What we know
- Israeli forces remained in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after raiding it early Thursday. The Gaza Health Ministry said it is struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies, including food and water, and that the electricity had been shut off, leading to the deaths of five intensive care patients.
- Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country is “thoroughly planning” its promised ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, after President Joe Biden warned that Israel must have a “credible and executable plan” to protect the roughly 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said his country could assist efforts for the recognition of a Palestinian state if the push for a two-state solution stalls due to Israeli opposition. “The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France,” Macron said in Paris yesterday, alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
- Ongoing negotiations in Cairo for a cease-fire remain tense as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back hard yesterday against the U.S. vision for the region after the war — chafing at “international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians.”
- Satellite images show extensive construction and a wall being built in Egypt along its border with Gaza. Dozens of bulldozers and earth movers can be seen clearing the land in the Sinai Desert, and construction equipment is also visible. Egyptian officials have denied they are building an enclosure to house displaced Palestinians.
Israel's president says antisemitic book shows Hamas' hatred
President of Israel Isaac Herzog presented a book to attendees of the Munich Security Conference on peace and defense today as an example of Hamas militants' deep, "abysmal" hatred toward the Jewish people.
The book, "The End of the Jews," was found in a home in Gaza after Israeli troops swarmed the enclave in response to Hamas militants' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to a statement from Herzog's spokesperson.
"The book was further proof of the abysmal hatred, whose stated goal is the erasure of the Jewish people – a hatred that was reflected above all in the murderous acts of the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7 and throughout the war," the spokesperson said in the statement.
Herzog told the gathering of diplomatic and security leaders that the book, which includes an illustration of swords and daggers entering a Star of David, was the work of Mahmoud al-Zahar, a cofounder of Hamas.
The discovery was used to connect the World War II-era genocide of Jews and contemporary foes of Israel, who Herzog framed as an existential threat to the country.
"It hails the Holocaust," he said, according to the statement. "It hails what the Nazis have done, and calls for nations to follow what the Nazis have done."
Counting on Egypt to absorb displaced Palestinians is unacceptable, President el-Sissi says
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi today reiterated the nation's stance against Israel's displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the possibility that they will be resettled in his adjacent country.
He did so during a call today with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Ahmed Fahmy, el-Sissi's spokesperson, said in a statement. The two leaders spoke about efforts to revive a cease-fire, exchange captives and end humanitarian suffering.
The leaders see a two-state solution as best outcome for the war, the office of Egypt's president said in today's statement. Macron made headlines when he said this week that French recognition of a Palestinian state is not a ''taboo'' for his country.
Pope Francis meets with Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib
Pope Francis met with Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib, according to a post from the organization published today on X.
"Dr. Al-Khatib briefed Pope Francis on the catastrophic humanitarian conditions experienced by civilians in the Gaza Strip due to the continuation of the war for the fifth consecutive month, and the efforts of the PRCS to alleviate their suffering by continuing to provide relief and medical services in the Gaza Strip," the organization said.
Israel arrests 'large number' of staff members at Nasser Hospital complex, Palestinian Health Ministry says
Israel has arrested a "large number" of administrative employees and crews at the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis as they were on duty, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said today.
Nasser Hospital, southern Gaza’s main medical facility, has been besieged by Israel for weeks. Intense fighting in and around Khan Younis over the last three weeks “is causing loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure,” according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Around 10,000 people are seeking shelter at the hospital.
"The Israeli occupation forces arresting a large number of the administration and staff of the Nasser Medical Complex is a war crime and a disregard for the lives of the sick and wounded who are in dire need of direct care and treatment," the health ministry said in a Telegram statement.
At least five patients have died during Israel’s raid on the hospital. Palestinian health authorities said the deaths were caused by lack of oxygen and power outages during the raid.
Israel has accused Hamas of holding hostages at the facility, a claim denied by the militant group.
Netanyahu: No point in Gaza truce talks until Hamas changes its demands
In a statement issued this evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no point in truce talks regarding Gaza until Hamas changes its demands.
“I must tell you, citizens of Israel, that until the moment, the demands of Hamas are illusory, they mean only one thing — defeat for Israel,” Netanyahu said. “Of course we will not agree to them. But when Hamas drops these delusional demands, we can move forward.”
Hamas' demands include a permanent cease-fire and full IDF withdrawal from Gaza. The group has also proposed a cease-fire plan that would include the release of 1,500 prisoners, including 500 people serving life sentences, a source has told NBC News. The proposal also includes developing a three-year plan, with a road map to rebuild homes and other infrastructure destroyed in the war, the source said.
Netanyahu reiterated the state's commitment to releasing hostages in Gaza.
"I want to tell you and the families of the abductees; we do not forget even for a moment our commitment to the return of all the abductees," he said.
Two more hostages were rescued and returned to their families this week, according to Netanyahu.
African leaders condemn Israel’s offensive in Gaza
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Leaders at an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Saturday condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza and called for its immediate end.
Moussa Faki, the chair of the African Union Commission, said Israel’s offensive was the “most flagrant” violation of international humanitarian law and accused Israel of having “exterminated” Gaza’s inhabitants.
Faki spoke alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who also addressed the summit.
“Rest assured we strongly condemn these attacks that are unprecedented in the history of mankind,” Faki said to applause from delegates. “We want to reassure you of our solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
Azali Assoumani, president of the Comoros and the outgoing chairperson of the African Union, praised the case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice while condemning “the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine under our nose.”
“The international community cannot close its eyes to the atrocities that are committed, that have not only created chaos in Palestine but also have disastrous consequences in the rest of the world,” Assoumani said.
A quarter of Gaza’s residents are starving because of the war, which began with Hamas’ assault into Israel on Oct. 7, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250.
Israel strongly denies committing genocide in Gaza and says it does all it can to spare civilians and is only targeting Hamas militants. It says Hamas’ tactic of embedding in civilian areas makes it difficult to avoid civilian casualties.
During last year’s AU summit, an Israeli delegate was unceremoniously removed from the plenary hall amid a row over the country’s observer status at the continental body.
Concern over conflicts and the resurgence of coups across the African continent also underscored the opening of this year’s summit. Faki cited tensions over Senegal’s postponed election and violence in eastern Congo, Sudan, the Sahel, and Libya. He called for a revival of “the spirit of African solidarity and Pan-Africanism” to overcome the many challenges facing the continent of 1.3 billion people.
At least 18 injured during Israeli shelling in Deir al-Balah, Palestine Red Crescent Society says
At least 18 people were injured, many of them children, during Israeli shelling of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza today, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
The PRCS shared video from inside an ambulance, where the scream of a child could be heard. A few injured people could be seen, including a man who appeared to be bleeding from his head.
One aid worker could be seen with a child on his lap. Another aid worker helps him wrap the child’s head with gauze. The child could be heard calling for his mother as they took him out of the ambulance vehicle.
Another child could be seen at the end of the video, bleeding from his head.
U.S. Centcom forces conducted two ‘self-defense strikes’ in Yemen after Houthis launch missiles toward commercial vessel in Red Sea
U.S. Central Command conducted what it called two “self-defense strikes” in Yemen after the Houthis launched missiles toward a commercial vessel in the Red Sea, according to Centom.
Centom said four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, three of which appeared to be targeting MT Pollux, a Denmark-owned, Panamanian-registered vessel.
No injuries or damage to the vessel were reported.
In response, Centcom said, it conducted the two self-defense strikes, one against a mobile anti-ship cruise missile and another against a mobile unmanned surface vessel.
“CENTCOM identified the mobile missile and USV in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” Centcom said on X.
Sec. of State Blinken meets with Israeli President Herzog in Munich
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Munich, according to a statement issued today by the U.S. State Department.
Blinken and Herzog discussed efforts to release hostages in Gaza and secure a humanitarian pause that would increase the flow of aid into the enclave.
“Secretary Blinken reiterated that the United States could not support a military ground operation in Rafah without a credible and implementable plan for ensuring the safety of the more than 1 million people sheltering there,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Blinken also emphasized that all parties involved must take steps to protect civilians and “prevent the conflict from expanding.”
“The secretary underscored the U.S. commitment to lasting peace in the region, including through the establishment of a Palestinian state with security guaranteed for Israel,” Miller said.
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah say they are preparing for the worst
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah say they are preparing for the worst, including death, as Israel plans to bring a military operation to Gaza’s southernmost city.
Nearly 1.5 million people are currently in Rafah, which is more than six times the city’s population before Oct. 7, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Fatima Elfag'awi and her two young children were displaced from their home in Khan Younis. After temporarily finding shelter with different family members, they are now stuck on the streets of Rafah without a tent.
News of Israel’s offensive in the southern city has left the mother wondering where her family can go.
“No, I am not leaving,” Elfag'awi said. “We were displaced from Khan Younis. Where should we go?”
“We will die here, that’s it, in the streets,” she said.
Ahmed Shael, 72, was also displaced from Khan Younis.
“It is so crowded here,” Shael said. “Everyone is scared that this invasion will lead to a catastrophe in the country because of how many people there are.”
Shael says people were displaced to Rafah with the understanding that they would be safe, only to be killed there by Israeli bombardment.
“So, either way, we are going to die, so it is better to remain steadfast in our place,” he said. “There is no alternative. The alternative is to die. Here, there, you will be martyred. Martyrdom is everywhere.”
Ismael Bakir called on the international community to help end the war that’s caused so much destruction and death in Gaza.
“There isn’t a place we haven’t been displaced to, no place left,” Bakir said. “What can we do? Have mercy on us, people. Have mercy on us, world.”