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What we know
- Israel is expanding its offensive into refugee camps in central Gaza — what it calls "a new battle zone." Residents have been ordered to leave crowded urban refugee camps as the military pummels the area by land, sea and air.
- Meanwhile in northern Gaza, NBC News has been given a tour of what the IDF says is the largest Hamas tunnel yet discovered. The tunnel near Erez crossing, which Hamas terrorists breached Oct. 7, is roughly 10 feet high and reinforced with concrete, as well as shafts in the floor extending vertically down below to what the IDF says is a sprawling network of offshoots and other levels.
- Yesterday, Israel's chief of the general staff, Herzi Halevi, said the war on Hamas will "go on for many months." In a televised statement, he said there were "no magic solutions" when it came to dismantling a terrorist organization like Hamas.
- The expansion came amid rising regional tensions, as Israel traded fire with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon today. Yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country faces a "multi-arena war" on seven fronts — Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.
- Attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea appear to be increasing. Yesterday, the USS Laboon and F/A-18 Super Hornets shot down a dozen attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack cruise missiles. Other vessels continued to report attacks today. Last week, the U.S. announced a naval coalition to defend Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks.
- More than 21,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The vast majority of the enclave's 2.2 million people are displaced, and the U.N. has warned that more than half a million people face starvation.
- Israeli military officials say 153 soldiers have been killed during the country's ground invasion in 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’ Jay Gray and Josh Lederman are reporting from the region.
Civilians hit in shelling outside of Gaza hospital, Red Crescent says
There were "dozens" of civilians killed and injured outside of the al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday, according a post from the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
The organization said it was the fourth time the hospital was targeted in the last week, blaming Israel for the attack in a post on X. Hamas also blamed Israel for casualties outside of the hospital in a statement.
The IDF did not immediately have a response to a request for comment and NBC News has not been able to verify the the claims that the IDF was responsible.
White House calls appointment of U.N. humanitarian coordinator ‘important step’
The White House today called yesterday’s appointment of Sigrid Kaag as the U.N. coordinator for humanitarian efforts in Gaza “an important step” and said the U.S. wants to increase the flow of aid there.
“Yesterday’s announcement appointing Sigrid Kaag as United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza is an important step as we continue to work with the UN as a critical partner in the delivery and distribution of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Gaza,” the White House said in a statement.
“The United States is the largest financial supporter of the humanitarian assistance efforts to support Palestinian civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” it said. “We welcome Ms. Kaag’s leadership and look forward to working together closely to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, and ensure safety and security for the aid delivery and the humanitarian staff providing the life-saving support to those in need.”
Kaag, from the Netherlands, is set to begin her role Jan. 8. She was the first deputy prime minister and the first female finance minister in the Dutch government, and she also worked as the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon from 2015 to 2017.
‘We need to be allowed to do the work’ in Gaza, says UNICEF spokesperson
While all children under age 5 are at risk for preventable death, it is "impossible" to provide care to every child and every civilian in Gaza who needs it "while bombs are falling," UNICEF spokesperson Joe English said on "Meet the Press NOW."
"The number, the proportions we are talking about, knock you sideways," English said of the number of children in desperate need of help, including water, protection and nutritional services. But UNICEF can't help them until there is a pause in the fighting, English said.
"The fighting needs to stop. There needs to be a humanitarian pause," he said. "Children are exhausted, they are traumatized, they are shocked."
"Children are too scared, too scared, too hungry to even cry, many of them," English said of the situation in Gaza. "It is a deathly, deathly silence."
Macron expresses concerns to Netanyahu about civilian deaths, humanitarian situation in Gaza
Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron had a call tonight discussing the war, including the need for hostages to be released and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, according to readouts from their offices.
Macron reiterated his support of Israel's right to security and their shared goal of returning the remaining 129 hostages home, his office said in a statement. But he also expressed his concern over the "very heavy civilian toll and the absolute humanitarian emergency."
"He recalled the imperative of the protection of civilians that was imposed on Israel and stressed the urgency of delivering the necessary aid to the population of Gaza, as well as the need to work for a lasting ceasefire, with the help of all regional and international partners," Macron's office said.
According to Netanyahu's office, he thanked Macron for France's support and willingness to involve itself in restoring security along Israel’s border with Lebanon.
"The Prime Minister updated the French President on developments in the war to destroy Hamas in Gaza, as well as the effort to bring about the release of the hostages, and asked him to continue working for their release," the prime minister's office said in a thread on X.
Palestinian activist arrested after questions about Facebook posts
JERUSALEM — Supporters of a local Palestinian activist in the West Bank say he has been arrested by Israel on suspicions of incitement.
They say Israeli troops arrested Munther Amira, a social worker and community activist in the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem, on Dec. 18. Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist assisting Amira, says Munther was questioned about Facebook posts and denied allegations against him. He said it was unclear which posts drew attention from Israeli authorities.
Amira’s lawyer, Riham Nasra, said the military is trying to place Amira under administrative detention — a status under which suspects can be held without charge for months at a time. She accused Israel of trying to stifle criticism of the Gaza war.
“Munther is a renowned activist, and Israel is grasping at the opportunity to remove him from the stage,” Nasra said.
Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency did not respond to a request for comment. Rights groups say Israel has arrested scores of Palestinians, including Israeli citizens, in a crackdown on free speech and political activity since the war erupted on Oct. 7.
The Israeli rights group HaMoked says Israel was holding 2,873 Palestinians in administrative detention as of Dec. 1, an increase of 800 from the previous month.
Jordanian King and Egyptian president meet to discuss developments in Gaza
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi met with Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in Cairo to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza, as well as the future of Palestinians, Sissi's spokesperson said in a statement.
The two leaders discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and their agreement to reject "all attempts to extinguish the Palestinian issue or to expel Palestinians from their territories or internally displace," the statement said. The men also agreed that there should be a cease-fire with a push toward the development of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders.
Establishing a Palestinian state is a "great political and moral responsibility on the international community," the statement said.
War protesters block traffic outside LAX and JFK airports
Traffic was blocked in New York City and Los Angeles today by war protesters who were demonstrating just outside major airports.
There were 26 arrests after a pro-Palestinian demonstration at 11:30 a.m. ET blocked traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway outside John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Not long afterward, a group stopped traffic on Century Boulevard not far from Los Angeles International Airport in what NBC Los Angeles described as a war protest. According to the station, 36 people were arrested after a confrontation with police in which one officer was thrown to the ground.
No group has claimed responsibility for the Los Angeles protest, NBC Los Angeles noted.
A look inside the largest Hamas tunnel ever discovered by the Israeli military
NORTHERN GAZA — As Israel says it has almost destroyed Hamas’ brigades in northern Gaza, its forces are preparing to blow up some of the hundreds of tunnels it says belonged to the militant group — including one large enough to drive a car through.
The Israel Defense Forces invited NBC News into Gaza on Wednesday to take a look at what it says is the largest tunnel discovered so far.
The entrance is roughly a quarter-mile or a 10-minute walk from the destroyed Erez border crossing, which Hamas terrorists breached when they launched multipronged attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
The IDF said the tunnel is roughly 2.5 miles long and extends all the way to Gaza City, the enclave’s largest city. NBC News could not independently verify the claim.
As Israeli tanks occasionally rolled past, a vast wasteland of mangled steel, concrete blocks and dusty mounds of sand could be seen along the way. Workers on cherry-pickers were repairing the border barrier damaged during the Hamas incursion.
Fairly close by, gunshots and artillery explosions could be heard, as well as the buzz of Israeli drones overhead, although no Palestinians were seen during the roughly two-hour visit.
Reinforced with concrete, the tunnel has shafts in the floor that extend vertically down to what the IDF said was a sprawling network of offshoots and other levels. Although Israel’s military said it believed it had cleared any Hamas presence from the tunnel, troops with weapons drawn stood guard inside.
WHO director-general calls on Security Council to turn resolution 'into reality'
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged the U.N. Security Council to quickly turn its recent resolution for humanitarian aid deliveries "into reality."
"Day after day, the needs of #Gaza’s war-ravaged people grow. Peril, ill-health, hunger, thirst, lack of shelter — these should not be the norm for millions of people. But sadly, they are," Tedros wrote on X.
WHO teams "witnessed tens of thousands of people fleeing heavy strikes" in Khan Younis and the central Gaza Strip. Staff members were in Gaza yesterday to deliver supplies to Al-Shifa Hospital in the north and Al-Amal Hospital in the south, both of which are sheltering thousands of civilians.
“The recent United Nations Security Council resolution appeared to provide hope of an improvement in humanitarian aid distribution within Gaza,” Tedros said in a separate statement today. “However, based on WHO eyewitness accounts on the ground, the resolution is tragically yet to have an impact. What we urgently need right now is a ceasefire to spare civilians from further violence and begin the long road towards reconstruction and peace.”
Israel knew of Hamas tunnel system but 'didn't have all the details,' Netanyahu adviser says
Israel is only now uncovering the expanse of Hamas tunnel infrastructure despite having been aware of the existence of an underground network in Gaza, Mark Regev, senior adviser to Netanyahu, told MNSBC's Yasmin Vossoughian.
"We did know — maybe we didn't have all the details, but we did know," Regev said. "And we've been going in and we've been finding all this stuff and showing it to the world."