Israel intensifies search for Hamas leadership as terror group threatens to kill remaining hostages

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The New York Times

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said Monday night that Harvard's governing board was reluctant to fire University President Claudine Gay following her controversial comments before Congress about the rise in antisemitism on campus over concerns it would appear they were conceding to him.

Ackman, a Harvard alumnus who has been critical of the university's response to antisemitic behavior on campus, said reporters informed him that one of the board's reasons for not firing Gay was that they did not want the public to suspect they were "kowtowing" to him.

"I have been told now by two reporters that one of the factors that made it challenging for the @Harvard board to fire Gay was that they were concerned it would look like they were kowtowing to me," Ackman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"In other words, the reporters explained, quoting the trustees: 'Had Bill just stopped tweeting, we would have come to the right answer.' So much for Veritas," he continued.

During last week's hearing before the House Education and the Workforce Committee, House GOP Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., demanded Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth answer whether calls on campus for intifada, or the genocide of Jews, violated their respective universities' codes of conduct or rules against bullying and harassment.

"It can be, depending on the context," Gay responded, prompting Stefanik to press her for a yes or no answer.

"Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation — that is actionable conduct, and we do take action," Gay said.

Oberlin College/Facebook

The Ohio-based Oberlin College removed a former Iran regime official and religion professor, Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, from his teaching post after a three-year pressure campaign from Iranian Americans who were outraged over his role in covering up the mass murder of at least 5,000 Iranian political prisoners in 1988.

Andrea Simakis, a spokeswoman for the controversial college administration, told Fox News Digital that "Professor Mahallati was placed on indefinite administrative leave on November 28."

Fox News Digital reported last month that Iran’s former U.N. ambassador, Mahallati, was  being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights for subjecting Jewish students to harassment, including defending the U.S. and EU-designated terrorist organization Hamas.

Less than a month later, the college scrubbed its website of Mahallati’s profile and deleted a fact sheet, in which the college allegedly whitewashed Mahallati’s reported crimes against humanity, antisemitism and genocidal rhetoric targeting the Baha’i community in Iran.

Mahallati has reveled in his title as the "Professor of Peace" on the Oberlin campus because of his teachings on peace and friendship.

Photographs viewed by Fox News Digital show the college removed his nameplate from his office. The ostensible ouster of Mahallati marks a stunning admission by Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar that her three-year defense of Mahallati was no longer tenable. Ambar and her administration have been reeling from a series of Mahallati scandals since 2020, including his alleged endorsement of a fatwa to murder the American-British author Salman Rushdie.

The California-based Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) spearheaded the high-intensity campaign to fire Mahallati. Lawdan Bazargan, the lead organizer on the campaign, has crisscrossed the United States and some European countries to draw attention to Mahallati’s reported crimes against humanity.

Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

A land-based cruise missile launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen struck the Motor Transport STRINDA, causing some damage and a fire, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News.

The USS Mason is on the scene to render aid, the defense official said.

No U.S. ships were near the location of the attack, which took place about 60 nautical miles north of the Bab-al-Mandab.

There were no casualties reported in connection with the incident.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

A protest for a cease-fire in Gaza led to over 40 arrests at the Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Monday, according to Fox 5 Washington D.C.

The pro-Palestinian protesters were demanding a cease-fire in Gaza while illegally demonstrating inside the Congressional space, according to authorities.

Just after 10 a.m., a Capitol spokesperson told Fox 5 that the demonstrators arrived, with one man even climbing a statue in the atrium, before being charged with resisting arrest.

Read the full article about the pro-Palestinian protests by Stepheny Price

Steven Spielberg attends the 2022 AFI Fest - "The Fabelmans" Closing Night Gala Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 06, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Director Steven Spielberg expressed shock at the atrocities of Hamas terrorists against the Jewish people on Oct. 7 in announcing a project to document its horrors.

The violence that occurred that day in Israel and the wave of antisemitism around the world that followed has reminded many of echoes of the Holocaust.

Spielberg, who directed the Oscar-winning Holocaust film "Schindler’s List," indicated the terrorist attacks left him shaken in a press release from his USC Shoah Foundation announcing the project.

Read the full article about Steven Spielberg by Alexander Hall

Police take security measures as a group of Jewish elders chain themselves to the White House perimeter fence Monday in protest of US President Joe Biden's policies during the war in the Gaza Strip in Washington DC, United States on December 11, 2023. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A group of Jewish demonstrators chained themselves outside the White House on Monday while protesting the U.S. government's involvement in the Israel-Hamas war.

The group held a sign reading, "Jewish Elders to Biden: STOP THE GENOCIDE, CEASEFIRE [sic] NOW."

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) said on X that the protesters were affiliated with the Jewish Elders for Palestinian Freedom.

"Hours before the annual White House Hanukkah party, 18 Jewish elders chain themselves to the White House gates demanding @POTUS stop funding and arming the genocide in Gaza," JVP wrote on X.

Chloe Troast as Rep. Elise Stefanik and Molly Kearney as Rep. Virginia Foxx during the "College Presidents" Cold Open on Saturday, December 9, 2023. (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)

"Saturday Night Live's" cold opening this week was about the congressional testimony from college presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT. However, it was considered a flop due to its perceived focus on a GOP lawmaker instead of the controversial testimony of the college presidents. 

In the NBC variety show’s parody of the hearing, the primary target appeared to be Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., over her aggressive questioning and politics.

"I am here today because hate speech has no place on college campuses. Hate speech belongs in Congress, on Elon Musk’s Twitter, in private dinners with my donors and in public speeches by my work husband Donald Trump," cast member Chloe Troast’s Stefanik said in the skit.

Read the full article about SNL by Lindsay Kornick

Members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) take a break at a staging area near the border of Gaza on December 11, 2023 outside of Sderot, Israel. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that it conducted a "situational assessment inside the Gaza Strip" with the Israel Security Agency (ISA).

IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi explained that there was "big pressure" in the Gaza Strip amid the war.

"I think that the surrendering, the people coming out and raising their hands, is also a break in their spirit," Halevi said. "It accelerates our accomplishments, in the end, we want to progress quickly."

"We are securing our accomplishments in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the entrance in the southern part of the Strip, and also deep down into the ground - all of these places, all of these intensifications, are very important for our accomplishments," he continued.

"I say here to the whole forum, pass this also to your people, for each of you to bring this back home, to his place: the pace of the entrance and the course of the entrance is very impressive, also speaking in historical terms, with a defensive apparatus system that was ready and waiting, your presence here inside an urban, complex area is very very impressive, and now to dismantle, dismantle, dismantle," Halevi concluded.

The United States Capitol is seen on Capitol Hill on August 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

The Senate is likely to leave town for the holidays without passing the Biden administration's $106 billion national supplemental security package, three sources familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital on Monday. 

The package, which Biden requested from Congress in October, carves out roughly $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $14 billion for faster asylum processing at the border and more agents. The administration urged Congress to pass the supplemental by the end of the year. 

However, Senate Republicans have been trying to strike a deal for weeks that would include stricter border security policies — such as higher asylum standards and immediate screenings for migrants — in the package. Democrats disagree and have argued the bill should not include policy changes. 

Read the full article on the U.S. Senate by Jamie Joseph

CNN host Fareed Zakaria said that the country's elite schools "have gone from being centers of excellence to institutions pushing political agendas" in a clip that has gone viral on social media. 

"People sense the transformation," Zakaria said, adding that this "souring on higher education makes America an outlier among all advanced nations" in a clip that has received over 23 million views and counting online.

Zakaria argued that as a result of ideological extremism, America's top universities are "no longer seen as bastions of excellence but partisan outfits, which means they will keep getting buffeted by these political storms as they emerge."

Read the full article about Fareed Zakaria by Jeffrey Clark

A picture taken from Rafah shows a flare lighting the sky as smoke billows following Israeli bombardment of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 9, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari gave a briefing on the latest developments with the Israel-Hamas war on Monday.

During the press conference, Hagari said that that the IDF "will continue to locate all Hamas strongholds, especially in the Khan Yunis area, and apply military pressure until they dismantle Hamas' infrastructure there."

"Since the fighting resumed, the IDF and ISA have arrested about 140 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists across the Strip," the spokesperson explained. "In total, more than 500 terrorists have been arrested just in the last month."

Hagari added that over 250 of the terrorists were brought into Israel for "further investigation."

"We interrogate the terrorists in the field and they tell us about the hiding places of additional terrorists and provide significant intelligence information for the generation of new targets for the continuation of the fighting," Hagari continued.

Fox News Digital's Dana Karni contributed to this report.

A helicopter is seen in the sky with northern Gaza in the background as seen from the Israeli side of the border on December 10, 2023 in southern Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) provided an update about the status of humanitarian aid in Gaza on Monday.

"Israel is increasing the speed at which humanitarian aid is inspected and sent into Gaza: integrated security screenings of trucks containing water, food, medical supplies and shelter equipment will be conducted at the Nitzana and Kerem Shalom Crossings," the Israeli military said on X.

"The trucks will then be forwarded to international aid organizations in Gaza via the Rafah Crossing in Egypt," the statement added.

The IDF said that their actions will help bring humanitarian aid into Gaza faster, and will "improve the volume of security screenings of aid entering Gaza."

"We emphasize that no supplies will be entering Gaza from Israel, but rather all aid will enter through the Rafah Crossing," the post added.

Harvard's antisemitism task force lost one of its members following President Claudine Gay's testimony to House lawmakers, which is fueling widespread calls for her resignation.

Rabbi David Wolpe, who joined the task force back in October, detailed why he decided to quit during "America's Newsroom" as Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth have endured mounting pressure to resign from their positions following the bombshell hearing last week. 

"It was clear to me that we were not going to be able to make the kinds of changes that Harvard needed," Wolpe told Bill Hemmer on Monday, calling Gay's remarks "so painful."

Read the full article about Rabbi David Wolpe by Bailee Hill

Staff members of Israel Antiquities Authority IAA work at an excavation site in Migdal village near Tiberias, Israel, Dec. 13, 2021. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua via Getty Images)

With the current war in Israel resulting in the cancellation of many planned tours and pilgrimages to the Holy Land, the Magdala Tourist Center in the biblical town of Magdala is offering a "virtual pilgrimage" during Advent to help bring the Holy Land to those who cannot get there in person.

Dubbed the "Star of Wonder Advent Pilgrimage of Peace," the free virtual pilgrimage began on Sunday, December 3, the first Sunday of Advent. Videos are available on Magdala's YouTube page.

The pilgrimage consists of videos from different locations throughout Israel and Palestine, all of which are significant to the story of Jesus' birth. A different video will be released each Sunday, the Magdala Tourist Center told Fox News Digital.

Read the full article about Magdala by Christine Rousselle

A US soldier is surrounded by children as he secures an area while patrolling the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasakeh province on December 11, 2023. (Photo by Delil souleiman / AFP)

A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News that American bases in the Middle East were attacked twice on Monday, bringing the total number of attacks to at least 90 since October 17.

The incidents happened in Iraq and Syria. A one-way attack drone was shot down near Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, where no injuries or damage were reported.

In a different incident, a multi-rocket attack was launched at the patrol base in al-Shaddadi, Syria. No injuries or damage to infrastructure were reported.

Fox News Digital's Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reacted to news that U.S. forces shot down more Houthi drones in the Red Sea on Monday.

Pompeo also concerns about why the President Biden administration has been reluctant to respond to Iranian adversaries with more force. The White House is facing criticism for failing to deter Iran and its proxies from entering the conflict.

Antisemitism at elite colleges masks 'deeper rot' of DEI dominance in higher education: WSJ op-ed

Antisemitism exposed on college campuses across the country is just one sign of the "deeper rot" caused by anti-American and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion "DEI" policies at these universities, the Wall Street Journal warned.

During a congressional hearing on antisemitism last week, the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) refused to say whether calls for genocide violated university rules of conduct. 

Harvard and University of Pennsylvania leaders later walked back their statements, after widespread public outrage. UPenn President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok resigned amid the backlash.

The Journal suggested the Ivy League administrators' claim of protecting free speech was disingenuous, as Harvard and Penn ranked last in one nonprofit's survey out of 248 colleges for free speech in 2023. Thus, the public should take their shocking responses at face value.

"The three presidents have apologized for or moderated their comments before Congress, but that was only after the political consequences became clear. Believe what they said the first time. That is what their institutions now stand for," the editorial board wrote.

Taking steps against antisemitism won't address the "deeper rot of anti-American, anti-Western" philosophies, or the DEI policies "that use race, gender and sexuality as political weapons to enforce intellectual conformity, dictate tenure decisions, and punish dissenters," the board said.

Read the full article by Fox News' Kristine Parks

UMass police investigating antisemitic graffiti incident

Police at the University of Massachusetts at Boston are investigating a series of antisemitic graffiti incidents on the school's campus.

School officials discovered the graffiti last week and were quick to condemn it. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, but have yet to announce suspects.

"Monday evening, we were made aware that bathrooms in several buildings on our campus had been defaced with hateful and vile antisemitic graffiti. Immediately, along with other campus leaders and law enforcement officials, we inspected the sites of the vandalism," UMass chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco wrote in a letter to the campus. "There can be no equivocation on what this is: a hate crime that strikes at the heart of who we are. And we should all be outraged that this reprehensible, cowardly behavior has infiltrated the UMass Boston community."

"We ask that you join us in condemning this cruel and misguided attempt to divide the UMass Boston community. We are much, much better than this," he added.

Former Trump deputy national security adviser KT McFarland discussed whether Israel is winning the ground war in Gaza on 'Varney & Co' on Monday.

McFarland says the IDF is well on its way toward the goal of eliminating Hamas entirely from Gaza, but work remains to be done. Israel's top priority is locating Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be sheltering somewhere in Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza.

Austrian authorities arrest 16-year-old for allegedly scheming to attack synagogue

A 16-year-old teenager has been arrested for allegedly planning to attack a synagogue in Vienna, Austria's top security official said Monday.

The teenager, who was arrested Thursday, had announced in online chats that he intended to procure a weapon to attack an unspecified synagogue in Vienna, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. He had already obtained the financial means for the attack, Austrian news agency APA reported.

Officials did not identify the suspect. They said he lived near Steyr in northern Austria.

His home was searched and several electronic data carriers were seized, APA reported.

Authorities also found images and video material with instructions for making bombs, weapons and ammunition, APA said.

Israeli activist takes aim at 'disgraceful' response to Hamas use of rape in war: 'They have failed'

An Israeli women's rights activist said on "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" that the sexual violence used by Hamas as a weapon of war must be universally condemned.

"I think it's a disgrace," Moran Zer Katzenstein told Gowdy about the atrocities committed by Hamas since October 7.

"I think that we should all know that women's bodies [are] being used as weapons," Zer Katzenstein said. 

"This is the reason why we all need to draw a red line and say this is not even part of a political issue. You can't allow women's bodies to be used as [a] weapon, and this is our expectation of women's organizations and human rights organizations, and they failed in this area."

Gowdy raised the question of whether Hamas could be withholding the release of all female hostages over fear of the "stories" these female hostages would tell if they were released.

"Is that possible that they're withholding female hostages because they don't want to be further criticized for this?" Gowdy asked.

Read the full article by Fox News' Christopher Lopez

'Shameful': AOC blasts Biden admin for blocking UN Gaza cease-fire resolution

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is criticizing the Biden administration after the U.S. vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

The progressive "Squad" member wrote, "Shameful" above an X post showing the U.S. as the lone "no" vote against the resolution last week.

"The Biden [administration] can no longer reconcile their professed concern for Palestinians and human rights while also single-handedly vetoing the UN’s call for ceasefire and sidestepping the entire US Congress to unconditionally back the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza," Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

Asked for a response to the congresswoman's comments, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital on Monday, "Despite a rushed process and lack of consultation by the resolution’s authors, the United States engaged in good faith on the resolution. Nearly all of our recommendations were ignored."

Thirteen countries voted in favor of demanding an immediate cease-fire and a release of all hostages in the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Friday. The U.S. voted against it, and the U.K. abstained.

Read the full article from Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind

Capitol Hill Police officers began making arrests at a pro-Palestinian protest inse the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

One protester climbed the large sculpture that lies in the center of the office building, and police were attemtping to get the protester down Monday morning. The sculpture, called "Mountain and Clouds" rises several floors up in the building's atrium.

Police have shut down access to the building for all vistors aside from senators and their staff.

Capitol police respond as Pro-Palestinian protesters swarm senate office building, scale sculpture

Two teenage girls arrested in brutal beating of Jewish woman in suspected hate crime

Two girls aged 13 and 14 have been arrested in connection to the brutal beating of an Orthodox Jewish woman last week in north London.

Police have said there is "significant concern" that the victim in the case, a 20-year-old Jewish woman, was targeted in the attack because of her appearance, which could potentially be investigated as a hate crime, according to a report from The Sun.

Police have said there is "significant concern" that the victim in the case, a 20-year-old Jewish woman, was targeted in the attack because of her appearance, which could potentially be investigated as a hate crime, according to a report from The Sun.The reported arrests come after the violent assault was captured by surveillance cameras and publicized on social media by Shomrim, a Jewish neighborhood watch group. The shocking video shows the woman being pulled to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked as she lay motionless on the street. The suspects then fled with the woman's handbag as bystanders stopped to check on the victim.

"The brutal attack ended after the two female offenders kept on kicking the unconscious victim in the head before laughing over her body and, according to witness reports, saying joyfully she's ‘dead,'" the group said in a post on X.  "She was left collapsed and unresponsive in a puddle and appeared unconscious for a few minutes."

Read the full article from Fox News' Michael Lee

Philadelphia temple gathering unites against antisemitism on college campuses

Students, lawmakers and religious leaders joined forces Sunday at a temple in Philadelphia to strongly denounce antisemitism on college campuses and in their communities.

The gathering at Congregation Rodeph Shalom came one day after University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned amid criticism over her testimony at a congressional hearing. Magill was unable to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.

"I have seen Pennsylvanians take actions big and small, and both matter, to combat antisemitism," Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said at the event. "I’ve seen it here in Philadelphia where students raised their voices, where students made sure they were heard in the halls of power at their university, and leadership was held accountable."

Similar sentiments were voiced by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., a fellow Democrat, and student speakers from Harvard and Penn. Harvard President Claudine Gay also took part in the congressional hearing along with Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth. They also drew criticism for their lawyerly answers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

George Washington University student Sabrina Soffer joined 'FOX & Friends' to discuss the rise in antisemitism on U.S. college campuses and a new report that GWU staff backed Hamas' "right to resistance."

Prominent college campuses across the country have come under increased scrutiny over their anti-Israel and even pro-Hamas sentiments.

Freed Israeli hostages says Hamas captivity was 'like Russian roulette'

Freed Israeli hostage Sharon Alony-Cunio compared her 52 days in Hamas captivity to a daily game of Russian roulette on Monday.

Alony-Cunio was freed in an exchange deal last month along with her two young children. Her husband remains in captivity, however, and she has urged Israel to do everything it can to secure the release of the remaining 137 hostages.

"Every minute is critical. The conditions there are not good and the days go on for ever," the wife and mother told Reuters. "It's a Russian roulette. You don't know whether tomorrow morning they'll keep you alive or kill you, just because they want to or just because their backs are against the wall."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on Hamas troops to surrender, saying dozens of fighters already have. The IDF's top target remains Yahya Sinwar, however, and Hamas officials have threatened to kill all remaining hostages if their demands are not met.

Reuters contributed to this report.

More than 100 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Israel's war against Hamas, Fox News' Trey Yingst reported on Monday.

The Israeli Defense Forces say 104 soldiers have been killed in the fighting. Israel's military is focused on rooting out Hamas from both northern and southern Gaza. Their top target remains Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in the southern city if Khan Younis.

Israeli citizens set up an exhibition detailing Hamas' brutal assault on a music festival that took place during its larger attack on Israel on October 7.

Fox News' Greg Palkot visited the exhibition this weekend. It includes cars from the festival that were burned out and shot up, as well as portable bathrooms where concert-goers attempted to hide only to be murdered.

Roughly 364 people were killed in Hamas' assault on the festival, and 40 more were taken hostage.

OPINION: F-35 reminds China who’s top gun by shooting down a Houthi cruise missile

Read the full opinion article by Rebecca Grant:

American technology is scoring big against Iran-backed threats in the Red Sea region, and it’s bad news for China.  

You know the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney was in the news again Sunday, shooting down drones launched from Yemen’s Houthi rebels against merchant shipping in the Red Sea. This crew has been taking out drones and missiles supplied by Iran for weeks now, and their tally is over two dozen destroyed so far.  

You may not have heard about another very significant engagement. On Oct. 31, an F-35I stealth fighter made in the USA and flown by Israel, shot down one of Iran’s cruise missiles fired by Houthis from Yemen. This was the first-ever air-to-air kill of a cruise missile by an F-35. 

China, take note. China has no recent combat experience (thank heavens), so they watch and dissect military operations, especially when advanced technology and tactics are on display. China saw what happened to that Houthi cruise missile. And they know the F-35 can do it to Chinese missiles, too.  

U.S. military bases in Iraw and Syria have been attacked 85 times over the past two months as Israel's war with Hamas escalates tensions in the region.

The attacks by Iran-backed proxy groups have rained down on U.S. bases for weeks. President Biden's administration has said it remains a top priority to deter Iran and its proxy groups from escalating the Gaza war into a regional conflict, though many say the White House's strategy is failing.

Over 500 Harvard faculty members support university president Claudine Gay over antisemitism remarks

More than 500 members of Harvard's faculty signed onto a letter supporting university president Claudine Gay amid tension over her testimony at an antisemitism hearing in Congress this month.

Gay is facing widespread calls for her resignation after she refused to state that calling for the genocide of Jews would constitute harassment or bullying on Harvard's campus. Gay is one of three top university presidents facing scrutiny. UPenn President Liz Magill has already been forced to resign.

“The critical work of defending a culture of free inquiry in our diverse community cannot proceed if we let its shape be dictated by outside forces,” the Harvard letter reads.

511 faculty members signed the letter as of Sunday.

UN fears 'mass displacement' of Palestinians surging into Egypt as war in southern Gaza intensifies

United Nations officials have raised fears of a potential mass exodus of Palestinians fleeing from southern Gaza into Egypt as Israel's war against Hamas intensifies in the region.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he expects order in Gaza to "completely break down" in the near future. Egypt and all other nearby Arab countries have so far refused to accept any refugees from Gaza.

"I expect public order to completely break down soon and an even worse situation could unfold including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday.

Since October 7, most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been forced out of their homes and huge swaths of Gaza's major cities have been reduced to rubble.

While Israel has allowed some aid to continue flowing into Gaza, humanitarian groups say it has not been enough, fueling a potential rush toward the Egyptian border.

Reuters contributed to this report

Netanyahu signals 'beginning of the end' of Gaza war, calls on Hamas troops to surrender

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israel-Hamas conflict is reaching the "beginning of the end," and he called on Hamas soldiers to surrender.

Netanyahu acknowledged that the war remains in "full swing," but said Hamas soldiers are already surrendering to Israeli troops by the dozen. The IDF remains focused on locating Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

"They lay down their weapons and surrender themselves to our heroic warriors," Netanyahu said Sunday. "It will take more time, the war is in full swing, [but] I say to the Hamas terrorists it is over. Don't die for Sinwar. Surrender − now."

Sinwar is believed to be hiding in tunnels beneath the city of Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza.

California organizers defend pro-Palestinian 'Teach-In' from criticism it's ‘anti-Israel propaganda'

Teachers in Oakland, California, held a pro-Palestinian "teach in," on Wednesday, which asked elementary school-age children to draw what they think a Zionist leader looks like and define a massacre. 

Oakland Unified School District's superintendent, Kyla Johnson-Trammell, issued a warning to teachers planning to hold the unsanctioned event, stating the curriculum did not align with district educational protocol. Despite the warning, about 100 educators took part in teaching the unauthorized material to students ages 4 to 18, the East Bay Times reported. 

The "teach-in" materials were listed as "lessons for Kindergartners to 12th graders, art lessons, math lessons, films you can screen and ways to highlight Palestinian joy," according to a review of the curriculum by Fox News Digital. 

OUSD teacher, Judy Greenspan, who served as an organizer for the teach-in, told Fox News Digital that OEA for Palestine "absolutely" plans to hold future events, adding that Superintendent Johnson-Trammell should change her position and "get on the right side of history."

Read the full article by Fox News' Kendall Tietz

A former Hamas minister being held in Israeli captivity is criticizing the terrorist group, calling it a bunch of “crazy people” led by Yahya Sinwar, a man with “delusions of grandeur.” 

Footage of former Hamas communications minister Yousef al-Mansi was published Sunday by the Shin Bet security agency and reported on by the Times of Israel. 

“They destroyed the Gaza Strip. Set it back 200 years,” al-Mansi says in translated excerpts. “There is no opportunity to live.” 

He called Sinwar, the man who masterminded Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 assault on Israel, a “walking dead man.” 

“People in the Gaza Strip say that Sinwar and his group destroyed us, we must get rid of them,” al-Mansi says in the video He added: “I have not seen anyone in the Gaza Strip who supports Sinwar; nobody likes Sinwar. There are people who, day and night, pray that God will free us from him.” 

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report