IDF expands hours for civilian corridor as Palestinians flee northern Gaza

More than 300 faculty members at the University of California, Los Angeles, signed a letter demanding the institution denounce campus protests endorsing Hamas terrorists' attack against Israel if speakers at the demonstrations incite violence.

The faculty explained that people may take different sides on the complex situation between Israel and the Palestinians, but that Hamas' massacre "should be condemned irrespective of political views." The letter said UCLA leadership must "make the strongest possible statements" condemning the attacks and that there is no room for moral equivalence, "both-sideism" or ambiguity.

"[W]hile we all cherish the First Amendment and its guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly, UCLA must ensure that any hate speeches and celebrations of the Hamas massacre by students and faculty on our campus are prevented from crossing the line from protected speech to unlawful incitement," the letter reads. "We were horrified to see Pro-Palestinian rallies on campus in which the massacres by Hamas were celebrated, including explicit calls for violence (including chanting 'Intifada' or event advertisements featuring images of weapons/violence)."

"Such celebrations create an atmosphere of fear; one cannot imagine that UCLA will allow for celebrations of the killing of George Floyd, or for celebrations of the Armenian genocide, or the celebrations of the 9/11 attacks," the letter reads. "It is inconceivable why such celebrations are not denounced by the UCLA leadership, regardless of political views. The atmosphere on campus results in Jewish students, staff, and faculty who are afraid to be on campus, show solidarity with Israel, or practice their freedom of religion in public."

The UCLA faculty called on the university to denounce any celebrations of Hamas terror attacks and killings and said it must take action, including releasing a public statement, to condemn any campus rallies "crossing the line from speech to incitement, such as those rallies where speakers call for violence and spilling blood." 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his counterparts in Israel and Ukraine on Saturday as the U.S. government continues to support the two countries in their respective wars.

In speaking to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Austin reiterated U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself while also pointing out the need to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian relief to people impacted by the war against Hamas terrorists.

Austin "reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense and reiterated the importance of both protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian relief," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a readout of the call. "He emphasized the need to contain the conflict to Gaza and avoid regional escalation."

The secretary also separately spoke over the phone with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov about Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion, which has been ongoing since February 2022.

In the call with Umerov, Austin discussed the latest battlefield developments, security assistance priorities and plans for the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group scheduled for later in November, according to Ryder.

The head of a watchdog group that identifies acts of antisemitism says she and her team are stunned by the Jewish hatred being expressed by so-called pillars of our society – including doctors, nurses and professors.

Liora Rez, a refugee from the Soviet Union, founded StopAntisemitism in 2018 to expose bigoted behavior toward the Jewish people and Israel by using social media.

Since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel Oct. 7 and massacred 1,200 people, reports of alarming anti-Jewish conduct have skyrocketed.

"Our antisemitic submissions have increased 1,500% across our website, social media channels and our phone and text lines," Rez told Fox News Digital.

The group's X account asks the public to identify offenders, then, after a verification process, publishes their names and employers and urges the community to hold them accountable. Many who've been featured in the campaign have been fired.

"We’re creating consequences for those that espouse hatred and bigotry against the Jewish people and nation," Rez said. "They have a right to spew hate, and we have the right to put a spotlight on it."

Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.

Monica Tranel, a Democrat seeking to unseat Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke in the state's election next year, complained publicly about her GOP opponent's bill to halt Palestinian immigration into the U.S. amid the war in Israel, but refused to explain her stance on the issue.

Zinke's measure, the Safeguarding Americans from Extremism (SAFE) Act, would deem any foreign national with a Palestinian Authority (PA) passport or PA-granted travel document inadmissible to the United States. The legislation would also block DHS from granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and asylum or refugee status to PA passport holders.

"BREAKING: Ryan Zinke, in a disgusting display of Islamophobia, just introduced a bill to expel Palestinians from the US who are here legally. We don’t have a choice — we must defeat him in November," Tranel wrote in a post last week on X, formerly Twitter.

Fox News Digital asked the Montana Democrat to explain why she believes the bill is a "disgusting" move and where she stands on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East while most representatives express support for Israel. The Democrat did not respond.

Fox asked Tranel whether she would have voted for the bipartisan Israel aid package that passed the House or supported a ceasefire in the Middle East, or whether she supported Zinke's call for tougher sanctions on Iran and a ban on funds going to Iranian and Palestinian organizations. Tranel did not respond.

"This bill looks and is a very, very hard and harsh bill. Absolutely. And I said from the very, very beginning," Zinke told Fox of the bill. "I don't think you'll find a more stringent bill on the Gaza region than this. What has drawn us to this is that this administration has failed in every previous account or two that has come in this country."

Tranel is running in the race for Montana's First Congressional District, the same seat she ran for and lost in the 2022 midterms against now-incumbent Zinke.

Fox News' Kyle Morris and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he does not want his country to copy the "failed migration policies" of Western Europe that he suggests led to terrorism, gang wars and other Western violence.

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Orbán also said he does not want "mini Gazas" in Hungary's capital of Budapest.

"We made a tolerance offer to Brussels: every country can deal with #migration the way they want to, but they cannot force #Hungary to copy the failed migration policies of Western Europe," he wrote. "We don’t want #terrorism, gang wars and mini Gazas in Budapest!"

It is unclear what exactly he meant by his statement about Gaza, but it comes in the wake of ongoing violence in the region between Israel and Hamas terrorists. Orbán has previously banned pro-Palestinian protests in Hungary, describing them as "pro-terrorist."

Orbán was commenting on the European Union's policy towards migrants that he does not support. The prime minister said he believes the migration solution is for each country to make its own migration policies.

"I always say that we have a tolerance offer," Orbán said in a video accompanying the post on X. "I tell this to the Germans, the French and the Brusselians: you did it the way you did it, do it the way you do it. We don't want to tell you whether it is good or bad. We ask one thing, that you tolerate us doing it differently because this is our country, this is our business. Leave us alone."

The Israeli Defense Forces announced that its troops discovered weapons, ammunition and explosive devices inside a kindergarten in Gaza.

The IDF said it found the materials as it was operating in northern Gaza amid its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists.

"The 551st Brigade exposed and destroyed weaponry found in civilian areas over the past two weeks, as well as dozens of tunnel openings," the IDF wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

London police arrested more than 120 people Saturday night, as a pro-Palestinian rally in the city drew a crowd of over 300,000 protesters.

The Metropolitan Police released several photos of protestors on X, formerly known as Twitter, and asked social media users to help identify them for hate crime investigations.

Demonstrators were observed wearing face coverings, setting off fireworks, waving Palestinian flags and carrying anti-Israel signs. Right-wing counter-protesters also attended the event, causing skirmishes to break out.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the criminality that took place and said that police should prosecute where necessary.

"All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law," Sunak said in a statement on Saturday night. "That is what I told the Met Police Commissioner on Wednesday, that is what they are accountable for and that is what I expect."

Sunak's statement also said that the pro-Palestinian protesters were "singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing on today's protest."

Reuters contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Lebanese group Hezbollah and leaders in the Middle East not to support Hamas terrorists as the Israeli military advances its offensive in Gaza.

At a press conference with other Israeli officials on Saturday evening, Netanyahu gave an update about the war, which recently entered its second month. The prime minister reported that, "Hamas has, in effect, lost control of the northern Gaza Strip. It has no place to hide there."

"We are also prepared on the northern front," he said. "We are operating there with heavy fire – from the air and on the ground."

"I have warned Hezbollah: Do not make a mistake and enter the war because this will be the mistake of your lives," Netanyahu added. "Your entry into the war will decide Lebanon's fate."

The Israeli leader also directed his remarks towards Middle Eastern leaders and urged them to condemn Hamas.

"To the leaders of the Arab states, leaders who worry about the future of their countries and of the Middle East, I say one thing: You must come out against Hamas," he said. "Hamas is an integral part of the axis of terrorism led by Iran, and this axis of terrorism and evil endangers the entire Middle East, and the entire Arab world as well."

"I am convinced that many Arab leaders understand this," he continued.

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

Real-estate billionaire Barry Sternlicht is trying to organize support and spend as much as $50 million on a media campaign emphasizing that Hamas is a terrorist organization, according to a report.

Sternlicht began the campaign just days after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel committed by Hamas, according to an email viewed by online news site Semafor.

He initially sought $1 million in donations from a group of the business world's richest individuals. The campaign would "define Hamas to the American people as a terrorist organization."

Click here to read the full article by Adam Sabes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that it was advancing their offensive in Gaza on Saturday night, and that Hamas has "lost its grip" of the territory.

"We are continuing to target terrorists," IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing. "Today, in conjunction with the ISA, we killed terrorists who were planning, in Gaza, terror attacks to be carried out in Judea and Samaria, in central Israel."

"Hamas lost its grip in Northern Gaza," Hagari added.

The spokesperson also accused Hamas of spreading misinformation and accusing the Israeli military of targeting Shifa Hospital. Hagari said that the IDF killed the terrorist who kept around 1,000 civilians there hostage.

"The hospital has been evacuated," he explained. "We spoke with the staff of the Shifa Hospital today and told them clearly: the IDF is not attacking the hospital. We will continue to allow the patients and medical staff, and all residents of Northern Gaza, to move south safely."

"I want the world to know this, so I’ll say it in English," he added.

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

Israeli officials say that around 50,000 Gazans evacuated towards the southern portion of the Gaza strip on Saturday, as Hamas terrorists continue battling with the Israeli military.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit of the Israeli government made the announcement on X. The corridor was open for a 7-hour timeframe.

"Today, the evacuation corridor was open between 9:00-16:00," the post on X read. "50,000 Gazans evacuated south for their safety."

COGAT also announced on Saturday that 54 trucks were inspected and passed through the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza. It carried 161 tons of food, 87 tons of medical equipment, and 430 tons of water, in addition to 24 tons of shelter equipment.

A growing number of Jewish alumni and students are demanding that Harvard University crack down on antisemitism on campus.

More than 1,600 members of the Harvard College Jewish Alumni Association (HCJAA) have signed on to an open letter condemning anti-Israel protests at the school amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The group was founded in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, in which more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were brutally attacked, raped, tortured and murdered. It was the largest massacre of Jewish people in one day since the Holocaust. 

"These horrific events were met with acclaim by over thirty Harvard student groups, who called the intentional slaughter of civilians ‘justified’ and claimed that Israel was ‘solely responsible.’ This deluded romanticization of violence has been matched by calls for more violence and the obliteration of the state of Israel ‘by any means necessary,’" the group's open letter states.

Click here to read the full article by Chris Pandolfo

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that announced Saturday it has secured and opened a new evacuation route for Gazan refugees to move southward, as the war between the IDF and Hamas continues.

"IDF troops opened & secured an evacuation route from both Rantisi and Nasser hospitals, as well as an additional route for Gazans moving southward," the IDF's post on X, formerly known as Twitter, read.

The IDF explained that as their soldiers secured the route, Hamas terrorists began firing RPGs (rocket-propelled grenade) toward them.

"While our troops secured the route, armed terrorists approached and fired RPGs," the post added. "In response, IDF troops struck the terrorists."

The Israeli military also released audio of a call between a senior Israeli COGAT official and an officer at Rantisi hospital during the incident.

President Biden is returning to his Delaware home on Saturday — only a short distance from hundreds of protestors accusing him of genocide.

Biden is returning to his residence in Wilmington after delivering a Veterans' Day address as the "Delaware Palestine March" commences in the same area.

"President Biden, you can't hide! We charge you with genocide!" the crowd chanted as protestors began gathering earlier this afternoon.

Protesters are pushing for Biden to push for a ceasefire in Gaza as Israel continues its ground invasion of Hamas-controlled territory.

Biden has faced calls from a number of Democrats to press for a cease-fire in the war, but has so far resisted those calls and has only pushed Israel for a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting.

Israel has flatly rejected calls for a cease-fire, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu equating a stop to the fighting to a surrender to Hamas terrorists. Netanyahu has demanded the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas before any long-term pause in military operations. 

Fox News Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this update.

A top former Trump administration official told FOX News on Saturday that the Department of Education has the power to investigate the conduct of colleges where antisemitic and/or pro-Hamas protests are occurring, and where Jewish students have felt threatened.

Kenneth Marcus, the founder of the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, told "Life, Liberty & Levin" it is incumbent upon President Biden and Secretary Miguel Cardona to make sure no taxpayer funds are even indirectly facilitating the spread of hate on-campus.

Host Mark Levin said the Education Department can try to ensure or force proper behavior while not suppressing free speech.

Marcus noted authorities have not been shy about condemning or blocking causes of simpler "microaggressions" and said taxpayers must be comfortable in their belief that on-campus intimidation and hate is not being fueled by their own monies.

"That is the whole purpose for why we have an agency called OCR [USDOE Office of Civil Rights]. That's the agency that I formerly ran. And its sole obligation is to make sure that federal funds are not used to support discriminatory behavior," he said.

"It does this on a whole host of other issues. It needs to do it with antisemitism."

The scenic Ohio-based Oberlin College has been rocked again by a major antisemitism scandal with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights investigating the college for failing to stop harassment of Jewish students.

The new federal probe is just the latest setback for the liberal arts college, which has been reeling from a 2021 Fox News Digital report that its "Professor of Peace" Mohammad Jafar Mahallati called for the eradication of the Jewish state when he served as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. in the late 1980s.

According to a late September U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) letter, "OCR will investigate whether the College failed to respond to the harassment of students based on national origin (shared Jewish ancestry)."

The OCR letter was sent to Oberlin College alumnus Dr. Melissa Landa, who filed the formal complaint in 2019. Landa told Fox News Digital: "Before Professor Mahallati deleted his students' blogs, I read them along with other alumni, and saw that they reflected his violent antisemitic teachings. Through his lectures and his readings, Mahallati taught his students that Israel is an apartheid, settler-colonial regime and that Hamas is a benevolent organization that represents the will of the Palestinian people."

Landa spoke to "The Big Money Show" on Fox Business in early November about the alleged outbreaks of antisemitism at Oberlin College.The OCR investigation into the management of Oberlin College and Mahallati coincides with Hamas’ mass murder of 1,400 people in southern Israel on October 7. The massacre has catapulted Hamas’ lethal antisemitism and violent jihadi ideology into the spotlight. Landa said, "Mahallati endorsed the terrorist group that was responsible for the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. For this reason alone, Oberlin should terminate his employment."

Fox News Digital's Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this update.

A top Republican wants to prohibit Harvard and other universities allowing 'antisemitism' to go unchecked on their campuses from collecting large sums of taxpayer money.

Harvard and other elite schools have faced scrutiny over rising antisemitic events unfolding on their campuses and their lackluster response to the incidents in the wake of Hamas' bloody onslaught on Israelis and their subsequent counter-response.

House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik, a Harvard graduate herself, is now calling for tightening the taxpayer valve on her alma mater and other higher educational institutions and said House Republicans intend to hold them accountable. 

Fox News Digital reported last week that Harvard, which has been under a microscope following the antisemitic events on its campus, has received billions of dollars in federal funds in recent years.

Between 2018 and 2022, Harvard amassed $3.13 billion in total federal payments, including federal grants and contracts, according to an analysis conducted by OpenTheBooks and provided to Fox News Digital. 

Harvard also acquired generous tax breaks on its endowment. During those same years, the school's endowment totaled $50.9 billion, and it received $2.17 billion in special federal tax treatment. 

Fox News Digital's Joe Schoffstall contributed to this update.

Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets of London on Saturday for the fifth protest calling for a cease-fire in Gaza in as many weeks.

An estimated 300,000 people waved Palestinian flags and carried signs calling for a "free Palestine" at the rally, according to AFP.

U.K. police deployed to keep the peace as counter-protesters carried the Union flag of Great Britain and chanted "England till I die." Some skirmishes broke out, resulting in more than 90 arrests on charges ranging from possession of offensive weapons, affray and possession of drugs, Sky News reported.

In London's Chinatown, counter-protesters shouted "You're not English anymore" at officers and threw missiles at police. 

"A group of counter protestors who left Whitehall and moved into Chinatown confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them," Metropolitan Police said. 

"Additional officers have been deployed to the area to identify, locate and deal with those involved. Our priority is keeping the public safe. We will not tolerate disorder in central London today." 

"Real Time" host Bill Maher on Friday took a moment to knock former President Obama for comments he made this week about the Israel-Hamas war, saying he was "disappointed" at the prominent Democrat. 

During a discussion with Pod Save America, the 44th president insisted "all of us are complicit" for the escalated violence that has erupted in the Middle East following the Oct. 7 attack against Israel. 

"What Hamas did was horrific, and there is no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation, and what’s happening to Palestinians, is unbearable," Obama said. "If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth. And then you have to admit nobody's hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree." 

On Friday, Maher accused Obama of pushing "moral equivalency" between the Jewish State and the Palestinian terrorist group.

"I must say I am struggling with people's moral equivalency still," Maher said during a panel discussion. "I mean, Barack Obama, who has rarely disappointed me, did so this week… His statement, I mean, it's not a horrible statement, but he said, 'If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth and then you have to admit nobody's hands are clean.' Literally that's true, of course. But just giving two examples where this is I don't think a helpful statement at this moment. First of all, the attack was only a month ago. A more savage attack that we've ever seen in reverse. There's a big difference between collateral damage and what Hamas did."

He continued, "Secondly, the Israelis are now on the four-hour pause for people to get out. So people say ‘oh, wow, how big of them.’ Ok, but it is a war that the other side started! It's so interesting. When they fired [at] Israel. It's a war. When Israel fires back, it's a war crime. Little crazy… Also, would Hamas do that? Would they give four-hour pauses? No, no pausing." 

"And then Israel's heritage minister, was asked in an interview about using a nuke on Gaza. And he said 'that's one of the possibilities.' He was fired, not allowed in the Cabinet meeting anymore, disavowed by the Prime Minister. Would that happen in reverse? So enough with the moral equivalencies, please," he added. 

Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces fired at what they said was a terrorist cell that attempted to launch anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops from Lebanese territory. 

The IDF said a tank struck the terrorist cell near the area of Aramshe.

The military also said that earlier on Saturday an aerial target was identified crossing into Israeli territory in the area of Kabri, northern Israel. "The target was downed and the incident has concluded," the military said. 

"Additionally, two suspicious aerial targets were intercepted in the area of the border with Lebanon," the IDF added. 

"Furthermore, two mortar shell launches and anti-tank missiles were identified from Lebanon toward IDF posts in northern Israel. IDF artillery struck the source of the launches alongside a Hezbollah terror infrastructure."

The IDF released video showing a strike on the suspected Hezbollah terrorist cell and infrastructure. 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday called for international pressure to be directed at the U.S. to end American support for Israel, the Times of Israel reported.

The Israeli military said Saturday that the air force has struck some 5,000 targets in the Gaza Strip to "thwart threats in real time." 

The IDF said about 3,300 attacks were carried out by fighter jets, about 860 attacks by helicopter gunships and over 570 attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles. 

Many of these precision strikes have taken place in close proximity to Israeli troops fighting Hamas on the ground, the military said.

The shortest response time measured was about six minutes from when troops called for an airstrike, according to the IDF.

Earlier, an IDF aircraft attacked a rocket launcher in Lebanese territory from which the terrorist group Hezbollah fired at Israeli military posts and forces along the border. 

Rocket sirens and drone alerts sounded in northern Israel on Saturday as Iran-backed militia groups continue to harass Israeli forces amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah has fired missiles and carried out drone attacks in Israel dozens of times since the war began on Oct. 7. 

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, speaking at an Islamic-Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, said the only solution to the Israel-Hamas war is a Palestinian state from the "river to the sea." 

"The only solution for this conflict is the resistance continuing against the Israeli oppression until the establishment of the Palestinian state from the river to the sea," Raisi said, according to the Times of Israel. 

The phrase, "from the river, to the sea," is widely viewed by counterterrorism experts as a call for the extermination of Israel, the lone Jewish state.

Raisi reportedly called on the dozens of Arab and Muslim leaders present in Riyadh to choose sides in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. 

“We want to take a historic and decisive decision regarding what is happening in the Palestinian territories. Killing civilians and bombing hospitals are manifestations of Israeli crimes in Gaza. Today, everyone must decide which side they stand on,” he said.

Raisi also called for sanctions and an energy boycott against Israel, for war crimes charges to be brought against Israel and the U.S. at the Hague and for international inspectors at Israel's nuclear facilities, the Times of Israel reported. 

Video from the pro-Palestinian protests in New York City shows demonstrators tearing up Jewish newspapers.

Service at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan was temporarily suspended on Friday after a mob of pro-Palestinian demonstrators flooded the streets of New York City to protest Israel's war in Gaza, creating chaos as some tried to break into the closed station.

The pro-Palestinian rally began at 5 p.m. Friday with over a thousand individuals marching through the streets. Some were seen tearing down posters of the hostages being held by Hamas terrorists and crumbling them up while other demonstrators burned an Israeli flag.

By 9 p.m., protesters had amassed outside of Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, causing authorities to close access to the station for a couple of hours. It reopened at 11:50 p.m. Friday, according to a Notify NYC alert.

An unknown number of protesters were arrested during the hourslong demonstration. 

The NYPD told Fox News Digital the total number of arrests had not yet been calculated.

Fox news Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this update.

Dozens of Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for a joint Islamic-Arab summit in Riyadh to demand a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. 

Among those in attendance is Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose country supports terrorist activities throughout the Middle East, including Hamas. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was welcomed back in the Arab League earlier this year, are also attending.

The Arab and Muslim leaders are expected to condemn the Israeli offensive in Gaza and demand an end to the war. 

Raisi demanded action, not talk, as he left for Riyadh on Saturday. 

"Gaza is not an arena for words. It should be for action," he said at Tehran airport before departing. "Today, the unity of the Islamic countries is very important," he added.

Iranian media reports that Raisi will propose that Muslim countries ban Israel from using their airspace and prevent the U.S. from shipping weapons to Israel from American military bases in the region. 

Reuters contributed to this update.

The eldest son of Hamas co-founder Hassan Yousef joined "Hannity" from New York on Thursday, speaking out against his father's terrorist organization and their continued attacks on the Israeli people.

Mosab Hassan Yousef said Hamas, while the governing force for the Palestinians, is not a political party but a religious movement waging a holy war."

"If Hamas was a political party, then we [could] apply pressure on them, bring them to the negotiating table where they can compromise. But Hamas as a religious organization, nobody can satisfy their religious ambition because it's a condition in their charter," he said.

Yousef, who was born in Ramallah, West Bank, originally was seen as the heir-apparent to his father, but has said a stint in an Israeli prison changed his mind on his future. 

He later became an informant for Shin Bet – the Israeli equivalent of the CIA – converted to Christianity, and in 2010 a San Diego immigration judge approved his United States asylum request.

On "Hannity," host Sean Hannity asked Yousef why his father's organization has such hatred for Israel and for Jews.

Yousef noted there is similar antisemitism being shown in the United States and around the world, but added that there are religious and political dimensions to Hamas' hatred.

"We're talking about Hamas – [which has] a 7th Century mentality, where Israel is very advanced [into the] 21st century. So the gap is very huge. Hamas represents chaos. This is where they thrive. Israel represents order; democracy – Hence those are the two opposite extremes that have been clashing," he said.

Yousef later said he is not the only top name on Hamas target list, and that pro-Hamas protesters "live in denial" about the terror group. 

"They don't know what Palestine is. And what I say, you know, today as an American, I invite all these people to educate themselves first. And we cannot lose sight because Hamas started this war. What we need to do, we need to remove Hamas from power," he said.

Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that it killed a Hamas commander who "held hostage approximately 1,000 Gazan residents at Rantisi Hospital." 

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced that Ahmed Siam, the commander of Hamas' Nasser-Radwan company, was eliminated in an airstrike after Israel collected intelligence on his location. 

The IDF said Siam was killed while hiding at the al-Buraq school in Gaza City, along with a number of Hamas terrorists who were under his command. 

“Ahmed Siam demonstrates once again that Hamas uses the civilians of the Gaza Strip as human shields for terror purposes,” the IDF said.

The World Health Organization has verified more than 250 attacks on hospitals, clinics, patients and ambulances in Gaza since Hamas’ incursion into Israel on Oct. 7 — as well as 25 attacks on health care in Israel.

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.

Fox News Digital's Ruth Marks Eglash and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

A pro-Palestinian protest organized to "flood Manhattan for Gaza" began Friday afternoon in Columbus Circle and ultimately ended hours later in the vicinity of the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

During the protest, a pro-Palestinian demonstrator was arrested by NYPD officers after he climbed a street post to tear down flags representing the United States and the United Nations.

The pro-Palestinian rally began at 5 p.m. Friday with over a thousand individuals marching through the streets. Some were seen tearing down posters of the hostages being held by Hamas terrorists and crumbling them up while other demonstrators burned an Israeli flag.

According to an Instagram post from pro-Palestinian organizations Within Our Lifetime and the City University of New York for Palestine, the protest was to "flood Manhattan for Gaza."

"Gaza calls, we respond. Palestine will be free, because when we resist we win together. Cease genocide. Cease the siege. Cease the blockade. Cease occupation. Cease funding Israel. Cease settler colonization. Cease Zionism. Cease imperialism," the social media post read, in part.

In social media posts, the Palestinian Youth Movement and other groups called for people to walk out of their workplaces, schools and other activities to join the demonstration.

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this update.

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator set an Israeli flag on fire and stomped on it during a protest Friday in New York City.

The incident occurred during a protest that began in Columbus Circle in Manhattan where hundreds of people turned out. The person who lit the flag has their face covered with a keffiyeh.

Onlookers cheered as the flag burned. 

Organizers invited those in favor of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and those who support freedom for Palestinians. 

"Gaza calls, we respond," read an Instagram post by protest organizers. "Palestine will be free, because when we resist we win together. Ceasefire."

Demonstrators were leading chants like, "5,6,7,8, Israel is a terror state," FOX 5 reported. 

At one point, Palestinian supporters confronted an Israel supporter, who began crying, the New York Post reported. 

"Cry, b****! Cry!" a pro-Palestinian supporter said. 

At Grand Central Station, rioters were seen kicking doors and breaking windows. The station eventually closed, the Metro-North Railroad said. 

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces released a recap of its activity over the last 24 hours as its war against Hamas terrorists continues.

The IDF says it neutralized terrorist cells, took control of 11 Hamas terrorist posts, neutralized a vehicle rigged with explosives, located and destroyed an underground terrorist tunnel route, struck Hamas weapons storage facilities and struck military targets inside the Al-Shati Camp.

More than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, prompting military response from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

More than two-thirds of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes since the war began. In the south, they're crowded into shelters with dwindling supplies of food and water as the war enters its second month.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it is expanding its four-hour pauses in fighting to seven hours to allow more Palestinians to flee south.

IDF Arabic-language spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee posted on X that the Salah al-Din road will be open for civilians to travel south from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. "Please, for your safety, join the hundreds of thousand s of residents who have moved south in recent days, including some senior media figures, as we want to protect you," Adraee said. 

Adraee said Palestinians will also be allowed to evacuate southward along a coastal road on the Gaza Strip. 

He said there will also be "tactical pauses in military activities" in the Jabalia refugee camp on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time so that residents can move to a humanitarian corridor and evacuate south. 

"We call on you, in order to preserve your security, to take advantage of the time period available to move south, because the northern Gaza Strip area is an area of ​​widespread combat," he said. 

The Israel Defense Force's International spokesperson, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, and an Operations Officer in the Givati Brigade, Maj. (Res.) Shay, provided a briefing on the evacuation of the Rantisi Hospital.

The IDF said hundreds of Hamas terrorists were seen over and underground, and troops arrived at the hospital "knowing that there were Hamas terrorists in it."

"We called civilians to leave [the] hospital for three days," Shay said. "We wanted to evacuate civilians and sick people. We realized civilians are held by Hamas there. We got close, surrounded hospital and opened a safe passage out of hospital. We saw terrorists in the crowds evacuating between the civilians. We had a dilemma – do we attack Hamas terrorists between the people? We decided not to use snipers and not shoot."

Shay added: "We did not want people to panic. We saw Hamas terrorists shooting at people to force them back into hospital. We decided not to act and we unfortunately let the terrorists leave with civilians – they used people as human shields. We let that happen in order not to hurt civilians. We identified in that spot at least 5 to 6 terrorists inside the crowds and others in the hospital, we saw them via the windows."

Hecht said, "We will continue to destroy all Hamas capabilities. We are doing our best to encourage civilians to evacuate these areas. Hospitals need to be evacuated in order for us to deal with Hamas. Shifa Hospital: we are seeing a presence of several thousands in the courtyard. We are pushing forward to increase the number of people leaving the hospital."

According to Shay, people left the hospital by foot, in ambulances and on wheelchairs.