13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas as cease-fire holds

Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh told Fox News Digital in a wide-ranging interview about the world’s oldest hatred that the modern proliferation of antisemitism in the U.S. has its origins in an anti-Israel United Nations resolution from 1975.

"We have to understand that the U.S. is experiencing such massive growth in antisemitism, and we see not only the antisemitism that fueled the atrocities of 10/7, but those that actually fueled the responses to the atrocities of 10/7 across North American campuses, on the streets and online. It is part of a decade’s-long process," said Cotler-Wunsh.

The Israeli envoy said, "The world before 10/7 and the world after it, like 9/11, cannot continue as if nothing happened."

The terrorist movement Hamas’ mass murder of 1,200 people on Oct. 7 in southern Israel is widely viewed as the Jewish state’s version of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Cotler-Wunsh took the United Nations to task for passing an antisemitic resolution in 1975 that equated the founding philosophy of Israel — Zionism — with racism. The infamous "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination" resolution was revoked in 1991.

She said, "I would say the strain of antisemitism that is anti-Zionism, the negation of Israel's very right to exist across North America … began with the 1975 Zionism is racism resolution. Soviet propaganda passed at the U.N. has become mainstream across North American campuses in the name of progress."

Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal and Emily Robertson contributed to this report.

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Eight pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Friday at a demonstration near Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dozens of protesters holding signs supporting Palestinians marched from the Lenox MARTA station toward Peachtree Road Friday afternoon.

Demonstrators were heard shouting "From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever," as honking cars went by.

Police were seen putting multiple people in zip-tie handcuffs before placing them into transport vehicles while demonstrators demanded their release. Among those taken into police custody was one person who was wearing a sash that read "legal observer," according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement to Fox 5 Atlanta that some of the demonstrators entered the street and refused officers' orders to disperse.

"APD continues to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of shoppers, visitors and demonstrators, and to uphold the law and protect the right to free speech," a spokesperson said.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former Indiana governor and Purdue University President Emeritus Mitch Daniels rebuked American universities for allowing antisemitism to spread on their campuses in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

In a Washington Post column titled, "How Oct. 7 revealed the moral vacuity of U.S. higher education," Daniels slammed colleges where pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protests have taken place since the attack. In many of these campus demonstrations, protesters have accused the Jewish people of oppressing Gazans to the point where Hamas launched the assault in retaliation.

Daniels accused these universities of "wallowing in moral confusion and hypocrisy" over the issue and expressed hope that this "disgraceful moment" helps college administrators reflect on their poor decisions over the years.

Daniels began his essay by reminiscing on how impressed he was with his Jewish neighbors growing up in Indianapolis, stating, "As much as I admired my Jewish friends’ grades and study habits, I marveled even more at the values with which many were raised."

Providing a couple of anecdotes characterizing his admiration, he continued, "On Halloween, when I was out practicing minor vandalism and raking in all the candy I could carry home, many of my Jewish classmates were out collecting donations for UNICEF. As an incensed nation grieved for three young civil rights volunteers killed in Mississippi in 1964, we were unsurprised to learn that two of the victims who had been working for equality in the South were Jewish."

The former governor also recalled how he had Jewish roommates in college in the 1960s, and mentioned how he, at that time, witnessed Israel’s neighbors vow to destroy the country and its people amid the Six-Day War.

Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

BBC employees were reportedly instructed not to attend an upcoming march against antisemitism in London this weekend.

According to U.K. outlet The Times, the upcoming National Solidarity March Against Antisemitism was deemed too "controversial" for the network’s employees — even its Jewish ones — to attend. 

BBC employees, including reporters and senior management, alleged that the network would not let them attend the upcoming rally. The march "is set to be the largest demonstration in support of British Jews since the 1936 Battle of Cable Street," according to Campaign Against Antisemitism, the group organizing the event.

The outlet reported that BBC employees looking to attend pro-Palestinian rallies had been barred from attending those as well.

According to staff members, the decision to prohibit their attendance at the rally is in line with BBC guidelines regarding any "controversial march or demonstration."

As the BBC reported in 2020, the network established guidelines mandating that staff members should not "express a personal opinion on matters of public policy, politics, or controversial subjects," which covered attendance at rallies.

However, in response to employees at the time seeking attendance at various pro-LGBTQ rallies, BBC Director General Tim Davie clarified that "there is no issue for these staff attending community events that are clearly celebratory or commemorative and do not compromise perceptions of their impartiality." 

Several employees disagreed with the BBC standard applied to the march against antisemitism as compared to the standard applied to LGBTQ or antiracist marches in the past.

Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Anti-Israel protesters took to the streets across the United States on Friday in an effort to disrupt Black Friday shoppers by calling for a Palestinian uprising.

Demonstrations took place in Boston, Los Angeles and New York City, on the first day of a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas. 

"There is only one solution: Intifada revolution!" protesters gathered in Lower Manhattan's Washington Square Park chanted.  

Calls for an intifada, or uprising, have become increasingly common in anti-Israel protests since the brutal Oct.7 Hamas attack that saw more than 1,200 people murdered in Israeli communities near Gaza, including children and babies. 

Protesters in New York called for shoppers to boycott companies as well as shouting antisemitic statements, such as, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Media reports said the protest consisted of about 2,000 people, and that another 1,000-2,000 protesters also gathered near Macy's flagship store blocks away. 

In Los Angeles, protesters converged on The Grove, a popular shopping district just south of Hollywood, according to one report, to "make it clear that there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free."  

Police monitored the protesters as they marched through the area and disrupted traffic. 

In Boston, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Puma flagship store in a popular shopping area to criticize the company's ties to Israel, according to local NPR station WGBH. 

The outlet cited the company in stating that it provides Israel's national soccer teams with branded equipment for international competitions. 

Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

The director of an Israeli children’s hospital that received some of the hostages freed Friday said they were doing well.  

Dr. Efrat Baron Har Lev, head of the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petach Tikvah , said that "four children, three mothers and one grandmother who are finally in the best and most caring hands,” have been evaluated, the Haaretz newspaper reported.  

Lev said their physical condition is good, and they are currently undergoing a medical and emotional evaluation." 

“We're doing everything to take care of the physical and mental health of all those who return to us,” he said.  

Five other hostages, all elderly women, were being cared for at the Wolfson Hospital in Holon, The Times of Israel reported.

Pro-Palestinian protesters hold signs as President Joe Biden attends the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Nantucket, Massachusetts on Friday. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

President Biden was greeted with jeers from protesters while in Nantucket, Massachusetts on Friday who called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as the president was on his way to lunch with First Lady Jill Biden.

The first family was taking a stroll down Broad Street on the island when protesters began shouting “Free Palestine” and “ceasefire” before he entered a restaurant.

The incident came hours after Hamas released the first group of hostages as part of a deal between Israel and the terror group.

More are expected to be released on Saturday and in the coming days.

“I’ve consistently pressed for a pause in the fighting for two reasons: to accelerate and expand the humanitarian assistance going into Gaza and two, to facilitate the release of hostages,” Biden said during a Friday afternoon speech. “It’s only a start, but so far, it’s gone well."

An Israeli man whose wife and daughter returned to him after they were held captive by Hamas said he was elated but won’t celebrate until all hostages are returned.

In a video message, Yoni Katz expressed thanks to Israel and the Israel Defense Forces for the return of his family.

"My family Doron, Raz and Aviv returned home to me from captivity,” he said. “I am determined to bring about the resurrection of my family from the trauma and the terrible bereavement we went through, for the future my children and Doron. Complex days are still ahead of me.”

“I am happy that I got my family back, it is allowed to be happy and it is allowed to shed a tear,” he added. “It's a human thing. But I don't celebrate, I won't celebrate until the last of the hostages returns.”

Two dozen hostages were released Friday, including 13 Israelis, from Gaza on Friday amid the four-day truce between the terror group and Israel.

Itay Raviv had three family members – cousins Karen and 9-year-old Ihad and his aunt Ruth – were also released Friday. His uncle is still being held captive.

“Now we have a little bit of joy and relief of a small moment of joy,” Raviv told guest host Edward Lawrence on “Your World with Neil Cavuto.” “But it's not over until everyone is back. We're going to be scared and worried until everyone is back home safely.”

He added that “not even a quarter of all hostages have been released or are going to be released in this agreement.”

Raviv said his family will try to ease his newly freed loved ones back into normal daily life. 

President Biden said he was unsure when any American hostages being held by Hamas would be released after none were freed on the first day of the terror group’s cease-fire with Israel.  

"We don't know when that will occur, but we're going to expect it to occur," Biden said while addressing the release of hostages from his vacation in Nantucket, Massachusetts.  

"We don't know what the list of all the hostages are and when they will be released, but we know the numbers that are going to be released, So, it's my hope and expectation it will be soon," he added.

He added that he didn’t know the conditions of the Americans being held captive. Two dozen hostages were released Friday, including 13 Israelis , 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen, and more are expected to be freed Saturday. 

Around 10 Americans are being held in Gaza, according to U.S. intelligence. Israeli leaders have vowed to resume the war once the cease-fire lifts.

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, meets with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, right, and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in the West Bank city Ramallah, on Thursday. (Alaa Badarneh/Pool via AP)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday proposed an international  peace conference during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to forge a Palestinian state. 

Sanchez also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. He was also set for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, a city in the West Bank, later on Thursday before travelling on to Egypt, Reuters reported. 

"Today, more than ever, we need to bring back a serious and credible prospect for peace," Sanchez said after talks with Netanyahu. "Without a political settlement, we are bound to run again into a never-ending cycle of violence." 

"It is in Israel's interest to work for peace, and today, peace means the establishment of a viable Palestinian state that includes the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, according to the U.N. resolutions," he added. 

Sanchez’s remarks came after Israel summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium over remarks by Sanchez and his Belgian counterpart over Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza.  

Proposals for a Palestinian state have failed in the past, mostly over disputes about territories captured by Israel in 1967. Palestinian officials have rejected previous proposed peace deals over the decades since Israel’s creation.  

Some of the issues that have stalled progress are the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the status of Jerusalem and differences over borders.

Israel has received a list of hostages being held in Gaza who will be freed on Saturday.  

The names have not been made public. On Friday, Hamas released the first hostages on the first day of a temporary cease-fire between the terror group and Israel. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said returning all of the hostages is one of Israel’s objectives, aside from eliminating Hamas. 

"Israel will continue its war on Hamas and we will not stop until we achieve our two main goals, overthrowing the rule of Hamas and returning all the abductees back to us, safe and sound," Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Friday as he toured Israel’s ravaged border areas with his counterparts from Portugal and Slovenia. 

Officials have floated the idea that the cease-fire can be extended another day for each additional group of 10 hostages released.  

Fox News’ Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said Israel is committed to bringing home all of the hostages being held by Hamas. 

In a short video message posted to X hours after the first batch of hostages were released, Netanyahu said returning the captives is one of Israel’s objectives.  

"We just completed the return of the first of our hostages: children, their mothers and additional women,” he said. “Each of them is an entire world.” 

He emphasized that Israel is committed to “returning all of the hostages.” “This is one of the aims of the war,” he said. “And we are committed to achieving all the aims of the war.” 

The first hostages were freed at the start of a temporary pause in the fighting beginning Friday.  

No American hostages were released. President Biden said he expects future waves of captives to be freed in the coming days.

Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners on Friday as part of a cease-fire deal with the terrorist group Hamas in exchange for 13 Israeli hostages.

Qadura Fares, who heads an advocacy group for prisoners, told the Associated Press 33 prisoners freed in the West Bank were handed to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross. He said the remaining six were being freed from a Jerusalem lockup.

Under the terms of the agreement, the cease-fire will last for four days. During that time, Israel will exchange 150 Palestinian prisoners for 50 hostages captured by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier the 13 hostages returned by Hamas were in the hands of Israeli authorities and received a medical assessment. They are being transported to Israeli hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families, officials said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the release of hostages on Friday and said the safe return of all those taken "is one of the goals of the war and we are committed to achieving all of the goals of the war." 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that the 13 hostages released by Hamas are with IDF Special Forces and Israeli Securities Authority forces on Israeli soil. 

The released Israelis underwent medical assessment and will be accompanied by IDF soldiers as they are transported to Israeli hospitals, where they will meet their families, the military said. 

"The Israel Defense Forces salutes and embraces the released hostages upon their return home," the IDF said in a statement. "The IDF, together with the entire Israeli security establishment, will continue operating until all the hostages are returned home."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office embraced the return of these hostages in a statement.

"We have now completed the return of the first of our hostages. Children, their mothers and more women. Each and every one of them is a whole world," Netanyahu said.

"But I emphasize to you - the families, and to you - the citizens of Israel: we are committed to the return of all our abductees," he continued. "This is one of the goals of the war and we are committed to achieving all the goals of the war."

Fox News' Dana Karni contributed to this update.

RAFAH, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 24: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks to media alongside Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (not pictured) during a visit to the Rafah border crossing on November 24, 2023 in Rafah, Egypt. (Photo by Ali Moustafa/Getty Images)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday called on the European Union to recognize a Palestinian state in remarks delivered at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza.

Speaking alongside Belgium Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, Sánchez criticized Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip and said it was time for the international community to recognize Palestinian statehood. He warned that if the European Union fails to act, Spain would do so unilaterally.

Sánchez said it would better if the EU did it together, “but if this is not the case … Spain will take their own decisions.”

He was speaking at end of a two-day visit to Israel, Palestinian Territories and Egypt with de Croo.

Israel has the right to defend itself "but it must do so within the parameters and limits imposed by international humanitarian law and this is not the case,” Sánchez said. “The indiscriminate killing of civilians, including thousands of boys and girls, are completely unacceptable.”

In response, the Israeli government ahs summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium, the Associated Press reported. 

A Red Cross vehicle, as part of a convoy believed to be carrying hostages abducted by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, arrives at the Rafah border, amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, as seen from southern Gaza Strip Nov. 24, 2023. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

The terrorist group Hamas released their first wave of hostages, beginning a four-day exchange that has paused the violence in Gaza.

Twenty-five hostages were transported out of Gaza via the Rafah border crossing on Friday, according to the Times of Israel, citing Israeli officials.

Twelve Thai nationals and 13 Israelis were released into the care of Red Cross personnel, who were seen carrying those rescued via ambulance from Gaza into Egypt. The Israeli hostages were then expected to be transported to Israel to receive care at various hospitals.

Images show the hostages being transported in Red Cross vehicles.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day ceasefire during which the terrorist group will release 50 women and children taken in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The hostages will be released over a 4-day period, beginning Friday, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Israeli leaders have vowed to resume the war once the cease-fire lifts.

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

Iranian-backed proxy groups that have launched dozens of rocket and drone attacks at U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have paused their fire amid the Israel-Hamas cease-fire.

The Associated Press reported that Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini said his group is “not necessarily” observing the truce, which they are not party to, but is "monitoring" the behavior of the United States and will act accordingly.

The pause comes after U.S. forces killed multiple Kataib Hezbollah fighters in response to short-range missile attacks on U.S. forces at Al-Asad Air Base.

Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militant groups under the umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq began striking U.S. facilities Oct. 17 and have since launched more than 60 attacks in Iraq and Syria. The militant groups have said they are retaliating against the U.S. for its support of the Israeli offensive in Gaza that has killed more thousands of Palestinians, following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 surprise attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis.

The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, which has exchanged fire with Israeli forces along the Jewish state's northern border for weeks, has likewise paused its attacks on Friday. The AP reports that more than 55,000 Lebanese displaced by the fighting have begun to return to their homes and businesses in border towns to inspect the damage. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

American Israel Public Affairs Committee President Michael Tuchin introduces Secretary of State Antony Blinken before his address to the AIPAC Policy Summit at a hotel in Washington, D.C. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrated outside the home of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee president, lighting smoke bombs and accusing him of killing babies. 

Demonstrators held the protest at AIPAC President Michael Tuchin's vacation home in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving. 

"AIPAC spends tens of millions to control pro-genocide congress members," protest organizers wrote of Tuchin and AIPAC.

"F--- your holiday baby killer!" the group added.

The demonstration was organized by People's City Council, a local leftist organization that describes itself as an "abolitionist, anti-capitalist & anti-imperialist collective amplifying the voice of the people through direct action, public ed + community space."

Smoke bombs were lit outside the residence, filling the area outside Tuchin's residence with a gray haze, according to video shared on X by the account Stop Antisemitism.

Protesters also spilled red paint around the area, symbolically accusing Tuchin of having "blood" on his hands.

AIPAC is a nonpartisan, pro-Israel political action committee (PAC) that lobbies for Israeli interests in Washington.

It is one of the most powerful foreign interest PACs in the country and has been sharply criticized by left-wing members of Congress. 

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

Israel's foreign minister said Friday it will continue the war against Hamas once the four-day cease-fire is over and will not stop until Hamas is overthrown.

Both sides agreed to a temporary cease-fire, which began Friday, as part of a hostage release deal. Hamas will release 50 of the hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The truce could be extended by a day for each additional release of 10 more hostages — an arrangement that could translate into a longer cease-fire. In all, militants from Hamas and other groups kidnapped about 240 people in their Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

However, Israeli leaders have vowed to resume the war once the cease-fire lifts.

“Israel will continue its war on Hamas and we will not stop until we achieve our two main goals, overthrowing the rule of Hamas and returning all the abductees back to us, safe and sound,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Friday as he toured Israel’s ravaged border areas with his counterparts from Portugal and Slovenia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have made similar pledges.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

A surge of antisemitic acts on college campuses across the United States is prompting some parents and students to rethink their higher education plans, according to an educational expert.

"This problem stems from the top of a university," Jennifer Brozost, co-founder of the Private Education Advisory Service, told Fox News. "These kind of protests and hateful actions and violence would not be happening on college campuses if they were not allowed to be."

"Parents and kids are taking note, and they're watching," she added.

Antisemitic incidents surged more than 300% in the month following Hamas' attack on Israel, according to a recent Anti-Defamation League survey. There were 124 incidents recorded on college campuses between Oct. 7 and Nov. 7, according to the ADL, compared to just 12 during the same period last year.

Brandy Shufutinsky, an educational consultant and mother of four, said her Black, Jewish family has "completely reevaluated" where their two school-aged children will eventually attend college.

"The idea that I would send my 14-year-old to any university where he's going to knowingly encounter antisemitism or be targeted or be forced to stay behind locked doors in a cafeteria because there's a lynch mob outside targeting him is abhorrent and ridiculous," Shufutinsky said. "I'm not sending my child to college to be lynched."

Fox News Digital's Hannah Ray Lambert contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to improve targeting of Hamas operators and facilities as its military faces criticism for what's been deemed as collateral damage and civilian casualties.

"I can't predict how long the Gaza operation will take, but the IDF's use of AI and Machine Learning (ML) tools can certainly assist in the administratively burdensome targeting identification, evaluation and assessment process," Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, told Fox News Digital.

"Similar to U.S. forces, the IDF takes great effort to reduce collateral damage and civilian casualties, and tools like AI and ML can make the targeting process more agile and executable," Montgomery added.

"AI tools should help in target identification efforts, expediting target review and approval," he said. "There will inevitably still be humans in the targeting process but in a much accelerated timeline."

"This could reduce casualties and speed up campaign execution if executed properly," Montgomery said. 

Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken contributed to this update.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that preparations are complete and Israel is ready to receive the 13 hostages to be released by Hamas at 9 a.m. ET. 

"The IDF, in coordination with government ministries and security authorities, have prepared to quickly receive the released hostages and give them all the necessary support," the military said in a statement. 

"As part of the preparations, the IDF has readied several locations dedicated to the initial reception of the released hostages, including with necessary medical provisions and support. After the initial reception and medical treatment, the released hostages will continue to hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families," the IDF continued.

The military requested that the public and the media respect the privacy of the hostages and their families. 

"The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit asks that the public refer to official updates and announcements only, and refrain from enabling the weaponization of psychological terror by terrorist organizations," the military said. 

A Miss Universe judge says she received numerous death threats after she sparred with a Palestinian activist on air over the war in Gaza.

Emily Austin, who is a Jewish journalist and engages in activism related to Israel, joined "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on October 24 to discuss the ongoing conflict.

The segment quickly devolved when Austin confronted Nerdeen Kiswani, an anti-Israel activist, who cast doubt on intel that claimed an Islamic Jihad's failed rocket launch was responsible for the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital blast in Gaza City.

Austin also asked Kiswani if she condemned 9/11, a topic that angered the Palestinian activist who called the line of questioning "ridiculous."

During the back and forth, Kiswani repeatedly turned to Piers Morgan and asked why he was not dealing out the questions instead.

Kiswani also called Austin a "genocide denier," a moniker that she denied and labeled as "child's play."

Austin suggested that Kiswani had instigated online harassment against her by posting her picture with a red triangle over her head.

"I really tried to keep it fact-based, unemotional, like this is what this is. She was yelling. She was talking over me, threatening me on Instagram with, like, a red arrow over my head, telling people how funny it was to put a bounty on my head. That's not so funny," Austin told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital's Nikolas Lanum contributed to this update.

The anti-Israel movement roiling major American cities and college campuses following the outbreak of Israel's war with Hamas bears a striking resemblance to other movements favored by social justice activists, experts suggest.

Since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists, an outpouring of protests across the world have not condemned the terror group but rather the Jewish state, which continues to reflect on the loss of more than 1,200 Israelis who died in the massacre last month.

The most extreme displays from Hamas-sympathizing supporters seem to be coming from American college campuses. Particularly concerning demonstrations were witnessed at once-prestigious institutions such as Harvard and New York University, among others.

Aside from college campuses, the anti-Israel movement also found its way to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, D.C., where supposed pro-Palestinian demonstrators grew violent and clashed with police. Other protests have taken place outside the State Department, where demonstrators held handcrafted signs with anti-Israel slogans like "Israel = Cancer of the Middle East."

Those protests, and similar ones in recent American history, according to observers who've watched the issue unfold and offered their perspectives to Fox News Digital, are part of a much larger problem meant to "destabilize this country."

Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney who serves as the executive director of The Lawfare Project, said she believes it's time for law enforcement officials to open an investigation to find out how the protests are organized, as well as whether the protests are connected to foreign governments or terrorist organizations.

"We need to call these protesters what they are. They are not pro-Palestinian. There is no Palestinian democracy movement. There’s no Palestinian peace movement. They are pro-Hamas," she said. "We need to take a long hard look at how a significant segment of our population has become radicalized. Law enforcement and lawmakers have, for too long, turned a blind eye to the operations of foreign governments within our borders, especially Qatar. They have ignored the relationship between designated terrorist groups and student groups on campus."

"These protesters are not progressive, and they are not nonviolent. Their purpose is to destabilize this country and there’s an urgent need for law-enforcement to open an investigation into how they are being organized and whether or not they are tied to foreign governments or foreign terrorist groups," she added.

Fox News Digital's Kyle Morris contributed to this update.

RAFAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 24: A view of a leaflet dropped by Israeli forces to warn Palestinians against moving to north of Gaza during humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 24, 2023. 'To the residents of the Gaza Strip, the war didn't end yet, the humanitarian pause is temporary, and the northern region of Gaza is a war zone,' the leaflet said. (Photo by Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Israel's military has warned displaced Palestinians, now seeking refuge in southern Gaza, not to return to their homes in the northern half of the territory during the temporary cease-fire.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped Arabic-language leaflets on Friday over southern Gaza, saying that “the war has not ended yet” and people should remain in place.

"The war is not over yet. The humanitarian pause is temporary. The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south," it said.

“Returning to the north is prohibited and very dangerous,” the leaflets added. “Your fate and the fate of your families is in your hands. We have warned you.”

Despite the warnings, some Palestinians were seen walking north along Gaza’s main highway.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X in Arabic that sharply discouraging Palestinians along the highway, saying movement would only be permitted in one direction: from north to south.

Since the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7 triggered the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes in the north. The Israeli army repeatedly warns these residents to leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere in their pursuit of Hamas terrorists.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

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. (Photo by 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.

The temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that started Friday at 7:00 a.m. local time in Gaza has been off to a shaky start amid reports of continued violence.

According to the Associated Press, Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians and wounded several others who were traveling toward northern Gaza. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) previously warned displaced Palestinians to remain in southern Gaza and not to return to the war-torn north.

An Associated Press journalist reported seeing the two bodies and 11 others who were wounded as they arrived at a hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah in southern Gaza.

Friday’s shooting came hours after the Israeli military warned hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge in southern Gaza not to return to the northern half of the territory, where Israel's army has suspended its ground offensive.

Several witnesses also reported seeing Israeli troops firing on people heading north.

Separately, Israeli forces shot and killed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in the West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Friday. Violence has surged in the territory as the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza.

The boy was killed Thursday in the village of Beita near the flashpoint city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the officials said.

The Israeli military said the Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers as they entered the village and that the troops responded with live fire, the Associated Press reported.