Israel-Hamas war live updates: U.S. shoots down Houthi missile fired at American warship in the Red Sea
What we know
A U.S. fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea from Houthi militant-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. military has said. The first attack by the Iran-backed rebels after American-led strikes will add to fears of regional escalation after deadly new clashes on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.
As the war in Gaza passed the 100-day mark, the White House signaled that it is now "the right time" for its ally to scale back its war against Hamas. Protests erupted around the world over the weekend calling for a cease-fire, while in Israel families and supporters of the remaining hostages gathered to mark the milestone.
In Gaza, famine looms as the devastation mounts. More than 24,000 people have been killed in the enclave since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 60,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
Israeli military officials say at least 186 soldiers have been killed during the country’s ground invasion of Gaza, which came after 1,200 people were killed and about 240 hostages were seized after Hamas launched multipronged attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Ali Arouzi, Chantal Da Silva and Josh Lederman are reporting from the region.
Israel-Hamas War: Terror in Ra'anana, Hamas video claims two hostages killed
The Hamas terror organization announced on Monday that hostages Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, had been killed in captivity. Noa Argamani, 26, is reportedly still alive. The update from the Gaza-based Islamist terror organization comes in a video featuring Argamani, where the 26-year-old reported the death of her fellow hostages.
Israel strikes deeper within Lebanon; Iran strikes alleged ‘espionage’ site in Iraq
Israel’s military said it launched a barrage of strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Tuesday — which hit deeper into the country than many of the tit-for-tat exchanges of fire across the border in recent months. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated since October, stoking fears of a full-blown conflict. In Iraq, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a site in the country’s Kurdistan region that it alleged was being used by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Iraqi officials denied the claim and recalled Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran.
Israel’s war on Gaza live: Netanyahu reiterates Palestinian state rejection
Netanyahu says that Israel must “maintain security control over all territory west of the Jordan River”, despite US talk of “working toward a two-state solution”.
Israeli attacks continue in Gaza, with a particular focus on the south of the enclave, as a communications blackout enters its seventh day.
US missiles rain down on sites used by Yemen’s Houthis after the armed group targeted an American Navy vessel and “scored a direct hit”.
At least 24,620 people killed and 61,830 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139.
Israel’s war on Gaza live: Israel kills 65 in day of attacks on Khan Younis
The Middle East-based US Navy’s 5th Fleet has denied the Houthis’ statement claiming responsibility for an attack on the US military cargo ship Ocean Jazz. “The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists’ report of an alleged successful attack on M/V [merchant vessel] Ocean Jazz is patently false,” the 5th Fleet said in a statement. It added that the US Navy “has maintained constant communications with M/V Ocean Jazz throughout its safe transit”.
US President Joe Biden, right, with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly in
New York City on September 20, 2023
Putin tells Abbas he’ll continue sending aid to Gaza, urges a ‘quick’ end to war. Presidents of Russia, PA both call for moving toward a two-state solution, while Palestinian Authority chief goes further in demanding an immediate ceasefire
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, shakes
hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during their
meeting at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in
Bethlehem, January 23, 2020.
Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged on Friday to continue supplying the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid, while urging a peaceful resolution to fighting between Israel and Hamas during a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “Russia will continue to supply the Gaza Strip with essential goods, including medicines and medical equipment,” Putin told Abbas, according to a readout from the Kremlin, which also said the Russian president stresses the “importance of a quick cessation of the bloodshed and the resumption of the political process.” Putin also called for the resumption of the peace process to establish a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines. “In this context, the Russian side expressed support for the efforts made by the Palestinian leadership led by Mahmoud Abbas,” the Russian readout said.
Israel has come out flatly against the effort, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging not to allow Gaza to become “Fatahstan” — a reference to Abbas’s political party. But Jerusalem has been increasingly reliant on support from the US, which backs the effort to create a pathway toward a two-state solution after the war. The Biden administration also wants the PA to eventually be tasked with leading a reunited West Bank and Gaza but acknowledges that Ramallah will have to undergo significant reforms first.
US Navy shoots down missiles targeting American cargo ship: Israel-Hamas war live updates
Houthi militants fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles Wednesday at a U.S.-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea, defying a U.S.-led military effort to prevent attacks on commercial shipping. Two of the missiles were shot down by the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, and the third fell into the sea, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. The attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis followed a joint strike Monday in Yemen by U.S. and Great Britain warplanes and ships. The Houthis have launched more than 40 attacks from Yemen since November in what they maintain is a reaction to Israel’s invasion of Gaza. This latest incident comes as the U.S. and other nations labor to keep the Israeli-Hamas war from spreading across the Middle East. About 15% of the world’s commercial traffic uses the Red Sea route.
At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured after shelling struck an area Gaza Ciry where people were awaiting aid delivery, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
The director of the CIA is expected to meet in coming days with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators to discuss a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to a US official.
The UN says a dozen people have been killed after one of its shelters was shelled in Khan Younis, a focal point of fighting in southern Gaza.
The International Court of Justice said it will deliver its ruling Friday on whether to enact provisional measures to temporarily suspend Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they targeted US warships with ballistic missiles.
The UN's top court said Isreal must act immediately to prevent genocide in Gaza but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the preliminary international Court of Justice ruling on South Africa's accusation of genocide as a rejection of what he called "discrimination" against his country. The Palestinian Authority and South Africa welcomed the ruling, stating that it represented a victory for human rights.
The head of the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza has fired staff members allegedly involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The US State Department temporarily paused aid to UNRWA amid the allegations.
The director of the CIA is expected to meet in the coming days with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators to discuss a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Israel-Hamas war live updates: More countries pause funding to U.N. aid agency; observers mark Holocaust Remembrance Day
The announcements came after allegations that 12 employees of UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks. The aid workers have since been fired and an investigation is underway.
What we know
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has fired 12 aid workers accused of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and has launched an investigation. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday that he was "horrified" by the allegations and that those found to have been involved would be referred for potential criminal prosecution.
Australia, Finland, Italy and the U.K. joined the U.S. and Canada today in suspending funding to the agency. UNRWA employs about 13,000 Palestinians and runs schools and shelters and distributes aid across Gaza.
Houthis fired at a U.S. warship for the first time yesterday, as well as a British oil tanker. The U.K. said it reserves “the right to respond appropriately,” along with its allies. In a pre-dawn strike today, the U.S. said, it destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile that was aimed at the Red Sea and ready to launch, and Houthis reported U.S. raids in the port city of Al-Hudaydah.
CIA Director William Burns is set to meet with Qatar’s prime minister and the director of Mossad this weekend in an effort to break a deadlock in talks for a new hostage deal with Hamas.
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians, but stopped short of demanding a cease-fire. South Africa, which brought the case to the ICJ, called yesterday’s interim ruling a “decisive victory” toward justice for Palestinians. Israel called the implication it is perpetuating genocide “false” and “outrsgeous.”
More than 26,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Mor than 64,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
Israeli military officials said at least 220 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza. About 1,200 people were killed and about 240 hostages were taken after Hamas launched multipronged attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel-Hamas war live updates: 3 militants killed in undercover IDF raid on West Bank hospital
What we Know
Israeli forces in heavy disguise raided a hospital in the occupied West Bank this morning, killing three militants who the IDF said were using the hospital as a base to plan plan terrorist attacks. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group claimed the trio as members. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the soldiers opened fire inside hospital wards.
Hamas said it was reviewing a proposed hostage deal after a source familiar with the talks told NBC News that Israeli, Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. officials in Paris had reached a “unified position” on a framework involving a 60-day pause of hostilities in Gaza.
President Joe Biden said he has made a decision about the U.S. response to the attack that killed three servis membersin Jordan, though he did not offer any further detail. The response could be multilevel and come in stages, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. One theory about the strike suggests that the drone was able to evade air defenses because it flew in as a U.S. drone was also entering.
More than 26,700 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 65,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
Israeli military officials said at least 220 soilders have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza. About 1,200 people were killed and about 240 hostages were taken after Hamas' multipronged attacks on Oct. 7.
NBC News’ Keir Simmons, Hala Gorani, Raf Sanchez, Matt Bradley and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region.
Israel-Hamas war live updates: U.S. readies weeks of retaliatory strikes against Iran-linked targets
The Biden administration has not yet finalized targets but is preparing a “campaign” that could last “weeks,” officials told NBC News, after Iran-backed militants killed three U.S. service members at a base in Jordan.
What we know
U.S. retaliatory attacks against Iran-backed militants will be a “campaign” that could last “weeks,” officials told NBC News. The targets are expected to include Iranian targets outside Iran, and the campaign will involve both strikes and cyber operations. Tehran has warned it would respond decisively to any attack on its territory or interests, after President Joe Biden said he had decided how to retaliate for the drone strike on a base in Jordan that killed three American service members.
Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniveh, said yesterday that he will travel to Cairo to consider a potential new hostage deal. A senior Israeli official told NBC News that the country's war Cabinet has discussed the deal, but it has not yet been put to a vote. Meanwhile, a combative Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that he will "not release thousands of terrorists" or take Israeli forces out of the Gaza Strip in any cease-fire.
The United Nations has warned that the decision of countries to halt funds to UNRWA, the primary aid provider in Gaza, could have catastrophic effects and lead to the collapse of the enclave's system. The U.S. is among several countries to pull funding for the agency after Israel alleged that aid workers participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.
More than 26,900 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 65,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
Israeli military officials said at least 223 soilders have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza. About 1,200 people were killed and about 240 hostages were taken after Hamas' multipronged attacks on Oct. 7.
Israel-Hamas War: Hamas 'positive' on Gaza truce, IDF takes over Khan Yunis
The United States was hopeful that Hamas would agree to free the hostages as Qatar, which is mediating the deal with Egypt, hinted at progress that could lead to a pause in the Gaza war. “We hope that Hamas...will agree to a pause,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington “We have pursued this pause intensively. We have made clear it is a priority of the United States, other countries have made clear it a priority for all of these same. The United States was hopeful that Hamas would agree to free the hostages as Qatar, which is mediating the deal with Egypt, hinted at positive progress that could lead to a pause in the Gaza war. “We hope that Hamas...will agree to a pause,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington.
What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza?
It began when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza - the deadliest in Israel's history. An Israeli military campaign has followed, which has killed thousands in the Palestinian territory. On the morning of 7 October, waves of Hamas gunmen stormed across Gaza's border into Israel. Hamas also fired thousands of rockets. The gunmen killed 1,200 people on the day and more than 100 later died from their injuries. Hamas became the sole ruler of Gaza after violently ejecting political rivals in 2007.
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