Israel to begin daily 4-hour pauses in fighting, U.S. says

14m ago / 18:22 EST

The White House announced that Israel is committing to a four-hour pause in fighting each day to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. Earlier today, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell was joined by International Committee of the Red Cross correspondent Raf Sanchez and Jason Straziuso to discuss when the first pause will take place, how the deal came together and the significance of aid coming to the citizens of Reached Gaza.

“We wish we could fight our way to where these hostages are,” Straziuso said. “The fact is that we need permission from the people holding the weapons and the people controlling the area.”

10m ago / 6:25 PM EST

Biden announced four-hour pauses in fighting as a way to pressure Netanyahu

Israel agreed to four-hour daily breaks, a move President Biden wished Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done sooner, reports NBC News White House correspondent Monica Alba.

2 hours ago / 5:04 PM EST

The Israeli military says an unidentified drone has struck the southern city of Eilat

JERUSALEM – An unknown drone struck a civilian building in the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, the Israeli military said Thursday, causing only minor damage and no injuries.

In recent weeks, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has repeatedly launched rocket and drone attacks on Israel, but all were shot down or failed.

“The identity of the UAV and details of the incident are under investigation,” the military said in a statement, referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle.

In a separate incident, the army said that in the Red Sea area, which Israel has access to through the port of Eilat, its ‘Arrow’ air defense system successfully intercepted a missile launched on its territory.

The Houthis are part of the Iran-linked regional alliance, which also includes the Lebanese Hezbollah, which has backed Hamas in its conflict with Israel. The Houthis rule parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, more than a thousand kilometers from Israel.

2 hours ago / 5:05 PM EST

Iranian hackers target Israel, but attacks do not escalate

Hackers linked to Iran have consistently targeted Israeli organizations since before the war, but their attacks do not appear to have escalated significantly, cybersecurity researchers say.

In a report released today, Microsoft said it has recently tracked only two cases in which Iranian hackers appear to have attempted destructive cyber attacks on Israeli infrastructure. In both cases, the hacks came more than a week after the conflict began, and hackers’ online personas dramatically exaggerated their success and prowess, Microsoft said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that even though Iran is funding Hamas, there is no direct evidence that Iran was involved in its surprise attack on Israel last month.

In another report also published today, cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike says it has seen Iranian hackers recently target companies in Israel’s transportation and technology sectors – but that they have also been doing so for years before the current conflict.

3 hours ago / 3:42 PM EST

The Israeli mayor fears disastrous chemical explosions caused by attacks from Lebanon

HAIFA, Israel – The mayor of Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, says she is working to minimize the risk of a catastrophic explosion caused by rockets launched from Lebanon earlier this week.

Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem told NBC News that she had ordered the removal of petrochemicals and other hazardous materials from Haifa Bay, home to Israel’s largest port. She said city officials meet daily on the issue.

The nightmare scenario is reminiscent of the 2020 accident at the port of Beirut, just 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Haifa, where ammonium nitrate exploded, she said. Hundreds were killed and thousands were injured, and large parts of the city were badly damaged.

The mayor was speaking after rockets were launched into Haifa for the first time in the war this week, marking the deepest point in Israel yet shelled from Lebanon. Hamas militants have claimed responsibility. Kalisch-Rotem said that if a missile is launched from Lebanon towards Haifa, residents will have no more than 60 seconds to reach a shelter before a possible impact could occur.

4 hours ago / 3:02 PM EST

Nearly half of Democrats disapprove of Biden’s response to the war, according to an AP-NORC poll

Nearly half of Democrats disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, showing deep divisions within his party exists about the war.

The poll found that 50% of Democrats approve of the way Biden has managed the conflict, while 46% disapprove — and that the two groups diverge significantly in their views on U.S. support for Israel. Biden’s support for the issue among Democrats fell slightly from August, as an AP-NORC poll found 57% of Democrats approved of his handling of the conflict and 40% disapproved.

The October 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people and the Israeli incursion into Gaza have created a political tightrope for Biden, who has supported Israeli sovereignty since the attack but also pressured the Israeli government to to try to limit civilian casualties and allow humanitarian aid. Gaza. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.

4 hours ago / 2:47 PM EST

CIA director and Mossad chief hold talks with Qatar to discuss the release of hostages in Gaza

CIA Director William Burns and Israel’s intelligence chief today discussed the release of hostages in Gaza with Qatari leaders in Doha, according to a US official and an Arab official with knowledge of the meeting.

Burns and Mossad head David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, US and Arab officials said.

Burns also held talks with the country’s intelligence chief, the U.S. official said.

The discussions in Doha follow weeks of international efforts to secure the release of the hostages and deliver more humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave. Qatar acts as an intermediary, passing messages to Hamas leaders in and outside Gaza.

Biden administration officials have urged Israel to pause air and ground attacks on Hamas to allow for the possible release of some hostages and greater humanitarian access to Gaza.

3 hours ago / 3:22 PM EST

Refrigerated food truck used as extra morgue in Gaza hospital, says surgeon

A refrigerated food truck has been brought into Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza to serve as an additional mortuary, a surgeon at the hospital said today on X.

Ghassan Abu Sitta, a professor and plastic and reconstructive surgeon, shared images of the vehicle on the platform.

4 hours ago / 2:34 PM EST

Israeli forces carry out a ‘counter-terrorist attack’ in the West Bank city

Gunfire rang out as Israeli forces entered the occupied West Bank city and refugee camp in Jenin.

Residents said streets, water and electricity supplies were damaged in what the Israeli army said were counter-terrorism raids.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 10 people were killed and at least 20 others injured in the raid.

5 hours ago / 2:03 PM EST

The second humanitarian corridor will allow Gazans to move to safer areas, the US State Department says

A second humanitarian corridor will now allow people to flee hostile areas in the northern part of Gaza, the US State Department announced in a news briefing today.

The first corridor, which has been open for four to five hours every day in recent days, has already enabled thousands of people to reach safer areas. The second route will run along the Gaza coast, spokesman Vedant Patel said.

Yesterday, 106 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, which remains open today for the influx of aid and for the departure of foreigners, Patel said.