What we know
- Israel has threatened to invade Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins March 10, if the remaining hostages are not released by Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "finish the job" in Gaza as cease-fire talks stalled, with Netanyahu instead saying a hostage release "can be achieved through strong military action and tough negotiations."
- Yemen's Houthi rebels claim to have shot down a U.S. drone and announced that a cargo ship they targeted in the Red Sea is at risk of sinking this morning. The crew of the Rubymar have abandoned the ship, authorities said. The U.S. military targeted an underwater drone used by the Houthis as part of five self-defense strikes yesterday against the Iran-backed militants.
- The International Court of Justice has begun hearings on Israeli occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state in a case that will get to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. An unprecedented number of countries will participate in the six days of hearings, which come after Israel's government formalized its opposition to the "unilateral recognition" of an independent Palestinian state.
- More than 29,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 69,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
- Israeli military officials said at least 233 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza.
26 E.U. countries warn Israel against ‘catastrophic’ Rafah offensive
BRUSSELS — All European Union countries except Hungary warned Israel on Monday against launching an offensive in Rafah that they said would deepen the catastrophe of some 1.5 million refugees crammed into the city on the southern edge of Gaza.
“An attack on Rafah would be absolutely catastrophic ... it would be unconscionable,” Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said before a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27 E.U. member states in Brussels.
After the talks ended, all but one of them called in a joint statement for “an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance."
The statement was issued in the name of “Foreign Ministers of 26 Member-States of the European Union” and diplomats said Hungary — a close ally of the Israeli government — was the sole country that did not sign up.
“We ask the Israeli Government not to take military action in Rafah that would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation and prevent the urgently needed provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance,” the ministers said.
Israel is preparing to mount a ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city, which it has called a last bastion of Hamas control after nearly five months of fighting. Israel accuses Hamas fighters of hiding among civilians, something the militant group denies, and says “extraordinary measures” were being taken to avoid civilian casualties.
But E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it would be impossible to prevent civilian deaths.
“We have to continue putting pressure on Israel to make them understand that there are so many people in the streets of Rafah, it will be impossible to avoid civilian casualties,” he said.
U.S. forces strike Houthi targets in Yemen
U.S. Central Command forces conducted self-defense strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi groups in Yemen on Monday, two U.S. officials told NBC News.
One of the strikes was against a mobile missile launcher and the other was against an unmanned aerial system, the sources said, noting they were conducted between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sanaa time.
Also on Monday, Houthis shot at two U.S.-owned ships, according to the officials. The M/V Sea Champion, a U.S.-owned but Greek-flagged vessel, was shot at by an anti-ship ballistic missile, with no harm noted.
The second ship, the U.S.-owned and Marshall Island-flagged M/V Novice Fortune, was shot at by an unmanned aerial system, the two U.S. officials said. The UAV did not directly strike the ship, but minor damage was noted.
Houthi president signs law classifying U.S. and U.K. as enemy countries
Yemen's Houthi rebels announced today that the group has officially designated both the U.S. and the U.K. as enemy countries over their support of Israel.
Houthi President Mahdi Al-Mashat ratified a law that states it will deal with both Western countries "according to the principle of confrontation." The news comes as Houthis continue to express support for Palestinians and attack vessels in the Red Sea believed to have ties to Israel.
Many countries have condemned the Houthi attacks and their impact on global trade. The U.S. and U.K. have responded by striking the group at sea and in Yemen.
U.S. circulates rival U.N. resolution for temporary Gaza cease-fire after rejecting Arab proposal
UNITED NATIONS — The United States has circulated a rival U.N. Security Council resolution that would support a temporary cease-fire in Gaza after rejecting an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the conflict-wracked territory.
The U.S. draft resolution, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, would underscore that a temporary cease-fire “as soon as practicable” requires the release of all hostages taken from Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, and calls for the lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The U.S. draft says both of those actions “would help to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities” as called for in a resolution adopted by the council on Dec. 22.
The proposed resolution says Israel’s planned major ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians have sought safety, “should not proceed under current circumstances.” And it warns that further displacement of civilians, “including potentially into neighboring countries,” a reference to Egypt, would have serious implications for regional peace and security.
The Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday morning on the Arab-backed draft resolution circulated by Algeria, which represents the 22 Arab nations in the U.N.’s most powerful body.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told several reporters Monday that the Algerian draft is not “an effective mechanism for trying to do the three things that we want to see happen — which is get hostages out, more aid in, and a lengthy pause to this conflict.”
With the U.S. draft, “what we’re looking at is another possible option and we’ll be discussing this with friends going forward,” Wood said. “I don’t think you can expect anything to happen tomorrow.”
Israel holds 'draconian system of control' over Palestinian territories, Amnesty International says
Amnesty International released a statement today calling for the end of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, saying the country holds a "draconian system of control."
The statement comes as the International Court of Justice holds proceedings over the legality of Israel's decadeslong occupation. It also criticized Israel's practice of "de facto annexation" by expanding its settlements in the West Bank.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said countries must examine ties to Israel and call for an end to the occupation.
"Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the longest and one of the most deadly military occupations in the world," Callamard said. "For decades it has been characterized by widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians. The occupation has also enabled and entrenched Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on all Palestinians."
Gaza poised for 'explosion in preventable child deaths' as new report shows surge of malnutrition, aid groups say
An analysis by the Global Nutrition Cluster shows the mortal threat children are facing in the Gaza Strip as malnutrition continues to surge in the enclave, the World Health Organization said in a release.
According to the analysis, more than 5% of children under the age of 2 in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished, and almost 3% "suffer from severe wasting." Even in places that have more consistent access to humanitarian aid, such as Rafah, the analysis found 5% of children are malnourished.
WHO remarked that hunger and disease are a deadly combination, as weakened children are more likely to become sick and sick children are less capable of absorbing nutrients.
The issue is putting Gaza at the precipice of "an explosion in preventable child deaths," said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations.
"If the conflict doesn’t end now, children’s nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences," Chaiban said.
Video footage shows kidnapping of Bibas family, IDF says
Security footage released by the Israel Defense Forces today appears to show the Bibas family following their Oct. 7 kidnapping.
NBC News could not independently geolocate the footage nor independently confirm the date or identities of those pictured in the footage. According to IDF, the footage is from security cameras in the area of Khan Younis and show the family being kidnapped and transferred into a car.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement that the images show Shiri Bibas along with her sons, Kfir and Ariel. Shiri Bibas’ husband, Yarden, was also kidnapped but separated from the family, he said.
“In a photograph taken by our forces in the field, you can see how a number of armed terrorists force Shiri to wrap herself in a large cloth, thus trying to hide the hostages,” Hagari said in the statement. “Ariel’s little red head pokes through the fabric but Kafir cannot be seen. We estimate that he is attached in a carrier to Shiri’s body, as we saw in the shocking kidnapping video.”
Ariel was 4-years-old at the time of the kidnapping. Kfir, who was 10 months at the time, is believed to be the youngest person taken. The military wing of Hamas has said that the three hostages were killed in November as a result of Israeli bombing.
NBC News could not verify the claim. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
“From the information available to us, we fear and are very concerned about the condition and safety of Shiri and the children and are making every effort to obtain more information about their fate. We will not rest until we bring them home,” Hagari said in the statement.
In response to the release of the footage, Israel Prime Benjamin Netanyahu said the video “touches the heart and reminds us of who we are dealing with — cruel baby kidnappers. We will hold them to account.”
Red Sea disruptions to limit products to customers in long term, Qatari exporter says
QatarEnergy, one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas, said today that the Red Sea shipping disruptions would limit the arrival of products to customers in the long term and that diversions were not ideal as they added to the cost and length of journeys.
“It’s going to add cost, it’s going to add time and it’s also going to add constraint on actual deliveries,” the company’s chief executive, Saad al-Kaabi, said at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new complex in Qatar.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has since November been attacking vessels in the Red Sea, part of a route that accounts for about 12% of the world’s shipping traffic, in what they say is an effort to support Palestinians in the war with Israel.
QatarEnergy said in January it had stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea on security concerns.
6-year-old trapped in Israeli fire had pleaded for rescue for days
When 6-year-old Hind Rajab called the Palestine Red Crescent Society for help, she said she sat just meters away from Israeli tanks closing in on the car where she was trapped alongside the bodies of her family members.
“The tank is next to me,” the terrified girl is heard telling the dispatchers, in a new audio recording released by PRCS yesterday. “Very, very close,” she says in a small voice. For 12 days she waited for a rescue surrounded by bodies of her family, gunfire and blown-up vehicles.
“When someone comes and gets me, you can hang up,” she told the dispatchers, but when Israeli troops finally allowed for first responders to reach her, she was found dead, along with her family.
“It’s almost night. I am scared,” she had told them.
World Health Organization shares footage of 'complex' evacuation of Nasser Hospital patients
The World Health Organization shared footage of its mission yesterday to evacuate 14 patients out of the now-inoperable Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Video of the mission was posted to social media with a walkthrough of the hospital narrated by trauma surgeon Dr. Anthanasios Gargavanis. He called it a "complex mission" as eight of the critical patients were unable to walk and two of the patients needed ventilation.
One of the patients had a tracheostomy, which is a surgically created airway created by inserting a tube in the trachea to help oxygen flow into the lungs.
"There are still patients left in Nasser Medical Complex, but nobody in their ICU," Gargavanis said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, posted the video to his X account and noted that there are still more than 180 patients in Nasser without access to food, water or electricity. The 15 doctors and nurses who remain are using a backup generator to power some of the lifesaving machinery.