The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a press release on Monday explaining that their soldiers were working to defeat Hamas’s “Zaytun” battalion in a “complex war zone”, as the Israel-Hamas war continues.
“The ‘Zaytun’ Battalion is one of Hamas’ main battalions operating in the area of Zaytun in Gaza City,” the IDF’s statement read. “The troops have encountered an enemy that is entrenched in the heart of residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools and kindergartens, and attacks from within civilian infrastructure.”
The Israeli military says that they have eliminated “many” terrorists from the Zaytun battalion. The press release also acknowledged that Hamas terrorists were caught endangering civilians during the battles.
“During the last days of the fighting of the 36th Division in Zaytun, we constantly encountered an enemy hiding behind children, women and civilian infrastructure,” Commanding Officer of the 36th Division, BG Dado Bar Kalifa said in a statement. “The soldiers of the division, including soldiers of the Golani Brigade, the 188th Brigade and the Bislamach Brigade, operated in a complex war zone in an urban area, exposed terrorists who were hiding in civilian areas and eliminated many terrorists.”
“These achievements were made possible thanks to the close cooperation between the Infantry, Combat Engineering and Armored Corps and the IAF. We will not stop until we achieve all our goals, and we will continue to act to protect our home,” the statement added.
Wake Forest professor resigns after saying she was ‘tempted to shoot up’ Israeli music festival
A Wake Forest University professor has resigned after posting content on social media that defended Hamas’ violent terror attack against civilian music festival attendees in the early morning hours of October 7.
Dr. Laura Mullen, Kenan Chair of the Humanities, English & Creative Writing at Wake Forest University, “has resigned for personal reasons” and will continue teaching through the end of the semester, the university told The Wake Report. Mullen came under fire after she posted on X that she “could be tempted to shoot up your dance party,” signaling she empathized with the Hamas terrorists that killed hundreds at the festival during the October 7 mass attack in southern Israel.
“So it’s kind of a Duh but if you turn me out of my house plow my olive groves under and confine what’s left of my family to the small impoverished state you run as an open air prison I could be tempted to shoot up your dance party yeah even knowing you will scorch the earth,” Mullen wrote on X.
Read the full article about Wake Forest by Kendall Tietz
White House issues brutal response to Biden’s ‘inappropriate’ nickname given by anti-Israel critics
The White House issued a brutal response Monday to what it said was the “inappropriate” nickname President Biden has been given by critics of his support for Israel amid its war with Hamas terrorists.
Dubbed “Genocide Joe,” Biden has increasingly become the target of far-left protests across the country, including by some in his own party accusing him of supporting an effort to wipe out Gaza and the Palestinian people.
“We’re not worried about nicknames and bumper stickers. I mean, it’s First Amendment free speech. The president’s focused on … making sure that we can continue to support Israel as they fight a terrible terrorist group, Hamas,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby initially told New York Post reporter Steven Nelson, who asked him for a response to the nickname during the White House press briefing.
Read the
full article about President Biden by Brandon Gillespie
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home tagged with ‘Nazi’ graffiti
The Michigan home of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who is Jewish, was defaced with “Nazi” graffiti.
A picture of the tagging was posted online by Emanuel’s friend, former adviser to President Obama David Axelrod, who denounced the antisemitic attack.
The picture shows a wooden fence outside Emanuel’s Michigan home vandalized with the word “Nazis.”
Read the full article about Rahm Emanuel by Houston Keene
Social media trend shows progressive Western women trending toward Islam after Oct. 7 massacre
A growing number of young, progressive Western women are converting to Islam, citing the Israel-Hamas war as motivation for the conversion – and they’re documenting their journey on social media.
Hoover Institution research fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali issued a warning on the new trend during “America’s Newsroom,” arguing young women are “throwing away” their freedom with the decision.
“You are converting to throwing away your freedoms as a woman,” Ali told Dana Perino on Monday. “Islamic scripture, Islamic law, Sharia law and Islamic practice is crystal clear about the position of women, and it’s inferior to men. Your testimony is half that of a man. Your husband can beat you. You have absolutely no freedom.”
“Everything is about your guardian having authority over you. First your male father, and then later on your male husband, and if those aren’t even available, even your own male son has authority over you,” she continued. “So if that’s what they want to revert to, good luck with that.”
The left-leaning women making the decision to convert have shared their religious diversion on TikTok, with many wearing the hijab, reading the Quran, attending pro-Palestinian protests and even learning Arabic as they accuse Israel of genocide.
Fox News’ Bailee Hill contributed to this report
US extends deployment of USS Ford carrier strike group in Mediterranean amid Israel-Hamas war
The U.S. military has extended the deployment of the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean, Fox News Digital has learned.
The carrier group has been in the region for more than a month, and its deployment was extended for roughly 30 days on Monday, a U.S. defense official told Fox.
President Biden’s administration says the strike group is primarily there to deter Iran and its proxy terrorist groups from entering the war against Israel.
Critics argue the strategy has largely failed, however, as Iran’s proxies have maintained frequent attacks on both Israeli and U.S. targets in recent weeks.
Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report
China hosts meeting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Palestinians to discuss Israel-Hamas war
China is flexing its diplomatic muscle with a major meeting in Beijing on Monday, welcoming foreign ministers from the Middle East in an attempt to exert its influence over the Israel-Hamas war.
Its top diplomat hosted ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Indonesia, saying his country would work with “our brothers and sisters” in the Arab and Islamic world to try to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the foreign diplomats that their decision to visit Beijing shows their high level of trust in his nation.
“China is a good friend and brother of Arab and Islamic countries,” Wang said in opening remarks at a state guest house before their talks began. “We have always firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of Arab (and) Islamic countries and have always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people.”
The meeting is a testament to both China’s growing geopolitical influence and its longstanding support for the Palestinians and a Palestinian state.
Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report
Israeli president says they are negotiating with a ‘psychopath’ for hostage release
Israel and the U.S. are being forced to negotiate with a “psychopath” for the release of hostages by Hamas, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Monday.
Herzog made the statement during an appearance on Fox News, saying he could not confidently say that a hostage release deal is near due to Hamas’ unreliability.
“Not much, really,” Herzog said when asked whether he had new information about the negotiations. “We are all waiting, and we are dealing on the opposite side with a leadership of Hamas, lead by Yahya Sinwar, who is basically a psychopath in the way he operates.”
“So nothing that you and I can say really changes the picture,” he added before calling for the release of the children and women held hostage.
Hamas terrorists took roughly 240 hostages into Gaza following their Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
Hamas will ‘declare victory’ against Israel if regime stays in power despite losses: Gen. Jack Keane
Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane discussed the possibility of hostage releases and what the terms of such releases might mean for Israel and Hamas on Monday.
He warned that Hamas would be likely to “declare victory” in the conflict if their regime is allowed to maintain control over Gaza after the war is over. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that the goal of the conflict is to “destroy” Hamas.
Israeli forces clash with Hamas around second major Gaza hospital
Israeli Defense Forces are clashing with Hamas terrorists around the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza on monday.
Intense fighting has seen Israel encircle the medical facility much the same way it did with Al-Shifa hospital earlier this month. Thousands of refugees and patients are currently using the hospital, and staff say at least 12 people were killed when a mortar strike struck the second floor of the building. Staff say the attack originated from Israel.
The IDF has yet to respond to the claim.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims that more than 12,500 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.
The Associate Press contributed to this report
Washington Post issues correction after wrongly reporting a U.S.-brokered deal to pause Hamas war
The Washington Post inaccurately reported that the United States brokered a deal to pause conflict between Israel and Hamas for five days to free women and children hostages in Gaza but issued a correction after being called out by the White House National Security Council.
On Saturday, the Washington Post published a story that claimed a tentative deal was reached that featured the headline, “Israel and Hamas reach tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause conflict, free dozens of hostages.” The paper cited “people familiar with the terms of the agreement” and reported the pause in fighting would be monitored by aerial surveillance.
The Post then shared the story on social media, writing, “Israel and Hamas reach tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause conflict for five days and free women and children hostages.”
White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson quickly threw cold water on the report. She quoted it on X and explained, “We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal.”
The Post then deleted the tweet promoting the inaccurate report and issued a correction to the online story.
“A previous version of this article, headline and accompanying news alert incorrectly characterized The Post’s reporting about the status of negotiations among Israel, Hamas and the United States to pause conflict for five days and free women and children held hostage in Gaza. The article stated that the parties had agreed to a tentative deal. In fact, Israel and Hamas were close to a U.S.-brokered agreement. The article has been corrected,” the Post wrote.
Fox News’ Brian Flood and Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report
House Democrat slams Bernie Sanders’ call for barriers to Israel aid: ‘Let’s not play this game’
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., slammed
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over his call to make Israeli aid conditional on its actions in Gaza, as the tensions in the Middle East continue to push a wedge between Democrats in the U.S.
Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, released a statement over the weekend urging President Biden to force Israel into curbing its West Bank settlements and pledging no long-term blockade of Gaza before the U.S. releases aid dollars.
Moskowitz pledged that he would work to remove those conditions from the legislation if it was sent to the House of Representatives or force stricter measures on aid to Gaza.
“I am absolutely for humanitarian aid to Gaza. But if Bernie Sanders puts political requirements on the Aid to Israel, I will work in the House to remove those conditions or condition Aid to Gaza that requires the removal of Hamas,” Moskowitz wrote on X over the weekend. Both Moskowitz and Sanders are Jewish.
“Let’s not play this game. Send the aid to both,” Moskowitz added.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report
OPINION: My parents were taken by Hamas, they’re not a footnote to Gaza war, they are its essence
An opinion article by Elan Siegel:
On October 7, life for my family stopped, and I don’t know when it will begin again. The civilized world is rightly horrified by the unspeakable brutality of the atrocities committed by Hamas. It is hard for me to believe, let alone write these words, but October 7 happened to us. My parents, Keith and Aviva Siegel, were kidnapped from their home and are now hostages in Gaza.
Because my parents can’t speak for themselves, as their daughter, I want the world to know who they are. I want the world to know that they believe that love for humanity will defeat hatred. I want the world to know that time is running out to prove them right and secure their release.
My father was born in the United States, while my mother grew up in South Africa. They moved to Kibbutz Kfar Aza more than 40 years ago, falling in love with this beautiful part of the world. There, they built a wonderful home for our family. In my mind, that home is a haven of love, comfort and happiness.
But it was shattered on October 7 when terrorists invaded. They forced my parents, unassuming people filled with kindness and a quiet sensitivity, into my father’s car and We don’t know where they were taken. We have no idea what condition they might be in. We have heard nothing from them or about them since they were kidnapped.
Eventually, we had to tell their five young grandchildren. We held hands in a circle and my sister (an American citizen like myself and our father) tried to explain where grandma and grandpa have gone. But how do you explain to children that monsters really do exist? Each day, they ask when their grandparents are coming home. I just hope that my parents are together, so that they too can hold each other’s hands just like we did.
Israeli forces announce arrest of 300 terrorists in Gaza, interrogation on Hamas tunnel locations
Israeli forces say they arrested 300 terrorists in Gaza and have taken them into Israel for interrogation
about Hamas tunnel locations and other key information.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari announced the action on Monday, saying members of all terror groups inside Gaza were among the 300 arrestees.
“We arrested over 300 terrorists from the terrorist organizations during the ground maneuver who were taken for further investigation in Israeli territory. The information that emerges from the interrogations of the captives is of great value, leads to the elimination of terrorists and the preservation of the security of our forces,” Hagari wrote in a statement.
“300 terrorists from all the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip were interrogated and they gave the locations of underground terrorist tunnels, warehouses and weapons, along with exposing the enemy’s methods of operation, and the enemy’s assimilation efforts within the civilian population,” the IDF wrote.
31 premature babies evacuated from Gaza’s largest hospital as US confirms Hamas operations there
More than 30 premature babies in “extremely critical condition” were evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital on Sunday, health officials said.
A World Health Organization-led team said the babies had been safely removed
from the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where power was cut and clean water, fuel, medical supplies, food and other essential items had ran out. They are now receiving urgent care in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and will ultimately be transferred to Egypt.
“The babies were successfully transported to the neonatal intensive care unit at Al-Helal Al-Emarati Maternity Hospital in southern Gaza, where they are being assessed and stabilized,” the WHO said. “Doctors there say all the babies are fighting serious infections due to lack of medical supplies and impossibility to continue infection control measures in Al-Shifa Hospital. Eleven are in critical condition.”
Many had dehydration, hypothermia and sepsis in some cases, said Mohamed Zaqout, director of Gaza hospitals. At least two babies died in the days before the facility was evacuated, the WHO said.
Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report
UK doctor who worked at Al-Shifa says Hamas used hospital complex for ‘non-medical purposes’
A U.K. doctor who worked at the Al-Shifa hospital says there were areas of the complex where he was not allowed to go on threat of being shot.
He said he frequently saw “dodgy-looking non-medical characters” going in and out of the restricted area, adding that hospital workers avoided the area for fear of Hamas.
“I was welcome everywhere else, and as I say, the doctors and nurses there were very welcoming and very kind, and the hushed tones under which this was said were consistent with all the other hushed tones with which Hamas was discussed. You know, people were genuinely fearful,” the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told France 24.
“I cannot emphasize too much the air of collective paranoia that existed there,” he added.
His comments come after critics of Israel have cast doubt on the
Israeli military’s claim that Hamas used the Al-Shifa facility as a base of operations.
IDF shares footage of attack on Hamas squad attempting to fire anti-tank missile
Israeli Defense Force spokesman Daniel Hagari shared footage of an Israeli attack on a group of Hamas terrorists attempting to fire an anti-tank missile on Monday.
Hagari says the group was trying to fire the missile inside an area the
Israeli military had designated safe for Palestinian refugees attempting to flee south. The official went on to describe an exchange of fire with Hezbollah terrorists at Israel’s northern border.
“Earlier today, the IDF attacked a terrorist squad that tried to launch anti-tank missiles in a safe area, in addition, the IDF attacked terrorist infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanese territory with a fighter plane, a combat helicopter and tank fire in response to launches towards the territory of the State of Israel earlier today,” Hagari wrote.
“In addition, about 25 launches from Lebanese territory towards Israeli territory were detected at several points in the border area, the air defense fighters intercepted several launches and the rest fell in open areas, also, three unmanned aircraft were detected that hit near the IDF post, there were no casualties,” he added.
Hamas hostages were hidden inside Al-Shifa hospital, IDF says
Israeli Defense Forces say numerous Hamas hostages were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
Israel has obtained footage showing Hamas terrorists escorting migrants inside the medical complex, which Israel says the terrorist organizaton used to conceal a base of operations. They say at least one hostage, 19-year-old Noa Marciano, was murdered inside the hospital.
Top Netanyahu adviser says likelihood of Hamas hostage release deal ‘has gone up’
Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says the likelihood of reaching a deal with Hamas to release hostages “has gone up” in recent weeks.
Regev told ‘Fox & Friends’ that the past six weeks of fighting have been devastating for Hamas, and that the terrorist group “needs” a reprieve. He said Israel may be willing to pause fighting if Hamas releases a “significant” number of hostages.
Regev and U.S. officials have warned that no deal has been hammered out yet, however. Israel says there remain nearly 240 hostages in Hamas custody, though the U.S. has cautioned it is impossible to know how many of those remain alive.
Netanyahu slams Palestinian Authority for denying Hamas massacre at Israeli music festival
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday slammed the Palestinian Authority for denying that the terrorist group Hamas was responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre at a music festival in Israel that killed hundreds of attendees.
The Sunday night address came in response to an official statement from the Palestinian Authority that blamed “Israeli helicopters” for the death of hundreds of participants of the Supernova music festival near kibbutz Re’im.
The claim, echoed by Hamas, appeared to reference a report from Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, which said that an Israel Defense Forces helicopter had accidentally hit festival-goers while firing at terrorists.
However, the report, which cited senior Israeli security officials, did not say the helicopters were responsible for all the deaths at the massacre. Fox News Digital has reached out to the reporter for comment.
“Today, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah said something utterly preposterous. It denied that it was Hamas that carried out the horrible massacre at the nature festival near Gaza. It actually accused Israel of carrying out that massacre. This is a complete reversal of truth,” Netanyahu said in a statement posted on X.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report
Dem lawmaker says Hamas hostages must be top focus as Israel, US are ‘closing in’ on release deal
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-NY, says the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas must be the top priority of the international community.
Goldman made the statement during a Sunday appearance on MSNBC’s ‘Inside with Jen Psaki.’ He reacted to the news that the U.S., Israel and Hamas were ‘closing in’ on a deal to release more than a dozen hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting.
“This is what we all should be focusing on right now is the release of 240 hostages,” Goldman said. “That should be the focus of the entire international community right now.
Israeli military takes out 3 Hamas commanders in overnight airstrikes
The Israeli military
eliminated three senior Hamas commanders in overnight airstrikes in Gaza on Monday.
Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst delivered an update on the situation in Israel early Monday morning. He pointed to footage uncovered by Israel showing Hamas terrorists taking Israeli hostages into the Al-Shifa hospital on the morning of October 7.
Israel has long claimed that Hamas used the hospital and tunnels under it as a base of operations.
Israel-Hamas war: IDF says hostage Noa Marciano was murdered inside Al-Shifa Hospital
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari released new details about the death of an Israeli hostage during a press conference on Sunday.
IDF servicemember Noa Marciano, 19, was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
“Noa was taken into Gaza alive, she was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza City next to the Shifa Hospital,” Hagari said. “During ongoing combat, in the vicinity of where she was held captive, Noa’s Hamas captor was killed and Noa was injured.”
Hagari said that Noah’s injuries were “not life-threatening” and said that Hamas terrorists murdered her inside the Al-Shifa Hospital after she was wounded.
“Hamas terrorists took Noa into Shifa hospital where she was murdered quickly,” he continued. “Hamas murdered Noa inside Shifa hospital. Our thoughts are with Noa’s family. We send our heartfelt condolences to Noa’s family. We did not reach Noa in time.”
“This has only made the IDF more determined to do everything, everything in our power, to bring all our hostages home,” Hagari added.
Fox News Digital’s Dana Karni contributed to this report.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused of hijacking ship linked to Israeli billionaire in Red Sea
A cargo ship linked to an Israeli billionaire was allegedly seized by Iran-backed rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it “strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel.”
“The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican. No Israelis are onboard. This is another act of Iranian terrorism and constitutes a leap forward in Iran’s aggression against the citizens of the free world, with international consequences regarding the security of the global shipping lanes.”
Israel Defense Forces also wrote on X, “The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence. The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship.”
While Israeli officials insisted the vessell was British-owned and Japanese-operated, ownership details for the Bahamian-flagged Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier, in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, which was founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel, according to The Associated Press.