IDF denies Orthodox church in Gaza was target of Israeli strike
The Israeli military said today that a Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip, which was sheltering displaced Palestinian families, was not the target of an Israeli air strike.
Parts of the church collapsed in an explosion late Thursday, leaving 18 people dead and dozens remain under the rubble, Palestinian health officials said.
The IDF said in a statement that its fighter jets targeted the command and control center belonging to Hamas, involved in the launching of rockets and mortars toward Israel.
As a result of a strike, a wall of a church in the area of the center was damaged, the statement said, and it was aware of reports of casualties.
“The IDF can unequivocally state that the church was not the target of the strike,” the statement added.
But the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem denounced what it described as “the Israeli bombing that targeted one of its church buildings in Gaza City” in a statement.
NBC News has not independently verified either side’s claims.
Aerial view shows flattened Gaza buildings
New aerial images show destroyed buildings in al-Zahra, south of Gaza City, today, following overnight Israeli bombardment.
Gaza aid stuck at Rafah border crossing as Israeli bombardment continues
Humanitarian aid is still held up at the Rafah border crossing amid Israel’s bombardments in southern Gaza. NBC News’ Jay Gary reports on the latest aid situation and the purported Israeli airstrike on a Greek Orthodox church.
Analysis: Ground war would be risky for Israel
Israel has called up 360,000 troops, mostly reservists, as it signals that its long-anticipated ground offensive into the Gaza Strip could be coming.
While this would be much more deadly for Palestinians, it is also risky for Israeli soldiers.
Fears abound that it could tip the region into a wider war and further deepen anger against Israel and the United States, as demonstrations are planned today in many Middle Eastern cities.
A Shabbat table with 203 empty seats awaits hostages’ return
TEL AVIV — A Shabbat table prepared in a square outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art is so long it almost disappears into the baking midday heat. Its 203 empty place settings, each ready to receive wine and challah bread, represent the number of Israeli hostages confirmed kidnapped by Hamas nearly two weeks ago.
It’s one of several public art installations by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, established hours after the Oct. 7 attacks. Posters plastered over the city feature its slogan, “Bring Them Home Now,” alongside faces of the missing. Nearby, a 20-foot ream of paper allows people to write messages, which the group plans to hang outside the White House.
“This is a traditional Jewish Friday night table, including the wine, the special bread,” said Nimrod Arluk, 49, a volunteer who works as a tech entrepreneur. “We have 203 seats, including baby seats, and we’re keeping them empty until they come back.”
The Israeli government’s response to the hostage crisis has bitterly divided the nation. An apparently imminent ground offensive into Gaza has raised fears the hostages may be killed in the crossfire. “It is unbelievable,” said Orna, 66, who has come to pay her respects but declined to give her last name when discussing politics at this sensitive site.
“The hostages are the main issue, but for some reason it is not the main thing we are talking about, both on Israeli TV and internationally.”
Others are “not thinking about any of that,” Arluk said. “I am focusing on my mission, which is bringing them home.”
U.S. military site in Iraq targeted by rocket attack, defense official confirms
Two rockets were fired at U.S. and coalition forces in Baghdad, Iraq, this morning, an American defense official confirmed to NBC News.
“We can confirm a rocket attack on U.S. and Coalition forces at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, near the Baghdad International Airport, occurred Friday at approximately 2:50 am local,” the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said.
They added that, according to an initial assessment, one rocket was intercepted by an aerial defense system while the other hit an empty storage facility. No one was injured.
More than 20 of the 200 hostages taken by Hamas are under 18, IDF says
ASHDOD, Israel — More than 20 of the at least 200 people taken hostage by Hamas in its unprecedented attack on Israel are under the age of 18, the Israel Defense Forces has said.
Sharing new information on the status of hostages, the Israeli military said that between 10 and 20 of those taken captive were over the age of 60.
The IDF also said most of those taken hostage were alive, but that there were also deceased people taken into Gaza by Hamas militants. NBC News was not able to independently verify the IDF’s statements.
The IDF said it is acting “in full transparency with the hostage families, and in constant communication over every update that can be shared.” Previously, those with loved ones considering missing told NBC News that they were receiving limited, if any, communication from the IDF and Israeli government.
‘We hope the Rafah crossing will open today’: WHO chief says
The head of the World Health Organization said he hoped the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will reopen today, warning that delays will result in more suffering and deaths.
“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” Tedros said in a video statement. “We are working with Egypt and Palestine Red Crescent Societies to deliver our supplies into Gaza as soon as the Rafah crossing is opened.”
U.N. chief Antonio Guterres was at the crossing earlier in the day, saying the aid trucks waiting to go across are a “lifeline” to the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as the enclave is faced with a humanitarian crisis amid a complete blockade by Israel.
U.N.’ Palestinian refugee agency confirms 2 more employees dead in Gaza
Two more staff members with the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency have been killed in Gaza, it said, bringing the total number to at least 16 since the Israel-Hamas war began.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said today in a report that 10 other staff members have been injured.
“The actual number is likely to be much higher — these figures include only those that the agency has been able to confirm,” the report said.
Israel appears on the verge of a ground invasion into Gaza
Israel is signaling that it’s long-anticipated offensive into Gaza could be coming, with Israel’s defense minister telling troops that they’ll be seeing Gaza soon from the inside. NBC’s Richard Engel reports for “TODAY.”
Israel’s military aware of damage to Gazan Orthodox church as it reviews the incident
The IDF said they were aware of the damage to a Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip, which was sheltering displaced Palestinian families, after parts of it collapsed in an explosion last night.
Spokesperson Richard Hecht said in a briefing the IDF is reviewing the incident, and will shortly release visuals and information on what happened and “what we were targeting.”
Several videos verified by NBC News showing Palestinian civilians at al-Shifa Hospital after the collapse have been shared on social media.
A Gazan health ministry spokesperson said 18 have died in the explosion and people remain under the rubble.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem denounced what it described as “the Israeli bombing that targeted one of its church buildings in Gaza City” in a statement.
NBC News has not independently verified that the blast that caused the collapse was from an Israeli strike.
U.N. chief on aid trucks at Rafah crossing: ‘What we need is to make them move’
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Friday, pleading for aid trucks to start rolling over into the blockaded enclave and repeated his plea for a humanitarian ceasefire.
“Behind these walls, we have 2 million people that is suffering enormously — that has no water, no food, no medicine, no fuel, that is under fire. That needs everything to survive,” Guterres said during a press briefing at the crossing.
“On this side, we have seen so many trucks loaded with water, with fuel, with medicines, with foods. Exactly the same things that are needed on this side of the wall. So these trucks are not just trucks. They are a lifeline.”
Guterres said an agreement between Egypt and the U.S. to get the aid flowing into Gaza came with “some conditions and some restrictions.” So the U.N. is working to “clarify those conditions,” Guterres said, to get the trucks moving — and not just one convoy, but daily convoys with “meaningful numbers of trucks.” He also called for fuel to be allowed in alongside the aid so that the U.N. on the Gazan side is able to distribute aid efficiently.
“What we need is to make them move, to make them move to the other side of his wall, to make them move as quickly as possible and as many as possible,” he added.
Video shows militants’ missile attacks on Israeli border installations, Lebanon’s Hezbollah says
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah’s media arm released a new video showing attacks along the border between Lebanon and Israel. It shows what the group claims is missiles striking several Israeli army positions on Wednesday.
‘Everyday is worse than before,’ aid worker worries for pregnant wife
Aid worker Hisham Mhanna is expecting a second son in the next few days, with his wife heading into her ninth month of pregnancy.
“She’s due any moment now,” Mhanna told NBC News in a telephone interview from Deir al Balah in central Gaza. But with hospitals overrun with injured patients and supplies running out, he worries how she’ll be able to deliver the baby.
“Everyday is worse than before,” said Mhanna, who is not only taking care of his pregnant wife and two-year-old son but is also carrying out aid work with the Red cross.
Gaza aid ‘ready to go’ but more is needed, says Red Cross
The Red cross said today that around 60 tons of aid, including medical supplies has been mobilized and is ready to be sent into Gaza, including a four-person surgical team.
All eyes are still on the Rafah crossing at Gaza’s border with Egypt, where aid is expected to cross into the Palestinian enclave. the International Committee of the Red Cross said the waiting convoy and many more deliveries would be needed.
“We have more supplies ready to go which are on the way but this will only go so far. A sustained flow of humanitarian aid is needed,” a spokesperson told NBC News Friday.
Israel’s foreign minister calls for ‘unified and broad front’ in liberating Hamas hostages
Israel’s foreign minister has urged international unity in calling for the release of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.
Eli Cohen said Friday he met with 22 foreign ambassadors and diplomats Friday whose citizens were taken hostage and are being held in Gaza to form “a unified and broad front” for their release as soon as possible.
“The crimes of Hamas are unforgivable. Kidnapping civilians, including babies, children, women and Holocaust survivors, is against every international law and every human norm,” Cohen wrote on X.
“We will do everything to free all the abductees. In addition, we demand that the international organizations and the Red Cross reach out to the abductees in order to verify their condition and the conditions in which they are being held.”
Video shows Israeli bombardment of what it says are ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip
Israel on Friday released video of night attacks across Gaza, saying it hit over a hundred operational targets in the Gaza Strip.
22 killed, 70 injured in bombings of Khan Yunis, Gazan health authorities say
JERUSALEM, Israel — Twenty-two people died and more than 70 were injured in the bombing of six homes in the southern city of Khan Yunis early Friday, Gaza’s health authorities said.
Muslim members of Congress face spikes in death threats
One of the few Muslim members of Congress told NBC News she feels her life may be in danger after being inundated with threats since a terror attack sparked the war in Gaza, reflecting wider fears among Muslim Americans who feel they are being targeted to a degree unseen since the days after 9/11.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., whose family fled Somalia’s civil war before emigrating to the United States, unequivocally condemned the Hamas attack, but her longstanding criticism of Israel policy toward Palestinians and Washington’s support for the country has made her a lightning rod.
Read the full story here.
Will humanitarian aid finally enter Gaza? All eyes are on Rafah crossing with Egypt
Thousands of people in Gaza are hoping the first convoy of trucks with the badly-needed humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter the enclave on Friday through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
President Joe Biden said after returning from his trip to Israel on Wednesday that he agreed with the Egyptian government to allow up to 20 aid trucks to go into Gaza, but it was not clear how imminently that could happen.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who has been pleading for unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, is expected to visit the crossing on Friday as part of his visit to Egypt.
It comes as more than 2 million people inside Gaza are desperately waiting for the resumption of humanitarian aid after Israel cut off food, water, fuel and electricity last week in retaliation for the bloody Hamas incursion earlier this month, leaving the enclave on the brink of the humanitarian collapse.
Chinese envoy arrives in Middle East as Beijing evacuates citizens
The Israel-Hamas war stems from a failure to protect Palestinian rights, China’s Middle East envoy said as he arrived in the region.
“The fundamental reason the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has reached its current state is that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people have not been protected,” Chinese envoy Zhai Jun told his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Bogdanov, on Thursday in Qatar, the first stop on his trip.
China and Russia are closely coordinating their policy on the Israel-Hamas war, with both countries refraining from condemning Hamas and saying the United States is partially to blame for the conflict.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday that more than 1,000 Chinese citizens had left Israel since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7, including more than 280 who were trapped in the southern Israeli city of Sderot.
College students facing backlash after Israel-Palestine protests
llege students have faced backlash after participating in Israel-Palestine protests on campus, with potential employers rescinding offers to candidates. NBC News’ Jake Ward reports.
Northern city of Kiryat Shmona to be evacuated, Israel says
ASHDOD, Israel — Residents of the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, near Israel’s border with Lebanon, will be evacuated from the area, Israeli officials announced this morning.
The IDF notified the city’s mayor of the evacuation plans “a short while ago,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s National Emergency Management Authority and the IDF announced, saying the program would be led by the local municipality.
They said residents would be evacuated into “state-subsidized guesthouses.”
It comes as Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed at the border in recent days, with the Iran-backed militant group claiming yesterday it had hit five Israeli army positions with “direct and appropriate weapons.”
U.S. Navy warship shot down 3 missiles heading ‘potentially towards Israel,’ Pentagon says
A U.S. Navy warship on Thursday shot down multiple drones and three cruise missiles that were fired from Yemen and heading “potentially towards Israel,” a Defense Department spokesman said.
The USS Carney was in the northern Red Sea when it took out the missiles and more than a dozen drones, said Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.
There were no casualties, but such incidents “may be ongoing,” he said.
Read the full story here.
New signs Israeli ground operation into Gaza could come soon
Israel’s Defense Minister told troops they would soon see Gaza “from the inside,” signaling a potential Israeli ground operation could come soon.
NBC News’ Richard Engel reports from Israel on fears of a widening war in the Middle East and the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Catch up with NBC News’ coverage of the Israel-Hamas war
Here are just some of our article on the conflict in the last 24 hours.
IDF says more than 100 targets hit in Gaza
More than 100 targets inside Gaza were hit overnight, the Israeli military said Friday after it continued its bombardment on the enclave ahead of a widely-anticipated ground offensive.
Israel Defense Forces said said the targets included tunnels, munitions warehouses and dozens of operational headquarters belonging to “terrorist organizations” in Gaza.
Former NBC foreign correspondent says members of wife’s family taken hostage
Former NBC News foreign correspondent Martin Fletcher said today that two members of his wife’s family are being held hostage by Hamas.
Fletcher, NBC News’ former Middle East correspondent, told MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle that he found out only today.
“This is a very personal thing,” Fletcher said. The two are Americans from Evanston, Illinois, who were in Israel visiting their grandmother for her 85th birthday, he said.
“They were last seen, their hands tied, being dragged away by the Hamas terrorists,” Fletcher said. “So it’s personal, it’s real, and nobody is really confident that it’s possible to get them back alive. Of course, everybody’s hoping.”
American woman who survived festival attack pleads for help in Washington
WASHINGTON — A Jewish American woman who survived the Hamas terrorist attack on the Supernova music festival that killed at least 260 people in Israel was in Washington today to plead for support from U.S. government officials.
Natalie Sanandanji, a New Yorker born to Israeli and Iranian parents, said she feels “detached” from her near-death experience.
“I do believe that the fact that I feel so detached is what’s giving me the strength to share my story, and for now I’m going to use that strength because I share my story as much as I can,” she told NBC News at the Capitol.
Sanandanji, 28, met with second gentleman Doug Emhoff and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history.
How Arab leaders could receive Biden’s support for Israel
Biden’s call for “building a better Middle East” may be a difficult argument to make, but it’s one that’s necessary, NBC News’ Keir Simmons reports.
Antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes on the rise in the U.S.
As the Hamas-Israel conflict continues in the Middle East, U.S. officials are spotlighting an increase in reported threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities and institutions in the United States.