Gaza Strip hospital used as a 'safe place' for Hamas terrorists, hospital chief admits

Another California community has joined the growing list of cities across the state that have formally approved a proclamation calling on the federal government to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

On Tuesday, nearly 200 people spoke out about the proclamation during the public comment portion at the Long Beach City Council meeting, according to the Press-Telegram. 

The proclamation was introduced by council members Joni Ricks-Oddie, Roberto Uranga and Al Austin, and was passed with a 5-2 vote.

In addition to calls for a cease-fire, the proclamation also asks for all hostages captured by Hamas to be released, the protection of all civilians on both sides of the war and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Long Beach now joins Cudahy, Richmond and Oakland in a list of cities that have all created local ordinances calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Click here to read more on this story by Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price.

Smoke rises from a point hit during Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza on December 20, 2023. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said on Wednesday that the Israeli military was nearing the end of its ground offensive in the northern part of Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reported.

Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reportedly said the IDF is focusing on new areas, as Hamas terrorists have moved across the Gaza Strip.

“[Hamas was] able to spread across Gaza," he explained. "From the heart of Gaza City, senior Hamas officials were able to reach Shifa Hospital, leave there in an ambulance to travel south, and return to Shifa Hospital, enter the [tunnel] network, and go north to Rantisi Hospital."

IDF Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman reportedly said earlier on Wednesday that the IDF is in "another significant phase of the offensive, in new areas."

"This offensive will continue and keep moving forward. It will continue with pressure against the enemy above ground and underground," he added.

Palestinian children play with a ball at the Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on December 20, 2023. (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian workers are returning to work in Israeli West Bank settlements, according to the Times of Israel.

8,000 to 10,000 Palestinian workers are affected by the decision. The laborers hail from the West Bank, but have been restricted from working in Jewish West Bank settlements amid the Israel-Hamas war.

On Wednesday, Israeli employers petitioned the IDF to allow the Palestinians to return to work at their businesses. Business owners have reportedly suffered financially from the loss of their personnel since October 7.

Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared on "The Story" Wednesday to discuss potential hostage releases amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Speaking to host Martha MacCallum, Regev said that Israeli officials are "exploring any opportunity to have our people released."

The official also said that Israel's main leverage for potential hostage talks is its military offensive in Gaza.

"The main leverage we have is military action, because we've been hitting Hamas hard, we've been killing its terrorists, we've been breaking up its military machine," the official said. "We've been going into the tunnels that it spent all those years building. And we are taking apart slowly but surely Hamas's military capabilities, and we're hitting them hard."

"And just as in the past, military action expedited the release of hostages because Hamas was desperate for a cease-fire," Regev added. "And the only way we'll agree to a cease-fire is if they release hostages."

Debra Messing speaks during the March for Israel on the National Mall on November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/WireImage)

Pro-Israel actress Debra Messing made waves on social media this week after posing for several photos while visiting IDF soldiers in Gaza along with journalists and a Hollywood screenwriter. 

In photos published to X and Instagram, Messing could be seen alongside New York Post columnist Douglas Murray and "Borat 2" screenwriter Lee Kern while visiting the war zone in the months after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Kern shared an image of Messing and him to Instagram on Tuesday, showing them both wearing military helmets and vests while visiting the front lines of the war. On her vest, Messing had a large patch that read, "Ministry of Foreign Affairs Israel." 

Read the full article about Debra Messing by Gabriel Hays

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst appeared on "America Reports" Wednesday from Israel, as the fighting between the IDF and Hamas continues.

Yingst told hosts John Roberts and Sandra Smith that he had just returned from Kibbutz Be'eri, 75 days after the October 7 terrorist attacks.

"The destruction and smells still remain today, 71 days after we first visited that kibbutz," the reporter explained. "When we were there, just after the massacre took place, there were bodies strewn throughout the area. Much of the neighborhood has been cleaned up."

"More than a thousand residents lived there before, only a few remain today," Yingst added. "But we are told by local residents [that] they are determined to return to their homes."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the State Department on December 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with officials from France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Wednesday about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the State Department announced.

Blinken talked with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"The Secretary stressed the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, the imperative of minimizing civilian casualties, and the need to prevent the conflict’s further escalation," spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press release. "Secretary Blinken underscored the U.S. commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state."

"The Secretary also condemned attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security," the statement added.

Biden’s next move in the Red Sea wars is critical. If we "go to war" in the Mideast, it could be over Houthi hits on Red Sea shipping. "Regarding the Houthis, these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a press conference in Israel on December 18.  

Austin later announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, calling it an important new multinational initiative to deal with the Houthi attacks. Warships from Britain, France, Japan and other nations were already in the Red Sea. It just takes American leadership to ramp up naval capabilities. 

It’s a mess out there. The Houthis have been launching drones, missiles and hijackers against Red Sea ships for two months, and a notorious Iranian spy ship is helping them. No wonder major shippers Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and other commercial cargo carriers paused their Red Sea traffic.  

Read the full opinion piece about geopolitics by Rebecca Grant

Department of Justice inscription is seen on the headquarters' building in Washington, D.C., United States on October 20, 2022. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Justice Department unsealed terrorist charges Wednesday against a notorious Hezbollah leader linked to a 1994 attack on Jews in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead.

The DOJ charges allege that Samuel Salman El Reda, a 58-year-old dual Colombian-Lebanese citizen, conspired to provide and provided material support to Hezbollah. El Reda remains at large and is believed to be in Lebanon, the DOJ says.

"Nearly three decades ago, long-time Hezbollah terrorist operative Samuel Salman El Reda allegedly helped plan and execute the heinous attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that murdered 85 innocent people and injured countless others," Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement. "This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terror: that the Justice Department’s memory is long, and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice."

Read the full article about Samuel Salman El Reda by Anders Hagstrom

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said that young progressive voters — who overwhelmingly disapprove of President Biden's leadership on Israel-Hamas war — were being influenced by TikTok during an interview on CNN. 

"I do know that a lot of people are getting their perspective from TikTok," Fetterman told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Tuesday when asked about Biden's low approval rating among young voters following Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel.

A recent New York Times/Siena poll found that among voters under 30, Biden's approval rating is a dismal 20% on the war.

Read the full article about John Fetterman by Jeffrey Clark

EU Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life - Vice President Margaritis Schinas (L) and the EU Commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson (R) are talking to media in the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarter on December 20, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

The European Union (EU) announced a "historic" new migrant deal on Wednesday meant to overhaul how the bloc processes asylum seekers ahead of next year's elections. 

After overnight talks, EU lawmakers announced that an agreement was found "on the core political elements" of the Pact on Asylum and Migration. 

"It’s truly a historic day," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said, flanked by lawmakers responsible for the key parts of the agreement. 

This comes as France has been on a heightened security alert since October amid the Israel-Hamas war and a series of slayings of French teachers by migrant Islamic extremists in recent years. Ireland, another European Union member state, has seen tensions rise over the resettlement of migrants in communities, and a knife attack on a woman and three children in Dublin's city center last month allegedly carried out by an Algerian immigrant prompted a night of violent riots. Afterward, authorities condemned "far-right" radicalization on social media. 

Read the full article about the European Union by Danielle Wallace

The Israel Defense Forces posted new footage of Hamas tunnels on Wednesday, as Israel's war against the terrorist group continues.

"An inside look into a Hamas terrorist tunnel exposed under the home of a close confidant of Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar," the IDF said on X.

The video shows Israeli soldiers roaming the subterranean tunnels, identifying Hamas security cameras and equipment throughout the complexes.

Smoke rising from Israeli air strikes on the city of Khan Yunis on December 20, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

A group of NGOs sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, urging him to mitigate harm to Gazan civilians amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The letter, which was published by the Center for Civilians in Conflict, requested "urgent steps [to be taken] to protect the more than two million civilians suffering under relentless bombardment and starvation in Gaza."

The actions requested by the organization included ending "the targeting of civilians and civilian objects," stopping indiscriminate attacks against civilians and ending U.S. support of actions that violate international humanitarian law.

The letter's signatories including Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam.

"The Department’s response to the devastating harm in Gaza has failed to live up to – and actively undermined – the commitments set by the CHMR-AP and related administration efforts," the letter concluded. "To save civilian lives and prevent further U.S. complicity in staggering civilian death and destruction, we urge you to immediately take these steps."

CAIR's current endorsements page. (Screencapture of CAIR website.)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) appears to have scrubbed Democratic lawmakers' praise for its group from its website following blowback over its leader's controversial statements regarding Hamas, Fox News Digital has discovered.

Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director, recently said he was "happy to see" the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of Israel and that the Jewish state did not have a right to self-defense because it was an "occupying power."

After Awad made the contentious comments, Fox News Digital and other publications questioned Democratic lawmakers who previously expressed support for the group in letters and statements, including some posted on CAIR's endorsements and awards page.

The endorsements and awards page that contained glowing recognition from Democrats was wiped clean sometime in the past few days and now shows a '404' error.

The page was last captured by the Wayback Machine, an internet archiver, on December 4. It shows its previous state, including its "Awards and Recognitions from Interfaith, Law Enforcement, Elected Officials and Others."

The page contained over 100 current and former Democratic politicians heaping praise on the group. Federal lawmakers such as Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Vice President Kamala Harris had attributable quotes on the website.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message Wednesday that anyone who thinks Israel will let up during its military campaign against Hamas is "detached from reality."

"We will not stop the fighting until all of the goals that we have set are achieved: The elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the removal of the threat from Gaza," Netanyahu said.

"We are attacking Hamas with fierce fire, everywhere, including today. We are also attacking their accomplices near and far," he continued.

"All Hamas terrorists, from the first to the last, are dead men walking," Netanyahu also warned. "They have only two possibilities: Surrender or die."

Fox News' Dana Karni contributed to this report.

The National Park Service is working on Wednesday to remove red paint and the words "Free Gaza" that appeared this morning near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. 

"Vandalism was discovered in the area of Lincoln Memorial Circle and the Reflecting Pool," the United States Park Police said in a statement.  

"National Park Service conservators have begun the process of removing the paint this morning, though it may take multiple treatments over several days to remove all of it," Park Police added. "The steps on the west side of the Reflecting Pool are closed to visitors while the conservation work takes place." 

Images and video captured by Fox5 DC showed workers washing and brushing away the red paint. 

It is not immediately clear who was behind the incident. 

Shipping companies reportedly are in the dark Wednesday regarding the logistics of a U.S.-led coalition announced this week to protect vessels transiting the Red Sea, which have come under attack in recent weeks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen.

Sources including shipping and maritime security officials told Reuters that few details are known about how the coalition will work.

"There are still a number of unknowns with the coalition. We don't know exactly how many warships will be involved, how long it will take those vessels to get to the region, or their rules of engagement and the actual protection scheme that will be put in place," Corey Ranslem, chief executive of British maritime risk advisory and security company Dryad Global, told Reuters.

"Globally this is a fairly small area, however providing protection to commercial vessels in this region could be a major undertaking depending on the number of vessels along with any changes to the Houthi tactics," he added.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement Tuesday that "The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law. "

"Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity," Austin added.

One source was quoted by Reuters as saying ""Will they do anything except swat the missiles out of the sky? If that's all, then will it give the assurances that are needed for shipping companies? We don't know yet."

Catholic authorities said a monastery campus in Gaza was damaged on Saturday in the Israel-Hamas war. (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

The Israeli Defense Forces is pushing back against reports concerning two Christian women killed during fighting within the area of Gaza’s only Catholic Church over the weekend.  

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem claimed in a press release Saturday an IDF sniper murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families have taken refuge since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas. 

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa wrote in a report, later republished by the Holy See, that a woman named Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were "shot and killed as they walked to the Sisters’ Convent." 

"One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety," said Pizzaballa, who is also a Catholic cardinal. Seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others inside the church compound.

The IDF later said "Following the reports of two women that were shot in the area of the Latin Church in Shejaya, the IDF has finished conducting an initial review of the incident. The review found that on December 17th, in the early afternoon, Hamas terrorists launched a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) at IDF troops from the vicinity of the church." 

"The troops then identified three people in the vicinity, operating as spotters for Hamas by guiding their attacks in the direction of the IDF troopers," it continued. "In response, our troops fired towards the spotters and hits were identified." 

"The IDF directs its operations against the Hamas terrorist organization and not against civilians, regardless of their religious affiliation," it also said. "The IDF takes many measures to mitigate harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visits the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford on Wednesday, Dec. 20. (Reuters/Phil Stewart)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit Wednesday to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

"This carrier and crew are making history. Sometimes our greatest achievements are the bad things that we stop from happening," Austin said over the ship's intercom, according to Reuters.

"And at a moment of huge tensions in the region, you all have been the lynchpin to preventing a wider regional conflict," he added. "One of our goals is to make sure that the crisis in Gaza does not expand into a regional conflict. And I think we’ve done a good job of managing that."

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Fox News in early October that he directed the movement of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean following Hamas' attack on Israel that launched the war.

Christmas trees are handed out in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Dec. 20. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS)

The city of Jerusalem has handed out hundreds of Christmas trees on Wednesday as Christians are preparing to celebrate the holiday with the war raging in Gaza.

Around 350 trees were distributed during the annual event at the Old City's Christian Quarter. 

Rockets that the IDF says it found in a Hamas truck in the Gaza Strip. (IDF)

The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that its troops found a truck loaded with long-range rockets in the Gaza Strip city of Jabalia.

"Fighters from the Nahal Brigade and the 551st Brigade Combat Team raided targets in the Jabalia area in the last day," the IDF said. "As part of the raid, the fighters located a truck on which the terrorist organization Hamas had installed long-range rockets."

The truck and rockets were destroyed as part of the operation, the IDF added.

A container ship is anchored at in Port Klang outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in January 2009. (Reuters/Bazuki Muhammad)

The Southeast Asian country of Malaysia announced Wednesday that Israeli ships are no longer allowed to dock or take on cargo at any of its ports due to its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement posted to X that "these sanctions are a response to Israel's actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and brutality against Palestinians."

He said "the Malaysian Government has decided to block and disallow the Israeli-based shipping company ZIM from docking at any Malaysian port," along with all other ships using the Israeli flag.

"In addition, Malaysia also imposes a ban on any ship en route to Israel from loading cargo at Malaysian ports. Both of these restrictions are also effective immediately," Ibrahim added. "Malaysia is confident that the decision will not affect Malaysia's trade activities."

The Israeli Defense Forces on Wednesday have released a video purportedly showing a Hamas fighter armed with an RPG being taken out during fighting in Khan Younis.

The footage shows an individual appearing to hold an RPG first standing near a building in the war-torn city in Gaza.

The Israeli military is seen tracking the individual from above before launching an airstrike.

"In response to the threat, an Israeli Air Force aircraft struck and eliminated the terrorist," the IDF wrote on X.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, left, meets with Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Haniyeh later left Qatar for Egypt. (Iran's Foreign Ministry/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

The leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, Ismail Haniyeh, has headed to Egypt Wednesday as intensive talks are ongoing for another cease-fire and hostage release deal, a report says. 

Haniyeh, who normally lives in Qatar, last visited Egypt in early November prior to the announcement of the first cease-fire of the war, which saw the release of more than 100 hostages from Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel, according to Reuters. 

A source told Reuters that diplomats are discussing which hostages still being held by Hamas and which Palestinian prisoners could be released as part of a potential second cease-fire deal. 

The source added that negotiations, which also are focusing on delivery of aid to Gaza, are intensive and a breakthrough could be imminent. 

But one Palestinian official told Reuters that “Hamas's stance remains they don't have a desire for humanitarian pauses” and “Hamas wants a complete end to the Israeli war on Gaza.” 

"Haniyeh and Hamas always appreciate the Egyptian effort,” that official also said. “He is in Cairo today to listen to whether Israel has made new proposals or whether Cairo has some too. It is early to speak of expectations." 

A senior Israeli official said to Reuters that the war only will end with the release of all hostages and the total destruction of Hamas. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has viewed the Oct. 7 attack footage, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said. (@giladerdan1 via X)

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said on Tuesday that the leader of the United Nations has seen video of Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently watched the graphic footage, which was compiled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"Finally, the UN Secretary-General watched the @IDF’s film of Hamas atrocities from October 7," Erdan wrote on X. "After he watched it, the Secretary-General himself said that it was humanity at its worst."

"Now we will see if his public statements change and if he truly understands Israel’s mission to eradicate this evil from the face of the earth and bring home the hostages," Erdan added.

The Israeli ambassador emphasized that the IDF is committed to bringing home all hostages.

"If the UN held true to its founding principles, we would have heard this on the first day of the war," he added. "Israel won’t stop until Hamas is destroyed and the hostages are returned."

The head of a Gaza hospital has admitted to Israeli forces that the terror organization used his hospital to advance its military operations since the hospital is a "safe place."

Ahmad Kahlot, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, admitted in a bombshell interrogation with Israeli forces that Hamas used his hospital to hide high-ranking military activists.

"Because for them the hospital is a safe place," Kahlot said when asked why they hide in the hospital. "They won't be targeted when they are in the hospital."

Kahlot, who joined Hamas in 2010 and holds a rank equivalent to a brigadier general, explained that he knew 16 hospital staffers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and clerks, were also members of Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

"I know 16 people. The positions are doctor or nurse or paramedic or clerk," Kahlot said, wearing an Israeli jail uniform.

Kahlot explained that the medical facility turned military hub was also used to house up to 100 high-ranking terrorists.