Israel launches second ground incursion into Gaza, Hamas commander killed in airstrike

Colleges should expect more vocal board members and less generous donors if they continue letting students force "woke" decisions on administrators, a former University of Pennsylvania trustee said following widespread anti-Israel rallies.

"A university is not run by the students, the university is run by the board of trustees who represent all the alumni," the former trustee, CSMI CEO and charter school magnate Vahan Gureghian, told Fox News. "Presidents of these universities need to take heed before they make these woke decisions that adversely impact the reputation of these elite institutions because they have awakened the sleeping giant of donors who are now saying, ‘I'm not just going to write a check anymore and automatically give them money no matter what they say or do.’"

Several top universities, including UPenn, have drawn criticism for allowing pro-Palestinian student groups to rally and express anti-Israel sentiments. Several major donors have cut off support from the Ivy League school, and drove Gureghian and a board of advisors member to resign.

UPenn faced criticism prior to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel for hosting a "Palestine Writes Literature Festival" featuring speakers with a history of antisemitism despite alumni and students' appeals to cancel or condemn the event, Fox News previously reported. Gureghian, who was still a trustee at the time, was surprised the university's president, Liz Magill, let the Sept. 22 event proceed after concerns were raised.

"There's plenty of people on the board, all of whom are substantial men and women, that you could get advice and counsel from, and clearly they would give you the advice and counsel to cancel," he said. "That didn't happen. She let it go on."

But then Magill took three days to release a statement in response to Hamas' attack, which killed around 1,400 Israelis and included women and children. Gureghian felt that was too slow — particularly after her decision about the Palestine Writes event just weeks earlier — and resigned as a trustee after nearly 15 years.

Simon Simard/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Over 600 alumni, faculty, and students of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are pleading with the university’s president to "prevent the propagation of slogans, messages, and hateful acts that may threaten the safety of Jewish and Israeli students" after calls for "intifada" rang out at an anti-Israel protest last week.

A list of 607 people associated with the school, including a graduate of 1953, wrote a letter to MIT President Sally Kornbluth Monday citing "deep concern, fear, and disappointment" after chants of "one solution, intifada revolution" and "from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea, Palestine will be free!" rang out at a rally in support of the Hamas terrorist attacks that killed over 1,400 Israelis Oct. 7.

"While we fully support the principles of free speech and the right to peaceful assembly, it is essential that we also prioritize the safety and well-being of all members of the MIT community," the letter states.

The letter says in addition to the use of these derogatory messages, several attendees of the event used hateful language and messages toward Jewish and Israeli bystanders. In one case, "a perpetrator aggressively held their bicycles as intended to harm a Jewish MIT student, stating that ‘[your] ancestors did not die in the Holocaust so they could kill Palestinians.’"

Those signing the letter include graduates with PhDs and MBAs and prestigious fellowship recipients.

The authors state that in the context of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the word intifada means the "armed and violent Palestinian insurrection targeting Israelis, including civilians, which resulted in the killing of thousands of Israelis in the last few decades."

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Three weeks to the day after the Hamas assault on Israel, former President Donald Trump and his top rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination will showcase their solidarity with Israel as they all speak at the same event.

Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy all speak Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition's (RJC) annual leadership conference in Las Vegas.

The gathering is only the second time Trump, the commanding frontrunner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run, is taking part in an event with his 2024 rivals.

"This is a Halley’s Comet-type rare event where we have all of the Republican presidential candidates together at the same event on the same day on the same stage," RJC CEO Matt Brooks told Fox News.

Brooks said the appearance of the major Republican presidential contenders and other major GOP leaders speaking at the three-day confab that got underway Thursday "underscores how much they value the Jewish community."

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed during the sneak attack. Israel responded with relentless airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which, according to authorities in the Hamas-controlled territory, have left roughly 7,000 Palestinians dead.

Israeli military aircrafts attacked about 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip over Friday night amid the ongoing war against Hamas terrorists.

The Israeli Defense Forces said Hamas terrorists were killed while underground combat zones and other underground terrorist infrastructures were also destroyed.

The IDF said the head of the Hamas air force was eliminated.

More than 8,400 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. 

Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Friday that cutting off communication to people in Gaza during the war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists is "unacceptable" and endangers innocent civilians.

The congresswoman was responding to a post on X from Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot, who said he has been unable to contact his family in Gaza.

"I have been trying to reach my family in Gaza for hours with no success," Zomlot wrote. "All telecommunications and internet have been cut, while Israeli strikes is literally destroying Gaza from air land and sea. How many more innocent people: children, parents and grandparents will be murdered before the world steps in?"

Ocasio-Cortez replied, "Cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered."

"I do not know how such an act can be defended. The United States has historically denounced this practice," she added.

More than 8,400 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

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President Biden said in a letter to House and Senate leaders that the U.S. airstrikes against Syria on Thursday represented "necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law" within "the United States' inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter."

As I have reported previously, militia groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have perpetrated a series of attacks against United States personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria," Biden wrote. "Since October 17, 2023, these militia groups have conducted numerous attacks using unmanned aerial systems and indirect fire, injuring several United States service members.  A United States contractor suffered a fatal cardiac incident while moving to shelter during one of these attacks.  These attacks have placed under grave threat the lives of United States personnel and of Coalition forces operating alongside United States forces."

"In response to this series of attacks and continuing threats of future attacks, at my direction, on the night of October 26, 2023, United States forces conducted targeted strikes against facilities in eastern Syria," he continued. "The precision strikes targeted facilities used by the IRGC and IRGC-affiliated groups for command and control, munitions storage, and other purposes.  The strikes were intended to establish deterrence and were conducted in a manner to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties.  I directed the strikes in order to protect and defend our personnel, to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks against the United States and our partners, and to deter Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities."

The president added, "I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and to conduct United States foreign relations.  The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law and in the exercise of the United States' inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.  The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks."

The military action comes against Syria comes amid the war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.

More than 8,400 people have been killed and thousands more wounded in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on the terrorist group.

Israel intensified its airstrikes in Gaza ahead of an imminent ground invasion as the United States continued to push for humanitarian pause to try to negotiate the release of hostages, two U.S. officials told Fox News Digital on Friday.

On Friday morning, the Israeli military’s plan was to send a division into Gaza as airstrikes intensified, but it has held off on a large-scale offensive, instead sending in a smaller force.

There is no progress on hostage negotiations with Hamas as of Friday but the U.S. continues to push for humanitarian pauses if hostage releases would be successful, the officials said.

They also said that Israel “has heard our concerns” about taking every attempt to mitigate civilian casualties. 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III also spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant in a Friday call in which they discussed Israel's operations in Gaza, according to a readout.

Austin "underscored the importance of protecting civilians during the Israel Defense Forces’ operations and focusing on the urgency of humanitarian aid delivery for civilians in Gaza" while stressing the importance of Hamas releasing all hostages, the readout said.

Fox News Digital's Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Airstrikes over Gaza City. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Hamas is trying to prevent people from leaving northern Gaza and is shielding itself behind civilians despite warnings from Israel to leave the area amid its airstrikes, a Palestinian activist told Fox News Digital.

"Unfortunately, sometimes we have more and more casualties among the Palestinians because of such kind of attitude and behavior of Hamas," Palestinian human rights activist and political analyst Bassem Eid said, accusing the group of physically restraining and blocking people from leaving.

Hamas continues to hide underneath homes and hospitals in the Gaza City, Israel alleges.

"They are physically … and trying even sometimes by force to push people back, closing the entrances of the villages or the cities or the neighborhoods over there, just standing over there and not allowing for people to move out," Eid said. "So I can say that they are forcing people – they never ask people to remain in their places, but they are forcing people not to get out of their homes." 

Israel has told residents they should be safe in southern Gaza. 

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

Grand Central Terminal in New York City has temporarily closed due to protests inside the station, the Metro Transit Authority said just before 8 p.m. Friday.

The closure came after Pro-Palestine protesters packed the station, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Videos of the protests shared to social media show demonstrators wearing shirts that said “Cease fire now” and "Not in our name" and chanting "Free Palestine" while some held banners, including one that said “Palestinians should be free.”

A video from Freedomnews.tv showed an officer on a bullhorn being drowned out by cheering protesters as he told them they were "occupying this premises unlawfully" and that they would be arrested if they didn't disperse.

Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that arrests were made but didn't yet have the exact numbers of how many.

The protests started around 6 p.m., WABC-TV reported.

Jewish Voice for Peace confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that it had organized the rally.

"HAPPENING NOW AT NYC'S GRAND CENTRAL STATION: THOUSANDS OF JEWS AND ALLIES HOLD AN EMERGENCY SIT-IN, DEMANDING A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA," a post from the group said. "WE'RE TAKING OVER THE GRAND CONCOURSE. WE'RE REFUSING TO ALLOW A GENOCIDE BE CARRIED OUT IN OUR NAMES. CEASEFIRE NOW! NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE!"

The MTA said subway riders should allow extra time and take the subway to Harlem-125 St for train service.

On Friday, the UN adopted a non-binding resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza without condemning Hamas’ attacks, which the U.S. voted against and Israel rebuked it.

Israel on Friday also said it was expanding its ground activity in Gaza. 

Tulane University in New Orleans called a rally held without permission that descended into violence Thursday a "dark day for our community."

Three students were assaulted during the brawl that the university said involved many people who weren't affiliated with the school.

Video of the incident shows police and what appears to be school administrators trying to calm the competing crowds of protesters, who at times come to blows. The pro-Palestinian protesters also carry banners that read, "From the River to the Sea Palestine Will Be Free," which many have interpreted and understood to mean a call for the end of Israel's existence as a state.

"This rally was not approved or sanctioned by Tulane," the statement from University President Michael A. Fitts read. "There were approximately 40 plainclothes and uniformed New Orleans, Tulane, Loyola and State Police officers, including mounted police, who made arrests."

He added, "Everyone who committed an illegal act on this day will be held accountable for their actions ... Symbols and acts of hatred, anti-Semitism, deliberate provocation and preying upon the fears of others are not part of who we are."

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

Israel condemned the Untied Nations’ non-binding resolution that was passed on Friday as “empty words” that refused to call out “murderous terrorists by name.”

“Today is a day that will go down in infamy,” Israeli Gilad Erdan said after the 120-14 vote with 45 abstentions.

The U.S. voted against the resolution after supporting a Canadian amendment to condemn Hamas that failed to pass.

Erdan continued, “We have all witnessed that the UN no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance. This organization was founded in the wake of the Holocaust for the purpose of preventing atrocities, yet the spectacle we just saw proves beyond a doubt that the UN is committed, not to preventing, but ensuring, further atrocities.”

He said it the duty of the U.N. to “call out murderous terrorists by name, not hide them behind empty words! Why are you defending murderers? Why are you defending terrorists that deliberately beheaded children and abducted babies?”

The ambassador added that Israel is committed to eradicating Hamas’ capabilities for the “purpose of preventing future atrocities.”

“We all know, that if given the chance, Hamas – and Hezbollah – would commit the October 7th Massacre again, and again, and again, until there is not a single Israeli left to murder, or a single citizen to terrorize and drive away from Israel,” he added.

“And the only way to destroy Hamas, is to root them out of their tunnels and subterranean city of terror.”

He noted that the resolution doesn’t even name Hamas.

“As if this war started on its own!” he said. “Even when discussing our hostages, the drafters could not even bring themselves to name the Hamas terrorists responsible for this blatant war crime.”

Erdan added that Israel will continue to defend itself and will do “what must be done” to stop Hamas’ capabilities.

“This is a dark day for the UN and for mankind," he added.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Eli Cohen, Israel’s foreign minister said, “We reject outright the UN General Assembly despicable call for a ceasefire. Israel intends to eliminate Hamas just as the world dealt with the Nazis and ISIS.”

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was urged of Iran's unique position in getting Hamas' hostages held in Gaza released. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the importance of Iran’s contribution toward the “unconditional and immediate” release of hostages being held in Gaza, in a Friday meeting with Iran’s foreign minister H.E. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

“The Secretary-General expressed to the Foreign Minister the importance of the Iranian contribution towards the unconditional and immediate release of hostages held in Gaza, and for the efforts being made to avoid a regional spill-over of the conflict and, in particular, in relation to Lebanon,” a readout of the meeting said.

On Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian accused Israel of “war crimes” and said the U.S. should stop supporting “genocide” in Gaza.

“Unfortunately this is the state of our world today,” he said. “This is the situation of the Security Council, which was supposed to try to establish world peace and security,” he said.

Friday afternoon, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution calling for a for "durable and sustained humanitarian truce" in Gaza 120-14 with 45 abstentions.

The resolution didn't condemn Hamas for its unprovoked "terrorist attacks" that Canada had offered in a rejected amendment to the resolution. The U.S. backed the amendment and voted against the resolution.

In response to the resolution, Israel’s ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “today is a day that will go down in infamy.”

“We have all witnessed that the UN holds not even one ounce of legitimacy,” he said. “The UN is committed to ensuring further atrocity. According to the family of nations, Israel has no right to defend itself.”

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan condemns the UN resolution that failed to condemn Hamas' attacks. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

The United Nations on Friday adopted a non-binding resolution 120-14 with 45 abstentions for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza that failed to condemn Hamas for its unprovoked attacks on Israel at the start of the war.

The U.S. was among the 14 who voted against the resolution.

It was the first U.N. response since Hamas Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

A Canadian amendment backed by the Untied States to condemn Hamas’ “terrorist attacks” was rejected before the resolution was adopted.

In response to the resolution, Israel’s ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “today is a day that will go down in infamy.”

“We have all witnessed that the UN holds not even one ounce of legitimacy,” he said. “The UN is committed to ensuring further atrocity. According to the family of nations, Israel has no right to defend itself.”

“People are very scared inside” Gaza “at this hour,” Fox News reporter Trey Yingst said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, live from Southern Israel late Friday local time, citing a source within Gaza.

Airstrikes could be heard and seen in the video behind him.

He added, “We do expect it to be a very active front in the hours to come.”

Earlier, Yingst called Friday night the “next phase of the war.”

“I cannot confirm a ground invasion has begun but a new phase has begun,” he reported live on air. "This is unlike any other night we have covered."

The war between Israel and Hamas has entered the “next phase,” Fox News reporter Trey Yingst reported from Southern Israel on Friday evening local time.

“I cannot confirm a ground invasion has begun but a new phase has begun,” he reported live on air.“

Tonight there will be Israeli forces inside the Gaza strip” whether or not it is a full ground invasion, he added.

He stressed, “We have not seen anything like this,” adding that Friday evening is “unlike any other night we have covered."

He said a source inside Gaza told him that “Gaza tonight is alone” and the millions of “innocent bystanders” there feel “terrified.”

Yingst added that Israel’s military said it is increasing air strikes and continuing with plan to completely destroy Hamas. 

Mark Regev, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu also told Fox, "We are beefing up the pressure on Hamas. Hamas is feeling Israel's might.”

Dr. Phil McGraw strongly condemned university leaders for their tepid response to "disturbing" student protests after the Hamas terror attack, saying there was an "ivy-covered intellectual rot" on college campuses.

The no-nonsense television host began his message scolding those who were softening language in describing the Hamas terrorists.

"The Hamas invaders were not soldiers; they were assassins," McGraw said in a video posted by the Dr. Phil Show and TBN Israel. "The Hamas charter calls for the ultimate annihilation of all Israeli Jews, followed by the annihilation of Jews around the world. Sound familiar?" he remarked while photos from the Holocaust played in the background. "Sadly, some people, including some right here in America, actually celebrated the slaughter and blame those being murdered, raped, and kidnapped," he said.

McGraw called out Harvard , Yale, Georgetown, UCLA and Stanford among the dozens of other universities which he said have "indulged" and "sanctioned" protests in recent weeks. "These student organizations' response to the Hamas attack revealed a disturbing degree of ivy-covered intellectual rot," he warned.

McGraw turned his ire onto university leaders who've allowed demonstrations which he claimed were "celebrating the murder" of Israelis.

"The leadership of these supposedly highly sophisticated schools are so busy virtue-signaling and coddling students who think that words are violence, but violence, horrific, inhumane violence, is social justice, that they have forgotten it is their job to teach their students to think and to test reality," he ranted.

"Instead of training tomorrow’s leaders," he added, "they are profoundly demagnetizing our culture’s moral compass among the college population."

He went on to say that "enlightened, woke" universities were failing miserably at educating students and training them in critical thinking.

Fox News Digital's Kristine Parks contributed to this update.

A Hamas spokesperson stormed out of a BBC interview on Thursday when asked about how the terror group justified killing civilians in its Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

During an interview with BBC Middle East reporter Hugo Bachega, Deputy Foreign Minister for Hamas, Ghazi Hamad, insisted that his group’s attack on Israel that resulted in the murders of around 1,400 people was focused on military targets.

He claimed that there was "no command" to kill innocent people.

When Bachega pressed him on the fact that Hamas fighters targeted civilians during their invasion into neighborhoods in southern Israel, Hamad refused to continue with the discussion and left.

Prompting the sparring between the spokesman and BBC reporter in the now viral clip, Hamad claimed that Oct. 7’s attack "was a military operation." 

"It was directed for military purposes, for the military sites," he insisted, before Bachega cut him off, stating, "But hundreds of civilians were killed." 

Hamad sidestepped the interruption and pressed on, adding that Hamas’ attack was also against the "military soldiers who imposed sanctions and collective punishment against our people."

Again, the Hamas spokesperson said the attack was not aimed at civilians, stating, "And I think from the first moment, we declared that this operation was not directed to the civilians. But I can confirm and assure again and again that there was no command, no command to kill any civilians."

When Bachega pressed him on the fact that Hamas fighters targeted civilians during their invasion into neighborhoods in southern Israel, Hamad refused to continue with the discussion and left.

Prompting the sparring between the spokesman and BBC reporter in the now viral clip, Hamad claimed that Oct. 7’s attack "was a military operation." 

"It was directed for military purposes, for the military sites," he insisted, before Bachega cut him off, stating, "But hundreds of civilians were killed." 

Hamad sidestepped the interruption and pressed on, adding that Hamas’ attack was also against the "military soldiers who imposed sanctions and collective punishment against our people."

Again, the Hamas spokesperson said the attack was not aimed at civilians, stating, "And I think from the first moment, we declared that this operation was not directed to the civilians. But I can confirm and assure again and again that there was no command, no command to kill any civilians."

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

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 26: The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press on Artificial Intelligence along with Amandeep Singh Gill (not seen), Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology and Ilze Brands Kehris (not seen), Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States on October 26, 2023. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres issued a dire warning about the imminent "total collapse" of the humanitarian situation in Gaza as Israel intensifies its bombing campaign. 

"The humanitarian system in Gaza is facing a total collapse with unimaginable consequences for more than 2 million civilians," Guterres said in a statement.

He lamented that only 12 aid trucks per day have been permitted to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, emphasizing there is greater need for fuel, medicine and food now amid war than ever before. 

"Given the desperate and dramatic situation, the United Nations will not be able to continue to deliver inside Gaza without an immediate and fundamental shift in how aid is going in," Guterres said, calling for additional aid trucks to be admitted to Gaza.

"I welcome the growing global consensus for a humanitarian pause in the conflict. I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies at the scale needed," he continued. 

"Misery is growing by the minute.

"Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering."

Telegram, a popular social media messaging app, has shut down several accounts belonging to the terrorist group Hamas that have been used to release videos related to the Israel-Hamas war, a report said.

An account linked to Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, which has nearly 693,000 followers, now reads, "Unfortunately, this channel couldn’t be displayed on your device.” the same message appears when opening the page of Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida, the Associated Press reported.

The AP report cited a Google spokesperson who was not authorized to speak publicly to the media and spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirming the report. 

The spokesperson said Google Play’s policies require all apps that feature user-generated content to effectively moderate egregious content, including content that promotes terrorist acts, incites violence, or celebrates terrorist attacks.

“When violations are found we take appropriate action,” the spokesperson said.

In the days immediately following the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, Hamas released graphic images and videos on social media boasting of the atrocities committed on more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and troops. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Dust is seen as Egyptian security sources told Reuters that a projectile fell in the Red Sea resort town of Nuweiba, Egypt, October 27, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Ahmed Ona via REUTERS

Projectiles hit two Egyptian Red Sea towns on Friday, injuring six people, according to reports.

Israel's military blamed an "aerial threat" in the Red Sea region: a possible reference to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement which is known to use drones, Reuters reported. 

Egyptian army spokesperson Colonel Gharib Abdel-Hafez said an "unidentified drone" crashed into a building adjacent to a hospital injuring the six in Taba, on the border with Israel, in the early hours.

Later Friday morning, another projectile fell near an electricity plant in the town of Nuweiba, about 43 miles from the border, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters. 

No one has claimed responsibility for the incidents. 

Witnesses reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke rising plus Egyptian warplanes flying overhead, according to Reuters. 

The incidents underscore fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could erupt into a larger Middle East conflict involving terrorist groups backed by Iran. 

Reuters contributed to this update.

American forces intercepted a drone attack on Al-Assad Air Base in Iraq on Friday, according to a U.S. defense official.

"Early in the morning of 27 OCT, U.S. forces engaged a one-way attack drone a few kilometers from Al-Assad Air Base, Iraq, and successfully shot it down without further incident," the official said. 

This is the 20th attack on U.S. troops in the Middle East since October 17th. 

The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on two facilities in eastern Syria in response to ongoing attacks against American military personnel in Iraq and Syria over the past week, according to the Department of Defense.

A pair of F-16s targeted two facilities – a weapons depot and an ammo storage area – near Abu Kamal used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News' Jennifer Griffin. It's unclear if there were any Iranian militants at the facilities when they were hit.

Earlier, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that U.S. strikes on Iranian proxies in Syria were targeting weapons and storage facilities.

“These strikes were in self defense,” Kirby said on ABC's "Good Morning America." 

The terror group Hamas has denied Israel's allegation that its command centers exist in an underground complex beneath Gaza's largest hospital. 

A senior Hamas leader called the allegations "baseless" in a statement reported by the Times of Israel.

Izzat al-Rishq said, "these lies represent a prelude to a new massacre against our people, greater than the one of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital” — referring to the Oct. 17 blast that U.S. intelligence determined was likely caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket misfiring. Hamas has blamed Israel for the explosion and accused the Jewish state of committing war crimes against the Palestinian people.

The IDF said earlier that Hamas has hidden its main base of terror operations within a complex network of underground tunnels connecting hospitals and other civilian structures in Gaza. 

“Over 40,000 have sought refuge in Al-Shifa hospital, as they were displaced by the bombing that hit everything,” al-Rishq said. “We call on the leaders of Arab and Muslim countries to take action and stop the genocide against our people."

Josh Gad, who voiced the character in "Olaf" in the Disney movie "Frozen," said that he felt "alienated" by liberals in the wake of "antisemitic tropes" that have seemingly become popularized online since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo // Getty Images)

Actor Josh Gad , who voiced the character "Olaf" in the Disney movie "Frozen," said that he felt "alienated" by liberals in the wake of "antisemitic tropes" that have seemingly become popularized online since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

"I have always called myself a Progressive," Gad wrote on Thursday in a post on Threads, a competitor to X. "The past 2 weeks have made me feel so desperately alienated & disheartened by what that seems to encompass. I’ll always stand for what’s right but to see people I’ve always identified with ripping down posters of hostages & say such horrific & uninformed things that truly resemble antisemitic tropes is very troubling to me & so many. I stand with all those who want to protect innocent Palestinians." 

"Why can’t that same attitude be expressed for Jews?" he asked. 

Gad was responding to a post from activist Charlotte Clymer on how the left's response to the war has been a major miscalculation. 

"It's been rather astonishing to watch just how badly much of the far-left is miscalculating this moment," Clymer wrote. "It has never been more clear how many of them are firmly ensconced in echo chambers, and it is doing them no favors. Quite the opposite."

This is not the first time that Gad, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, has spoken out about the conflict between Israel and Gaza. Lieba Nesis, entertainment writer for The Jewish Voice, told Fox News Digital in an interview that Gad has previously "felt the need to correct himself" for his initial reaction expressing sympathy for Israel, writing on social media he was "personally attacked, shamed, unfollowed and threatened" and reiterated his long-standing criticism of the Israeli government's "occupation and their attacks on innocent Gazans." 

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

Newly-minted House Speaker Mike Johnson told FOX News in his first television interview since gaining the gavel that the U.S. stands firmly behind Israel, while back at home, lawmakers and the Biden administration alike must find common ground and acknowledge "God is not done" with America yet.

Johnson told "Hannity" the House is primed to proffer a $14.5 billion support bill for Israel, slightly more than what the Louisiana Republican said Israel – via the White House – has asked for.

However, a key difference between the House appropriation and other federal support is that the money will come in exchange for "pay-for's" in the budget, rather than simply printing the money.

Johnson said the figure is a "very specific number tied to very specific measures" and that each dollar should be offset by a cut elsewhere.

In terms of potential U.S. military involvement in Israel's fight for survival against Iran-backed Hamas, Johnson said he is hopeful to avert a boots-on-the-ground situation, but added that during a White House meeting Thursday he reminded President Biden's staff that they have limited ability to directly respond without congressional approval.

The Founding Fathers, he said, envisioned a "multitude of wise counsel" in such matters, which he noted is why Congress has the power to declare war, not the executive branch.

Johnson added that he has met previously with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and agreed that while Americans talk of "existential threats" stateside, Israel faces one or more daily.

"Their neighbors want to eliminate them," he said.

"America will back [Netanyahu] up – they tell us when we're in Israel the reason we're able to sustain ourselves and survive is because everybody knows our big ally is America."

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the U.S. strikes on Iranian proxies in Syria were targeting weapons and storage facilities. 

“These strikes were in self defense,” Kirby said on ABC's "Good Morning America." 

Hours earlier, the U.S. military conducted airstrikes on two facilities in eastern Syria in response to ongoing attacks against American military personnel in Iraq and Syria over the past week, according to the Department of Defense.

A pair of F-16s targeted two facilities – a weapons depot and an ammo storage area – near Abu Kamal used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News' Jennifer Griffin. It's unclear if there were any Iranian militants at the facilities when they were hit.

Asked if Iran will retaliate, Kirby said, “It’s not uncommon for them to strike back. If they do, we’ll absolutely do what we have to do to protect our troops and our facilities."

"We’ll be ready for that,” he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Local authorities identified the driver of the Volkswagen-made vehicle as 47-year-old Hani Saleh of Elmsford, New York. (White Plains Police Department)

A man was illegally carrying a handgun after he drove through the streets of a New York town in a car covered in swastikas, a Palestinian flag and pro-Hamas messages just blocks from a planned pro-Israel rally, officials said.

Hani Saleh, 47, was arrested Wednesday in White Plains at South Lexington Avenue and Quarropas Street after cops pulled over his Volkswagen, according to the White Plains Police Department 

The vehicle sported a Palestinian flag along the top, according to photos obtained by Fox News Digital.

"The license plate on the vehicle had been apparently illegally altered, and the vehicle also had writing painted across the entire windshield obstructing the driver's view," White Plains Police Capt. James Spencer said in a statement shared with Fox.

Police said an investigation revealed the license plate, which appears to say "MMORTAL," to be a forged instrument. A weapon was also found inside the vehicle, along with other license plates, cops said.

"An inventory subject to the vehicle being impounded revealed a .40-caliber handgun and several Arizona license plates along with a New York license plate," Spencer said. "Saleh was booked and processed for criminal possession of a forged instrument … and criminal possession of a weapon."

Spencer noted that Saleh, listed as a resident of Elmsford, New York, was also issued a traffic summons for the violations.

Saleh, after being stopped by police, was arrested two blocks away from the site of a pro-Israel rally slated to take place later that evening.

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

A Hamas rocket struck a residential building in Tel Aviv, injuring three civilians as Hamas terrorists continue to fire at major Israeli population centers. 

Sirens blared in Tel Aviv on Friday morning to signal incoming rocket fire on the 21st day of the Israel-Hamas war. Hamas has launched thousands of rockets at Israel since the start of the war on Oct. 7, intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure.

Israel has responded by hammering the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and conducting brief ground incursions to pave the way for a future full-scale invasion. Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told journalists Friday it is not a question of if, but when Israel conducts a ground operation to eliminate Hamas.  

Israeli raids overnight by land and sea targeted tunnel infrastructure beneath the Gaza Strip as the number of hostages held captive by Hamas has risen to 229 people. 

The rescue of hostages and destruction of Hamas military capabilities are among the main mission objectives for the Israeli military, Gallant said. 

Fox News' Trey Yingst contributed to this update.

Overnight, an Israel Defense Forces raid struck a compound use by Hamas' naval forces, the military said. 

"IDF soldiers of Flotilla 13 conducted a targeted raid from the sea in the southern Gaza Strip. During the activity, the soldiers struck Hamas military infrastructure and operated in a compound used by Hamas' commando naval forces," the IDF said. 

The soldiers were assisted by Israeli Navy vessels and aircraft. IDF forces exited the area after the raid was carried out.

Hamas terrorists in a statement claimed to have repelled the Israeli raid from the sea.

IDF earlier said it killed the commander of Hamas' West Khan Younis Battalion, Madhat Mubasher, in an overnight airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Mubasher "took part in sniper attacks and was responsible for large explosive devices [used] against IDF forces and Israeli towns," according to the military. 

Separately, IDF said it carried out more than 250 airstrikes against Hamas targets in the past day. 

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this update.

The legacy media’s widely panned coverage of last week's Gaza hospital explosion raised eyebrows across the globe and resulted in multiple corrections and editor’s notes. National Center for Audio and Video Forensics founder David Notowitz, who sniffs out deceptive and misleading evidence for a living, was among the many who were stunned anyone allowed the Hamas-backed Gaza Health Ministry to set the initial framing of the story. 

Notowitz believes the media backlash could have been avoided if journalists simply followed the common-sense methods he uses when determining the trustworthiness of evidence and sources.

"Hamas is not a reliable news source, ever. Now, you should be skeptical of anything they give you. It might be real, but you should be skeptical. Skeptical of any videos, any stills, any news they give you. It could be accurate, but check your sources and check other sources other than them," Notowitz told Fox News Digital. 

"A missile was shot off from Gaza intending to reach Jews. It misfired, landed in a parking lot in the Gaza hospital. Immediately, Hamas Health Ministry announced it was the fault of the IDF. And immediately, The New York Times, Reuters, BBC, they all swallowed it. They didn't even look into it," Notowitz added. "They didn't try to get other opinions… way too quick on them for doing that." 

Fox News Digital's Brian Flood contributed to this update.

A Hamas official said Friday that the Palestinian terrorist group cannot release the hostages it has captured during its war with Israel until a ceasefire deal is reached, a report says. 

The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted Abu Hamid – a member of a Hamas delegation visiting Moscow – as saying that Hamas needs to locate where Palestinian factions have taken the hostages inside the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. 

"They seized dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then release them," Hamid reportedly said, noting that a calm environment was needed to do so. 

The development comes as the number of hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists has risen to 229, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said Friday. 

Friday's number is five more than the 224 hostages reported on Thursday, and the number is likely to change as various operations continue to unfold, Hagari said. 

Since Hamas began taking hostages during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, only four have been released from custody – a mother-daughter duo from the Chicago area and two elderly Israeli women. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this update.

The U.S. on Friday lobbed additional sanctions against the Palestinian terror group Hamas after the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, which started a war.

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement the measures targeted additional assets in a Hamas investment portfolio and people facilitating sanctions evasion by Hamas-affiliated companies, including a Hamas official in Iran and members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

A Gaza-based entity that Treasury said has served as a conduit for illicit Iranian funds to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group was also targeted, the department said. Iran backs Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East.

"Hamas has built their own illicit networks for terror by taking many of the same steps the Kremlin is taking to avoid our financial sanctions. And much like many Russian elites, senior Hamas officials often live in luxury, while the average Gazan faces dire living conditions," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wall Adeyemo said in a speech Friday announcing the sanctions. 

"Almost immediately after its horrific attacks, Hamas solicited donations to fund its continued terrorist activities," he said. "Our goal is to cut off those financial resources, while ensuring humanitarian aid can continue to flow to the Palestinian people in Gaza." 

Reuters contributed to this update.

Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., meets with Avichai Brodutch in Washington, D.C. (Daniel Sachs Goldman and Avichai Brodutch)

Qatari Ambassador to the U.S. Meshal bin Hamad al Thani met with an Israeli man whose wife and three children are currently held captive by Hamas in Gaza, Fox News has confirmed. 

The ambassador met with Avichai Brodutch, a member of Kibbutz Kfar Gaza, whose wife Hagar and three children, Ofri, 10, Yuval, 8, and Uria, 4, were kidnapped in the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. 

Brodach thanked the ambassador for Qatar's mediation efforts to free hostages held in Gaza. This is the first official meeting of a senior Qatari representative with an Israel family since the outbreak of the war. 

"As a parent, a father of three children held by Hamas in Gaza, I hope Qatar will continue its efforts to immediately return home my wife and three children, and the more than 30 children held hostage by Hamas," Brodutch said. 

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed earlier there are 224 hostages in Hamas' custody as of Thursday morning, and all families have been notified.

Fox News' Aishah Hasnie, Yonat Friling and Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this update.

Israel's military has vowed to "reveal evidence" that Hamas terrorists are exploiting civilian locations to carry out attacks, an official said.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), said during a press briefing Friday morning that Israel continued its offensive activity "from the land, air and sea last night with an emphasis on the Shejaiya neighborhood, which is one of the major terrorist strongholds of Hamas." The IDF killed Hamas operatives and destroyed rocket launch sites, he said.

"In the coming hours we will reveal evidence that shows Hamas's use of humanitarian facilities for terrorist infrastructures in a way that endangers the citizens of Gaza" he added. "I repeat, we will expose these materials that connect Hamas to the cynical use it makes of humanitarian facilities."

Hagari also updated the number of deceased IDF soldiers to 310 and the number of hostages to 229. "We continue to put in the most effort – the civilian effort, the operational effort, the intelligence effort to do one thing – bringing the hostages home is the highest priority," he said.

Hagari added, "Hamas prefers, at any point in time, to endanger the residents of the Gaza Strip in order to protect terrorists. At every point, he prefers to get food, electricity and medical equipment to Hamas terrorists than to the citizens of Gaza who are not involved in the war. We will expose these evidence and bring them to the attention of the world and the public."

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this update.

A top British government minister who represented the U.K. at the U.N. Security Council this week says he is seeing positive signs at the international body amid efforts to find common ground on ways to resolve the crisis that erupted from the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

"The U.N. is an opportunity, a place where you expose difference in order to try to find solutions. So you shouldn't walk in expecting to find unanimity, you should walk in expecting to find difference so that you can find areas of common ground that you work on," Tom Tugendhat, the U.K. Minister of State for Security, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Tugendhat took the U.K. chair for the Security Council for a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, and used it to express British support for its ally Israel.

"The U.K. stands resolutely with Israel in defending itself against terror," he told the Council. "We are clear that it must act in line with international humanitarian law and take every possible step to avoid harming civilians. We have given that message to Israel as a friend and ally, and we restate that position in this Council."

Tugendhat told Fox News Digital after the meeting that there were two clear messages that emerged from the gathering and his discussions with other governments' officials.

"The first is Israel's right to self-defense," he said. "It is simply unacceptable that the state of Israel should have to be there to get murdered by Palestinian terrorists, Hamas, every few weeks, months or years. That's clearly unacceptable. The second thing is that the Palestinian people should not suffer for the fact that Hamas has occupied and controlled that territory for… 30 or so years and therefore, finding ways in which we can get aid in through the Rafah crossing and support Palestinian civilians is incredibly important."

"Is that the answer to all it? No, but that is a good place to start building on the direction of travel," he said.

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this update.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 26: Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, speaks at the General Assembly during the 10th Emergency Special Session at the 39th plenary meeting at the United Nations on October 26, 2023 in New York City. The U.N. continues to meet to discuss the status of the Palestinians and the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

An emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the Israel-Hamas war will resume Friday morning, with about 100 speakers remaining.

“Stop the bombs and save lives!” the Palestinian ambassador demanded Thursday at the U.N. meeting as Israel continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes. However, the Israeli envoy declared again, "We will not rest until Hamas is obliterated." 

The war sparked by Gaza’s Hamas rulers’ surprise attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 played out in the vast hall of the 193-nation General Assembly, where Arab nations expected to adopt a resolution Friday calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza after the Security Council’s four failed attempts to agree on any action.

At the assembly’s resumed emergency special session, speaker after speaker backed the Arab resolution’s cease-fire call — except for Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who told the 193-member world body, “A cease-fire means giving Hamas time to rearm itself, so they can massacre us again.”

The non-binding Arab resolution will get a vote Friday afternoon. It calls for an immediate cease-fire and demands that all parties respect international law and protect civilians. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on two facilities in eastern Syria on Thursday in response to ongoing attacks against American military personnel in Iraq and Syria over the past week, according to the Department of Defense.

A pair of F-16s targeted two facilities – a weapons depot and an ammo storage area – near Abu Kamal used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News' Jennifer Griffin. It's unclear if there were any Iranian militants at the facilities when they were hit.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Thursday night that the U.S. does not seek conflict, but the "Iranian-backed attacks" on American forces are "unacceptable and must stop."

"Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them," Austin said. "If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people."

There have been 19 attacks against American personnel in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, including three additional attacks on Thursday, according to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. 

A U.S. contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place during the attacks and 21 American troops were injured – all of whom have since returned to duty, Austin said.

Israel Defense Forces said an airstrike killed Madhath Mubashar, the commander of Hamas' Western Khan Yunis battalion.

Mubasher is accused of taking part in explosives and sniper attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilian communities.

"Furthermore, the IDF struck 250+ Hamas targets including a terrorist tunnel network in Gaza that detonated the secondary explosions," the IDF said.

Earlier, IDF said they eliminated a top Hamas intelligence official in an airstrike in Gaza on Thursday.

Israel identified the official as Shadi Barud, deputy head of Hamas' Intelligence Directorate. He is one of several senior Hamas officials to be killed in Gaza in recent days.

"Shadi Barud, Deputy Head of Hamas’ Intelligence Directorate has been eliminated by an IDF aerial strike," the Israeli military wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "He took part in the planning of the October 7 massacre and countless other deadly attacks carried out against Israelis."

"We will continue to strike and eliminate Hamas leaders and operatives responsible for the barbaric attacks," it added.

Fighter jets hit more than 250 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to Israel Defense Forces Thursday morning.

The IDF said it struck Hamas infrastructure, operational command centers, tunnel shafts and rocket launchers "placed in the heart of civilian areas" that have fired toward Israeli territory since the terrorist group launched its attack on Oct. 7.

In addition to the airstrikes, the Israeli navy also took down a Hamas surface-to-air missile launch post in the Khan Yunis area."The post is located adjacent to a mosque and kindergarten, which is further proof that Hamas deliberately uses civilian sites for terror purposes," the IDF said.

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari also revealed there are 224 hostages in Hamas' custody as of Thursday morning, and all families have been notified.

"The effort to release the hostages is still a high priority in any possible way," Hagari said.

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

Israel launched a second brief incursion into Gaza overnight Thursday, Fox News correspondents reported from Tel Aviv Friday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces said Hamas terrorist targets were struck by ground troops, fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles over the past 24 hours. There were no injuries reported by the Israeli military and the troops were quickly out of the area.

Targets hit by the IDF include anti-tank missile launch sites, command and control centers, and Hamas operatives, according to the force.

The brief ground incursion mostly impacted the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of the northern Gaza Strip, according to Fox News' Mike Tobin, and marked the second consecutive night of such operations ahead of a looming invasion.

“I think preparation of the battlefield is the precise word to use there. That’s what we are getting from the Israelis,” Tobin reported from Tel Aviv at 10 a.m. Friday.

STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR - JUNE 13: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) transits the Strait of Gibraltar June 13, 2016 into the Mediterranean Sea. Dwight D. Eisenhower, flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (Photo by Michael R. Gendron/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

U.S. military forces are maneuvering ships throughout the Middle East to amass one of the largest collections of war ships in the region in decades, according to reports.

Making its way halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is moving toward a group of U.S. naval ships in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Once there, it will make its way through the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf.

The fleet consists of the USS Gravely and USS Mason, both destroyers, and the USS Philippine Sea, a guided-missile cruiser.

The strike group was first tasked to join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Eastern Mediterranean, but it has since been issued the change of plans.

Once the fleet reaches the Persian Gulf, it will mark the first time since the evacuation of Afghanistan that a U.S. carrier strike group will operate in the Middle East.

U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) News reported that France is also sending an amphibious warship to join U.S. and U.K. forces as a deterrence to keep the war between Israel and Gaza from spreading to other parts of the region.

On Tuesday, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the New Jersey Air National Guard's 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived within U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, adding additional F-16 fighting Falcon Squadrons into the mix to deter further aggression in the region.

The U.S. Navy announced last week it would be sending the USS Mount Whitney to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as tensions in the Middle East rise amid the Israel-Hamas war. The ship left Gaeta, Italy last week to join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group.

Also in the area is a special operations capable Marine rapid response force of nearly 2,000 Marines and sailors known as the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is moving closer to Israel via the Red Sea. The group includes the amphibious ready groups USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall.