What to know
- Israel appears to be intensifying its military campaign, with reports of strikes overnight and into today on Gaza City, refugee camps in central Gaza, and on the southern city of Khan Younis. The IDF issued evacuation orders yesterday for several refugee camps into already overcrowded shelters.
- A heavily negotiated resolution for desperately needed aid to Gaza was approved by the U.N. Security Council yesterday, calling for a pause in fighting to allow more aid deliveries, but it stopped short of demanding a cease-fire. The U.S. abstained from the vote, amid criticism that it had watered down the resolution.
- The resolution is legally binding though it remains to be seen how aspects of it, including the pause in fighting and protection of humanitarian aid routes, will be implemented in the coming days.
- Hamas reiterated its position today that it will not negotiate the release of hostages without a more permanent cease-fire. The militant group's senior leadership remains in Cairo and say they are, "open to any initiative that contributes to ending the aggression on our people."
- More than 20,000 people — nearly 1% of the territory's prewar population — have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The vast majority of the enclave's 2.2 million people are displaced, and the U.N. said yesterday that more than half a million face starvation.
- Israeli military officials say 137 soldiers have been killed during the country's ground invasion in Gaza, which came after Hamas killed 1,200 people and seized about 240 hostages Oct. 7.
- NBC News’ Jay Gray and Josh Lederman are reporting from the region.
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U.S. Navy ship shoots down Houthi drones, responds to attacks on other vessels in Red Sea
Houthi rebels in Yemen fired missiles into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday, but no ships reported being impacted by the two anti-ship ballistic missiles, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
Between 3 and 8 p.m. local time, four unmanned aerial drones fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen were shot down by the USS Laboon — the ship the drones were heading toward — U.S. Central Command said, adding there were no injuries or damage from the incident.
USS Laboon then turned its attention to reports from two ships also in the Southern Red Sea that were under attack at approximately 8 p.m. local time, CENTCOM said.
A Houthi one-way attack drone nearly missed the M/V Blaamanen, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, CENTCOM said. The M/V Saibaba, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker reported it was hit by a one-way attack drone, according to CENTCOM.
Neither ship reported any injuries from the attacks, which mark the 14th and 15th on commercial shipping vessels by the Houthis since Oct. 17.
As the Houthi rebels continue to fire missiles at ships in the Southern Red Sea, a number of major companies are pausing shipments that pass through region.
Pro-Palestinian rally held at New Jersey mall
A pro-Palestine rally broke out at the Westfield Garden State Plaza, a mall in Paramus, New Jersey, Saturday.
Protesters carried a large banner emblazoned with the words “ceasefire now” while chanting slogans such as “while you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.”
The group also encouraged other shoppers to join their march.
Mall security broke up the group of about 20 demonstrators. Paramus police also aided in breaking up the group of protestors, video from NBC New York shows.
One man appeared to be handcuffed by police and led out of the mall, the video showed. The rest of the group was then escorted out by police.
One shopper who told NBC New York he was in favor of "the cause" said there is "a time and place for everything" and that these types of demonstrations can get "a bit out of hand," but added that this one was "peaceful."
Biden, Netanyahu discuss concerns over civilian deaths in Gaza, hostage releases
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone today and discussed Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Biden reiterated the importance of protecting civilians in Gaza, including those who are supporting the humanitarian aid efforts, according to a White House readout of the call. Biden said it is also crucial to allow those civilians to move safely away from areas of ongoing fighting, the White House said.
The leaders also discussed the importance of the release of all remaining hostages being held by Hamas.
IDF confirms deaths of 5 more soldiers
The IDF confirmed today that five more of its soldiers died in its war with Hamas.
Before the latest casualties, the IDF said 137 of its soldiers had been killed since the beginning of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza.
Israel strikes 2 homes, killing more than 90 Palestinians; hundreds have been detained
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than 90 Palestinians, including dozens from an extended family, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two homes, rescuers and hospital officials said Saturday, a day after the U.N. chief warned again that nowhere is safe in Gaza and that Israel’s offensive is creating “massive obstacles” to distribution of humanitarian aid.
Also Saturday, the Israeli military said troops arrested hundreds of alleged militants in Gaza over the past week and transferred more than 200 of them to Israel for further interrogation, providing rare details on a controversial policy of mass roundups of Palestinian men. The army said more than 700 people with alleged ties to the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have so far been sent to Israeli lockups.
Naftali Bennett says quickest way to end war is cut fuel to Gaza
Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister of Israel, suggested that blocking fuel from entering Gaza could help quickly end the war.
"The pressure on Israel to allow fuel into Gaza/Hamas is morally and practically wrong," he said in a post Saturday on X. "This fuel quite literally fuels Hamas’ main weapon — the terror tunnels."
Bennett said that without fuel, Hamas would not have the electricity and ventilation needed to use the tunnels.
"No fuel=no tunnels=Hamas defeat. Hamas [siphons] a big share of all fuel that enters Gaza," he wrote. "Whoever wants to end the war must back Israel in preventing even one drop of fuel into Gaza."
Hospitals in Rafah are 'incapable of providing life-saving services' health ministry says
The southern city of Rafah has become a “distressed area” in terms of health, the health ministry in Gaza said today, adding that medical aid entering the strip was not enough to meet need.
Medical staff at hospitals in Rafah are “incapable of providing life-saving services” due to the small size of hospitals in the area and the growth of demand. Abu Yusuf Al-Najjar Hospital in the city has “lost control” of care provision to “hundreds of wounded people,” the ministry added.
“What enters Gaza does not exceed 70 trucks per day, while the needs of the population require the entry of a thousand aid trucks,” it said, adding that the volume of aid to the strip must “urgently” be increased, so that the situation does not reach “catastrophic” levels.
Contact lost with hostage group, Hamas says
Hamas has lost contact with a group of hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, a spokesperson for the militant organization said on Telegram today.
Hamas official Abu Ubaida said that as a result of bombing on the strip, “We lost contact with the group responsible for five Zionist prisoners.” He added that the group believed that “prisoners were killed in one of the Zionist raids on the Gaza Strip.”
129 people are believed to be in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah exchanges fire with IDF
Hezbollah targeted Bayad-Blida in Lebanon with "appropriate weapons" the group said in an update on Telegram today, and targeted Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Birket Risha in a separate attack, it said.
The IDF said sirens had sounded in Kiryat Shmona and Ashkelon and communities near the Gaza Strip. It did not report any deaths or injuries.
Israel also struck a number of Hezbollah targets overnight and this morning, the IDF said in an update on Telegram, and struck Lebanon using artillery.
100 journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip, says Palestinian government media office
The death of Palestinian journalist Muhammad Abu Huwaidi in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip brings the total number of journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war up to 100 since Oct. 7, the Palestinian Government Media Office said in a statement on Telegram today.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, which is keeping a separate count of media workers who have been killed during the war, put its own tally at 68 today in an update on its website.
The period since Oct. 7 has been the deadliest for journalists since the CPJ started collecting data in 1992, it said, adding that journalists operating in Gaza are working under extremely high risk due to the Israeli ground assault and continued airstrikes, as well as disrupted communications, supply shortages and extensive power outages.