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What we know
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will convene his Cabinet early this week “to approve the operational plans for action in Rafah,” including the evacuation of civilians. About 1.5 million people are taking refuge in the city, with U.S. officials saying they cannot support an Israeli ground offensive there without a credible plan for their protection.
- The U.S. and U.K. militaries launched joint airstrikes against Houthi rebel positions in Yemen, hitting at least 18 targets, including an underground storage facility, weapons and a helicopter. In response, a Houthi leader said the group would “increase our determination” in attacking ships in the Red Sea.
- Qatar will host mediated talks between Hamas and Israel in Cairo this week. An Israeli official told NBC News that there was “some progress” on cease-fire negotiations with U.S., Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials in Paris yesterday. However, Hamas said today that Netanyahu “aborts all attempts” to make progress in negotiations.
- Israeli airstrikes continue across Gaza as humanitarian conditions further deteriorate. UNRWA and the World Food Program have paused aid deliveries to northern Gaza because of Israeli bombing and the collapse of civil order. The U.N. has warned of “a steep rise in malnutrition.” 21,000 metric tons of food are being held at the border, unable to be distributed.
- More than 29,600 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 69,400 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
- Israeli military officials said at least 238 soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began.
Man who set himself on fire near embassies is active-duty airman
The man who set himself on fire near multiple embassies in Washington, D.C., today is an active-duty airman, an Air Force spokesperson confirmed.
Authorities have not released the man's identity. He was hospitalized, and his condition was not available, authorities said.
The man set himself on fire on International Drive, the Secret Service said. It happened near the embassies of Israel, Ethiopia, Jordan and Singapore.
In a statement, the Israeli Embassy said the incident happened about 1 p.m.
"The man is unknown," it said. "No embassy staff were injured and are safe."
Health situation in northern Gaza 'extremely catastrophic,' Gaza Health Ministry says
The health situation in northern Gaza is "extremely catastrophic and indescribable," according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
Hospitals in the north are without fuel, and medicine refrigerators are without electricity, "which threatens to destroy quantities of sensitive medicines," it said.
Dozens of ambulances and other medical service vehicles are also out of service because of a lack of fuel, according to the ministry.
"Dialysis and intensive care patients are at risk of death as a result of the lack of fuel for generators, ambulances, and medicines," the ministry said.
A month has passed since UNRWA was last able to deliver aid to northern Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has not been able to deliver aid to northern Gaza since Jan. 23, according to Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
“Since then, together with other @UN agencies, we have: Warned against looming famine. Appealed for regular humanitarian access. Stated that famine can be averted if more food convoys are allowed into northern Gaza on a regular basis,” Lazzarini said. “Our calls to send food aid have been denied & have fallen on deaf ears.”
Lazzarini called it “a man made disaster,” adding that famine can still be avoided if access is granted to aid shipments.
“The days to come will once again test our common humanity and values,” he said.
IDF claims mortar bombs and cartridges found in UNRWA bags; organization disputes claims
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces alleged that soldiers found mortar bombs and cartridges in UNRWA bags inside buildings Hamas had converted into a fighting compound.
Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said the organization has no way to verify the claim.
“We give out food in millions of these bags, and they get re-used after they are empty,” Touma said. “It’s like a shopping back from Costco. Does Costco track down how its bags are used after it leaves its stores?”
Israel has accused 30 UNRWA employees of committing violence against its citizens. UNRWA has denied the allegations.
NBC News has not independently verified any of the claims.
Man sets himself on fire near several embassies in Washington
A man set himself on fire on International Drive in Washington, D.C., according to the Secret Service.
The area is near several embassies, including Israel's, Ethiopia's, Jordan's and Singapore's.
"Uniformed division responded to the 3400 Block of International Drive, NW, DC regarding an individual that was experiencing a possible medical / mental health emergency," the Secret Service said. "DC Fire & EMS responded to the scene and treated the individual prior to transport to an area hospital."
The extent of the man's injuries and his motive are not clear.
UNRWA: Sanitary conditions are unsustainable and catastrophic in Gaza
Sanitary conditions are unsustainable and catastrophic in Gaza, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
"@UNRWA shelters are severely overcrowded. Clean water is scarce. Solid waste is accumulating. Spread of diseases is on the rise," the organization said on X.
UNRWA teams continue to provide critical aid on the ground.
Continuing U.S., U.K. raids unacceptable, says Houthi spokesperson
The U.S. and U.K. air raids on Yemen are "unacceptable," said Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam, who also condemned them.
In a statement, Abdul Salam said the raids "violate the sovereignty of an independent state and come in the context of futile attempts to prevent Yemen from continuing its supportive stance towards the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Gaza."
"We affirm that Yemen is committed to its humanitarian and religious position alongside Gaza by preventing Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine, and has every right to respond to the ongoing American and British aggression on our dear country," Abdul Salam said.
Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. and U.K. military conducted more strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, hitting more than a dozen targets in retaliation for their ongoing attacks that threaten ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, according to officials.
Israel, Hamas skirmish in Gaza as truce efforts pick up pace
JERUSALEM — Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen clashed throughout the Gaza Strip over the weekend as mediators picked up the pace of talks on a possible cease-fire to free hostages held by Hamas and bring a measure of Ramadan respite to the battered enclave.
Prospects for securing any truce looked uncertain, however, with Israel saying it was, in parallel, planning to expand its sweep to destroy Hamas, while the Islamist faction stood firm on its demand for a permanent end to the nearly five-month-old war.
Residents said Israeli forces shelled several areas of the enclave as tanks rolled into Beit Lahiya and soldiers and gunmen waged running battles in the Zeitoun sector of Gaza City — both in the north, which had been conquered early in the offensive.
At least 86 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since yesterday, medics said. Israel’s military said that two soldiers died in fighting in south Gaza and that its forces killed or captured Palestinian gunmen in Zeitoun and elsewhere.
Photos: Protesters in Tel Aviv call for release of hostages
Demonstrators, including friends and relatives of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza, attended a rally in Tel Aviv last night to call for their release. Police used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators later in the night.
U.S. 'has not seen' plan to evacuate Rafah, Sullivan says
Biden has not seen or been briefed on any Israeli plan to pursue a ground invasion of Rafah or evacuate its civilians, Sullivan told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” this morning.
“We do not believe that a major military operation should proceed in Rafah, unless there is a clear and executable plan to protect those civilians, get them to safety and to feed, clothe and house them,” Sullivan said.
“We have not seen a plan like that,” he added.
More than 1.1 million people are living in Rafah, housed in sprawling refugee camps with rapidly depleting resources inside hospitals and schools and out in the open. International aid organizations, charities and the U.N. have repeatedly warned that civilians in Gaza’s southernmost city have nowhere to flee to if a ground operation were to commence, as they are not being allowed to evacuate to more northern sections of the strip and many no longer have homes to return to.