What we know
- Israeli forces say they rescued two hostages, Fernando Marman and Luis Har, who were being held in the city of Rafah early today. Officials say the men were taken to a hospital and are in good condition. Airstrikes the Israel Defense Forces said were used in the operation to disengage troops and hit Hamas targets killed dozens of people in Gaza, including women and children, Palestinian health officials said.
- President Joe Biden has been venting his frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his inability to persuade Israel to change its military tactics in Gaza, people directly familiar with his comments have said.
- Biden is sending CIA Director William Burns to Egypt tomorrow to continue talks on a hostage release deal, which would include a humanitarian pause and a better plan for humanitarian assistance to get into Gaza.
- More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 67,700 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
- Israeli military officials said at least 224 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza.
- NBC News’ Raf Sanchez, Matt Bradley, Molly Hunter and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region.
ICC prosecutor ‘deeply concerned’ by situation in Gaza’s Rafah
THE HAGUE — International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said he was deeply concerned about reports of bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Khan posted on X after airstrikes in the city that is the last refuge of about a million displaced civilians.
He said that the court was “actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed” in Gaza and that “those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable.”
He later told Reuters that half of the population of Gaza is concentrated around Rafah, “reportedly six times its normal concentration.”
“When you have a population that is 60% children and women by all accounts, the risks to civilians are profound,” he said.
“This situation is one that I give the utmost priority to. It’s an issue that we’re moving forward on.”
Israel is not a member of the Hague-based court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. But Khan said in October his court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes carried out by Hamas Palestinian militants in Israel and by Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
Dutch order to stop exports may have political consequences for Israel
A Dutch court ruling ordering the Netherlands to stop exports on F-35 parts may not affect Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, experts said, but there could be larger political implications as Israel faces international scrutiny.
The spare parts being sent from Woensdrecht are typically in short supply, and the ruling, if upheld on appeal, could cause a short-term supply shortage for Israel, said Erwin van Veen, a senior research fellow focusing on the Middle East for the Dutch research group Clingendael.
The Dutch Appeals Court ruled there was a clear risk the parts would be used to contravene international law, a decision that comes weeks after the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures instructing Israel to do everything in its power to prevent killing Palestinian civilians after South Africa brought proceedings against Israel, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza.
Van Veen told NBC News it was hard to imagine Israel would use the F-35s in its potential military campaign in Rafah as it deals with the ICJ’s provisional order.
Conducting “aerial attacks under such circumstances will likely amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law, as well,” he said.
Eldad Ben Aharon, an Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellow at Dublin City University, also said that the ruling is unlikely to have long-term military consequences for Israel, which may import the parts from elsewhere, but that the ruling acknowledges tensions between government state interest in “the imperative to adhere to the international norms upheld by the ICJ.”
“Germany, for instance, has consistently emphasized the importance of Israel’s self-defense and has dismissed allegations of genocide,” Ben Aharon said. “However, other E.U. and NATO members might align with the Dutch court’s ruling, potentially setting off a chain reaction that could pressure not only Germany but also the U.S.”
U.S. hasn't decided whether to withhold military aid to Israel despite humanitarian concerns, official says
During a briefing today, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller faced tough questions as reporters scrutinized U.S. support for Israel despite the government's own concerns on civilian safety.
Miller said the U.S. has already told Israel it does not support a full-scale military campaign in the southern Gaza city of Rafah without a plan to safely evacuate the more than 1 million civilians taking refuge there.
"I will say, I think that sometimes people pretend that the United States of America has a magic wand that it can wave to any situation in the world to roll out in exactly the way that we would want it to and that is never the case," Miller said. "We use the tools that are available."
A reporter noted that there are a "multitude of billions" of tools, seemingly referring to critics' calls that the U.S. condition aid to Israel or cut it off altogether out of concern for the humanitarian situation.
"It’s not a determination we have made at this point," Miller said.
Biden prepared to be 'much tougher' on Netanyahu as the two disagree on hostage negotations
After Israeli forces rescued two hostages in Gaza, they continued a relentless bombing campaign in the southern city of Rafah, killing dozens of Palestinians and leaving even more injured and without shelter.
“I do think we’re heading toward a showdown between Biden and Netanyahu over the way that this desire the U.S. has for de-escalation through hostage release negotiations," David Ignatius told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.
Ignatius, a journalist and novelist, went on to say that he's been told Biden is prepared to be "much tougher" on Netanyahu as a result of the disagreements over the matter.
“The U.S. really wants the deal and the pause in fighting," Ignatius said. "Netanyahu keeps saying, ‘Let me keep going, we’re so close. We’re so close.’ And I think that’s emotionally at the heart of this.”
Palestinian Foreign Ministry urges international community to prevent military campaign in Rafah
The Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry today called on "all responsible actors to stop Israel's genocide" and prevent a military campaign in Rafah.
In a statement, the ministry pointed to Israel's obligations as an occupying power to protect Palestinian civilians and to an order from the International Court of Justice for Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.
A ground assault in Rafah would have "apocalyptic consequences," the ministry said. "Gaza is a slaughterhouse and Israel's deliberate mass killing, starvation, and the forcible transfer of 1.3 million people, half of whom are children, in Rafah is the most barbaric and savage of all."
Netanyahu called for the military to prepare an evacuation plan for civilians in Rafah, causing some to raise an alarm because many have already been forcibly displaced multiple times and have nowhere else to go.
Hamas alleges that 3 hostages died after being injured in Israeli raids
Hamas' militant wing claimed that three hostages were killed following injuries caused by Israeli raids.
The group said earlier that eight hostages were injured during Israel's bombardment in Gaza. Netanyahu's office declined to comment.
NBC News is unable to independently verify the condition of the hostages or the circumstances involving their alleged deaths.
Homes destroyed in Rafah
People walk among the ruins of their homes following Israeli airstrikes today in Rafah in southern Gaza.
Israel wants to 'get rid of' U.N.'s Palestinian relief agency, a top E.U. official says
Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, continued to put his support behind the United Nations' Palestinian relief agency as its funding runs dry.
Borrell told reporters he's invited Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, to discuss matters as countries suspend financial backing while the U.N. investigates allegations of staff members' ties to Hamas.
He went on to say that "nobody else can do what UNRWA is doing" and that the allegations still have to be verified.
"It is not a secret that the Israeli government wants to get rid of UNRWA," Borrell said. "Not [just] now, for many years before, [they have] wanted to get rid of UNRWA because they believed that if they get rid of UNRWA, they get rid of the problem of the Palestinian refugees. No, it will make it still worse."
Israel has accused 12 UNRWA staff members of having ties to terror groups or participating in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, a claim that is being investigated by the organization's independent office. The United Nations has terminated the staff members it could identify from the Israeli report.
Lazzarini told the Financial Times earlier this month that Israeli officials have not presented evidence of its allegations to UNRWA. Last week, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Company that she has not seen support of Israel's allegations despite Australia cutting UNRWA support. She said Israel has not responded to its request for further evidence.
Palestinian children among the wounded in Israel’s bombardment of Rafah
Children were among the injured taken to Rafah’s Kuwait Hospital after an intense Israeli bombardment to help secure the rescue of two hostages.
Dr. Wael Shafka said some of the victims had lost their arms and legs in the bombardment.
UNRWA warns of 'alarmingly high rates' of diarrhea in Gaza
The United Nations refugee agency today warned of "alarmingly high rates" of diarrhea in the Gaza Strip, especially among children, as the enclave copes with the lack of clean drinking water and basic medical facilities.
In a post on X, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency also warned that it could be "very deadly" for children if they cannot get enough water.
The agency has also noted an outbreak of hepatitis A.