Hezbollah praises Hamas terror attack, Netanyahu rejects cease-fire after Blinken meeting
Despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for humanitarian "pauses" in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a cease-fire without the return of hostages. Hezbollah's leader gave a speech praising the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.
Coverage for this event has ended.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters during a briefing that there's a significant process underway to get hostages freed from Hamas captivity.
The administration official didn't go into specific details, but stated there's an "intense" process ongoing in efforts to get hostages released who are being held by Hamas.
According to the official, the U.S. is using unarmed Department of Defense assets to try and locate some of the American hostages believed to be in Gaza.
The U.S. is involved in "indirect engagement to try to find a framework" for Hamas to release the hostages, the official said.
In order for the release of a significant number of hostages to take place, the official said a "very significant pause" in the war between Israel and Hamas would need to happen.
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New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, said he mistakenly voted against a resolution condemning Hamas supporters on college campuses amid the war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.
House lawmakers approved a resolution Thursday condemning college students' support of Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups by a 396 to 23 vote.
"As a visible and vocal advocate against antisemitism on college campuses, especially in the wake of October 7th, I have submitted a correction for the record," Torres wrote Thursday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I have no use for pro-Hamas protestors, and I despise them with every fiber of my being," he continued.
The resolution calls on university administrators to condemn antisemitism on their campuses and to ensure that Jewish faculty and students can exercise free speech without intimidation.
A ritzy New York town in the Hamptons was rocked by antisemitic graffiti found scrawled on businesses and public areas, according to police.
"With the current climate and the state of affairs in the world, it is troubling that an individual – or individuals – would act out in such a manner," East Hampton Police Capt. Chris Anderson told Newsday.
Residents of Montauk, which has an East Hampton police precinct, found the antisemitic graffiti in multiple areas across town on Monday morning, including on the doors and picnic benches for two downtown restaurants and on food trucks.
Police responded to the scene "before sunrise," East Hampton Police Chief Michael Sarlo told local media.
The graffiti included swastikas, "Free Palestine," and the phrase "Jeden die" – which likely intended to use the German word "Juden," which means "Jews," the New York Post reported.
"The spelling is not great," Anderson said of the graffiti.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
A group of Israel supporters launched a campaign featuring digital photos of child hostages kidnapped by Hamas to combat pro-Palestinian sentiment on woke college campuses in the U.S. and London.
Six friends teamed up with Louder-Israel, a marketing company, to create digital billboards of child hostages emblazoned on 13 trucks, which drive through large cities often in the midst of massive rallies.
"Our perspective is Israel doesn’t need our money or care packages," said a New York City financier, who is the lead sponsor of the campaign. "What Israel really needs, in our opinion, is support in the United States. If we stand alongside Israel, fight the PR war and support Israel things will work out just fine."
The sponsor, who asked that Fox News Digital withhold his name, said he fears that if Israel loses the backing of the U.S., Iran will be emboldened and the situation in the Middle East will spiral out of control.
"When this first happened, most Americans viewed this as Israel’s version of 9/11 and felt solidarity," he said. "As time has passed, people have forgotten about the 1,400 dead and maimed and raped in Israel and the 240 hostages taken to Gaza."
Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg and Jon Michael Raasch contributed to this report.
AP Photo/Hatem Ali
The average Palestinian in Gaza is living on just two pieces of Arabic bread, the Gaza director for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday, highlighting the humanitarian crisis and the dire rarity of resources residents are experiencing as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
Thomas White, Director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said the Palestinian refugee agency is supporting about 89 bakeries across Gaza, aiming to get bread to 1.7 million people — only barely needing basic needs.
White also said he traveled "the length and breadth of Gaza in the last few weeks" and described the place as a "scene of death and destruction."
No place is safe now, he said, as civilians remain in the crossfire of Israel’s campaign of vengeance against the Hamas terror group, which launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, slaughtering 1,400 people in border towns and communities on Oct. 7.
White said the bread, made from flour the United Nations had stockpiled in the region, is still not the most pressing need for those who remain in Gaza as residents plead for drinkable water: "Now people are beyond looking for bread. It’s looking for water."
Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
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Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman, a Democrat, canceled a town meeting scheduled for Saturday in the city of Lebanon in response to threats being made against Jewish people across the U.S. amid the war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.
Landsman, who is Jewish, announced Friday that the event in the Cincinnati suburb would be canceled, citing security concerns.
"We have been advised by the House Sergeant at Arms and local law enforcement that due to problematic online discourse and very serious national threats against Jews, it is imperative we take necessary steps to keep people safe," Landsman's office wrote in a statement.
"This is a scary and difficult time, and we want to be sure we stay fully engaged while keeping everyone safe. Thank you for your engagement and understanding," the statement continues.
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
A protestor attending a rally at New York University (NYU) flagrantly spit on a banner that said "Jewish" then used it to create a sign that said "Jewish Supremacy" in front of onlookers in a new video obtained by Fox News.
Approximately 100 people attended the pro-Palestinian rally on Thursday, where protesters called for the school to cancel a study abroad program that would send students to Tel Aviv, Israel.
During the event, a protester wearing a knit beanie, black zip-up jacket, sunglasses and black balaclava covering his face stood near the NYU campus library.
The video showed the man ripping the word "Jewish" off his banner and raising the piece in the air.
"Yes, we're Jewish," several people said as they watched.
"You're Jewish? What changed?" said one.
The protester then dropped the ripped paper, pulled down his mask and spit on it.
Some onlookers appeared unfazed by the performative display, while others gasped and groaned.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., on Friday defended a controversial phrase being used by anti-Israel protesters across the country, which one antisemitism watchdog defined as "code for eradicating" the largely Jewish nation.
"From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity," the far-left "Squad" member wrote in post on X following a video she posted earlier in the day that included the phrase.
The Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group that combats antisemitism, ripped Tlaib for a previous use of the phrase in 2020. "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free - code for eradicating the State of Israel and its millions of Jews. Reminder - this is a sitting U.S. Congresswoman," the group wrote on X, then referred to as Twitter.
The phrase has also received sharp criticism from others, including former counterterrorism expert Nathan Sales, who said last month that when protestors chant "Palestine from the river to the sea," they are really calling for the "extermination of the Jewish state."
"They think that Israel shouldn't exist at all," Nathan Sales told Fox News' "Sunday Night in America." "This is exterminationist rhetoric and our First Amendment means that we have to tolerate this kind of speech, but the antidote for that kind of abhorrent speech is more speech. We need to expose what these Hamas sympathizers are really all about."
The video Tlaib posted to X before defending the phrase included demands for President Biden to support a cease-fire to stop "the genocide of the Palestinian people" or face electoral consequences in 2024.
Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
Pro-Palestinian protesters were seen on Friday blocking a U.S. government ship. (KTVU)
Pro-Palestinian protesters were seen on Friday blocking a U.S. government ship.
According to KTVU, protesters with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center gathered outside the port's gates at around 8 a.m.
One social media post shows protesters chanting “Joe Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”
CBS News reported that three protesters held on to a rope ladder and refused to let workers close one of the ship's door.
According to the report, a negotiator with the U.S. Coast Guard failed at attempting to get the protesters off the ship.
Mohamed Shehk, a pro-Palestinian protester, said the protest was peaceful.
"We came on through. The gates were open. This is obviously a peaceful protest and we are here to show our solidarity with the Palestinian people," he said.
The Pentagon sent a letter to senior leadership on Tuesday restricting travel to Israel for Department of Defense senior leaders until further notice.
A U.S. defense official provided Fox News Digital with a memorandum sent to senior pentagon leadership, outlining that any travel to Israel needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The letter also discourages Congressional visits to Israel and states that no DoD support should be given for such trips to Israel without approval from Austin.
"I further discourage visits to Israel requiring DoD support by members of Congress and their staffs. I hereby instruct the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs to inform the appropriate congressional leadership that DoD support to congressional delegation visits will be unavailable to Israel during this period, and no DoD support shall be made available for congressional travel to Israel without my approval," Austin wrote.
Israeli farmer Avihai Brodutch has suffered an unending nightmare for four weeks.
His wife and three children, ages 10 to 4, have been missing since Hamas terrorists overwhelmed their home and their community in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
"I plead to the American people, and to the leaders of America, to try to help solve this situation," Brodutch told Fox News Digital by phone from Israel on Friday.
He asked that Americans "do everything they can so that children can be back with their families."
"I’m still without my kids. My kids don’t have a dad. I don’t know how they’re feeling. If they’re cold. If they’re eating. If they're healthy. It’s taken too long. It doesn’t make any sense to us. It’s been so long."
Brodutch, 42, was away from their kibbutz of Kfar Azain in southern Israel, a mile from the Gaza border, when Hamas swooped in to attack soft targets like defenseless civilians at a music festival in their homes.
Brodutch’s wife, Hagar, 40, and the couple's three children — daughter Ofri, 10, son Yuval, 8, and son Uirah, 4 — have all been missing since that day.
He believes that a fourth child — a neighborhood girl — is with his family, he was told afterward; she arrived at their house that day covered in blood after the terrorists murdered her parents.
Fox News Digital's Kerry Byrne contributed to this update.
Social media users recoiled after "Squad" member and pro-Palestinian Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., released a video demanding President Biden support a cease-fire to stop "the genocide of the Palestinian people" or face electoral consequences in 2024.
Tlaib’s post on X, formerly known as Twitter, condemned Biden’s declaration that the U.S. stands with Israel and opposes a cease-fire, telling him, "the majority of the American people are not with you on this one. #CeasefireNow."
The post also included a video of scenes from Gaza and protests in the U.S., interspersed with clips from Biden, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The scenes included protest chants from Ohio saying, "No peace on stolen land!" Illinois "Free! Free! Palestine!" and Michigan "From the river to the sea."
The video ended with Tlaib saying to the camera, "We will remember in 2024," before the words "Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people," appeared on the screen along with a demand for him to immediately support a cease-fire "or don't count on us in 2024."
A multitude of X users found Tlaib’s post "disturbing." Many accused the U.S. lawmaker of antisemitism, others disputed her claim that most American’s don’t want to back Biden’s support for Israel, and some demanded she resign.
Fox News Digital's Gabriel Hayes contributed to this report.
A senior Biden administration official said Friday it would be disastrous if the war between Israel and Hamas spreads into neighboring Lebanon.
"We're in regular contact with the Lebanese government and with others in Lebanon to make sure that this war does not spread to Lebanon," the senior Biden administration official said. "That would be an absolute disaster for Lebanon."
The comments came after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said during a televised speech on Friday that the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel carried out by Hamas was "heroic."
"Some claim Hezbollah is about to join the fray. I tell you: We have been engaged in this battle since Oct. 8," Nasrallah said. "Some would like Hezbollah to engage in an all-out war, but I can tell you: What is happening now along the Israeli-Lebanese border is significant, and it is not the end."
"What we have done since Oct. 8 is unprecedented in terms of our fighting strategy. Every day, we have been targeted Israeli soldiers, tanks, drones and sensors, the eyes and ears of Israel," said Nasrallah.
The senior Biden administration official said it's in Nasrallah's "hands" whether the war spreads into Lebanon.
"I think he knows our position very clearly, and I'll just leave it at that," the official said.
Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this update.
Evacuating Americans from Gaza amid Israel and Hamas' war has been more challenging than most recent civilian rescue missions, according to a special operations veteran helping stranded U.S. citizens leave the region.
"Quite frankly, we had an easier time getting people out of Afghanistan than we do out of Gaza," said Alex Plitsas, a board member for the Special Operations Association of America.
The D.C.-based veteran group has been working to help Americans leave the Middle East, including a Massachusetts family that was able to leave Gaza on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week told a Senate committee that around 1,000 Americans and their family members remained trapped in Gaza and were requesting to leave as the Israel-Hamas war rages on. The State Department confirmed a total of 79 U.S. citizens and family members had left Gaza through the Rafah crossing in Egypt on Wednesday and Thursday.
Evacuating civilians has been difficult since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. State Department officials in October blamed Hamas for disrupting the departure of foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip. But a lawyer for one stranded family said a senior State Department official told him in emails that the failure to secure diplomatic agreements between Israel, Egypt and the terrorist group was to blame.
"You have Egypt, you have Hamas, and you have Israel all having discussions about the gate," Plitsas said. "I think Hamas wants things in return for the gate opening, as does Egypt. So everybody has their own wants and desires associated with the ability to get people out of there because they know Western states want citizens out."
Fox News Digital's Hannah Ray Lambert and Teny Sahakian contributed to this update.
Two women in the United Kingdom were charged with terrorism offenses after they allegedly displayed imagery in support of Hamas during a London protest on Oct. 14, police said Friday.
The two women are accused of wearing stickers with pictures of paragliders, depicting the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel.
According to police, the women "aroused reasonable suspicion that they are supporters of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas."
Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, said that members of the public are concerned about "some people using the veil of legitimate protest to carry out criminal or even terrorist activity."
"There have been an increase in counterterrorism investigations emanating directly from protests," Murphy told reporters.
Republican presidential candidate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during the 2023 First in the Nation Leadership Summit on October 13, 2023 in Nashua, New Hampshire. The two-day event, hosted by the New Hampshire Republican Party, will feature Republican Presidential candidates, elected officials, and Republican leaders from across the nation to discuss conservative solutions to today’s issues. Former President Donald Trump, who is leading the other GOP contenders by a wide margin in polls in New Hampshire, has elected not to attend the event. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum suggested Friday that the U.S. isn't getting enough out of its partnership with Qatar, a long-standing U.S. ally in the Middle East.
“Just because we have open lines of communication with someone, and just because they say they’re the Switzerland of the Middle East, doesn’t mean they’re our ally,” Burgum said during an appearance on Friday’s episode of “Neil Cavuto: Coast to Coast.”
“When you take a look at the actual track record and say, look, in the last decade they’ve pushed over $1.5 billion into Gaza in support of Hamas … they’re housing the leaders of Hamas, and where they’re housing them is only 20 miles from our largest air base in the Middle East,” he said.
“Of course, they’ve also been supporting Iran,” he added before starting to hit the Biden administration for not re-freezing funds that had been moved to Qatar for Iran. White House officials have repeatedly stressed that those funds won’t end up in Iran’s hands and will only go towards humanitarian aid through third-party, approved vendors.
When asked if he would work with Qatar to help rescue the hundreds of hostages still in Hamas possession, Burgum said the U.S. should negotiate “from a place of strength” since Qatar has some reliance on the U.S.
“We should be saying: Qatar, your airlines – you want to be flying to the United States, you want to have full diplomatic relations, you want to have a full economic relationship with us, then we need to see something more than two Americans come out of this,” he said.
“The communication needs to be: Hey, we need to see Americans being released, or things are going to change in our relationship,” he argued.
Cavuto countered the governor’s assertions by warning that the U.S. has had a “sort of nefarious and questionable relationship with Qatar going back many administrations.”
Sohaib Abuayyash, a 20-year-old Jordanian national, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. (Obtained by FOX 26 Houston)
Authorities in Texas have arrested a man accused of "studying how to build bombs" for a possible attack against Jewish people, and the FBI director used his case as an example of increased risk of terror attacks in the U.S.
"We’ve already seen that with the individual we arrested last week in Houston who had been studying how to build bombs and posted online his support for killing Jews," FBI Director Chris Wray said during a congressional hearing this week.
BLINKEN PUSH FOR HUMANITARIAN PAUSE IN ISRAELI WAR FALLS FLAT WITH NETANYAHU
The man he was referring to is 20-year-old Sohaib Abuayyash, FOX 26 confirmed from an FBI source. The FBI referred Fox News Digital to the publicly filed court documents, which show Abuayyash was in the country illegally.
Court documents obtained by the TV station say the Jordanian national arrived in the U.S. on June 2, 2016, on a B2 tourism visa and left about two months later.
ROCKET FROM GAZA HITS NEAR FOX NEWS' TREY YINGST: 'DIRECT IMPACT'
"Using a Palestine passport, Abuayyash returned to the United States in June 2019. In January 2020, Abuayyash applied for an Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, which is still pending," FOX 26 stated.
"In August 2023, Abuayyash was approved for an employment authorization in the United States, allowing him to work in the U.S. until August 1, 2025. Abuayyash’s immigration status doesn’t allow him to possess or use firearms or ammunition," the outlet added.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. (credit: Office of Gov. Abbott)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog and assured them of their states’ full support before visiting with victims of the Hamas terrorist attack.
LIBERAL CITY COUNCIL DEMANDS BIDEN PUSH FOR ISRAELI CEASEFIRE TO END 'CURRENT VIOLENCE' IN GAZA
“Texas has always, and will always, support Israel and the Israeli people,” Abbott said. “During this trip, I saw firsthand the resilient spirit of the Israeli people.”
“The strength and hope displayed as I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Herzog, survivors of the October 7 attack, and families of kidnapped Israelis was truly inspiring,” he continued, adding that Texas would “continue to help support Israel safeguard their freedom against brutal terrorist organizations like Hamas.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen accompanied the governors during their visit with victims of the attack, hearing firsthand accounts of the violence before Cohen asked the governors to urge Congress for “swift support” so they can bring all the hostages home.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre And National Security Council Coordinator For Strategic Communications John Kirby talk to reporters at the White House on October 31, 2023 in Washington, DC. Jean-Pierre and Kirby fielded questions from reporters about the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel that began with Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel that left more than 1400 people dead. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that the U.S. expects “another large group of Americans” to depart Gaza along the Rafah Crossing, numbering more than 100 American citizens and family members.
“We talk about diplomatic efforts and diplomatic conversations,” Jean-Pierre said. “It's something that the president believes in.”
“What I can confirm is yesterday, Embassy Cairo assisted more than 100 U.S. citizens and family members who had departed Gaza,” she continued. “We know additional U.S. citizens and family members departed Gaza yesterday, did not seek assistance from our embassy team.”
Jean-Pierre stressed that the Biden administration remains committed to “getting as many Americans out as quickly as possible” and expects more Americans to depart Gaza “over the next several days.”
A screen grab captured from a video shows a street following the Israeli attacks on the entrance of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on November 3, 2023. There are dead and wounded as a result of the Israeli targeting of ambulances preparing to go south to reach the Rafah border crossing, said Gaza Health Spokesperson. (Photo by AA/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hamas is accusing the Israeli Defense Forces of bombing medical assistance vehicles as the ground invasion of Gaza continues.
"The terrorist occupation once again commits a heinous, premeditated massacre in front of the gate of Al-Shifa Hospital by bombing ambulances that were carrying injured and wounded, which led to a number of martyrs and the injury of dozens, as well as the deliberate bombing of the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital at the same time," a press statement from Hamas reads.
An Israeli official confirmed to Fox News's Michael Tobin that the IDF bombed a convoy of ambulances in Gaza but claims Hamas-aligned terrorists were using the vehicles.
Hamas disputes the accusation that the emergency vehicles were being used to transport combatants, accusing the "Zionist-Nazi occupation" of "committing more massacres."
HEZBOLLAH LEADER PRAISES 'HEROIC' HAMAS TERROR ATTACK, THREATENS TO EXPAND FIGHT AGAINST ISRAEL
"We hold the United States of America and the international community responsible for this massacre that devastates humanity, through shameful silence and shameful American support for the Zionist-Nazi occupation and terrorism," Hamas said in its statement.
The statement continued, "We warn against this criminal occupier committing more massacres by targeting civilians and medical facilities."
A rocket exploded near a kindergarten building in southern Israel on Friday night, witnessed by Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.
"It appears there has been a direct impact. This was not intercepted, it was a massive explosion," Yingst reported from near the site of the impact.
Yingst reported that there do not appear to be any casualties despite the dangerous proximity to reporters covering the fighting at the Gaza border.
The kindergarten was unoccupied at the time of the attack, and no bystanders were wounded in the blast.
"We're right along the Israel-Gaza border. This area has not been taking much fire recently but we saw something coming off the Gaza Strip, sirens sounded. You have about 10 seconds to get to cover here," Yingst said.
Photo of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Carrier Strike Group (CSG 12) and those of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Carrier Strike Group posted to social media by the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet.
The USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike groups are finishing several days of military drills in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, according to the US Navy.
"Operating and training alongside each other demonstrates the U.S. Navy's ability to seamlessly accomplish multiple missions, deter aggression and support our allies and partners," Rear Adm. Erik Eslich said in a press release.
US NAVY MOVING WARSHIPS, AIRCRAFT CLOSER TO ISRAEL AMID HAMAS WAR
Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, expressed similar belief in the military deterrence value of the drills.
“Operating dual carrier strike groups alongside Allies and Partners in a dynamic environment demonstrates our capability and capacity to respond with agility decisively to any contingency,” Ishee said.
US NAVY INTERCEPTS MISSILES HEADING NORTH FROM YEMEN, 'POTENTIALLY' TOWARD ISRAEL: PENTAGON
“Our presence sends a clear signal about our commitment to deter aggression and promote stability throughout the region," Ishee added.
An aerial view shows civil defense teams and civilians conduct search and rescue operations around Bilal Masjid which was destroyed and the heavily damaged buildings around it after Israeli attacks at Nuseirat Refugee Camp as Israeli attacks continue on the 23rd day in Gaza City, Gaza on October 29, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The United States military is flying unarmed drones over Gaza, according to defense officials.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told Fox News Digital's Liz Friden that unarmed drones are being used by the US military in the Gaza region.
US TROOPS IN IRAQ TARGETED BY DRONES, MARKING 25TH ATTACK IN PAST 2 WEEKS: REPORT
“In support of hostage recovery efforts, the U.S. is conducting unarmed UAV flights over Gaza, as well as providing advice and assistance to support our Israeli partner as they work on their hostage recovery efforts.
He added, "These UAV flights began after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.”
ISRAELI MILITARY PUSHES DEEPER INTO GAZA AS IDF TARGETS HAMAS ANTI-TANK, ROCKET POSITIONS
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the terrorist group will continue its attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
Nasrallah made the comment in a televised speech Friday addressing the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict.
Hundreds of people gather to follow the speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, on a screen, in Beirut, Lebanon on Nov. 3, 2023. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the terrorist group will continue its attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
Nasrallah made the comment in a televised speech Friday addressing the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict.
US TROOPS IN IRAQ TARGETED BY DRONES, MARKING 25TH ATTACK IN PAST 2 WEEKS: REPORT
“The US must be held accountable and pay the price for the crimes perpetrated by Israel in Gaza, hence resistance movements have attacked and will continue to attack American forces in Iraq and Syria,” the Hezbollah leader vowed.
He continued, “Israel has revealed itself to be a weak state, as fragile as a spider web, and it needs American and Western support. Otherwise, why would the U.S. Navy send an aircraft carrier shortly after the Oct. 7 attack? Why else would Biden visit Israel, alongside numerous American government secretaries, the military top brass and European leaders?”
HEZBOLLAH CLAIMS TO STRIKE ISRAELI ARMY WITH TWO SUICIDE DRONES: REPORT
Praising Hamas for its violent attacks and referring to Israel as "the occupiers," Nasrallah said the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks were strictly a Palestinian operation.
Nasrallah made the same assertion about Iran, claiming the deadly attacks were perpetrated without the Iranian government's knowledge.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu (R) in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 03, 2023. (Photo by Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected international requests for a humanitarian cease-fire.
“Israel refuses a temporary cease-fire that does not include the return of our hostages,” the prime minister said Friday in a televised address.
ISRAEL SAYS MORE IDF SOLDIERS WERE KILLED INSIDE GAZA AS GROUND OPERATION AGAINST HAMAS CONTINUES
Netanyahu's recommitment to continued military conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza comes after an unsuccessful meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken traveled to Israel with newly appointed US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew on Friday morning in hopes of negotiating a humanitarian pause on the conflict.
ISRAELI MILITARY PUSHES DEEPER INTO GAZA AS IDF TARGETS HAMAS ANTI-TANK, ROCKET POSITIONS
"We are absolutely focused on getting hostages back and getting them back to their families in safety," Blinken said at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
He continued, "And we believe that, among other things, a humanitarian pause could help that effort, could facilitate it. It's one of the reasons why we're focused on it."
Terrorist group Hezbollah is threatening to expand its fight against the Israeli Defense Forces as the IDF continues its assault on Gaza.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the terrorist group has been involved in the conflict since the day after the Oct. 7 attacks that killed over 1,400 Israelis.
HEZBOLLAH CLAIMS TO STRIKE ISRAELI ARMY WITH TWO SUICIDE DRONES: REPORT
“Some claim Hezbollah is about to join the fray. I tell you: We have been engaged in this battle since October 8,” he says. “Some would like Hezbollah to engage in an all-out war, but I can tell you: What is happening now along the Israeli-Lebanese border is significant, and it is not the end."
Nasrallah boasted of the 57 Hezbollah militants killed in battle against the IDF, and promised to continue its "true battle" against the Jewish nation.
ISRAELI TROOPS CLOSE IN ON GAZA CITY AMID HEAVY FIGHTING WITH HAMAS
“What we have done since October 8 is unprecedented in terms of our fighting strategy. Every day, we have been targeted Israeli soldiers, tanks, drones and sensors, the eyes and ears of Israel," said Nasrallah.
He added, "We have been engaged in a true battle. The amount of our martyrs — 57 — testifies to this."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that a humanitarian ceasefire could help rescue hostages being held by Hamas.
"We are absolutely focused on getting hostages back and getting them back to their families in safety," Blinken said at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
ISRAEL SAYS MORE IDF SOLDIERS WERE KILLED INSIDE GAZA AS GROUND OPERATION AGAINST HAMAS CONTINUES
He continued, "And we believe that, among other things, a humanitarian pause could help that effort, could facilitate it. It's one of the reasons why we're focused on it."
Prompted by a reporter's question, Blinken said the US faces the challenge of not only eradicating Hamas's infrastructure, but also the ideology that propels the terrorist group.
US, PARTNERS DISCUSSING FOREIGN TROOPS SERVING AS GAZA PEACEKEEPING FORCE AFTER ISRAELI WAR: REPORT
"This is about dealing with Hamas in terms of defeating it physically. That is making sure that it can't repeat what it did on October 7th," Blinken said. "But it is also about defeating an idea — a perverted idea, but an idea that we have to combat with a better idea with better future, with a better vision for what that future can be."
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah claimed Friday during a televised speech that he was not aware of plans behind the Oct.7 Hamas attack on Israel beforehand.
Nasrallah called the brutal assault that took the lives of over 1,400 Israeli citizens "a heroic, brave act."
CBP MEMO SOUNDS ALARM ON HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS POTENTIALLY USING SOUTHERN BORDER TO ENTER US
"We salute it," he said in his video speech.
Praising Hamas for its violent attacks and referring to Israel as "the occupiers," Nasrallah said the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks were strictly a Palestinian operation.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MIDDLE EAST'S HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS GROUPS?
The terrorist leader claimed he was not made aware of the attack before it was initiated.
Nasrallah made the same assertion about Iran, claiming the deadly attacks were perpetrated without the Iranian government's knowledge.
A boy waves the Hezbollah party flag during a rally prior to a speech by the leader of the party in Beirut's southern suburb on November 3, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on November 3, will break weeks of silence since war broke out between Hamas and Israel, in a speech that could impact the region as the Gaza conflict rages. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke to the public Friday in support of the ongoing violence sparked by Hamas against Israel.
Nasrallah quoted the Quran as he praised Hamas militants who have been killed by Israeli Defense Forces.
Referring to Israel as "the occupiers," Nasrallah said resisting against the Israeli state "is one of the greatest, clearest forms of struggle on the path to God."
Hezbollah is an ally of the Hamas and has also been deemed a terrorist organization by the US government. It is a Lebanese militant group based on a radical form of Shia Islam.
Hezbollah is one of the most powerful Islamic paramilitary groups in the Middle East, and their level of cooperation with Hamas has the potential to shape the ongoing conflict.
HEZBOLLAH CLAIMS TO STRIKE ISRAELI ARMY WITH TWO SUICIDE DRONES: REPORT
The Lebanese militant group said in a statement that the drones laden with explosives "precisely" hit their targets in the Chebaa Farms area of the disputed Golan Heights territory, according to The Associated Press.
Later, the Palestinian militant group Hamas said it fired 12 rockets from Lebanon toward the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during their meeting at the Ben-Gurion House on the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on November 3, 3023 during his visit to Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel is working to communicate evacuation orders to millions of Palestinians amid the country's counter-offensive against Hamas.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog claimed Friday that the country has dropped more than 1 million leaflets, sent 6 million text messages and made 4 million phone calls to Palestinian civilians in Gaza urging them to evacuate.
HEZBOLLAH CLAIMS TO STRIKE ISRAELI ARMY WITH TWO SUICIDE DRONES: REPORT
Violence against non-combatants in Gaza and collateral damage caused by anti-terrorist weapons strikes have been a global concern since Israel launched its counter-offensive against Hamas militants.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew are in Israel this week to push for humanitarian pauses to the conflict.
Blinken told the press before his departure from Washington DC that protecting civilians, coordinating the safe return of hostages taken by Hamas, and preventing a wider regional conflict were among his highest priorities.
Sheehy served in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, and the Pacific region, receiving the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and the Purple Heart Medal. (Tim Sheehy for Senate)
Former Navy SEAL and Senate candidate Tim Sheehy said America should be aiding Israel with "unconditional support" as conflict flares in the Middle East.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at Bridger Aerospace in Bozeman, Montana, Sheehy called attention to the importance of standing up to Iran and ensuring support to Israel after the country was brutally and unexpectedly attacked by Hamas.
IRAN'S LEADER SAYS COUNTRIES SHOULD ‘BLOCK THE FLOW OF OIL AND FOOD’ TO ISRAEL
"Israel knows how to fight Hamas better than we do. They don't need our help to do this. What they need is our unconditional support for their independence against all the hostile Muslim actors that have been trying to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth for almost 80 years now," the GOP candidate told Fox.
Sheehy highlighted President Biden unfreezing $6 billion in assets to Iran just weeks before Hamas attacked Israel — a step opposed by Republicans that eventually resulted in the refreezing of the funds after Hamas launched an attack on Israel.
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady and Thomas Phippen contributed to this report.
Israeli Defense Forces are reporting the destruction of an underground passage network used by Hamas militants.
The IDF posted a video to its social media on Friday claiming to show the bombing of terror tunnels in Gaza.
ISRAEL SAYS MORE IDF SOLDIERS WERE KILLED INSIDE GAZA AS GROUND OPERATION AGAINST HAMAS CONTINUES
"IDF troops uncovered tunnel shafts, rigged them with explosives, and neutralized Hamas’s terrorist tunnels during special operations inside Gaza," the Israeli military wrote on social media platform X on Friday.
According to those who closely track the Iranian-backed terror group, as well as admissions by its own leaders, Hamas has built an approximately 300-mile subterranean system that snakes beneath civilian homes, schools and hospitals in urban areas of the Gaza Strip.
300 MILES OF HAMAS SUBTERRANEAN TERROR TUNNELS THE NEXT BIG CHALLENGE FOR IDF: 'GAZA METRO'
Many officials in Israel believe that the majority of the 240 hostages, held captive by Hamas since the Oct. 7 assault, are hidden somewhere inside this underground network.
Yocheved Lifshitz, one of four hostages released so far, told the media that she"walked for two or three kilometers on wet ground" after her abduction.
Fox News Digital's Ruth Marks Eglash contributed to this report.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from an aircraft upon arrival in Tel Aviv, Israel November 3, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel November 3, 2023 an AFP correspondent travelling with him said, in a trip focused on measures to minimise harm to civilians in the war in Gaza. (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israel's top leaders Friday after landing in Tel Aviv.
Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in hopes of negotiating humanitarian pauses in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The secretary of state is joined by US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, who was voted into his position on Tuesday.
Blinken and Lew also meting with Israel's war cabinet.
Blinken told the press before his departure from Washington DC that protecting civilians, coordinating the safe return of hostages taken by Hamas, and preventing a wider regional conflict were among his highest priorities.
Israeli military vehicles travel near the border with the Gaza Strip on November 3, 2023 in Sderot, Israel. Amir Levy/Getty Images
The IDF said Friday morning that its troops killed a Hamas commander in an overnight airstrike in Gaza.
IDF fighter jets struck infrastructure and killed Mustafa Dalul, the Commander of the Sabra Tel al-Hawa Battalion, among other Hamas terrorists, the IDF said.
An IDF spokeperson said Dalul took a "central part in managing the combat against IDF troops in the Gaza Strip." Dalul also held a number of positions in the Hamas battalion in recent years.
Israel has conducted a sustained bombardment of Hamas operatives in Gaza and has launched a ground invasion in an effort to eliminate the terror group.
It also seeks to rescue the at least 230 people Hamas is believed to have taken hostage.
"In addition, IDF fighter jets and artillery, directed by ground troops, killed a number of terrorists who operated against the ground troops. During searches in the area of Beit Hanoun, the troops located weapons, intelligence material, an AK-47 rifle, submachine gun, magazines, grenades, explosive devices, RPG, communication means, and maps," the spokesperson added.
Also, overnight, IDF troops arrested 37 wanted persons in an overnight raid. Of those, about 17 had associations with Hamas, an IDF spokesperson said.
ISRAEL ELIMINATES TOP HAMAS COMMANDER WHO HELPED DIRECT OCTOBER 7 MASSACRE, IDF SAYS
The IDF also said its soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion and the Armored Corps’ 53rd Battalion clashed with multiple terrorist squads inside Gaza overnight.
"The terrorists fired anti-tank missiles at the troops, activated a number of IEDs and attempted to climb onto one of the troop’s vehicles," the IDF said. "Soldiers on the ground directed aircraft and artillery strikes—neutralizing the terrorists and their threats."
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