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Gaza’s health system is failing, as the humanitarian crisis there reaches unprecedented levels. Hospitals are on their last drops of fuel and some have shut down. Sources of food are quickly running out, and people have resorted to unsafe drinking water.
U.N. shelters are also completely overrun, with some holding 10 or 12 times as many people as intended, and can “no longer provide dignified living conditions,” the U.N. relief agency UNRWA said.
If fuel isn’t allowed into Gaza soon, the UNRWA said it would be forced to reduce or stop humanitarian operations.
Growing international calls for a cease-fire, however, have been met with fury by Israel, which angrily denounced the head of the U.N. for saying that the attack had not happened “in a vacuum.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council failed, once again, to come to an agreement on how to ensure aid reaches the Palestinian people after it shut down dueling resolutions from the U.S. and Russia.
Fears of broader escalation with Hezbollah across the border in Lebanon as well as a ground war in Gaza are still growing, as Israel conducted new strikes on the occupied West Bank and against Syria overnight. Netanyahu said Israel was “getting ready” for ground offensive in Gaza but wouldn’t reveal details.
For its part, the IDF continued to try to keep the focus on Hamas by playing a gruesome, 46-minute montage of video from various sources that it says captures parts of the deadly attack on Oct. 7. NBC News could not independently verify all of the footage.
An estimated 220 hostages are still being held by Hamas after the attack, more than half of whom are foreign nations, Israel said. Four hostages have been freed so far, and a diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said talks were “progressing positively” although there has been “no breakthrough yet.”
On U.S. soil, political and social tensions continue to rise. The House of Representatives underwent its first vote with new speaker, Mike Johnson, R-La., who was elected earlier today, and overwhelmingly passed a resolution supporting Israel.
Divisive protests and demonstrations also continue to break out on the streets and on several college campuses, sometimes drawing national attention as well as intense scrutiny on a young generation’s interpretation of foreign policy.
What we know
- Gaza's health care system is failing, and the U.N. warned it may be forced to halt operations today as fuel runs out.
- Israeli airstrikes led to the deadliest day yet in the besieged enclave, Palestinian officials said.
- Growing international calls for a humanitarian cease-fire have been met with fury by Israel, which angrily denounced the head of the U.N. for his comments and said it was time to teach the world body "a lesson."
- Talks with Hamas about the release of a larger group of hostages are "progressing positively," a diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said, although there has been "no breakthrough yet."
- Israel conducted new strikes on the occupied West Bank and against Syria overnight, adding to concerns about a broader escalation amid frequent clashes with Hezbollah across the Lebanon border.
- More than 6,546 people have been killed in Gaza, an increase of more than 700 in the last day, according to the enclave's health spokesman. In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed, including 308 members of the Israeli forces.
- NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Kelly Cobiella, Josh Lederman, Matt Bradley, Ellison Barber, Meagan Fitzgerald, Jay Gray, Hala Gorani, Chantal Da Silva and Alexander Smith are reporting from the region.
The Anti-Defamation League also announced a 388% “spike in antisemitic incidents” in U.S. since Oct. 7, compared to the same period last year.
'We’re losing an inner sense of humanity': UNRWA director who has family sheltering in Gaza
UNRWA's director of philanthropy, Hani Almadhoun, details the increasingly dire reality for thousands of Gazans.
Israel-Hamas war continues to roil American colleges, sparking walkouts
Dozens of U.S. colleges and universities are increasingly riven by tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas, offering a window into how a rising generation perceives the conflict in the Middle East and the U.S. government’s foreign policy in the region.
In recent days, protests and demonstrations have broken out on several campuses, in some cases drawing national attention and putting intense scrutiny on young people that some observers consider unfair. In some situations, student activism around the war has overlapped with volatile debates about free speech.
The conflict between the Israeli government and the Palestinian people has long been the subject of intense debate in the U.S., especially on college campuses, where political activism is common. But the new war has raised the temperature dramatically, giving rise to social environments on campus that mirror the country’s similarly polarized politics.
More than half of Hamas’ hostages have foreign nationality, Israel says
JERUSALEM — More than half the estimated 220 hostages held by Hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries, including 54 Thai nationals, the Israeli government said.
In providing updated figures, the government also said 328 people from 40 countries were confirmed as dead or missing after the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters on southern Israel. In all, an estimated 1,400 people were killed in the assault.
Israel said 138 of the hostages had foreign passports, including 15 Argentines, 12 Germans, 12 Americans, six French and six Russians.
Many were believed to have had dual Israeli nationality; however, some, like the Thais and five Nepalese hostages, almost certainly did not. There was also one Chinese hostage, one Sri Lankan, two from Tanzania and two from the Philippines.
Thais also made up the largest single group of foreign dead and missing, with 24 confirmed killed and 21 unaccounted-for.
Thailand is one of the largest sources of migrant workers in Israel, with around 30,000 people working in the agriculture sector, according to government data.
Among other foreign countries that suffered heavy losses were the U.S., with 34 killed and five missing; Ukraine, with 25 killed and two missing; France, with 23 killed and one missing; and Russia with 23 killed and four missing.
Five Chinese citizens were killed and one was missing, while Nepal had five killed and five missing.
Israel shows Hamas attack videos as it tries to keep focus on brutality of Oct. 7 ambush
TEL AVIV — Hamas militants tearing through a border fence and celebrating after reaching Israeli soil. Festivalgoers running, screaming and hiding as a hail of bullets and rockets descends upon them. Civilians, including young children, shot to death and burned beyond recognition. These are just some of the scenes the Israel Defense Forces asked journalists to watch Wednesday.
The IDF played a gruesome, 46-minute montage of extended video that it says captures parts of Hamas’ deadly attack on Oct. 7. The video includes body camera video it says was taken from Hamas terrorists, closed-circuit TV video, video from rescuers and imagery posted to social media by both militants and victims. The IDF said it did not release the video to the public out of respect for the families involved and because of privacy concerns.
NBC News could not immediately independently verify all the video, some of which it was provided.
Three more U.N. workers killed in Gaza; shelters 'no longer provide dignified living conditions'
Three more workers with the U.N. relief agency UNRWA were killed over the last 24 hours, the organization said today.
The new deaths bring the number of UNRWA workers killed to 38 since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, triggering a war, it said.
The relief agency also warned that if fuel does not enter Gaza soon, it will be forced to reduce or halt humanitarian operations there. “The coming 24 hours are very critical,” UNRWA said in a situation report.
Overcrowding of shelters is also a concern, with some holding 10 or 12 times the number of people for which they were designed. “Current facilities can no longer provide dignified living conditions,” UNRWA said.
Meta says it locked pro-Palestinian accounts after signs of security compromise
Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, said Wednesday that its security staff had detected a possible hacking attempt on pro-Palestinian accounts with millions of followers and locked the accounts while it tries to reach the accounts' owners.
The accounts focused on posting media from Gaza, including videos and images of injured people. The material was generally unverified by international journalists. It’s not clear who or how many people posted to the pages.
Meta said late Wednesday that it had disabled the accounts because of security concerns.
“These accounts were initially locked for security reasons after signs of compromise, and we’re working to make contact with the account owners to ensure they have access,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.
“We did not disable these accounts because of any content they were sharing,” he said.
Whether to pause or cease fire: U.N. Security Council fails to reach consensus to help Palestinians in Gaza
The U.N. Security Council once again failed to reach consensus today after it struck down dueling U.S. and Russian resolutions to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza.
A U.S. resolution calling for the consideration of humanitarian pauses was vetoed by Russia and China and failed to gain the support of the United Arab Emirates. A Russian resolution calling for a cease-fire, which did not mention Israel’s right to self-defense, was vetoed by the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
The stalemate, the latest in a series of showdowns, highlights the council's paralysis as humanitarian officials warn that the crisis has reached unprecedented levels. Hospitals are shutting down, food stocks are depleted, and people are resorting to drinking unsafe water.
The U.S. ambassador the U.N., Linda Thomas Greenfield, said the U.S. was “deeply disappointed” that Russia and China vetoed the U.S. resolution.
"We did listen to all of you," Thomas-Greenfield told the council after the vote. "We incorporated feedback, and we work towards consensus around a resolution that would send a clear message to the world and, most importantly, to Israelis and Palestinians that this council is determined to meet this moment."
She said Russia had put forward its resolution at the last minute with “zero” consultation with other members.
In response, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said it was "very unfortunate that members of the committee that have dug in to their national petitions were not brave enough to display strategic wisdom and support the Russian proposed text."
Still, members said in multiple statements that they would continue to work toward a solution.
Malta’s ambassador, Vanessa Frazier, said the 10 nonpermanent members of the Security Council will work on another proposal to put up for a vote and told the council that "we cannot add to their suffering through our inability to find an agreement on a resolution that is desperately needed" and that "possible options include humanitarian cease-fire, humanitarian pauses and humanitarian corridors" to ensure the sustained provision of essential goods and services at scale.
Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the State of Palestine's permanent observer to the U.N., said the Security Council “is not shouldering its responsibility of calling for an immediate cease-fire to stop the carnage in the Gaza Strip” and announced that the Arab Group will put forward a resolution for the General Assembly.
Asked whether the resolution will condemn the attack by Hamas, Mansour said the group will look at all comments and that suggestions are focused on the humanitarian aspect of the draft resolution.
House passes resolution standing with Israel in first vote under new speaker
In its first roll-call vote with a new speaker, the House of Representatives overwhelming passed a resolution expressing its support for Israel.
The resolution “standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists” passed 412-10. It's similar to a resolution the Senate adopted last week.
Nine Democrats and one Republican voted against it. Six members voted “present.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was elected earlier today after more three weeks of Republican infighting that left the chamber without a speaker.
Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., announced the resolution on Oct. 10, days after the Hamas attack on Israel.
McCaul said on the social media platform X that it condemns “Hamas and its sponsors for their atrocities against humanity.”
“With the most cosponsors of any resolution ever, this measure sends a clear message across the globe: The U.S. stands with Israel," McCaul wrote.
Nearly 400% 'spike in antisemitic incidents' in U.S. since Oct. 7, ADL says
The Anti-Defamation League said today that it has recorded a "significant spike in antisemitic incidents across the United States" since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, which prompted Israel to launch strikes in Gaza.
“Preliminary data from ADL Center on Extremism indicates that reported incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault increased by 388% over the same period last year,” the group said in a statement.
The ADL also said that it recorded 312 antisemitic incidents from Oct. 7 to Monday, 190 of which “were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza.”
During the same period last year, the ADL had reports of 64 incidents.
In an address to the nation, Biden decried acts of hatred against Jews and Muslims and referred to the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in Michigan, a killing federal authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
"We can’t stand by and stand silent when this happens," Biden said last week. "We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia."
An NBC News camera crew in Gaza City was on the scene to record the desperate efforts of first responders to reach civilians trapped under collapsed buildings after another Israeli airstrike.