Police investigating drive-by shooting in Tel Aviv
Police are investigating reports of a drive-by shooting in Tel Aviv, a police spokesperson said today, with people injured at the scene.
"The circumstances are currently unknown and the suspicion is being investigated," the spokesperson said.
One injured in a stabbing in Tel Aviv, Israel's emergency service says
A man was injured in a stabbing at Mikveh Israel Street in Tel Aviv, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's national ambulance service.
The 30-year-old man is in "moderate condition" and receiving medical treatment, according to the ambulance service.
No details were provided about the suspect, who has been "neutralized," according to Magen David Adom.
Hamas said in a statement that the attacker killed one person and injured two others. NBC News has reached out to the MDA for clarification on the discrepancy.
UNRWA official on destruction in Gaza: 'It looks like a graveyard'
Louise Wateridge, senior emergency officer with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, described the dire situation in Gaza.
"In every direction you look in the Gaza Strip there’s destruction," she said in a video posted to X. "It looks like a graveyard. Society is gone. Cities are completely destroyed."
Wateridge added that even on the cusp of a ceasefire, the lingering devastation after "15 months of brutal war" is palpable.
"With this silence of the gunfire, there will be a lot of heaviness in people finally being able to mourn their loved ones," Wateridge said. "Maybe find family members that have been buried under the rubble and trying to have some kind of life be put back together after this awful devastation."
Second Houthi missile intercepted, says IDF
A second missile launched toward Israel from Yemen has been intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, according to the IDF, after sirens sounded in the areas of Eilat and Arava.
The Houthis said earlier today that they had carried out a “significant military operation” aimed at the Israeli Ministry of Defense using a “Zulfiqar” ballistic missile that they claim “accurately hit its target.”
People in Tel Aviv were seen running across the street for cover after the earlier launch, as a rare burst of sirens rang out across central Israel.
Hamas publishes prisoner exchange details ahead of ceasefire
Hamas has outlined the process by which Israeli hostages will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners under the upcoming ceasefire agreement.
According to its prisoners’ media office, the releases will be tied to the number and categories of hostages being exchanged and will take place throughout the first stage of the deal.
The office also indicated that lists of individuals set for release would be issued before each exchange day, following procedures agreed upon as part of the ceasefire terms.
Houthi rebels promise to respond to any ceasefire violations after launching rocket at Israel
Houthi rebels have promised to counter "any violations or military escalation" by Israel during the ceasefire period, reaffirming their commitment to stand with the Palestinian resistance in Gaza after launching a rocket toward Israel.
The Yemeni group said it had carried out a "significant military operation" aimed at the Israeli Ministry of Defense using a "Zulfiqar" ballistic missile that it claims "accurately hit its target."
Earlier today, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces said, after sirens sounded across central Israel.
There have been no reports of rocket impacts or injuries, said Israel’s emergency services, Magen David Adom, after red-alert sirens sounded in areas across central Israel.
Argamani delivers emotional plea for hostages at Miami music festival
Noa Argamani, who was held captive by Hamas for 245 days before being rescued by the Israel Defense Forces in June, delivered an emotional address last Thursday at the Nova Music Festival exhibition in Miami.
Speaking candidly about her months in captivity and the anguish of separation from her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who remains a hostage in Gaza, Argamani called for urgent action to bring all of the hostages home.
"I know that Avinatan is still there, and my heart breaks to think that he will continue to be there until the second stage of this deal," she said. "This is why it is absolutely critical that we put an end to this horrible tragedy and bring all the hostages home."
Argamani's story and image became known around the world after she was taken from the Nova music festival in southern Israel, along with her boyfriend, in an abduction that was caught on video. She became the face of those abducted by Hamas militants once a 10-second clip of her being transported against her will by motorcycle went viral.
"Until Avinatan returns, my heart is in captivity," she added. "There are still 98 hostages just like him, 98 families in this endless nightmare."
Lebanese president urges urgent Israeli withdrawal amid ceasefire violations
Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, stressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
According to a statement by the Lebanese presidency on X, Aoun told Guterres during a meeting in Beirut that continued Israeli breaches were a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the agreed ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27 and was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.
Guterres said the U.N. would exert utmost efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal within the set deadline under the ceasefire terms, according to the statement.
Grandson awaits hostage grandfather's fate ahead of ceasefire release
Daniel Lifshitz is anxiously waiting to learn whether his 84-year-old grandfather, Oded Lifshitz, will come back dead or alive as part of the first group of 33 hostages expected to be released by Hamas under the ceasefire agreement.
Oded was abducted during the Oct. 7 attack on his kibbutz, where he was injured while clinging to the door of a safe room as militants forced their way inside.
His wife, Yocheved, was dragged out and thrown onto a motorbike, and her last memory of Oded was seeing him unconscious and bleeding in the backyard. “At that time, she thought he was dead,” Daniel explains.
Yocheved was released 16 days after the attack, but it was another hostage who gave the family hope by saying she had spent time in captivity with Oded. Since then, however, all has gone quiet, and the uncertainty has taken a heavy toll. “We don’t know anything about his conditions,” Daniel told NBC News. “On one hand, maybe we should prepare a funeral and on the other hand, a party.”
Despite their anguish, the family has lovingly tended to Oded’s cherished cactus garden, which he cultivated for 64 years. “The garden is amazing and really prepared for him,” Daniel said. “This is the symbol of the family.”
While he waits, Daniel reflects on his grandfather’s selflessness: “If you ask my grandfather, he will tell you: ‘You released me last. I lived my life. All those kids, all those soldiers, all the young ones that have been kidnapped — please release them before.’”
Three female hostages set to be released Sunday
Three female Israeli hostages are set to be released on Sunday as part of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire in Gaza is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET), but it remains unclear exactly what time the hostages will be handed over.
Hamas said earlier that the names of the hostages to be released will be published before each exchange day in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire.