DeSantis defends decision to ban pro-Palestinian groups from colleges
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, today defended his call to ban pro-Palestinian groups from state colleges as Israel expands its ground offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7.
In an exclusive interview on “Meet the Press,” NBC News’ Kristen Welker asked DeSantis to respond to his Republican 2024 rival, Vivek Ramaswamy, who insisted that such a move would violate the First Amendment rights.
DeSantis pushed back: “This is not cancel culture.”
“This group, they themselves said in the aftermath of the Hamas attack that they don’t just stand in solidarity, that they are part of this Hamas movement,” he said. “And so, yeah, you have a right to go out and demonstrate, but you can’t provide material support to terrorism.”
He accused pro-Palestinian groups on campuses of having “linked themselves to Hamas.”
“And so we absolutely decertified them. They should not get one red cent of taxpayer dollars,” DeSantis said.
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President Joe Biden speaks with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
President Joe Biden spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone today, Netanyahu’s office confirmed.
Israeli human rights groups urge international community to stop ‘wave of settler violence’ in West Bank
A coalition of 30 human rights groups and NGOs in Israel pleaded for the international community to stop a wave of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Today’s statement said the violence is leading to “the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.”
Since the Oct. 7 incursion, Israeli settlers have been “exploiting the lack of public attention to the West Bank” to “escalate their campaign of violent attacks in an attempt to forcibly transfer Palestinian communities,” the statement said. It comes as much of the war has focused public attention on the Gaza Strip.
So far, 13 herding communities have been displaced and seven Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the war began, the statement said.
“With grave concern and with a clear understanding of the political landscape, we recognize that the only way to stop this forcible transfer in the West Bank is a clear, strong and direct intervention by the international community,” the statement, signed by groups including Rabbis for Human Rights, Amnesty International Israel and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, said.
Iran and its proxy forces loom over Israel-Hamas war
HAIFA, Israel — While concern over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip mounts, another undercurrent of alarm is growing in Washington and other Western capitals: Israel’s bombardment could spread into a wider regional war — one involving regional superpower Iran or its proxy forces.
On Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on X that Israel had “crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action.”
Many experts believe there is little desire in Washington and Tehran for a regional conflict. But the scope for miscalculation is huge, and the intensity of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which, according to Palestinian health officials, has killed more than 8,000 people, including thousands of civilians and children, could easily push the situation spiraling out of control.
“There’s a real risk of escalation,” said Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank.
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Pregnant women in Gaza given primitive ‘emergency delivery kits’
With ambulances and hospitals running out of fuel, pregnant women in Gaza have been given primitive “emergency delivery kits” for when they go into labor.
Laila Baker, United Nations Population Fund regional director for Arab States, said the international agency is pushing for humanitarian access to be able to help women and other civilians.
“Put yourself in the shoes of any woman who should be experiencing one of the most joyous moments of her life, and instead she’s in fear of death,” Baker said.
Leaflets in Gaza instruct people on how turn themselves in to IDF
The IDF is distributing leaflets in Gaza instructing people on how to turn themselves in to the Israeli military.
“Hamas leaders are exploiting you. They and their families are in safe places while you die in vain,” the leaflets said.
The instructions say to “remove all military gear,” “raise your hands,” “wave white rags” and “not to bring food or water with you, we will take care of that.”
Norwegian prime minister criticizes Israel’s response to Hamas
HELSINKI — Norway’s prime minister says Israel’s reaction to Hamas’ attack exceeds the rules of international law on proportionality.
“It says in international law that (reaction to such an attack) must be proportionate,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told public broadcaster NRK today.
“Civilians must be taken into account, and humanitarian law is fully aware of that. I believe that the line has now been far exceeded” by Israel, he said, adding that his primary concern is that emergency aid is not getting into the Gaza Strip.
Norway on Friday voted in favor of the United Nations resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” leading to a cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
“It’s a catastrophic situation, and I believe it is clearly in violation of what we call the rules of war or humanitarian law,” he said.
Israeli ministers advance bill to designate individuals as ‘terrorists’
Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation has advanced an amendment to the country’s terror laws that will allow the state to designate individuals, not just organizations, as “terrorists.”
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin said in a statement that the amendment was designed to “thwart the financing of individuals operating in various organizations, and in particular the Hamas terrorist organization.” The bill will also “address the issues of recruitment, financing, and the transfer of funds for terrorist purposes,” the statement added.
The expansion is proposed as an update to a 2016 counterterrorism law that human rights groups have warned is routinely used to shut down Palestinian civil society groups, as well as militant organizations.
Thailand evacuates thousands of workers from Israel as it awaits answers on hostages
TEL AVIV — As the war rages, Thailand’s Embassy is racing to evacuate thousands of citizens, mostly agricultural workers, while it pushes for answers about the dozens of Thai nationals feared taken hostage by Hamas.
“Thailand doesn’t have anything (to do) with this conflict, but we got affected a lot,” Pannabha Chandraramya, Thailand’s ambassador in Israel, told NBC News on Sunday. At least 24 Thai nationals were killed on Oct. 7, and at least 19 have been confirmed to have been taken hostage — with the number feared to be higher.
Much of Israel’s agriculture sector relies on labor from Thai workers, with Chandraramya saying that at least 6,000 people, mostly workers, have already been evacuated. The goal is to evacuate as many as 30,000 people, with two to three flights running daily, she said.
One worker waiting for a flight to Thailand at a makeshift outpost for the Thai embassy said he had no plans to return to Israel after the war. He said he was too “scared” to come back and will find work elsewhere.
Chandraramya said the evacuations could have a serious impact on the agricultural industry in Israel. “In the peaceful times, we always say that all the vegetables and fruit that you eat pass through the hands of Thai workers,” she said.
Rep. Jayapal: ‘There are racists within the Netanyahu government’
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., says the human toll of the war is behind her call for a cease-fire. This morning on “Meet the Press,” she said that failing to call out violations of international law during Israel’s siege of Gaza is a double standard and will diminish the United States’ moral authority.
“There are racists within the Netanyahu government, and there are racist policies that Israel has been carrying out,” Jayapal said. “I think it is important for us to recognize that we need to be able to criticize the policies of Israel’s government and not be called antisemitic.”
Pope Francis renews calls for hostage release, cease-fire
Pope Francis this morning called for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas and renewed an appeal for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
“Let no one abandon the possibility of stopping the weapons,” he said at his weekly blessing in St. Peter’s Square.
Referring to “the grave situation in Palestine and Israel,” he said “in Gaza, in particular, let there be room to guarantee humanitarian aid and may the hostages be freed immediately.”
He added: “We say ‘cease-fire, cease-fire.’ Brothers and sisters, stop! War is always a defeat, always.”
Some internet connectivity in Gaza resumes
Some internet connectivity in Gaza has resumed after a near-total telecommunication blackout Friday.
Netblocks, a U.K. company that tracks global internet access, said last night that some internet providers were back online, though general connection speeds there are far below normal.
Paltel, one of the largest providers in Gaza, said on its Facebook page this morning that it had been hastily repairing infrastructure that had been destroyed by Israeli bombing Friday.
Husam Mekdad, a telecommunication worker in Gaza, told NBC News that phone and internet access had somewhat resumed in southern Gaza but that it was limited in the north.
Palestinian Red Crescent: 10 aid trucks make way into Gaza
Ten aid trucks with food and medical essentials from the Egyptian Red Crescent have passed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed to NBC News.
Fuel has also been allowed to enter the strip for the first time since Israel announced a full blockade in the coastal enclave.
Before the war, 200 aid trucks were received in Gaza per day.
Electricity and production are limited in Gaza, which has been under blockade by both Israel and Egypt since 2007.
Palestinians skeptical of Israeli assurances they will be allowed to return to north Gaza
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Despite assurances from IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari yesterday, many Palestinians remain anxious about Israel’s assertions that those who evacuate north Gaza will be able to return eventually.
Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said he believes Netanyahu’s original plan was to evict Gazans into the Sinai Peninsula. When Egyptian leaders began to push back, Barghouti believes a “plan B” was embraced to annex north Gaza once residents fled south.
“Did Israel ever allow anybody back? Did they allow any of the Palestinian refugees who have been ethnically cleansed in 1948 back? None,” Barghouti said.
Israel has a “very clear record of not allowing people to come back home,” he added.
In renewing the push for Palestinians to move south, Hagari yesterday called the move “a temporary measure.”
“Moving back to northern Gaza will be possible once the intense hostilities end,” he said in a video on X.
2nd U.S. aircraft carrier group moves into Mediterranean
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its strike group has moved through the Strait of Gibraltar, putting two American carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, a rare sight in recent years.
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is already in the eastern Mediterranean, part of a buildup of forces as the U.S. supports Israel in its war against Hamas.
The Eisenhower sailed into the Mediterranean on Saturday and is slated to move through the Suez Canal to the U.S. Central Command region as the American forces expand their presence in the Middle East to deter Iran and its proxy militant groups from trying to widen the war.
U.N. peacekeeper injured after mortars hit base in Lebanon
A peacekeeper is in stable condition after a mortar hit a base near the village of Houla in south Lebanon last night, according to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The agency said it was attacked twice yesterday, once at 10 p.m. at the Houla base and earlier in the day when a shell hit UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura.
“UNIFIL expresses serious concern over these two attacks on our troops who are tirelessly working 24/7 to restore stability in southern Lebanon and de-escalate this perilous situation,” it said.
An investigation has been launched into both incidents. UNIFIL did not assign blame to anyone but did note that attacking peacekeepers is a crime.
“We strongly urge all parties involved in the conflict to immediately cease fire,” UNIFIL said.
What is Israel’s main objective with its new ground offensive?
Retired Adm. James Stavridis breaks down Israel’s ground operation in Gaza and weighs in on the risk of escalation.
Doctors Without Borders calls Gaza strikes an ‘atrocity’
World leaders’ actions to prevent violence in Gaza are “too weak” and “too slow,” Doctors Without Borders said today.
Reiterating pleas from other global humanitarian organizations and several international leaders, the health organization called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
“The bombing by the Israeli forces has intensified to a degree not seen until now: Northern Gaza is being razed to the ground,” the group said.
“The international community must take stronger action to urge Israel to stop the bloodshed,” the NGO added, describing the bombing campaign as an “atrocity” unleashing “indiscriminate violence on helpless people.”
There are more injured people than the hospitals can handle, the statement said. It added that the Israeli military’s orders to evacuate hospitals in Gaza City were not possible because they were full of patients and being used as shelters for internally displaced people.
At least 10 aid trucks expected to cross into Gaza today
At least 10 trucks are expected to enter the Gaza Strip today, a Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson in Gaza told NBC News.
The 10 trucks are waiting at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and 20 more are stationed at the Al-Oja crossing, Egypt’s border with Israel. It is not known if all waiting vehicles will be allowed to enter, but at least 10 would be allowed to pass through “for sure,” the spokesperson told NBC News.
Prior to Oct. 7, Gaza received aid from 200 convoys per day. Only 80 trucks total have passed through since the outbreak of the war, according to the UNRWA.
WHO restores contact with team in Gaza
The head of the World Health Organization says the group has reconnected with its team in Gaza after the enclave’s connectivity blackout.
“They said the last two nights were extremely tense with a lot of airstrikes — without fuel, water, electricity, connectivity and safe shelter to evacuate to,” Tedros Adhanom wrote on X.
“As with everyone in Gaza, they and their families are not safe,” he added, reiterating calls for the protection of health facilities and humanitarian workers and an immediate cease-fire.
He added that hospitals in the enclave remain overwhelmed with patients and are low on medical supplies.
Photos: Palestinians mourn their dead
Palestinian health officials said today that more than 8,000 have died in Gaza since the conflict with Israel began, and in the southern city of Khan Younis today, the grief was palpable.
Israel has crossed ‘red lines’ that could ‘force everyone to take action,’ Iran president says
Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza may “force everyone to take action,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on X today.
Referring to Israel as a “Zionist regime,” Raisi said in a post in English that the country had “crossed the red lines.”
“Washington asks us to not do anything, but they keep giving widespread support to Israel,” he said, referring to U.S. warnings about Iran and its proxy forces taking action in response to the IDF’s ground incursion.
Iran, which provides funding and military support to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, had previously warned Israel of a regional escalation if ground troops entered the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Red Crescent says Israel asked it to evacuate hospital immediately
The Palestinian Red Crescent said today it has been told to leave its hospital immediately under threat of bombardment following continuous airstrikes in the vicinity.
“Two phone calls were received, with a clear and direct threat, that the hospital must be evacuated at once, otherwise PRCS holds full responsibility for the lives of everyone inside the hospital,” the organization said in a statement.
Israeli forces have previously said that people in the hospital should evacuate south, but the Palestinian Red Crescent said it would continue to provide shelter and lifesaving services to civilians in north Gaza.
Evacuation of hundreds of patients could also pose logistical challenges, as ambulances are running out of fuel, with at least three entirely out of commission.
Netanyahu issues rare apology for blaming security chiefs
TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a rare apology after his message blaming security and intelligence chiefs for failing to prevent Hamas’ attack caused widespread anger.
Netanyahu caused uproar last night when he posted that “at no stage was” he “warned of war intentions on the part of Hamas,” instead accusing his security and intelligence leaders of telling him “time and time again” that the terror group had been “deterred.”
After an angry backlash — both from opponents and figures within his coalition — Netanyahu deleted the post. He followed up with another message today saying, “I was wrong,” and that “things I said following the press conference should not have been said and I apologize for that.”
An array of military, espionage and political figures have accepted responsibility for their parts in failing to prevent the massacre. But while Netanyahu said today that he gives his “full support to all the heads of the security forces,” he has not directly apologized, despite coming under heavy criticism and pressure to do so.
Thousands break into United Nations warehouses in Gaza
Thousands of people broke into several warehouses belonging to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip, the agency said in a statement. Wheat flour, hygiene materials and other basic items were taken, the statement added.
“Civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza,” said Thomas White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza. “The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meager.”
The warehouses contained 80 tons of mixed food commodities, mainly canned food, as well as wheat flour and sunflower oil, a statement from the World Food Program said. They were to be distributed to displaced families.
Food deliveries to the Gaza Strip are being slowed by the introduction of strict checks, an ongoing ban on the distribution of fuel, and heightened demand because of the exodus of residents to the south, according to the UNRWA.
IDF spokesperson evades questions on deleted Netanyahu post
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari evaded questions about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s since-deleted X post that said he was not “warned of war intentions on the part of Hamas.”
Asked at a news conference today about exactly what the military and Israel Security Agency shared with Netanyahu ahead of the Oct. 7 attacks, Hagari initially refused to answer.
Pressed on the subject, he said: “We at the IDF — and I’m convinced that in the ISA as well, we will do a very, very harsh and difficult debriefing with ourselves and review. And we will inform the public and we will present everything. Right now we’re fighting and we are focusing on the war. That is my answer.”
U.N. Security Council schedules emergency meeting on Gaza offensive
The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza for tomorrow afternoon.
Condemning the violence, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the council, called for a cease-fire.
This puts it at odds with other Security Council members such as the United States.
Fighter jets struck more than 450 Hamas targets, IDF says
ISRAEL/GAZA BORDER — Israel’s military said its fighter jets struck more than 450 Hamas targets in Gaza in the last day.
Targets include operational command centers, observation posts and anti-tank missile launch posts, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Operations were also underway as part of an expansion of ground activities, according to the IDF.
Communications returning in Gaza Strip
ISRAEL/GAZA BORDER — Some communication services have returned in the Gaza Strip, according to telecommunications provider Paltel.
Paltel said early Sunday local time that crews have been working to repair damage to the internal grid network infrastructure. It said landline, mobile and internet services disrupted Friday “due to the ongoing aggression” were being gradually restored.
A member of NBC News’ crew in the Gaza Strip also said internet and communications were working.
Israeli hostages’ families protest intensifying attacks on Gaza
Relatives of the Israelis held captive by Hamas have asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to halt the airstrikes on Gaza and resume rescue negotiations. Huma Abedin, who advised former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, discusses the regional coordination required for a humanitarian pause with “American Voices” host Alicia Menendez.
IDF urges civilians to move away from northern Gaza
Urgency is rising in efforts to clear residents from northern Gaza, particularly those near Hamas strongholds, a spokesman for the Israeli miltary said yesterday.
“The Israel Defense Forces is expanding its operations,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video posted to social media Saturday night. “We are moving to the next phase of our war against Hamas in Gaza.”
During the video address, Hagari said Israel has been telling Gazans for two weeks to get out of the northern region and move south.
“Today, we increase the urgency of that warning,” he said.
He described such a move for civilians as temporary.