarian, immediate humanitarian cease-fire as a step towards that,” Wong said at a news conference before her departure.
“No cease-fire can be one-sided and no cease-fire can be unconditional,” she added, while reiterating Israel's right to defend itself.
Gaza suffers telecommunications blackout for more than 72 hours, monitoring company says
A telecommunications blackout has been affecting the Gaza Strip for more than 72 hours, according to NetBlocks, a company that monitors global internet outages.
This disruption is the "longest sustained telecoms blackout on record" since the war began Oct. 7, the company said on X. This was “likely to significantly limit visibility into events on the ground,” it added.