What we know
- The Israeli military said that a probe found serious errors and violations of protocol led its forces to repeatedly hit a World Central Kitchen convoy and kill seven aid workers that it says were believed to be Hamas gunmen. Leading calls for an independent probe into the incident, the WCK charity said that "the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza."
- The IDF said two senior officers had been dismissed as a result of the WCK probe, but refused to comment further when asked if the officers were fired or still retained positions in the military.
- The U.S. has cautiously welcomed Israel's commitment to open additional aid routes into Gaza, including via its border with the north of the Palestinian enclave where hundreds of thousands of people are thought to be on the brink of starvation. The news followed a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which President Joe Biden warned of a potential shift in U.S. policy.
- Tehran has held funerals for the military commanders killed in an airstrike on its consulate in Syria. Israel has been bracing for a retaliatory attack, halting leave for combat units and boosting aerial defenses.
- The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 33,000, according to the enclave's Health Ministry. Another 75,600 people have been reported injured. The Israeli military said at least 256 soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began.
140 journalists killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, Government Media Office says
At least 140 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the enclave's Government Media Office.
Reporters Without Borders said that more than 105 journalists have been killed in the enclave by Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7, including at least 22 who were killed "in the course of their work."
"This massacre must stop," said Jonathan Dagher, head of the organization's Middle East desk. "Gaza’s reporters must be protected, those who wish must be evacuated, and Gaza’s gates must be opened to international media. The few reporters who have been able to leave bear witness to the same terrifying reality of journalists being attacked, injured and killed. The Israel Defense Forces are silencing those who are driven by a duty to report the facts."
The organization called on the international community to ramp up pressure on Israeli authorities to end the violence.
"Palestinian journalism must be protected as a matter of urgency," Dagher said.
McDonald’s to buy back all its Israeli restaurants
McDonald's is planning to buy back all of its Israeli restaurants from owner Alyonal Limited after more than 30 years, according to a news release.
The deal between the fast food giant and Alyonal was signed yesterday, McDonald's said. In the more than 30 years since Alyonal started McDonald's venture in Israel, it "has grown the business to 225 restaurants and more than 5,000 employees," according to McDonald's.
NBC News has reached out to McDonald's to ask why it intends to buy its franchise in Israel.
Once the process is complete, the McDonald's Corporation will own all the restaurants and operations, and retain employees "on equivalent terms."
"McDonald’s remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward," said Jo Sempels, McDonald’s president of international developmental licensed markets.
WHO delivers aid to Gaza hospitals in 'highly complex mission'
The World Health Organization delivered aid to Gaza Hospitals during a "highly complex mission," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
The aid included medical supplies for about 1,000 patients and a pallet of canned food to Al-Sahaba Hospital and medical supplies for about 1,000 patients to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
The organization also helped facilitate the referral of a patient with lower limb injuries to a field hospital in Rafah. Tedros says that on the way to the north, starving and desperate people "self-distributed" some of the supplies and food.
"With shrinking health access, hospitals in the north are overwhelmed, and more medical supplies and food to serve the hundreds of patients are needed," Ghebreyesus wrote. "We again call for sustained and safe passage for humanitarian aid. We again appeal for an immediate ceasefire."
Biden wrote letters to Egypt and Qatar urging them to get Hamas to agree to hostage release deal, official says
U.S. President Joe Biden wrote letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani urging them to secure commitments from Hamas to agree to and abide by a hostage release deal ahead of the next round of talks this upcoming week in Cairo, according to a senior administration official.
The official said there would be a cease-fire in Gaza today had Hamas agreed to release vulnerable hostages, including the sick, wounded, elderly and young women.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with the families of hostages at the White House on Monday. Nobody on Biden’s team will rest until the hostages are returned to their families, according to the official.
Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, where he made clear that everything must be done to secure the release of the hostages, including American citizens.
Families of Americans abducted by Hamas say hostages’ stories are critical to bringing remaining captives home
Lester Holt moderated a panel with the families of Americans abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. They say while it is painful to hear the testimonials of their loved ones about the horrors they experienced while in Hamas captivity, the awareness is crucial to the effort to bring the remaining hostages home.
IDF takes full responsibility for killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers
The IDF has taken full responsibility for the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, saying it was the result of soldiers mistaking them for Hamas gunmen.
"The findings of the investigation show that there were in fact a number of armed gunmen who boarded and left some of the vehicles that were identified during the course of the event," spokesperson Daniel Hagari said during remarks. "After some of the vehicles split from the others, the forces that were tracking the vehicles that went south, did so thinking that these were Hamas vehicles, that Hamas gunmen had entered."
NBC News has not independently verified the IDF's claims.
Hagari said the soldiers conducted the strike "without any awareness that these were in fact WCK vehicles," adding that cameras tracking the WCK vehicles were unable to identify the WCK logos on the roof of the vehicles, which were not visible at night.
"The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from the serious operational failures: mistaken classification and identification, errors in decision-making and strikes that were conducted in violation of stunted operation procedures," Hagari said.
Several disciplinary actions were taken as a result of the airstrike, including the dismissal of two officers and the formal reprimanding of three commanders. When asked if the officers' dismissal constituted a full firing from the IDF, a spokesperson declined to comment further.
"This is a tragedy," IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. "It was a terrible chain of errors and it should never have happened. The IDF takes full responsibility for this regrettable loss of life."
The investigation was conducted as part of the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism, an “independent body that is outside the chain of command,” Hagari said.
Biden on if he threatened to stop Israel military aid: 'I asked them to do what they're doing'
President Biden was asked today if he had threatened to stop military aid to Israel.
"I asked them to do what they’re doing," he responded before boarding Marine One to Baltimore. Israel has opened more aid routes into Gaza following Biden's recent call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although it's unclear if this is what Biden was referring to.
When asked if he was "abandoning Israel," Biden responded, "Is that a serious question?" He then turned around and walked away.
Israeli police detain 8 Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM — Israel police said they detained eight Palestinian worshippers for allegedly chanting inflammatory slogans at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa compound as thousands gathered at Islam’s third holiest site for dawn prayers marking the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The incident was the first flare-up between Israeli forces and worshippers at the compound during this Ramadan, and comes as the Islamic militant group Hamas issued a call to Muslims around the world to participate in a “Friday of Rage for Palestine.”
Police said the eight had chanted in support of what it called “terrorist organizations,” an apparent reference to Hamas. The eight were taken away for questioning.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 TV said some of the worshippers were chanting in support of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing. Both Channel 13 TV and the Qatari network Al-Jazeera said Israeli forces also fired tear gas at worshippers.
The Al Aqsa Mosque compound has long been a deeply contested religious space. It’s on the Temple Mount, the most sacred site in Judaism where biblical Jewish temples once stood.
Families of Americans abducted by Hamas say Netanyahu needs to be ‘brave leader’ to bring them home
Lester Holt moderated a panel with the families of Americans abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Liz Hirsh-Naftali, great aunt of former hostage 4-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, said it will take strong leadership to finalize a deal to return the remaining hostages to their families, and put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to complete the task.
U.N. secretary general expresses concern that Israel is using AI to determine targets in Gaza
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres expressed concern that Israel may be using artificial intelligence to determine targets in Gaza.
"I express concern about reports that Israel is using artificial intelligence to determine the targets it is bombing in Gaza," Guterres said during remarks today. NBC News has reached out to the IDF for comment.
This comes after an Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers earlier this week. Guterres called for "a transparent investigation" of the killings and for changes to be made on the ground "in order to avoid a repeat."
"We want to know why 196 aid workers have been killed so far in Gaza," he said. Guterres reiterated his calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.