Israel sets its eyes on southern Gaza as IDF mops up Hamas remnants in northern Gaza City

The Israel Defense Forces said it is conducting precise operations in the Gaza Strip in the ongoing war against Hamas terrorists. The IDF also said an anti-tank missile was found under a baby’s crib.

"As part of the IDF’s activities in the Gaza Strip over the last day, IDF aircraft struck approximately 250 Hamas terror targets," the IDF said in a statement. "Among the targets struck were dozens of terrorists, rocket launchers, and terrorist infrastructure."

"Overnight, IDF troops directed a fighter jet to strike a rocket launch post from which rockets were fired toward central Israel yesterday (Monday). The post was located near a residential area of the civilian population," the statement continued.

IDF ground troops also located a "significant weapons stockpile" in the residence of a senior Nukhba terrorist in the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, IDF ground troops said they discovered an anti-tank missile hidden under a baby’s crib.

Jewish students responded to antisemitism on their college campuses, including chants for an "intifada revolution" and "Holocaust 2.0" and "F--k Israel" graffiti on the walkways, which sparked an investigation from the University of Maryland.

"There is only one solution. Intifada revolution," pro-Palestinian students chanted on Nov. 10. The university responded to the demonstration by denouncing antisemitism.

However, students Shayna Leibowitz, Emma Steinhause and Benjamin Blain are concerned about whether the university was just giving them lip service. Blain's family member – a 16-year-old girl – was killed during one of the Palestinian intifada terrorist attacks in the 2000s and said hearing the chants was "quite traumatic."

"The university has been understanding, but there hasn't been action taken… And if action isn't taken, these actions will proliferate and it will lead one to another. And we don't want to have to deal with those consequences," Blain said.

"In regard to the intifada. [UMD has] one of the largest Jewish communities, with 2,000 Jewish kids on this campus. And a lot of kids here have direct family members that were either murdered in the intifada or have grandparents that survived the Holocaust," he said.

"My relation is my mother's first cousin, one of her cousins was murdered, a 16-year-old girl sitting in a pizza store during the intifada," he said. "And [Jewish students] having to deal with sitting in their biology classes, hearing outside hundreds of students referencing the Final Solution, calling for an intifada on UMD campus. It's just a really unfortunate reality."

Steinhause described feeling scared to be on campus.

"It made me feel pretty scared because that is a call to violence and that has no place on our campus. I'm happy for people to represent whatever views they do have, but I think having any sort of call to violence on our campus is unacceptable. And the lack of like any sort of address from the university about that has really shocked me," Steinhause said.

Fox News' Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.

Merrimack Police

Three people were arrested and charged in New Hampshire on Monday after a building was vandalized and damaged during a pro-Palestinian protest.

The demonstration was held at the property of a defense manufacturing facility whose parent company is based in Israel, according to The Laconia Daily Sun.

Sophie Marika Ross, 22, Cala Mairead Walsh, 19, and Bridget Irene Shergalis, 27, were charged with riot, sabotage, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. All three were held on preventative detention.

Merrimack police responded just before 8 a.m. on Monday to calls from employees at Elbit System on Daniel Webster Highway reporting protesters blocking the driveway and multiple people on the roof. The Merrimack Fire Department was also dispatched because of a report of smoke coming from the roof.

At the location, officers found several pro-Palestinian protesters blocking the driveway. The demonstrators eventually departed the roadway, so officers could access the property.

After meeting with security, officers learned the front of the building had been spray-painted red, windows had been smashed and at least one of the main lobby doors had been locked shut with a bicycle anti-theft device. Three people also managed to access the roof.

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

A member of a Maryland task force aimed at combating hate crimes published numerous antisemitic social media posts , including claiming that the babies brutally murdered in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack were "fake," and comparing the nation of Israel to Nazi Germany.

Zainab Chaudry, an anti-Israel activist who serves as the director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Maryland office, made the posts in the weeks following Hamas' attack, which saw more than 1,200 people killed, including children and babies, as well as numerous rapes and destruction of property.

"I will never be able to understand how the world summoned up rage for 40 fake Israeli babies while completely turning a blind eye to 3,000 real Palestinian babies," Chaudry wrote in a Facebook post dated Oct. 26.

"[T]hat moment when you become what you hated most," Chaudry wrote in an Oct. 17 post, including two photos of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, one showing it lit up with the Israeli flag in solidarity with Israel following the attack, and another from a ceremony in 1936 when it was decorated with the flag of Nazi Germany during the Olympics that year.

In another post from Nov. 6, Chaudry appeared to suggest the mere existence of Israel as a nation was the cause of the ongoing war, writing it was an "inconvenient fact." She included an image of the words "it all started in 1948," the year Israel was founded as a nation.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

There was chatter among Congressional reporters about wandering over to The Monocle for a drink last Wednesday night, which is an old-school Capitol Hill watering hole located next to U.S. Capitol Police Headquarters and across the parking lot from the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Senators sometimes hang out there while they wait for the body to get its business together for late night votes.

It was pushing 9 p.m. last Wednesday and the Senate was mired in a vote which began at 2:26 p.m. Senators struggled to work out a deal to finish up its work before Thanksgiving. The only reason reporters still lingered at the Capitol at that hour was because the Senate was slated to vote later to align with the House and avert a government shutdown.

There would have been drama surrounding a potential government funding cliff just a few days earlier, but not now. The question was not if the Senate would pass the stopgap spending package – but when. And since there wasn’t an agreement over a pending defense policy bill, the Senate forestalled closing the roll call vote until everything was settled.

That’s when word came from the Capitol police that all the office buildings on the House side of the Congressional complex were locked down. No one could come or go.

A massive, pro-Palestinian demonstration  descended on the Democratic National Committee Headquarters just steps from the House office buildings. The protesters encircled the building, demanding a Middle East cease-fire, blocking anyone from entering or leaving the DNC.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Whip Kathleen Clark, D-Mass., Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., and other Democratic members were at the DNC for an event. Democrats huddled throughout the day at the DNC with campaign operatives and Democratic candidates ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

There is a tear in their party over the Middle East. Progressive, left-wing activists – fueled by college campus outrage – are fracturing the party over calls for a cease-fire and Israel’s assertion to defend itself.

That’s to say nothing of controversial comments by Squad members like Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for a ceasefire and criticism of pro-Israeli groups like AIPAC (the American Israel Political Action Committee).

"What we need is people of good conscience and moral clarity to stand united and say Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization seeking to destroy the country," said Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, during an event at 270 Park Avenue, JPMorgan Chase's new global headquarters building, in New York, US, on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asking that the Democrat ban "Students for Justice in Palestine," a pro-Palestinian group whom they allege has "spewed hate and endorsed violence, from NY college campuses." 

The letter, signed by more than three dozen lawmakers, points to rising instances of antisemitism at "countless public and private universities throughout New York City and State" in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas terrorist group in Israel. 

"These are extraordinarily difficult days for Jewish New Yorkers affected by a steep rise in hate and bias in the weeks following October 7th," the lawmakers say. 

Read the full article about the Israel-Hamas war by Bradford Betz

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus appeared on "Your World with Neil Cavuto" Monday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

During the interview, the spokesman accused Hamas terrorists of using "psychological warfare" against Israelis.

"Hamas is in a continued psychological warfare against Israel and most importantly, against the poor families of 238 Israeli hostages that are being held in Gaza for 45 days," the Israeli official explained. "So until we see things with our own eyes and we can get our hands on whatever or whomever we get out, we cannot be certain of anything happening."

Conricus also referenced recently-released footage of hostages being taken into al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. While Hamas officials said that the captives were receiving medical treatment, Conricus disputed that claim.

"When we released the CCTV footage from the hospital, [Hamas] immediately said, 'Oh, no, we brought them there to provide them medical care.' There's about 11 hospitals on the way... that they could have stopped that are much more closer and convenient If the real thing was to provide medical attention," he explained. "It wasn't. They brought them to Shifa because Shifa is a Hamas stronghold."

Benjamin Neel, the former director of NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center is suing the hospital over his firing. (Google Maps)

The former director of a New York University cancer center is suing the hospital and the university itself over his dismissal, alleging he was terminated because of pro-Israel social media posts some online claimed were racist against Arabs. 

Benjamin Neel, the former director of NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, said he was fired this month without due process and that he was discriminated against because of religion, Washington Square News, NYU's student newspaper, reported. 

Neel, who’d held the director role for nine years and is still a tenured professor at the university but no longer sees patients, said he was fired for reposting tweets on X that criticized those who supported violence against Israelis. Some online accused Neel of sharing anti-Arab sentiment, "racist tropes, justification of collective punishment to glorification of violence."

Read the full article about NYU by Louis Casiano

Rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system on November 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

With the Israel-Hamas war lingering into its seventh week, the State Department was pressed Monday on how the Biden administration envisions the conflict ending and what precisely comes next. 

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Palestinian people must be front and center of any decision-making process, with the ultimate goal being the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

"We want to see the establishment of a Palestinian state that unites the West Bank and unites Gaza so the Palestinian people can determine their own future," Miller said. "And that is the policy we support. It’s the policy that we will try to achieve." 

Read the full article about the Israel-Hamas war by Bradford Betz

NBC cut ties with Palestinian journalist Marwat Al-Azza, 45, after she was arrested by Israeli officials. (YouTube/@mohammedassar)

A Palestinian journalist working for NBC News was reportedly arrested by Israeli authorities Thursday "on suspicion of inciting terrorism and identifying with a terrorist organization."

The Jerusalem Post reported Saturday that Marwat Al-Azza, a freelance producer living in East Jerusalem, was taken into custody in response to her social media posts about the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. 

"These are very serious offenses during a time of declared war when the respondent lives and makes a living in the same country that is under attack and yet chooses to incite and glorify the horrible acts committed against civilians," a police spokesperson stated in court, per The Post. 

Read the full article about Marwat Al-Azza by Joseph Wulfsohn

Israeli President Isaac Herzog appeared on "The Faulkner Focus" on Monday to discuss the newest developments with the Israel-Hamas war.

Herzog previously wrote a letter directed towards U.S. college presidents and urged them to prevent antisemitic attacks against Jewish students. The president criticized pro-Hamas protestors and accused them of supporting terrorism.

"I think those protesters who are supporting Hamas there, they're actually accomplices to the whole notion that you can butcher young children, that you can chop heads of women, that you can rape women and pregnant women.... you can do a whole bunch of atrocities," he said.

The Israeli leader also condemned the United Nations for reportedly not taking a strong enough stance against Hamas.

"The UN is a hypocritical organization where and they are playing for many, many years with antisemitic language and rhetoric ongoing every year.... [there are] automatic resolutions against Israel," Herzog explained.

US forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkiye consider as an extension of PKK in Syria, in the Qamisli district in the Al-Hasakah province, Syria on August 18, 2023. (Photo by Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

U.S. military forces in the Middle East have been attacked at least 64 times since October 17, a U.S. defense official told Fox News.

The official says that 30 of the attacks happened in Iraq, while the 34 other incidents happened in Syria. The attacks have been a mix of rockets and one-way drones.

The three latest attacks occurred at Bashur Airbase in Iraq, Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria. No service members were wounded by the attacks, and infrastructure was not damaged.

13 of the attacks have happened after the U.S. launched air strikes against militants in Syria on November 12.

Fox News Digital's Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Dr. Laura Mullen, Kenan Chair of the Humanities, English & Creative Writing at Wake Forest University, "has resigned for personal reasons." (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A Wake Forest University professor has resigned after posting content on social media that defended Hamas’ violent terror attack against civilian music festival attendees in the early morning hours of October 7. 

Dr. Laura Mullen, Kenan Chair of the Humanities, English & Creative Writing at Wake Forest University, "has resigned for personal reasons" and will continue teaching through the end of the semester, the university told The Wake Report. Mullen came under fire after she posted on X that she "could be tempted to shoot up your dance party," signaling she empathized with the Hamas terrorists that killed hundreds at the festival during the October 7 mass attack in southern Israel.

"So it’s kind of a Duh but if you turn me out of my house plow my olive groves under and confine what’s left of my family to the small impoverished state you run as an open air prison I could be tempted to shoot up your dance party yeah even knowing you will scorch the earth," Mullen wrote on X. 

Read the full article about Wake Forest by Kendall Tietz

The White House issued a brutal response Monday to what it said was the "inappropriate" nickname President Biden has been given by critics of his support for Israel amid its war with Hamas terrorists.

Dubbed "Genocide Joe," Biden has increasingly become the target of far-left protests across the country, including by some in his own party accusing him of supporting an effort to wipe out Gaza and the Palestinian people. 

"We're not worried about nicknames and bumper stickers. I mean, it's First Amendment free speech. The president's focused on … making sure that we can continue to support Israel as they fight a terrible terrorist group, Hamas," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby initially told New York Post reporter Steven Nelson, who asked him for a response to the nickname during the White House press briefing.

Read the full article about President Biden by Brandon Gillespie

Rahm Emanuel, US ambassador to Japan, during a Bloomberg Television interview at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO summit in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Michigan home of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who is Jewish, was defaced with "Nazi" graffiti.

A picture of the tagging was posted online by Emanuel's friend, former adviser to President Obama David Axelrod, who denounced the antisemitic attack.

The picture shows a wooden fence outside Emanuel's Michigan home vandalized with the word "Nazis."

Read the full article about Rahm Emanuel by Houston Keene

Palestinians search through the rubble of a collapsed building searching for survivors and victims following the Israeli bombardment of Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on November 20, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a press release on Monday explaining that their soldiers were working to defeat Hamas's "Zaytun" battalion in a "complex war zone", as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

"The 'Zaytun' Battalion is one of Hamas’ main battalions operating in the area of Zaytun in Gaza City," the IDF's statement read. "The troops have encountered an enemy that is entrenched in the heart of residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools and kindergartens, and attacks from within civilian infrastructure."

The Israeli military says that they have eliminated "many" terrorists from the Zaytun battalion. The press release also acknowledged that Hamas terrorists were caught endangering civilians during the battles.

"During the last days of the fighting of the 36th Division in Zaytun, we constantly encountered an enemy hiding behind children, women and civilian infrastructure," Commanding Officer of the 36th Division, BG Dado Bar Kalifa said in a statement. "The soldiers of the division, including soldiers of the Golani Brigade, the 188th Brigade and the Bislamach Brigade, operated in a complex war zone in an urban area, exposed terrorists who were hiding in civilian areas and eliminated many terrorists."

"These achievements were made possible thanks to the close cooperation between the Infantry, Combat Engineering and Armored Corps and the IAF. We will not stop until we achieve all our goals, and we will continue to act to protect our home," the statement added.

Social media trend shows progressive Western women trending toward Islam after Oct. 7 massacre

A growing number of young, progressive Western women are converting to Islam, citing the Israel-Hamas war as motivation for the conversion – and they're documenting their journey on social media. 

Hoover Institution research fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali issued a warning on the new trend during "America's Newsroom," arguing young women are "throwing away" their freedom with the decision. 

"You are converting to throwing away your freedoms as a woman," Ali told Dana Perino on Monday. "Islamic scripture, Islamic law, Sharia law and Islamic practice is crystal clear about the position of women, and it's inferior to men. Your testimony is half that of a man. Your husband can beat you. You have absolutely no freedom."

"Everything is about your guardian having authority over you. First your male father, and then later on your male husband, and if those aren't even available, even your own male son has authority over you," she continued. "So if that's what they want to revert to, good luck with that."

The left-leaning women making the decision to convert have shared their religious diversion on TikTok, with many wearing the hijab, reading the Quran, attending pro-Palestinian protests and even learning Arabic as they accuse Israel of genocide. 

Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this report

US extends deployment of USS Ford carrier strike group in Mediterranean amid Israel-Hamas war

The U.S. military has extended the deployment of the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean, Fox News Digital has learned.

The carrier group has been in the region for more than a month, and its deployment was extended for roughly 30 days on Monday, a U.S. defense official told Fox.

President Biden's administration says the strike group is primarily there to deter Iran and its proxy terrorist groups from entering the war against Israel. Critics argue the strategy has largely failed, however, as Iran's proxies have maintained frequent attacks on both Israeli and U.S. targets in recent weeks.

Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report

China hosts meeting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Palestinians to discuss Israel-Hamas war

China is flexing its diplomatic muscle with a major meeting in Beijing on Monday, welcoming foreign ministers from the Middle East in an attempt to exert its influence over the Israel-Hamas war.

Its top diplomat hosted ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Indonesia, saying his country would work with "our brothers and sisters" in the Arab and Islamic world to try to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the foreign diplomats that their decision to visit Beijing shows their high level of trust in his nation.

"China is a good friend and brother of Arab and Islamic countries," Wang said in opening remarks at a state guest house before their talks began. "We have always firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of Arab (and) Islamic countries and have always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people."

The meeting is a testament to both China's growing geopolitical influence and its longstanding support for the Palestinians and a Palestinian state.

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report

Israel is negotiating with Hamas 'psychopath' for release of hostages, Herzog says

Israel and the U.S. are being forced to negotiate with a "psychopath" for the release of hostages by Hamas, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Monday.

Herzog made the statement during an appearance on Fox News, saying he could not confidently say that a hostage release deal is near due to Hamas' unreliability.

"Not much, really," Herzog said when asked whether he had new information about the negotiations. "We are all waiting, and we are dealing on the opposite side with a leadership of Hamas, lead by Yahya Sinwar, who is basically a psychopath in the way he operates."

"So nothing that you and I can say really changes the picture," he added before calling for the release of the children and women held hostage.

Hamas terrorists took roughly 240 hostages into Gaza following their Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane discussed the possibility of hostage releases and what the terms of such releases might mean for Israel and Hamas on Monday.

He warned that Hamas would be likely to "declare victory" in the conflict if their regime is allowed to maintain control over Gaza after the war is over. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that the goal of the conflict is to "destroy" Hamas.

Israeli forces clash with Hamas around second major Gaza hospital

Israeli Defense Forces are clashing with Hamas terrorists around the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza on monday.

Intense fighting has seen Israel encircle the medical facility much the same way it did with Al-Shifa hospital earlier this month. Thousands of refugees and patients are currently using the hospital, and staff say at least 12 people were killed when a mortar strike struck the second floor of the building. Staff say the attack originated from Israel.

The IDF has yet to respond to the claim.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims that more than 12,500 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.

The Associate Press contributed to this report

Washington Post issues correction after wrongly reporting a U.S.-brokered deal to pause Hamas war

The Washington Post inaccurately reported that the United States brokered a deal to pause conflict between Israel and Hamas for five days to free women and children hostages in Gaza but issued a correction after being called out by the White House National Security Council. 

On Saturday, the Washington Post published a story that claimed a tentative deal was reached that featured the headline, "Israel and Hamas reach tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause conflict, free dozens of hostages." The paper cited "people familiar with the terms of the agreement" and reported the pause in fighting would be monitored by aerial surveillance. 

The Post then shared the story on social media, writing, "Israel and Hamas reach tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause conflict for five days and free women and children hostages." 

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson quickly threw cold water on the report. She quoted it on X and explained, "We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal."

The Post then deleted the tweet promoting the inaccurate report and issued a correction to the online story.

"A previous version of this article, headline and accompanying news alert incorrectly characterized The Post’s reporting about the status of negotiations among Israel, Hamas and the United States to pause conflict for five days and free women and children held hostage in Gaza. The article stated that the parties had agreed to a tentative deal. In fact, Israel and Hamas were close to a U.S.-brokered agreement. The article has been corrected," the Post wrote. 

Fox News' Brian Flood and Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report

House Democrat slams Bernie Sanders' call for barriers to Israel aid: 'Let's not play this game'

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., slammed Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over his call to make Israeli aid conditional on its actions in Gaza, as the tensions in the Middle East continue to push a wedge between Democrats in the U.S.

Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, released a statement over the weekend urging President Biden to force Israel into curbing its West Bank settlements and pledging no long-term blockade of Gaza before the U.S. releases aid dollars.

Moskowitz pledged that he would work to remove those conditions from the legislation if it was sent to the House of Representatives or force stricter measures on aid to Gaza. 

"I am absolutely for humanitarian aid to Gaza. But if Bernie Sanders puts political requirements on the Aid to Israel, I will work in the House to remove those conditions or condition Aid to Gaza that requires the removal of Hamas," Moskowitz wrote on X over the weekend. Both Moskowitz and Sanders are Jewish.

"Let’s not play this game. Send the aid to both," Moskowitz added.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report

OPINION: My parents were taken by Hamas, they're not a footnote to Gaza war, they are its essence

An opinion article by Elan Siegel:

On October 7, life for my family stopped, and I don’t know when it will begin again. The civilized world is rightly horrified by the unspeakable brutality of the atrocities committed by Hamas. It is hard for me to believe, let alone write these words, but October 7 happened to us. My parents, Keith and Aviva Siegel, were kidnapped from their home and are now hostages in Gaza. 

Because my parents can’t speak for themselves, as their daughter, I want the world to know who they are. I want the world to know that they believe that love for humanity will defeat hatred. I want the world to know that time is running out to prove them right and secure their release. 

My father was born in the United States, while my mother grew up in South Africa. They moved to Kibbutz Kfar Aza more than 40 years ago, falling in love with this beautiful part of the world. There, they built a wonderful home for our family. In my mind, that home is a haven of love, comfort and happiness. 

But it was shattered on October 7 when terrorists invaded. They forced my parents, unassuming people filled with kindness and a quiet sensitivity, into my father’s car and We don’t know where they were taken. We have no idea what condition they might be in. We have heard nothing from them or about them since they were kidnapped.  

Eventually, we had to tell their five young grandchildren. We held hands in a circle and my sister (an American citizen like myself and our father) tried to explain where grandma and grandpa have gone. But how do you explain to children that monsters really do exist? Each day, they ask when their grandparents are coming home. I just hope that my parents are together, so that they too can hold each other’s hands just like we did.      

Israeli forces announce arrest of 300 terrorists in Gaza, interrogation on Hamas tunnel locations

Israeli forces say they arrested 300 terrorists in Gaza and have taken them into Israel for interrogation about Hamas tunnel locations and other key information.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari announced the action on Monday, saying members of all terror groups inside Gaza were among the 300 arrestees.

"We arrested over 300 terrorists from the terrorist organizations during the ground maneuver who were taken for further investigation in Israeli territory. The information that emerges from the interrogations of the captives is of great value, leads to the elimination of terrorists and the preservation of the security of our forces," Hagari wrote in a statement.

"300 terrorists from all the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip were interrogated and they gave the locations of underground terrorist tunnels, warehouses and weapons, along with exposing the enemy's methods of operation, and the enemy's assimilation efforts within the civilian population," the IDF wrote.

31 premature babies evacuated from Gaza's largest hospital as US confirms Hamas operations there

More than 30 premature babies in "extremely critical condition" were evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital on Sunday, health officials said.

A World Health Organization-led team said the babies had been safely removed from the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where power was cut and clean water, fuel, medical supplies, food and other essential items had ran out. They are now receiving urgent care in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and will ultimately be transferred to Egypt.

"The babies were successfully transported to the neonatal intensive care unit at Al-Helal Al-Emarati Maternity Hospital in southern Gaza, where they are being assessed and stabilized," the WHO said. "Doctors there say all the babies are fighting serious infections due to lack of medical supplies and impossibility to continue infection control measures in Al-Shifa Hospital. Eleven are in critical condition."

Many had dehydration, hypothermia and sepsis in some cases, said Mohamed Zaqout, director of Gaza hospitals. At least two babies died in the days before the facility was evacuated, the WHO said.

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report

A U.K. doctor who worked at the Al-Shifa hospital says there were areas of the complex where he was not allowed to go on threat of being shot.

He said he frequently saw "dodgy-looking non-medical characters" going in and out of the restricted area, adding that hospital workers avoided the area for fear of Hamas.

"I was welcome everywhere else, and as I say, the doctors and nurses there were very welcoming and very kind, and the hushed tones under which this was said were consistent with all the other hushed tones with which Hamas was discussed. You know, people were genuinely fearful,” the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told France 24.

“I cannot emphasize too much the air of collective paranoia that existed there,” he added.

His comments come after critics of Israel have cast doubt on the Israeli military's claim that Hamas used the Al-Shifa facility as a base of operations.

Israeli Defense Force spokesman Daniel Hagari shared footage of an Israeli attack on a group of Hamas terrorists attempting to fire an anti-tank missile on Monday.

Hagari says the group was trying to fire the missile inside an area the Israeli military had designated safe for Palestinian refugees attempting to flee south. The official went on to describe an exchange of fire with Hezbollah terrorists at Israel's northern border.

"Earlier today, the IDF attacked a terrorist squad that tried to launch anti-tank missiles in a safe area, in addition, the IDF attacked terrorist infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanese territory with a fighter plane, a combat helicopter and tank fire in response to launches towards the territory of the State of Israel earlier today," Hagari wrote.

"In addition, about 25 launches from Lebanese territory towards Israeli territory were detected at several points in the border area, the air defense fighters intercepted several launches and the rest fell in open areas, also, three unmanned aircraft were detected that hit near the IDF post, there were no casualties," he added.

Israeli Defense Forces say numerous Hamas hostages were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Israel has obtained footage showing Hamas terrorists escorting migrants inside the medical complex, which Israel says the terrorist organizaton used to conceal a base of operations. They say at least one hostage, 19-year-old Noa Marciano, was murdered inside the hospital.

Top Netanyahu adviser says likelihood of Hamas hostage release deal 'has gone up'

Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says the likelihood of reaching a deal with Hamas to release hostages "has gone up" in recent weeks.

Regev told 'Fox & Friends' that the past six weeks of fighting have been devastating for Hamas, and that the terrorist group "needs" a reprieve. He said Israel may be willing to pause fighting if Hamas releases a "significant" number of hostages.

Regev and U.S. officials have warned that no deal has been hammered out yet, however. Israel says there remain nearly 240 hostages in Hamas custody, though the U.S. has cautioned it is impossible to know how many of those remain alive.

Netanyahu slams Palestinian Authority for denying Hamas massacre at Israeli music festival

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday slammed the Palestinian Authority for denying that the terrorist group Hamas was responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre at a music festival in Israel that killed hundreds of attendees.

The Sunday night address came in response to an official statement from the Palestinian Authority that blamed "Israeli helicopters" for the death of hundreds of participants of the Supernova music festival near kibbutz Re'im.

The claim, echoed by Hamas, appeared to reference a report from Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, which said that an Israel Defense Forces helicopter had accidentally hit festival-goers while firing at terrorists.

However, the report, which cited senior Israeli security officials, did not say the helicopters were responsible for all the deaths at the massacre. Fox News Digital has reached out to the reporter for comment.

"Today, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah said something utterly preposterous. It denied that it was Hamas that carried out the horrible massacre at the nature festival near Gaza. It actually accused Israel of carrying out that massacre. This is a complete reversal of truth," Netanyahu said in a statement posted on X.

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-NY, says the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas must be the top priority of the international community.

Goldman made the statement during a Sunday appearance on MSNBC's 'Inside with Jen Psaki.' He reacted to the news that the U.S., Israel and Hamas were 'closing in' on a deal to release more than a dozen hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting.

"This is what we all should be focusing on right now is the release of 240 hostages," Goldman said. "That should be the focus of the entire international community right now.

The Israeli military eliminated three senior Hamas commanders in overnight airstrikes in Gaza on Monday.

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst delivered an update on the situation in Israel early Monday morning. He pointed to footage uncovered by Israel showing Hamas terrorists taking Israeli hostages into the Al-Shifa hospital on the morning of October 7.

Israel has long claimed that Hamas used the hospital and tunnels under it as a base of operations.

Israel-Hamas war: IDF says hostage Noa Marciano was murdered inside Al-Shifa Hospital

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari released new details about the death of an Israeli hostage during a press conference on Sunday.

IDF servicemember Noa Marciano, 19, was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

"Noa was taken into Gaza alive, she was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza City next to the Shifa Hospital," Hagari said. "During ongoing combat, in the vicinity of where she was held captive, Noa’s Hamas captor was killed and Noa was injured."

Hagari said that Noah's injuries were "not life-threatening" and said that Hamas terrorists murdered her inside the Al-Shifa Hospital after she was wounded.

"Hamas terrorists took Noa into Shifa hospital where she was murdered quickly," he continued. "Hamas murdered Noa inside Shifa hospital. Our thoughts are with Noa’s family. We send our heartfelt condolences to Noa’s family. We did not reach Noa in time."

"This has only made the IDF more determined to do everything, everything in our power, to bring all our hostages home," Hagari added.

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

Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused of hijacking ship linked to Israeli billionaire in Red Sea

A cargo ship linked to an Israeli billionaire was allegedly seized by Iran-backed rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it "strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel."

"The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. "Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican. No Israelis are onboard. This is another act of Iranian terrorism and constitutes a leap forward in Iran's aggression against the citizens of the free world, with international consequences regarding the security of the global shipping lanes."

Israel Defense Forces also wrote on X, "The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence. The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship."

While Israeli officials insisted the vessell was British-owned and Japanese-operated, ownership details for the Bahamian-flagged Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier, in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, which was founded by Abraham "Rami" Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel, according to The Associated Press.