An Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas leader hits a Gaza refugee camp. A Cornell University student is charged with making violent threats against Jewish people on campus. And cure for sickle cell disease using gene-editing could become the first drug approved by the FDA using the technique known as CRISPR.
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Evacuations from Gaza are underway
Evacuations of people trapped in the Gaza Strip began through the Rafah border crossing for the first time since Israel imposed a siege on the Palestinian enclave after the Hamas attack. Some foreign passport holders and wounded residents were set to cross.
A new communications outage hit Gaza, with internet and phone services reported to be down while the Israeli military pushed deeper into the densely populated enclave.
An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza refugee camp has drawn condemnation and fueled new anger about the civilian cost of its military operation. The IDF claimed responsibility for the attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, saying the strike killed a senior Hamas commander who Israel says was an architect of the Oct. 7 terror attack.
The strike reduced more than a dozen buildings to rubble, killed dozens and wounded hundreds of people, according to local health officials.
Follow our live blog for the latest updates.
More on the Israel-Hamas war
- Families of the 240 Israelis held hostage by Hamas are increasing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prioritize their safe release.
- Hundreds of Gazan laborers with Israeli visas are now stranded in the occupied West Bank with little to no contact with family in besieged Gaza.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray says Hamas could inspire attacks in the U.S. and the agency is conducting “multiple, ongoing investigations” into people affiliated with the group.
- For Muslim Americans, a spike in hate incidents feels reminiscent of post 9/11 Islamophobia .
Cornell student threatened to stab and rape Jewish students, prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors charged a 21-year-old Cornell University junior for allegedly making violent and graphic online threats to Jewish students at the Ivy League school.
In a post in an online discussion board, prosecutors say, Patrick Dai threatened to “shoot up” a campus building. In another post, he said he he would “stab” or “slit the throat” of Jewish men, and rape or throw off a cliff Jewish women he encounters on campus, according to the prosecutors.
He said he would behead Jewish babies and threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you” Jewish people, prosecutors say.
The federal complaint filed against Dai states that he admitted to making the threats. Read the full story.
Exclusive: Brother describes heavily armed man found dead at Colorado amusement park
Colorado authorities say 20-year-old Diego Barajas Medina was the man found dead in a Colorado amusement park with a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun. In an exclusive interview, Diego’s older brother David told NBC News that his brother was a quiet recluse who stayed up every night playing video games.
The brothers lived with their mother in a two-bedroom apartment in Carbondale, about 14 miles south of the amusement park. The two shared a room. “He wouldn’t talk to any of us,” David said. Read more of what David told reporter Deon Hampton about what Diego was like and why he kept guns in a box under his bed.
First disease cure using gene-editing could be near approval
An FDA advisory committee spent all day yesterday reviewing a new drug that treats sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects an estimated 100,000 people in the U.S., most of whom are Black, according to the CDC.
The illness is chronic, and the only known cure is a bone marrow transplant from a donor, which carries the risk of rejection. The gene-editing drug called exa-cel would eliminate the need for a donor. Instead, it works by changing the DNA in the patient’s blood cells.
No drug that uses CRISPR gene-editing — which was invented in 2009 — has been granted FDA approval. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Marina Kopf report on what we know about the drug and what’s ahead for its potential approval.
‘Pharmageddon’ could close pharmacies as protest spreads
Prescription drugs might be harder to come by today as around 900 pharmacists in as many as 10 states are expected to call off of work as part of an ongoing protest dubbed “Pharmageddon.”
The protests are notable because the pharmacists don't have a union and aren't asking for better pay. They primarily want their employers to hire more staff to alleviate workloads and to eliminate policies that push them to work faster. They say those conditions make them more likely to make a mistake that could harm a patient. Marley Jay spoke to one of the walk-off's organizers about the pressures pharmacists face behind the counter.
Politics in Brief
Chuck Todd analysis: Elections coming up in Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi and elsewhere contain vital clues about how voters will evaluate key issues in 2024, especially abortion.
Trump fraud trial: Donald Trump Jr. will take the stand today in the $250 million civil fraud trial against the Trump family and their company in New York this week.
Cease-fire politics: Sen. John Fetterman is facing a left-wing backlash over his firm support for Israel and unwillingness to call for a cease-fire.
Supreme Court: The high court will hear arguments in a dispute over whether a lawyer can trademark the phrase “Trump too small,” a reference to a joke about Donald Trump’s anatomy.
Election poll: The economy, immigration and national deficit rank as the top issues for Iowa Republicans in an NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll.
Staff pick: The ‘Keith Lee Effect’
Keith Lee, TikTok’s favorite food reviewer, sparked discussion online among those familiar with Atlanta’s food scene, after he exposed what many say has been known for a long time: some restaurants have a customer service problem. See what Lee shared with his 14.4 million TikTok followers after visiting a few Instagram hot spots.
— Saba Hamedy, culture and trends editor
In Case You Missed It
‘General Hospital’ and ‘Days of Our Lives’ actor Tyler Christopher died of a cardiac event at 50.
Saudi Arabia looks set to host the 2034 World Cup after the only other country to have shown an interest in hosting — Australia — made a last-minute decision not to bid.
Police arrested a man last night in connection with a Halloween killing cold case in rural Indiana that was left unsolved for 41 years.
The Maine gunman’s sister alerted police that the person in security images from the bowling alley shooting was her brother, Robert Card.
An Alaska man has been arrested and charged with threatening to kidnap and violently assault a U.S. senator.
The second person to receive a transplanted heart from a pig has died, nearly six weeks after the highly experimental surgery.
Two former Sacramento Kings dancers sued the team’s choreographer, saying they were victims of retaliation for reporting alleged sexual harassment.
Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
High thick walls, heavy bases and tight-fitting lids. Is any piece of cookware as versatile as the workhorse of the kitchen, the Dutch oven? They can braise, roast, bake and slow-cook food, they’re tall enough to fry foods in, plus can make soups, strews and pastas. Select talked to experts about how to buy the right Dutch oven for your kitchen and pulled together some solid options.
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