Fri, Oct 20 2023 7:03 PM EDT
Biden spoke with two American hostages released today
President Joe Biden tweeted a photo of him speaking with the two American hostages who were released on Thursday.
“Jill and I will continue holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted for Americans,” Biden said on X, formerly Twitter.
— Riya Bhattacharjee
Fri, Oct 20 2023 6:41 PM EDT
Israel ramping up attacks, Gaza ministry says
A Palestinian recites Salah Azan (Adhan) in the rubble of the Al-Amin Muhammad Mosque, hit by Israeli airstrike, in Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 20, 2023.
Abed Zagout | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Israel is intensifying its attacks, the Ministry of Interior in Gaza said, accusing the country of “targeting a number of inhabited civilian homes in the north, center and south of the Gaza Strip.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health said that Israeli forces had killed more than 350 civilians in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll in the Strip to 4,137.
The ministry said a large number of victims are still under the rubble of destroyed buildings, including a possible 720 children who have been reported missing.
— Chris Eudaily
Fri, Oct 20 2023 6:23 PM EDT
Blinken thanks Qatar for assisting in release of American hostages
Chicago-area residents Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, two American hostages freed on Friday by the armed wing of Hamas, pose in this undated picture obtained by Reuters on October 20, 2023.
Obtained By Reuters | via Reuters
Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a briefing to reporters about the release of the two American hostages held by Hamas since Oct. 7. Blinken said a team from the U.S. Embassy will meet with them shortly.
“Over the coming hours, they’ll receive any support and assistance they need. And of course, we’re very anxious to be able to reunite them with their loved ones.”
Blinken thanked the government of Qatar for facilitating the release.
“I can’t speak publicly about the details of these efforts,” Blinken said. “I know you understand that. But the urgent work to free every single American, to free all other hostages continues. As does our work to secure the safe passage out of Gaza, for the Americans who are trapped there. In this particular instance, I want to thank the Government of Qatar for their very important assistance.”
He said that there were 10 additional Americans who remain unaccounted for in the Israel-Hamas war.
“We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas, along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in Gaza,” Blinken said. “They include men, women, young girls and young boys, elderly people. From many nations. Every single one of them should be released.”
— Riya Bhattacharjee
Fri, Oct 20 2023 6:13 PM EDT
Biden speaks with family of released American hostages
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a prime-time address to the nation about his approaches to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, humanitarian assistance in Gaza and continued support for Ukraine in their war with Russia, from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S. October 19, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President Joe Biden had an “emotional’ phone call with the family of Natalie and Judith Raanan, the two American hostages who were released by Hamas, the White House said.
Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, told “Meet the Press NOW” that Biden spoke to the father of Natalie and ex-husband of Judith Raanan.
He said it was “a call of extraordinary relief.”
There are between 200-250 people being held in Gaza as hostages, according to a Monday statement from Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
— Chris Eudaily
Fri, Oct 20 2023 5:52 PM EDT
Satellite images show massive aid convoy waiting to cross into Gaza
Satellite images show long lines of aid trucks waiting to cross the Rafah border from Egypt to deliver much-needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Maxar satellite imagery of a second set of cargo trucks near Sheikh Zuweid, Egypt (location: 31.215, 34.143)
Maxar Technologies | Getty Images
Maxar satellite imagery of a second set of cargo trucks near Sheikh Zuweid, Egypt (location: 31.215, 34.143)
Maxar Technologies | Getty Images
-Maxar Technologies | Getty Images
Fri, Oct 20 2023 4:40 PM EDT
Red Cross helped facilitate release by transporting hostages from Gaza to Israel
Judith Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan with IDF
Source: Government of Israel
The International Committee of the Red Cross helped facilitate the release of the two American hostages by transporting them from Gaza to Israel, the organization said.
“More of this kind of humanitarian action is urgently needed so that even more families can be reunited. Many people are still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
“The ICRC continues to call for the immediate release of all hostages,” Spoljaric wrote. “We are ready to visit the remaining hostages and to facilitate any future release following an agreement reached by the parties. While held in captivity, hostages must be allowed to receive humanitarian assistance and medical care. They must be given the opportunity to contact their families. Families separated from their loved ones endure agony no matter what side of the divide they are on. Our commitment to helping people who have been kidnapped, detained, or missing is unyielding.”
The Israel-Hamas war has entered its 14th day, raising questions about violations of the rules of war.
The statement talked about the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying, “People in Gaza cannot be kept waiting for desperately needed aid. Hospitals are on the verge of collapse, and families are sleeping in the open with little food and water. We urgently call for a pause in the fighting and for humanitarian aid and first responders to be allowed in. Every hour that passes without increased assistance means more misery and suffering.”
“It is essential that warring parties maintain a minimum of humanity even during the worst of war,” Spoljaric said.
The Israel-Hamas war has entered its 14th day, raising questions about violations of the rules of war.
In the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes, people walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings and roads in the al-Zahra district of Gaza City, searching for their belongings.
Mohammed Zanoun | Afp | Getty Images
Fri, Oct 20 2023 3:46 PM EDT
Biden thanks Qatar and Israel for assisting with the release of two U.S. citizens held hostage by Hamas
President Joe Biden thanked the governments of Qatar and Israel for assisting with the release of two U.S. citizens held hostage by Hamas.
“Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,” Biden wrote in a statement.
The two American hostages are a mother and daughter who were kidnapped by Hamas militants two weeks ago, NBC News Now reported.
— Amanda Macias
Fri, Oct 20 2023 3:29 PM EDT
Google, Meta and Stripe pull out of top tech conference after CEO’s controversial comments
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, attends a U.S. Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2023.
Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Google, Meta and Stripe have joined the growing list of tech companies to pull out of participating in this year’s Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, according to the Irish Independent.
The decisions come as a result of Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave’s comments on the Israel-Hamas war last week. Intel and Siemens have also chosen not to attend.
Cosgrave tweeted in reference to Israeli air strikes: “War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.” The social media post brought criticism, and he issued an apology Tuesday.
— Jake Piazza
Fri, Oct 20 2023 3:14 PM EDT
Scenes of daily life at Deir el-Balah Palestinian refugee camp
Photos show scenes of daily life for displaced Palestinians at a school in the Deir el-Balah refugee camp on Oct. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. Located in central Gaza Strip, the camp is one of eight operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA.
Displaced people at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Displaced people at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Displaced people at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Displaced people at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Displaced people at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
— Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Fri, Oct 20 2023 2:04 PM EDT
Updates on the two released hostages
The two American hostages released Friday are a mother and daughter, NBC News reported. The pair was released after being held hostage for two weeks in Gaza and are now back in Israel.
The two women who were released, Natalie and Judith Raanan, are members of former NBC News Tel Aviv bureau chief Martin Fletcher’s family. Calling the release “a miracle,” Fletcher said the women, who are from Evanston, Illinois, were released to the Red Cross.
Hamas said 50 more hostages are held by other armed groups nearby, Reuters reported. The militant organization also told Reuters that more than 20 hostages were killed by Israeli air strikes.
— Elisabeth Cordova
Fri, Oct 20 2023 1:37 PM EDT
Hamas releases two U.S. hostages, NBC reports
Two U.S. hostages held by Hamas were released by the militant group, three people with knowledge of the matter confirmed to NBC News. The U.S. citizens were kidnapped and held hostage for two weeks.
— Amanda Macias
Fri, Oct 20 2023 1:21 PM EDT
Biden says U.S. humanitarian aid will arrive in Gaza in the next 24 to 48 hours
Aid convoy trucks loaded with supplies are seen at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Gehad Hamdy | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
President Joe Biden said the first installment of U.S. humanitarian aid will arrive in Gaza in the next day or two.
“I believe you’ll see I got a commitment that the crossing will be open,” Biden told reporters at the White House, referencing the Rafah crossing.
“The highway had to be repaired,” he said, adding, “I believe in the next 24 to 48 hours you will see those first 20 trucks go in.”
— Amanda Macias
Fri, Oct 20 2023 1:09 PM EDT
Blinken pens letter to State Department employees acknowledging toll of Israel-Hamas conflict
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 12, 2023.
Pool | Via Reuters
Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to State Department employees acknowledging the toll the Israel-Hamas conflict has placed on the nation’s civil servants.
“I know that for many of you this time has not only been challenging professionally, but personally,” Blinken wrote in a letter obtained by NBC News.
“Some of our colleagues in the region, especially among our locally employed staff, have been directly affected by the violence, including by losing loved ones and friends,” Blinken wrote.
The letter comes the same week a State Department official resigned, citing U.S. provision of “lethal arms to Israel.”
— Amanda Macias
Fri, Oct 20 2023 12:36 PM EDT
Hundreds of Americans are trapped in Gaza
Palestinians, some with foreign passports hoping to cross into Egypt and others waiting for aid wait at the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza strip, on October 16, 2023.
Mohammed Abed | Afp | Getty Images
The U.S. State Department says as many as 600 Americans are trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been under constant Israeli bombardment for two weeks.
Those who are stuck said they have received no help in finding ways to escape, according to interviews with individuals on the ground. There are only two points of entry and exit for the Palestinian territory, both of which are currently closed, and thousands of people are camped out at the southern border hoping to find a way out.
Americans in Gaza who reached out to the State Department said they received emails with detailed evacuation options for people in Israel, but little that was helpful for those stuck in the Palestinian territory.
“America’s not helping us, Biden’s not helping us, the embassy is not helping us,” Amir Kaoud, a Palestinian-American at the Rafah crossing with several of his family members, told NBC News.
Read the full story here.
— Michele Luhn
Fri, Oct 20 2023 11:31 AM EDT
Lebanon’s national carrier cuts flights amid border tensions
A Middle East Airlines plane, carrying Lebanese nationals residing in Saudi Arabia, lands on the tarmac of Beirut’s International airport on April 5, 2020.
– | Afp | Getty Images
Lebanon’s national carrier said Friday that it is cutting more than half of its flights amid changes to its insurance cover in the wake of increased tensions on its border with Israel, Reuters reported.
As of next week, only eight of Middle East Airlines’ 22 aircraft will operate, Chairman Mohamad El-Hout was cited as saying in a televised interview.
— Karen Gilchrist
Fri, Oct 20 2023 11:24 AM EDT
Yellen: Biden’s supplemental funding request ‘advances’ national interests
U.S. President Joe Biden, flanked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (R), hosts a meeting inside the Cabinet Room at the White House on October 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
Tom Brenner | Getty Images
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on the U.S. government to continue combatting global instability following Biden’s request to Congress for supplemental funding to financially support Israel and Ukraine.
“Whether the problem is Russia’s immoral invasion of Ukraine or horrendous terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel, America’s leadership is irreplaceable,” Yellen said in a statement. She added that Biden’s request “maintains America’s global leadership and advances our core interests – including our national security.”
Yellen said the Hamas terror attacks in the Middle East “are a terrible reminder of the uncertainty we see around the globe and the challenges it raises in the global economy.”
She warned that if instability spreads across the region, “the risks we face will multiply.”
“And if we don’t lead on international economic issues, other countries will,” Yellen said. “We look to Congress, among others, to not let this happen.”
—Chelsey Cox
Fri, Oct 20 2023 10:54 AM EDT
UK records a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic offenses in the capital
The U.K. has recorded a 1,353% increase in antisemitic offenses and a 140% increase in Islamophobic offenses in London this month compared to the same period last year, the Metropolitan police said Friday.
Police said they have ramped up patrols in the capital amid growing tensions following the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict almost two weeks ago. In all, 218 antisemitic offenses were committed between Oct. 1 and Oct. 18, while 101 Islamophobic offences occurred over the same period.
“Regrettably, despite the increased presence of officers we have seen a significant increase in hate crime across London,” the Met said in a statement.
“This includes abuse directed at individuals or groups in person or online, racially or religiously motivated criminal damage and other offences,” it added.
— Karen Gilchrist
Fri, Oct 20 2023 10:37 AM EDT
Biden seeks $105 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and border security
U.S. President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, makes remarks after speaking by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in Israel following Hamas’ deadly attacks, from the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, October 10, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President Joe Biden on Friday requested more than $105 billion from Congress to support the security needs of Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the U.S. southern border.
The lion’s share of the request in the package is nearly $62 billion for Ukraine.
Biden is also calling on Congress to allocate an additional $14.3 billion for Israel, another $2 billion for Taiwan and Indo-Pacific security, about $1.2 billion for efforts aimed at countering fentanyl and a little over $9 billion for humanitarian assistance.
Additionally, the White House is seeking $6.4 billion for border security operations.
Read the full story here.
— Amanda Macias
Fri, Oct 20 2023 10:13 AM EDT
IDF provides update on hostages held by Hamas
The Israel Defense Forces on Friday provided an update on the approximately 200 hostages currently held by the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.
Supporters and family members of Israeli hostages snatched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas last week in a surprise attack into Israel, plaster their images on a wall during a rally outside of the Israeli military base of HaKirya in central Tel Aviv on October 14, 2023.
Gil Cohen-magen | AFP | Getty Images
The IDF said the majority of hostages are still alive. Among them are 20 children and between 10 and 20 people aged over 60, it said.
“As of today (Friday), there are 100-200 Israelis who are considered missing persons,” it added in a statement. “In comparison, on the first day of the war, there were 3000 people considered missing persons. This number has dramatically decreased as the IDF has confirmed their locations.”
The IDF also stressed the complexity of locating information about missing persons and said that it is in constant communication with the families of the hostages.
— Karen Gilchrist
Fri, Oct 20 2023 10:10 AM EDT
First aid delivery into Gaza expected in the ‘next day or so,’ UN says
Volunteers and NGOs staff protest in front of the car of Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations at the Rafah border crossing on October 20, 2023 in North Sinai, Egypt.
Mahmoud Khaled | Getty Images
The United Nations said Friday that the first aid delivery into the besieged Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing should take place “in the next day or so,” according to AFP.
“We are in deep and advanced negotiations with all relevant sides to ensure that an aid operation in Gaza starts as quickly as possible … a first delivery is due to start in the next day or so,” a U.N. spokesperson cited the U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths as saying.
The spokesperson added that he could not provide a specific timeframe for the deliveries.
Aid provisions have been piling up in Egypt as talks continue to ensure its safe passage across the border into Gaza.
— Karen Gilchrist