Cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war takes effect, humanitarian aid begins entering Gaza

A man walks past a billboard calling for the return of about 240 hostages who were abducted during the Oct. 7, Hamas attack on Israel. in Jerusalem on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

Israel will release more than three dozen prisoners in exchange for 13 hostages on Friday, according to a report.

Qadura Fares, the Palestinian commissioner for prisoners, said Israel will release 39 Palestinians prisoners, including 24 women and 15 teenagers from the West Bank or Jerusalem, in exchange for 13 hostages due to be freed by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.

The prisoners will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Israel's Ofer military jail around 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), Fares said.

The figure coincides with the previously reported number of hostages to be released at the Gaza-Egypt border — the 13 women and children who were among some 240 people taken hostage by Hamas gunmen during the deadly Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel.

"After the Red Cross receives the (Palestinian) prisoners, the ones from Jerusalem will go to Jerusalem and the ones from the West Bank will gather in Betunia municipal council where their families will be waiting,” Fares told Reuters.

The highly anticipated prisoner release Friday afternoon comes hours after an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire began at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT).

Reuters contributed to this update.

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, hours after the start of a four-day truce in battles between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, on November 24, 2023. SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Hours after a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took effect, aid trucks began entering Gaza.

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid were seen entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing with Egypt hours after the truce began on Friday, Nov. 24 at 7:00 a.m. local time, according to Reuters.

Four tankers were filled with fuel and four tankers carried cooking gas, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on X. Israel's military has mostly prevented any fuel from entering Gaza, as it claimed it could be used by Hamas for military purposes.

COGAT, a body in Israel’s defense ministry responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, also confirmed the trucks entered Gaza.

Two of the trucks carried banners that read: "Together for Humanity" and "For our brothers in Gaza." Egypt has said 130,000 liters of diesel and four trucks of gas will be delivered daily to Gaza as the temporary truce begins.

Additional aid is expected to continue flowing into Gaza throughout Friday and the first hostages are expected to be freed at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT). An estimated 200 trucks of aid are expected to enter Gaza daily, should the temporary truce hold.

Friday was the first day of what is expected to be a four-day truce.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in Qatar's capital city of Doha that the hostages will include women and children, with the total number rising to 50 over the four-day cease-fire.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this update.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - NOVEMBER 23: Signs with the kidnapped outside The Museum of Modern Art known as the 'The Hostages and Missing Square' after it was announced that 13 women and children would be released tomorrow and a temporary cease fire would begin at 7am on November 23, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza started Friday morning. The temporary deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators, is expected to bring the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. It will also bring much-needed humanitarian aid into the territory.

The cease-fire is expected to last four days, at which point supplies will be brought to the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have been caught in the middle of a war between Israel's military and the Hamas terror group. During this period, Hamas pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other terrorists took on Oct. 7, that triggered the war. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Family members in Israel of those taken hostage during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack will also learn the fate of their loved ones.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari confirmed the cease-fire would start at 7 a.m. local time Friday (5 a.m. GMT).

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas would be freed Friday afternoon. Officials have said three Palestinians would be freed for every Israeli hostage.

Humanitarian aid for Palestinians will also begin to enter Gaza “as soon as possible,” al-Ansari said. He also said he hopes the “momentum” from the cease-fire will lead to an “end to this violence."

The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning, but was pushed to Friday when Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi announced a one-day delay without providing a reason.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue his country's war with Hamas in Gaza after the end of a temporary cease-fire, which is expected to start on Friday.

Clarifying his objectives in the war, Netanyahu said Israel will destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

“We will continue it until we achieve all our goals,” Netanyahu said. The Israeli prime minister said he shared the same message to President Biden as Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

During an interview with FOX News' Sean Hannity, Netanyahu said Israel was committed to winning the war against Hamas to eliminate its "dark tyranny" from the Gaza Strip.

"We have to win not only for our sake, but for the sake of the Middle East, for the sake of our Arab neighbors. You know what, for the sake of Gazans who've been held by this dark tyranny that has brutalized and brought them nothing but bloodshed and poverty and misery," Netanyahu said Monday. "We have to win to protect Israel. We have to win to safeguard the Middle East. We have to win for the sake of the civilized world. That's the battle we're fighting, and it's being waged right now. There is no substitute for that victory."

JERUSALEM - OCTOBER 18:Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with soldiers stationed near the Gaza Strip in Jerusalem on October 18, 2023. Avi Ohayon (GPO)/Anadolu via Getty Images

"If we don't win now, then Europe is next and you're next. And we have to win," he later added. 

The four-day truce agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has witnessed thousands of deaths in Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the region and stirred fears of a broader conflict across the Middle East.

While the cease-fire is intended to give time for humanitarian aid to be delivered into Gaza, Israel still facing missile attacks over its northern border with Lebanon.

Air-raid sirens sounded throughout northern Israel on Thursday as 48 Katyusha rockets were fired into the country from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, a terror group that operates in Lebanon with Iranian support, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah operatives, including the son of the head of the group’s parliamentary bloc.

Israel's military said it was striking the sources of the launches.

Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly exchanged fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out in Oct. 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

A New York City bus in Manhattan. (NYC.gov)

A hateful message that read “Gas the Jews” was discovered Wednesday inside a New York City public transit bus and is being investigated, police said.

The antisemitic phrase was found on a rear seat aboard a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus in Queens, the New York Police Department told Fox News Digital.

Talea Wufka saw the message on the back seat of the Q49 bus that runs through East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights neighborhoods, the New York Post reported. She snapped a photo of it and sent it to the MTA.

“Why so much hate? I just can’t understand it,” Wufka said in a statement provided to the newspaper.

The bus was withdrawn from service, the MTA told Fox News Digital.

“The report was verified by the operator, who relayed it to the transit bus command center, which directed the bus be immediately removed from passenger service so the vandalized seat could be cleaned,” an MTA spokesperson said. “Approximately 10 riders on the vandalized bus transferred to the next following bus to continue their trips.”

The NYPD said the department’s Hate Crime Task Force was notified of the incident.“There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing,” the NYPD said.

The incident is the latest as tensions continue to increase amid the Israel-Hamas war. The conflict has triggered an increase in hate crimes against Jews and Muslims. 

Nancy Faeser (SPD), Federal Minister of the Interior, speaks at the BKA Autumn Conference at the RheinMain CongressCenter. For two days, the BKA Autumn Conference will focus on the topic "Causes and dynamics of violence - how do we break the wave?". (Photo by Arne Dedert/picture alliance via Getty Images)

German authorities raided more than a dozen properties Thursday of a pro-Palestinian group following a recent ban on Hamas activities.

The searches were intended to enforce the ban as well as clear up illegal structures of Hamas and Samidoun, the pro-Palestinian group, Reuters reported, citing the German Interior Ministry.

"We continue our consistent action against radical Islamists," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in the statement.

"With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel," Faeser added.

Germany banned Hamas and Samidoun earlier this month.

In a news release announcing the ban, the Interior Ministry said Samidoun endorses the use of violence as a means for achieving its political objectives and prevents peaceful relations between German citizens and non-citizens.

Israel said it attacked and destroyed Hezbollah launch positions in Lebanon sometime Thursday evening.  

Fighter jets targeted positions from where shots were fired into Israel in recent days as well as military sites where Hezbollah fighters operated, the Israel Defense Forces said.  

“Also, in the afternoon, a number of launches were detected that crossed the territory of Lebanon towards various areas in the north of the country,” the IDF wrote on X. “IDF forces attacked the sources of the shooting.” 

Israel and Hezbollah have traded rocket fire as Israeli forces continue to carry out its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attends a joint press conference with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 28, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops to expect many more weeks of fighting after an upcoming temporary truce expires.

Gallant visited troops with the navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit when he spoke to them about Israel’s offensive against Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.

"This will be a short respite, after which the fighting will continue with intensity, and pressure will be made to bring back more hostages,” Gallant said, according to a reporter for the newspaper. “At least two more months of fighting is expected."

A four-day ceasefire between both sides of the conflict is expected to begin Friday, which will also see the release of the first batch of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

Under the terms of the deal, 50 women and children under the age of 19 taken hostage could be freed in return for 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli detention. Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip with continuous airstrikes as it seeks to eliminate the terrorist group.

During a ground offensive, Israeli troops have discovered weapons, military equipment and tunnels at sensitive locations in Gaza, including hospitals, the Israel Defense Forces have said.

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that an airstrike in the Gaza Strip killed a senior Hamas navy commander. 

Amar Abu Jalalah was the commander of the commander of the Hamas naval force in Khan Yunis, the IDF said. 

“Omar Abu Jallah was a senior officer in the naval force, and was involved from the beginning of the fighting in sending a number of naval attacks that were foiled by our forces,” the IDF wrote on X. 

The airstrike was carried out using intelligence provided by Israel’s  Shin Bet security agency, the navy and other resources, the IDF said.      

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his office in the Capitol on Nov. 6 in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Minority Senate Leader Mitch McConnell spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s efforts to bring home hostages being held by Hamas and other matters.

In a message posted to X, McConnell said he assured the Israeli leaders about his “unwavering” support for Israel as well as the ongoing war to “destroy Hamas” and deter escalation in the region.

“On Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for our nations’ strong friendship and for the US and Israeli servicemembers in harms (sic) way who defend our freedoms,” McConnell wrote.

Netanyahu's office on Thursday confirmed receipt of a list of hostages that will be released by Hamas on Friday.

A spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry said the list names 13 people who will be released from captivity in Gaza at 4 p.m. local time. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary cease-fire in exchange for a hostage and prisoner swap.

Hamas has said it will release 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in exchange for three times that number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Qatar mediated talks between the two sides.

Fox News' Dana Karni contributed to this update.

This image provided by REAL SIMPLE magazine shows a festive table decorated with two sizes of ceramic tiles to lend an eye-catching centerpiece for small dishes and decorative pieces, including small houseplants. (Murray Hall/REAL SIMPLE via AP)

Former fashion model Kathy Ireland is among those honoring hostages being held captive in the Gaza Strip by reserving an empty seat in their Thanksgiving gatherings.   

Ireland posted about the campaign on X, saying: “There is no place in this world where Jews are not being persecuted.” 

“This #Thanksgiving, to honor the hostages for whom we pray are living, & those blessed souls whose lives have been given, we are among the people leaving empty seats at our table to acknowledge that we are at war,” she wrote.  

The symbolic gesture is part of the "Seats of Hope" campaign, which says that the empty seat represents those unable to be with their families and exemplifies hope for their safe return.

A statement released by the families expressed anguish over the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. It noted that it has been 45 days since children, parents, siblings and other relatives were captured by Hamas terrorists.

"We don't know where they are or how they are doing; we only want them home. As we gather to commemorate Thanksgiving, let us hold those with us close and keep those who can't join us this year in our hearts," the families wrote.

Children's author Bethany Mandel was one of the people online who posted about the campaign and asked followers to consider setting a place for Avigail, a three-year-old girl who is the youngest American held in Gaza.

Her parents were murdered during the Oct. 7 by Hamas on Israeli communities. 

Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.

Far-left activists have found a new cause to protest against online and in the streets: Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. (Getty Images // Fox News Digital)

Far-left activists have found a new cause to protest on social media and in the streets: Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman.

Some activists are starting to criticize Fetterman's "trollish style," especially on the Israel-Hamas war, per a Politico article from Wednesday. Fetterman, a progressive Democrat, has come out in public support of Israel after the Oct. 7 surprise terrorist attacks on Israeli, American and other civilians by Hamas. 

It is a stance that has angered the left-wing of the Democratic Party. Fetterman has left far-left figures bitterly disappointed as he has been one of Israel's strongest proponents during the war, putting up pictures of Hamas hostages outside his Senate office and criticizing the country's foes.

His supporters said Fetterman has always been pro-Israel and has never been easy to ideologically pin down. Pennsylvania has one of the country's highest Jewish populations and Politico reported he has been affected by communities back home reacting to the horrific Hamas attack.

Beth Miller, political director of the far-left group Jewish Voice for Peace Action, told Politico, "I am still a bit shocked by the level of disdain that he has been giving to a growing anti-war movement." Former aides to Fetterman wrote his stance on Israel was a "gutting betrayal."

"I honestly felt frustrated," Matt Howard, board member of an anti-war veterans group, told Politico after Fetterman mocked the group for being arrested at the Capitol. "If he disagreed with them, that’s one thing. It didn’t totally make sense to me that he would resort to mocking folks."

Fox News Digital's Jeffrey Clark contributed to this update.

Rocket launcher shafts discovered in the Jabalia area of Gaza City. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military said soldiers found more Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza on Thursday, including one which was discovered inside a mosque.

The Israel Defense Forces said the Nahal Brigade combat team found the tunnels during a raid on the outskirts of the Jabalia area in Gaza City. 

"During one raid, the soldiers identified six terrorist tunnel shafts, one of which was inside a mosque. Rocket launchers and combat equipment were also found in an orchard near the mosque," the IDF said. "All the combat equipment and rockets were located near civilian buildings, schools, and residential homes in the area." 

The military said soldiers found and destroyed 50 mortar shells, as well as rocket launchers that were pointed at Israel. The military also called in an airstrike that killed five Hamas terrorists, according to IDF. 

Israel will enter a temporary cease-fire with Hamas beginning Friday as part of a deal to exchange hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners. The cease-fire will last for four days, after which Israel has vowed to continue its war to eradicate Hamas. 

Groups of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, with some chanting and singing "Palestine will be free" while others glued themselves to the street along the parade route.

One group of protesters took to the parade route in Midtown Manhattan and unfurled a banner reading, "Liberation for Palestine and Planet." They called for an end to fossil fuels while supporting Palestinians in Gaza.

The protesters wore white jumpsuits, doused themselves with red liquid and superglued their hands to the street to try to disrupt the parade. The crowd lining the sidewalk can be heard drowning out the chants with boos.

NYPD officers were seen removing the protesters from the street and taking them away from the scene so that the parade could continue.

On another part of the parade route, protesters waving Palestinian flags and holding pro-Palestinian signs were singing a variety of chants, including "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." 

Some chanted, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution," while others called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

In another act of protest, an individual aboard a Native American float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City whipped out a Palestinian flag during the parade’s broadcast on television.

Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace contributed to this update.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

An English soccer official resigned from his position Thursday after being suspended for a social media post that said, "Adolf Hitler would be proud of Benjamin Netanyahu." 

Wasim Haq, who joined the FA as a BAME Football Communities Representative in 2019, was suspended by the Football Association (FA) this month over his social media post, which has since been deleted.

He was also removed from his role as an independent councillor at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Reuters reported.

On Thursday, Haq posted a copy of his resignation letter addressed to FA chair Debbie Hewitt in a post on X. 

"Recent events have left me bereft of energy and hope. I have felt overwhelmed at how this has transpired," the letter read.

"As someone who has worked closely with many Jewish people over the years and created meaningful and valued friendships, the most painful part of this process is knowing that some of those friends and colleagues may not forgive me for the misunderstanding and hurt I have unintentionally caused.

"I take full responsibility and reiterate my apology to them and all those affected."

Reuters contributed to this update.

Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy reacts to a question on Sky News about a potential hostage deal. (Sky News / Screengrab)

An Israeli government spokesman is going viral for his gobsmacked reaction to a media question about the value of Palestinian versus Israeli lives based on the Israelis receiving back fewer hostages in a potential swap with Hamas.

Eylon Levy was astonished as Sky News interviewer Kay Burley suggested that because Israel would get back 50 hostages taken by Hamas last month in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners in the agreed-upon temporary cease-fire deal, it placed less value on Palestinian lives. 

"I was speaking to a hostage negotiator this morning. He made the comparison between the 50 hostages that Hamas promised to release, as opposed to the 150 prisoners that are Palestinians that Israel has said that it will release," Burley said. "And he made the comparison between the numbers and the fact that does Israel not think Palestinian lives are valued as highly as Israeli lives?"

Levy's eyes popped open before he responded, saying, "That is an astonishing accusation."

"If we could release one prisoner for every one hostage, we would obviously do that. We are operating in horrific circumstances," he said.

Levy said the Palestinian prisoners who could be released included those who have been convicted of violent attacks, as opposed to the hostages held by Hamas, who comprise innocent civilians.

Fox News Digital's David Rutz contributed to this update.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Thursday confirmed receipt of a list of hostages that will be released by Hamas on Friday.

"Israel confirms that a preliminary list of names has been received," the prime minister's office said in a statement. "The appointed officials are checking the details of the list and are in contact with all the families at these moments."

A spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry said earlier the list names 13 people who will be released from captivity in Gaza at 4 p.m. local time on Nov. 24. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary cease-fire in exchange for a hostage and prisoner swap. Qatar mediated talks between the two sides. 

Hamas has said it will release 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in exchange for three times that number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. 

The cease-fire will last for four days, after which Israel has vowed to continue its war to eradicate Hamas. 

Fox News' Dana Karni contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday said soldiers operating in Gaza City found a stash of weapons under children's beds in a building linked to a senior Hamas operative.

Israel's 401st Brigade also found long-range rockets, launch shafts and four tunnel shafts "of significant depth" in the Jabalia area of Gaza, the IDF said. 

"These tunnel shafts used by the Hamas terrorist organization, which are connected to the electrical network, converged at a central tunnel shaft located in a building connected to a senior Hamas operative," the military said.

"Additionally, a large number of weapons were found in numerous bedrooms and under children's beds in a building linked to another senior Hamas operative. Operational plans and numerous weapons were discovered as well. All materials were transferred to the Document and Technical Collection Unit of the Intelligence Directorate for further examination and distribution to combat forces." 

A military spokesman called it a "successful day" for Israeli troops. 

"This is a successful day for the 401st Brigade," said commanding officer Colonel Binyamin Aharon. "We found long-range rockets, launch shafts, and four operational Hamas tunnel shafts. We reached the 'heart' of the Hamas infrastructure and found the operational home of a senior terrorist, which included weapons and ammunition, all hidden under his children's beds and in closets. We operated to expose the area used to launch rockets into the depths of Israel for years." 

During a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he hopes "to get our hostages out." 

After Israeli officials said no hostages would be released until Friday at the earliest, Netanyahu said the mission is "not without its challenges, but we have to, we hope to get this first tranche out."

Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel's commitment to getting "everyone out" but promised to continue the war against Hamas once a potential cease-fire is lifted. 

"We'll continue with our war aims, namely to eradicate Hamas, because Hamas has already promised that they would do this again and again and again. They're a genocidal terrorist cult," the prime minister said. 

Cameron is on his first visit to Israel his appointment to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's cabinet. He toured  areas of southern Israel on Thursday where the worst of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas were carried out.

"To see just the true nature of the horrific attacks that you faced, I think it's very important to do that and see that," Cameron told Netanyahu. He spoke favorably of the potential "humanitarian pause" to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and deliver aid to Gaza, though he emphasized Hamas should release all hostages. 

Fox News' Dana Karni contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces released pictures and video of continued fighting in Gaza City on Thursday as a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war has been delayed until at least Friday.

Rocket sirens blared in northern Israel as the military detected some 35 launches from Lebanon toward Israeli territory, the IDF said. Israel's air defense systems intercepted the launches. 

Additionally, the IDF said terrorists launched several "anti-tank missiles and mortars" at various Israeli posts along the border with Lebanon. 

"An IDF aircraft struck a number of launchers from which the projectiles were fired. IDF soldiers struck an additional launcher from which the projectiles were fired with the 'Iron Sting' weapon system. IDF artillery struck the sources of the fire," the IDF said. 

Meanwhile, the fighting continues inside Gaza City, where the military said "Egoz" special forces unit carried out raids on terrorist targets in the Shati area of the city.

"As part of their operational activity, guided by precise intelligence, the forces raided strategic Hamas targets and destroyed terrorist infrastructure," the IDF said. 

"Additionally, using high-quality intelligence, the forces directed fire from the air to strike booby-trapped buildings which posed a danger to the soldiers, terrorists and stockpiles of weapons used by Hamas terrorists. Soldiers from the unit located many weapons - ammunition, explosive belts and grenades," the military added. 

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 26: The USS Thomas Hudner, named after Concord's Medal of Honor recipient Thomas Hudner, arrives in Boston for its commissioning ceremony later in the week on Nov. 26, 2018. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

A U.S. destroyer stationed in the Red Sea has shot down bomb-carrying drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the military said. 

The military arm of Yemen’s Houthi rebels said earlier Wednesday that it launched a batch of long-range large missiles toward southern Israel, including the Red Sea city of Eilat. The Iran-backed rebel group has launched at least six aerial attacks against Israel since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7.

The Houthis, who oppose Israel, previously shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone during the Israel-Hamas war with a surface-to-air missile, and have fired drones and missiles toward Israel.

U.S. Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning.

“The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury,” Central Command said, but did not identify what it believed the drones were targeting.

The Israeli-Hamas violence now expanding into the Red Sea, which stretches from Egypt's Suez Canal down to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait separating East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, increases concerns of a wider conflict.

Fox News Digital's Lawrence Richard and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

Young Democratic Party voters are reportedly reconsidering supporting President Biden’s re-election in 2024 thanks to his commitment to support Israel’s war effort against Hamas.

The Washington Post recently spoke to several University of Michigan voters who claimed they might support a candidate other than Biden due to the issue, with one voter telling the outlet that she and her friends now refer to the world leader as "Genocide Joe" because of his support for Israel. 

One voter the Post spoke to was Bhavani Iyer, a senior at the school who supports abortion access, but is now conflicted over the idea of voting for Biden in 2024. 

The Post reported: "… she said she doesn’t know if she will support President Biden’s reelection bid next November. One of her top priorities is protecting access to abortion, but her disapproval of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war and his decision not to call for a full cease-fire weighs just as heavily on her mind these days."

"In past elections, I voted a straight ticket. But in this one, I feel like it’s probably not going to be that way," Iyer told the paper.

The Post described her friends’ positions on the issue as being similar. 

Nineteen-year-old Andrea Gonzalez told the Post that Trump's "controversial rhetoric" about women, immigrants and people of color are disdainful, but Biden's lack of support for a cease-fire makes it "difficult" where she leans. 

Pakistani-American student Humza Irfan said the war caused his support for Biden to diminish. 

Fox News Digital's Gabriel Hays contributed to this update.

A woman looks at photographs on Wednesday of hostages, mostly Israeli civilians who were abducted during an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israe. Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a four-day halt to the devastating war in Gaza, accompanied by the release of dozens of hostages held by the militant group in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel, mediators said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The release of hostages from Gaza will not happen before Friday, Israel said Wednesday.

Hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas were progressing and continued into Wednesday, the Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on behalf of Israel National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi.

Both sides of the conflict agreed this week to a temporary ceasefire to begin Thursday morning.

The pause in fighting is for humanitarian purposes, including the release of the hostages. It was believed the captives would be released Thursday.

Qatari negotiators helped broker the ceasefire agreement, which is excepted to take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday.

Under the terms of the deal, Hamas has agreed to release dozens of hostages in tandem with Israel agreeing to release Palestinian prisoners on a 3-to-1 ratio.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported Hamas leaders would release one hostage for every three Palestinians that Israel releases from its prisons.

Brit Hume, Fox News chief political analyst, joins "Special Report" to discuss the temporary cease-fire and prisoner swap deal reached between Israel and Hamas.

Israel is set to swap 150 Palestinian detainees for 50 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Hume described the deal as "not good" from a military perspective, but explained that Israel is known for making lopsided deals in order to rescue Israeli citizens being held hostage.

"Israel has a long history of going to extraordinary lengths to get its people back, captive Israeli citizens, and they have made deals far more unequal than this in the past. So, this is what they do, and it is deeply embedded in Israeli tradition," Hume said, later adding that this is a "very difficult situation to deal with."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he told U.S. President Joe Biden that he will press ahead with the war after a cease-fire expires. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces is encouraging residents in Gaza City to take advantage of a "local tactical pause of military activity" and evacuate to the humanitarian zone south of Wadi Gaza.

The local pause for humanitarian purposes will take place between 10:00 and 14:00 in the al-Salam and al-Manara neighborhoods in Khan Yunis.

"Residents of Gaza City, especially the neighborhoods of the Old City of Jabalia and Shuja’iya, we urge you to evacuate your residential areas immediately in order to preserve your safety via the Salah al-Din Road until 16:00, to reach the south of Wadi Gaza and the humanitarian zone," the IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The IDF said for residents to contact them through text or at @gaza_saver on Telegram if evacuation paths are blocked as Hamas is trying to prevent the move south.

"For your safety, you must stay in southern Gaza, specifically in the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, which allows the appropriate conditions for your protection and that of your loved ones. We encourage you to seize the time and move south!" the IDF wrote.

IDF troops with the Givati Brigade locate a Hamas tunnel shaft in the Sheikh Zayed neighborhood. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces said soldiers with the Givati Brigade found tunnel shafts, a model of an IDF armored vehicle and a wall simulating the security fence in Gaza while conducting operations at the headquarters of Hamas' Northern Brigade located in the Sheikh Zayed neighborhood.

The neighborhood is where many senior members of Hamas live, according to the IDF, and there are outposts used by the terrorist organization's Nukhba forces located among civilians.

Operations by IDF troops were conducted at an outpost where several tunnel shafts, including one 50 meters deep and 7 meters wide, were located.

"A scaled-down model simulating an IDF armored fighting vehicle and a wall simulating the security fence of Gaza were also located in the area," the IDF said.

IDF troops also reported finding many weapons, launch complexes with a lathe for rocket production and underground pits used to launch rockets. Dozens of terrorists were also found in the area and eliminated, according to the IDF.

The outpost was destroyed after the operation.

Another operation in the same area revealed "many weapons in a vehicle that was apparently used by Hamas terrorists during the brutal massacre on October 7th inside a mosque," the IDF concluded.