Israel-Hamas war live updates: U.S. chamber will rush through military aid to Israel; Iranian president warns war could expand

U.S.
President
Joe
Biden
said
in
an
interview
on
CBS’
“60
Minutes”
that
he
believes
Hamas
must
be
fully
eliminated
and
that
it
is
necessary
to
establish
a
Palestinian
state.

“There
needs
to
be
a
Palestinian
Authority.
There
needs
to
be
a
path
to
a
Palestinian
state,”
Biden
said
in
an
interview
filmed
Thursday,
which
aired
Sunday
evening.

The
U.S.
has
historically
been
one
of
Israel’s
biggest
allies.
But
it
has
also
endorsed
a
two-state
solution,
which
would
a
separate
Palestinian
state
next
to
Israel.

Read
more
on
Biden’s
remarks
here.

—
Rebecca
Picciotto

Oil
prices
eased
in
early
Asia
trade
on
Monday,
reversing
last
Friday’s
rally
as
investors
waited
to
see
if
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict
draws
in
other
countries,
which
could
drive
up
prices
further
and
deal
a
fresh
blow
to
the
global
economy.

Brent
futures
fell
36
cents,
or
0.4%,
to
$90.53
per
barrel
and
U.S.
West
Texas
Intermediate
(WTI)
crude
dropped
37
cents,
or
0.4%,
to
$87.32
a
barrel
by
2215
GMT
on
Sunday.

Both
benchmarks
rose
nearly
6%
on
Friday,
posting
their
highest
daily
percentage
gains
since
April,
as
investors
priced
in
the
possibility
of
a
wider
Middle
East
conflict.

Brent
also
recorded
a
weekly
gain
of
7.5%,
its
biggest
such
increase
since
February.
WTI
climbed
5.9%
for
the
week.

The
conflict
in
the
Middle
East
has
had
little
impact
on
global
oil
and
gas
supplies,
and
Israel
is
not
a
big
producer.

But
investors
and
market
observers
are
assessing
how
the
conflict
could
escalate
and
what
it
might
mean
for
supplies
from
nearby
countries
in
the
world’s
top
oil-producing
region.

—

Reuters

Stock
futures
inched
higher
in
overnight
trading
Sunday
as
markets
faced
an
uncertain
week
ahead,
with
earnings
season
heating
up
and
developments
in
the
Israel-Hamas
war
leaving
investors
wary.

Futures
tied
to
the


Dow
Jones
Industrial
Average
added
0.05%,
while


S&P
500
futures
and


Nasdaq-100
futures
gained
0.07%
and
0.17%,
respectively.

Oil
prices
spiked
more
than
5%
during
Friday’s
session
and
posted
their
best
day
since
April
as
the
conflict
between
Israel
and
Hamas
fueled
some
fears
related
to
oil
production
in
the
region.

Some
on
Wall
Street
are
bracing
for
more
volatility
into
year-end
as
yields
and
oil
prices
rise,
inflation
remains
sticky,
and
conflict
ensues
in
the
Middle
East,
said
Eric
Johnston, Cantor
Fitzgerald’s head
of
equity
derivatives
and
cross-asset.

“This
Mideast
situation
is
kind
of
showing
that
when
you
own
equities,
you
are
taking
risks,”
he
told
CNBC’s
“Closing
Bell”
on
Friday.
“As
a
result,
you
need
to
have
good
upside
returns
in
order
to
justify
that
risk,
because
there
are
things
that
come
out
of
nowhere,
like
this
situation.”

Over
the
weekend,
Israel’s
military
continued
urging
residents
to
evacuate
northern
Gaza
amid
a
widely
anticipated
ground
invasion.
Meanwhile,
U.S.
Senate
Majority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer
(D-N.Y.)
said
Sunday
that
the
Senate
would
work
to
quickly
push
through
a
military
aid
package
to
assist
Israel
as
it
battles
Hamas.

See
CNBC’s
live
blog
for
complete
markets
coverage.

—

Samantha
Subin

A
71-year-old
Illinois
man
was
charged
Sunday
with
a
hate
crime,
accused
of
fatally
stabbing
a
young
boy
and
seriously
wounding
a
woman
because
of
their
Islamic
faith
and
the
Israel-Hamas
war,
authorities
said.

Officers
found
the
32-year-old
woman
and
6-year-old
boy
late
Saturday
morning
at
a
home
in
an
unincorporated
area
of
Plainfield
Township,
southwest
of
Chicago,
the
Will
County
Sheriff’s
Office
said
in
a
statement
on
social
media.

The
statement
added
that
the
boy
was
pronounced
dead
at
a
hospital
and
the
woman
had
multiple
stab
wounds
and
was
expected
to
survive.
An
autopsy
on
the
child
showed
he
had
also
been
stabbed
multiple
times.

“Detectives
were
able
to
determine
that
both
victims
in
this
brutal
attack
were
targeted
by
the
suspect
due
to
them
being
Muslim
and
the
on-going
Middle
Eastern
conflict
involving
Hamas
and
the
Israelis,”
the
sheriff’s
statement
said.

According
to
the
sheriff’s
office,
the
woman
had
called
911
to
report
that
her
landlord
had
attacked
her
with
a
knife,
adding
she
then
ran
into
a
bathroom
and
continued
to
fight
him
off.

The
boy
was
stabbed
numerous
times
with
a
knife,
according
to
an
autopsy,
the
sheriff’s
office
said.
The
woman
had
more
than
a
dozen
stab
wounds
and
remained
hospitalized
Sunday
and
was
expected
to
survive.

The
Chicago
office
of
the
Council
on
American-Islamic
Relations
held
a
news
conference
later
Sunday
with
a
family
member
and
knew
their
identities.
It
said
text
messages
exchanged
among
family
members
showed
the
attacker
had
made
disparaging
remarks
about
Muslims.

The
Muslim
civil
liberties
organization
called
the
crime
“our
worst
nightmare,”
and
part
of
a
disturbing
spike
in
hate
calls
and
emails
since
the
outbreak
of
the
Israel-Hamas
war.

—

Associated
Press

The
U.S.
State
Department
says
the
number
of
Americans
killed
since
the
outbreak
of
war
between
Israel
and
Hamas
has
risen
to
30.

“At
this
time,
we
can
confirm
the
deaths
of
30
U.S.
citizens.
We
extend
our
deepest
condolences
to
the
victims
and
to
the
families
of
all
those
affected,”
the
State
Department
said
in
a
statement
released
Sunday.
The
U.S.
is
also
aware
of
13
missing
citizens
and
has
been
in
contact
with
their
families.

Hamas
militants
stormed
into
Israel
on
Oct.
7
and
murdered
more
than
1,400
Israelis,
the
vast
majority
of
them
civilians.
The
militants
also
kidnapped
at
least
155
people
—
a
number
that
includes
babies
and
the
elderly
—
and
are
holding
them
hostage
in
Gaza.
Their
whereabouts
are
not
publicly
known,
but
their
families
have
been
urgently
pressing
for
their
release.

“The
U.S.
government
is
working
around
the
clock
to
determine
their
whereabouts
and
is
working
with
the
Israeli
government
on
every
aspect
of
the
hostage
crisis,
including
sharing
intelligence
and
deploying
experts
from
across
the
United
States
government
to
advise
the
Israeli
government
on
hostage
recovery
efforts,”
the
statement
said.

The
Gaza
Health
Ministry
said
2,670
Palestinians
have
been
killed
so
far.

—

Associated
Press

Palestinians
who
are
foreign
nationals
will
be
allowed
to
cross
the
border
into
Egypt
starting
at
9
a.m.
local
time
on
Monday,
according
to
a
representative
for
the
Embassy
of
Palestine.
At
the
same
time,
humanitarian
aid
will
also
begin
crossing
into
Gaza,
Kamel
Khatib,
a
representative
for
the
Embassy
of
Palestine,

told
NBC
News.

—

Terri
Cullen

Sen.
Lindsey
Graham,
R-S.C.,
on
Sunday
warned
Iran
against
escalating
the
war
between
Israel
and
Hamas,

NBC
News
reported.

“I
want
to
applaud
President
Biden
for
his
strong
statement,
and
support
of
Israel.
I
just
got
off
the
phone
with
the
Israelis.
Their
goal
is
to
destroy
Hamas
in
the
south
and
try
to
save
as
many
innocent
Palestinians
as
possible
to
prevent
escalation
north
from
Hezbollah,”
Graham
said
in
an
interview
on
NBC
News’
“Meet
the
Press”
on
Sunday.

“Here’s
my
message:
If
Hezbollah,
which
is
a
proxy
of
Iran,
launches
a
massive
attack
on
Israel,
I
would
consider
that
a
threat
to
the
State
of
Israel,
existential
in
nature.”

Graham
said
he
plans
to
introduce
a
resolution
in
the
Senate
to
“allow
military
action
by
the
United
States
in
conjunction
with
Israel
to
knock
Iran
out
of
the
oil
business,”
according
to
NBC
News.

“Iran,
if
you
escalate
this
war,
we’re
coming
for
you,”
Graham
added.

Read
the
complete
NBC
News
story
here.

—

Annie
Nova

Senate
Majority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer
said
on
Sunday
that
the
senate
would
push
through
a
military
aid
package
to
help
Israel
in
its
war
against
the
Palestinian
Islamist
group
Hamas.

“We
will
work
to
move
this
aid
through
the
senate
ASAP,
and
the
Israeli
leaders
made
it
clear
to
us
they
need
the
aid
quickly,”
said
Schumer
during
a
trip
to
Israel.

He
said
among
Israel’s
requests
are
additional
interceptors
for
its
Iron
Dome
missile
defense
system,
which
has
been
operating
non-stop
shooting
down
Hamas
rockets
from
Gaza,
and
precision
munitions.

—

Reuters

The
death
toll
in
Israel
from
a
surprise
Hamas
attack
on
Oct.
7
is
now
more
than
1,400,
the
Israel
Defense
Forces
told
CNN
on
Sunday.

—

Annie
Nova

FBI
officials
say
they’ve
noticed
an
increase
in
threatening
rhetoric
targeting
both
the
Jewish
and
Muslim
communities
in
the
week
since
the
brutal
Hamas
attacks
in
Israel.

Director
Chris
Wray
said
on
a
call
with
reporters
Sunday
that
the
FBI
is
moving
quickly
to
mitigate
the
threats
and
that
the
FBI
does
not
discount
the
possibility
that
Hamas
and
other
groups
could
exploit
the
conflict
in
the
Middle
East
to
call
for
or
plot
attacks
in
the
United
States.

A
senior
FBI
official
who
spoke
on
condition
of
anonymity
under
ground
rules
set
by
the
bureau
said
the
majority
of
the
threats
that
the
FBI
has
responded
to
were
not
judged
to
be
credible.
But
the
official
said
the
FBI
takes
them
all
seriously
nonetheless.

The
official
also
said
that
agents
have
been
encouraged
to
be
“aggressive”
and
proactive
in
communicating
over
the
last
week
with
faith-based
leaders.
The
official
said
the
purpose
of
that
outreach
is
not
to
make
anyone
feel
targeted
but
rather
to
ask
clerics
and
others
to
report
to
law
enforcement
anything
that
seems
suspicious.

Besides
responding
to
an
escalating
number
of
threats,
Wray
said
the
FBI
was
also
working
through
its
legal
attache
office
in
Tel
Aviv
to
do
what
it
can
to
locate
and
identify
Americans
who
remain
unaccounted
for
after
last
weekend’s
attacks.

—

Associated
Press

The
U.S.
Department
of
State
on
Sunday
announced
that
the

charter
flights
out
of
Israel
offered
to
American
citizens
will
continue
“on
a
rolling
basis”
on
Monday
and
Tuesday.

The
State
Department
set
up
the
flights
for
U.S.
citizens
stranded
in
Israel,
unable
to
leave
due
to
the
limited
availability
of
commercial
flights
out
of
the
country.

“We
urge
those
wishing
to
leave
to
take
advantage
of
these
charters
while
they
are
available,”
the
department
said
in
a
statement.

Only
U.S.
citizens
are
eligible
for
the
flights
and
must
sign
an
agreement
prior
to
departure
that
pledges
to
repay
the
U.S.
government
for
the
travel.
The
flights
will
leave
from
Israel’s
Ben
Gurion
International
Airport.

The
department
also
provided
details
on
how
U.S.
citizens
in
the
Israeli
city
of
Haifa
can
leave
via
a
10-
to
12-hour
ship
ride
to
Cyprus
on
Monday.
Those
wishing
to
take
the
ship
must
arrive
at
Haifa
port
passenger
terminal at
9
a.m.
local
time
on
Monday.

The
U.S.
government
is
still
negotiating
how
to
get
American
citizens
in
Gaza
out
of
the
region.
It
had
secured
a
route
of
safe
passage
via
the
Rafah
gate
border
crossing
from
Gaza
to
Egypt,
but
Americans
trying
to
flee
reportedly
still
have
not
been
let
through.
In
the
meantime,
the
government
is
encouraging
Americans
in
Gaza
to
fill
out
a

crisis
intake
form
in
case
they
need
to
be
contacted
on
short
notice.

The
State
Department
has
issued
a

“Do
Not
Travel”
advisory
for
Gaza
and
“Reconsider
Travel”
advisories
for
Israel
and
the
West
Bank.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

The
death
toll
in
Gaza
rose
to
2,450
people
and
9,200
injured,
the
Palestinian
Ministry
of
Health
in
Gaza
said.
More
than
half
of
those
killed,
or
52%
of
them,
were
women
and
children,
according
to
the
ministry.

—

Annie
Nova

U.S.
Senate
Majority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer
said
on
social
media
that
a
bipartisan
group
of
senators
visiting
Israel
was
rushed
to
a
shelter
in
Tel
Aviv
on
Sunday
to
wait
out
a
rocket
attack
from
Hamas.
Schumer
posted
a
photo
of
himself
and
Republican
Sen.
Mitt
Romney
of
Utah
in
the
shelter.

“It
shows
you
what
Israelis
have
to
go
through.
We
must
provide
Israel
with
the
support
required
to
defend
itself,”
Schumer
said
on
X,
the
platform
formerly
known
as
Twitter.

Schumer,
the
highest-ranking
Jewish
elected
official
in
the
United
States,
took
the
trip
to
show
support
for
Israel
ahead
of
an
expected
request
from
President
Joe
Biden
for
Congress
to
approve
wartime
funding
for
Israel
as
well
as
Ukraine.
Schumer,
a
Democrat,
has
said
he
would
also
hold
discussions
with
Israeli
officials
what
kind
of
support
the
country
would
need
for
both
military
and
humanitarian
operations.

Republican
Sens.
Bill
Cassidy
of
Louisiana
and
Democratic
Sens.
Jacky
Rosen
of
Nevada
and
Mark
Kelly
of
Arizona
were
also
on
the
trip.

—

Associated
Press

Iran’s
hard-line
president
spoke
with
France’s
leader
on
Sunday,
warning
that
war
would
expand
if
Israel’s
siege
of
Gaza
doesn’t
stop,
state-run
media
reported.

The
official
IRNA
news
agency
said
Ebrahim
Raisi
and
Emmanuel
Macron
spoke
over
the
phone.
The
Iranian
president
made
no
mention
of
the
unprecedented
Oct.
7
incursion
by
Gaza’s
militant
Hamas
group
into
southern
Israel
that
sparked
the
latest
Hamas-Israel
war.
Iran
has
long
been
a
supporter
of
Hamas.

“The
situation
will
be
complicated
…
if
the
crimes
by
the
Zionist
regime,
including
the
killing
of
people
and
blockade
of
Gaza,
are
not
stopped,”
Raisi
was
quoted
as
saying,
referring
to
Israel.
IRNA
did
not
provide
further
details.

Earlier,
the
Elysee
Palace
confirmed
this
weekend
that
Macron
planned
to
talk
to
Raisi
to
urge
Iran
not
to
fuel
tensions
in
the
region
or
provide
any
operational
support
to
Hamas.

Macron
intended
to
press
the
argument
that
bringing
the
violence
to
a
rapid
end
is
in
everyone’s
interests,
including
Iran’s,
the
presidential
office
said.
France
feels
that
Iran
can
play
a
positive
role
in
the
crisis
by
simply
not
getting
involved
in
it,
either
with
“words
that
are
unacceptable”
or
by
supporting
Hamas.

Over
the
weekend,
Raisi
also
spoke
with
leaders
of
Arab
nations
of
Iraq,
Oman
and
Qatar
and
urged
them
to
support
Gaza’s
Palestinians,
Iranian
media
said.

He
also
accused
Israel
of
perpetrating
a
“genocide”
in
Gaza
and
criticized
the
United
States
for
its
support
of
Israel.

—

Associated
Press

U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken met
with
Egypt’s
President
Abdel
Fattah
El-Sisi
in
Egypt
on
Sunday
to
discuss
the
ongoing
Israel-Hamas
conflict
and
how
to
keep
civilians
safe
amid
the
violence
and
lack
of
humanitarian
aid
in
Gaza.

In
the
meeting,
Blinken
brought
up
the
ongoing
efforts
to
get
American
citizens
in
Gaza
safely
out
of
the
region.
The
secretary
had
been
trying
to
find
a
way
for
Americans
to
exit
Gaza
via
the
Rafah
gate
into
Egypt,
but
those
trying
to
leave
have
reported
that
the
border
crossing
has
remained
closed.

“Secretary
Blinken
reiterated
to
President
El-Sisi
the
importance
of
facilitating
the
safe
passage
of
American
citizens
and
family
members
from
Gaza,”
a
spokesperson
for
Blinken
said.

Over
the
past
week,
Blinken
has
been
on
a
Middle
East
tour,
trying
to
prevent
the
conflict
from
spreading
throughout
the
region
and
to
rally
humanitarian
support
for
civilians
caught
in
the
crossfire
of
the
war.

Blinken
has
met
with
officials
in Israel,
Jordan,
Qatar,
Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia,
the
United
Arab
Emirates,
and
Egypt.
The
State
Department
announced
that
he
will
return
to
Israel
on
Monday.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

White
House
National
Security
Advisor
Jake
Sullivan
said
Israel
has
reactivated
the
water
pipes
in
southern
Gaza
after
several
days
of
cutting
off
the
water
supply
in
response
to
the
deadly
attack
Hamas
launched
last
weekend.

“I
have
been
in
touch
with
my
Israeli
counterparts
just
within
the
last
hour
who
reports
to
me
that
they
have
in
fact
turned
the
water
pipe
back
on
in
southern
Gaza,”
Sullivan
said
Sunday
in
an
interview
on
CNN’s
“State
of
the
Union.”

“That
has
been
the
subject
of
discussion
over
the
course
of
the
past
few
days,”
he
added.

In
a
series
of
Sunday
interviews,
Sullivan
reiterated
the
U.S.
stance
that
all
innocent
civilians
must
be
protected
amid
the
violence
of
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict.

His
comments
come
as
many
civilians
remain
trapped
in
Gaza
without
access
to
basic
necessities
like
food,
water,
medicine
and
shelter.

“The
many,
many
Palestinians
who
have
had
nothing
to
do
with
the
brutal
terrorist
organization
among
us
the
vast
majority
of
the
population
of
Gaza.
They
deserve
dignity.
They
deserve
safety
and
security,”
Sullivan
said
in
an
interview
on
NBC’s
“Meet
the
Press.”

Sullivan
also
said
the
White
House
is
“working
actively”
to
get
Americans
in
Gaza
access
to
safe
passage
to
leave
the
region,
though
those
evacuation
efforts
have
been
thwarted
by
Hamas.

“So
far,
we
have
not
been
able
to
get
American
citizens
through
the
border
crossing
and
I’m
not
aware
of
anyone
else
being
able
to
get
out
at
this
time,”
he
said.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

IDF
spokesperson
Lt.
Col.
Peter
Lerner
said
on
Sunday
the
military
plans
to
strike
Hamas
from
the
top
through
its
institutions,
“all
the
way
down
to
the
individuals
that
conducted
the
butchery
of
our
babies.”

“We
did
not
ask
for
this
war,
but
we
will
win
it,”
Lerner
said
on
“This
Week”
on
ABC.

He
said
they’ve
instructed
Gazans
to
evacuate
the
north
“to
keep
people
out
of
harm’s
way
so
that
we
can
deal
with
Hamas.”
But
he
said
Hamas
was
trying
to
interfere
with
those
efforts.

“They
have
no
regard
for
human
life,
Israeli
or
Palestinian,”
he
said.

Lerner
also
said
that
some
of
its
forces
have
dispersed
to
communities
along
the
border
with
Lebanon
“in
anticipation
for
a
potential
uptick
in
violence
with
Hezbollah.”

—

Annie
Nova

The
Israeli
military
said
on
Sunday
it
would
continue
to
allow
Gazans
to
evacuate
south
ahead
of
an
expected
ground
assault
by
its
forces
on
the
Gaza
Strip
in
retaliation
for
unprecedented
attacks
by
Hamas
militants
eight
days
ago.

The
army
said
hundreds
of
thousands
had
already
moved
south
as
Israel
carried
out
the
most
intense
bombardment
the
enclave
has
ever
seen
in
response
to
the
killing
of
1,300
people
in
Israel,
including
279
Israeli
soldiers.

Authorities
in
Gaza
said
more
than
2,300
people
had
been
killed,
a
quarter
of
them
children,
and
nearly
10,000
wounded
so
far.
The
enclave’s
hospitals
are
running
short
of
medical
supplies
and
struggling
to
cope
with
the
flow
of
injured.

—

Reuters

The
regional
head
of
the
World
Health
Organization
told
The
Associated
Press
on
Sunday
that
evacuating
hospitals
from
the
northern
part
of
the
Gaza
Strip
is
“impossible”
and
said
Israel’s
demand
for
the
evacuation
of
medical
facilities
there
goes
against
international
law.

Ahmed
Al-Mandhari
said
22
hospitals
with
2,000
patients
in
northern
Gaza
managed
to
move
“mobile
patients”
to
the
south
over
the
past
two
days
but
most
of
the
patients
can’t
be
evacuated.

“It
is
really
very
risky,
very
dangerous
if
we
push
these
hospitals
to
evacuate,”
he
said
in
Cairo.

Egypt
has
yet
to
reach
an
agreement
with
Israel
and
Hamas
to
reopen
the
Rafah
border
crossing
to
deliver
medical
supplies
and
other
humanitarian
aid
territory
to
the
besieged,
Hamas-ruled
strip.

Al-Mandhari
urged
for
the
reopening
“immediately,
with
no
delay.”
The
U.N.
health
agency
has
supplies
waiting
in
Egypt,
around
20
kilometers
(12
miles)
from
the
Rafah
crossing
but
cannot
take
them
inside,
he
said.

Rafah
was
shuttered
early
on
Tuesday
after
Israeli
airstrikes
hit
close
to
Gaza’s
side
of
the
crossing.

—

Associated
Press

Egypt’s
president
Abdel
Fattah
al-Sisi
is
in
talks
with
international
and
regional
partners
to
enable
aid
deliveries
into
Gaza
and
to
de-escalate
the
fighting
there,
his
office
said
on
Sunday.

Israeli
bombardments
on
the
Gaza
side
of
the
Rafah
crossing
into
Egypt,
the
main
crossing
out
of
Gaza
not
controlled
by
Israel,
have
disrupted
operations
there.

Aid
from
several
countries
has
been
building
up
in
Egypt’s
Sinai
peninsula
due
to
a
failure
to
reach
a
deal
enabling
its
safe
delivery
to
Gaza
and
enabling
evacuations
of
some
foreign
passport
holders
through
the
Rafah
crossing
into
Egypt.

U.N.
aid
chief
Martin
Griffiths
said
on
Saturday
that
the
humanitarian
situation
in
Gaza
is
“fast
becoming
untenable”.

The
statement
from
Sisi’s
office
also
said
Egypt
rejected
any
plan
to
displace
Palestinians
“to
the
detriment
of
other
countries,”
and
said
Egypt’s
own
security
was
a
red
line.

Sisi
also
proposed
a
summit
to
discuss
the
crisis,
according
to
the
statement.

—

Reuters

U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
will
return
to
Israel
this
week
after
completing
a
frantic
six-country
rush
through
Arab
nations
aimed
at
preventing
the
Israel-Hamas
war
from
igniting
a
broader
regional
conflict.

The
U.S.
State
Department
announced
Blinken’s
plan
to
travel
Monday
to
Israel
—
his
second
visit
in
five
days
—
as
America’s
top
diplomat
arrived
in
Cairo
for
talks
Sunday
with
Egypt’s
president,
Abdel
Fattah
al-Sisi.
It
was
the
last
of
Blinken’s
meetings
with
Arab
leaders
amid
increasing
fears
that
an
impending
Israeli
ground
offensive
into
Gaza
could
spark
a
wider
war
with
devastating
humanitarian
consequences.

Department
spokesman
Matthew
Miller
told
reporters
traveling
with
Blinken
that
the
secretary
was
returning
to
Tel
Aviv
“for
further
consultations
with
Israeli
officials.”
Miller
did
not
elaborate.

Before
landing
in
Egypt,
Blinken
met
on
Sunday
morning
with
Saudi
Crown
Prince
Mohammed
bin
Salman
in
Riyadh.
That
meeting
followed
talks
over
the
previous
three
days
with
the
leaders
of
the
United
Arab
Emirates,
Bahrain,
Qatar,
Jordan
and
the
Palestinian
Authority.

—

Associated
Press

Pope
Francis
on
Sunday
renewed
his
call
for
the
release
of
Israeli
hostages
held
by
Gaza’s
militant
Hamas
rulers
and
called
for
humanitarian
corridors
to
help
those
under
siege
in
Gaza.

“I
continue
to
follow
with
much
sorrow
what
is
happening
in
Israel
and
Palestine,”
Francis
said
during
his
Sunday’s
Angelus
prayer
in
St.
Peter’s
Square.
“I
think
back
to
the
many
people,
especially
the
little
ones
and
the
elderly.”

The
Pope
reiterated
his
appeal
for
the
release
of
scores
of
Israeli
hostages
snatched
during
Hamas’
deadly
incursion
into
southern
Israel
last
weekend
and
taken
to
Gaza.

“I
strongly
ask
that
the
children,
the
elderly,
women
and
all
civilians
don’t
become
victims
of
the
conflict,”
Francis
said.
He
added
that
humanitarian
law
must
be
respected,
“especially
in
Gaza
where
there
is
an
urgent
need
to
guarantee
humanitarian
corridors
and
to
rescue
the
entire
population.”

The
Pope
appealed
for
the
world
not
to
“shed
any
more
innocent
blood,
neither
in
the
Holy
Land,
nor
in
Ukraine,
nor
anywhere
else.
Enough!
Wars
are
always
a
defeat,
always.”

—

Associated
Press

Thousands
took
the
streets
of
the
Moroccan
capital
on
Sunday
to
rally
in
support
of
Palestinians
in
Gaza
and
denounce
Israel’s
actions
in
the
latest
war
with
Gaza’s
militant
Hamas
rulers.

Waving
Palestinian
flags,
the
rally
also
marked
a
major
showing
for
the
banned
Islamist
movement
Al
Adl
Wa
Ihssane,
which
supports
Hamas.
After
Hamas’s
unprecedented
and
deadly
Oct.
7
incursion
into
Israel,
Morocco
issued
a
statement
condemning
the
violence.
Royal
Air
Maroc,
temporarily
cancelled
flights
from
Casablanca
to
Tel
Aviv
—
a
route
that
began
in
2021.

Demonstrators
marched
in
central
Rabat
and
threw
smoke
bombs
and
fireworks
as
riot
police
stood
between
them
and
the
Parliament
building
and
other
landmarks.

Hassan
Ait
Amar,
a
52-year-old
from
Casablanca,
carried
a
sign
demanding
Morocco’s
lawmakers
revoke
a
normalization
of
ties
with
Israel.

“If
they
want
peace,
they
(Israel)
should
respect
Palestinians,
international
law
and
a
two-state
solution,”
he
said.

Israel
and
Morocco
normalized
relations
as
part
of
the
2020
Abraham
Accords,
a
series
of
diplomatic
agreements
between
Israel
and
four
Arab
countries
brokered
by
then-President
Donald
Trump.
Israel
is
home
to
a
large
community
of
Jews
of
Moroccan
descent.
Morocco
and
Israel
have
agreed
to
military
cooperation
and
boosted
trade.

—

Associated
Press

The
European
Union
on
Tuesday
will
hold
an
extraordinary
meeting
of
its
member
states
to
discuss
the
fallout
of
the
escalating
Israel-Hamas
conflict
and
the
potential
consequences
for
the
bloc.

European
Council
President
Charles
Michel

said
in
an
invitation
letter
issued
Saturday
that
it
was
of
the
“utmost
importance”
to
establish
a
“clear
unified
course
of
action
that
reflects
the
complexity
of
the
unfolding
situation.”

“If
we
are
not
careful,
it
has
the
potential
to
exacerbate
tensions
between
communities
and
feed
extremism”
in
the
European
Union,
Michel
said.

“There
is
a
major
risk
of
migration
and
movements
of
a
large
number
of
people
to
neighboring
countries
which
already
have
a
significant
number
of
refugees
on
their
territory.
If
not
handled
carefully,
there
is
a
risk
of
onward
migratory
waves
to
Europe,”
he
added.

—
Sam
Meredith

Germany’s
Foreign
Office
said
Sunday
that
it
had
decided
to
issue
a
travel
warning
for
Israel,
the
Palestinian
territories
and
Lebanon.

“We
urgently
appeal
to
refrain
from
traveling
to
these
countries
and
areas.
In
general,
a
travel
warning
is
only
issued
if
there
is
danger
to
life,”
the
German
Foreign
Office

said
in
a
post
via
X,
formerly
known
as
Twitter.

The
ministry
also
urged
people
already
in
these
areas
to
register
themselves
with
the
German
government.

—
Sam
Meredith

British
Foreign
Minister
James
Cleverly
says
he
has
not
specifically
asked
Israel
to
wait
until
Palestinian
civilians
have
moved
to
the
south
of
Gaza
before
carrying
outs
its
expected
military
operation.

“I
haven’t
asked
that
specific
request
because
Hamas
are
trying
to
prevent
people
leaving
northern
Gaza,”
Cleverly

told
the
BBC
Sunday
morning.

“Of
course,
we
want
to
minimize
Palestinian
casualties,
we
want
to
minimize
Israeli
casualties.
We
want
everybody
to
respect
civilians,
but
the
real
clear
distinction
is
Israel
are
trying
to
get
civilians
out
of
danger,
Hamas
are
trying
to
put
civilians
into
danger
and
that
is
a
fundamental
difference
between
the
two,”
he
added.

The
Palestinian
militant
group
of
Hamas,
which
rules
the
Gaza
Strip,
has
told
citizens
to
ignore
Israel’s
evacuation
order.
The
United
Nations
has
said
the
evacuation
order
is
not
possible
and
warned
of
“devastating
humanitarian
consequences.”

—
Sam
Meredith

The
Israel
Defense
Forces
said
it
has
isolated
the
area
within
4
kilometers
(2.5
miles)
of
the
country’s
border
with
Lebanon.

IDF
spokesperson
Rear
Admiral
Daniel
Hagari
said
the
move
was
taken
in
response
to
shooting
from
Lebanon
at
Israeli
territory.

“Following
the
assessment
of
the
situation
and
the
shooting
incident
in
the
north,
it
was
decided
to
isolate
the
area
of
​​up
to
four
kilometers
from
the
northern
border
with
Lebanon,”
Hagari

said
on
X,
formerly
known
as
Twitter,
according
to
a
Google
translation.

“The
IDF
clarifies
that
entering
the
area
is
strictly
prohibited
and
asks
the
public
to
be
vigilant
and
not
to
enter
the
area.”

He
added
that
the
Israeli
military
was
undertaking
“proactive
GPS
jamming”
in
the
area,
which
could
affect
location-based
apps.

—

Katrina
Bishop

Images
published
Sunday
showed
Palestinian
citizens
leaving
their
homes
as
Israel’s
military
prepares
for
its
next
stage
of
operations.

—
Sam
Meredith,
Getty
Images

Israeli
citizens
on
Sunday
were
seen
placing
their
bags
on
board
a
bus
in
the
city
of
Sderot
as
they
evacuated
in
search
of
safer
areas
amid
the
ongoing
Israel-Hamas
conflict.

The
city
is
located
close
to
the
Gaza
border.

—
Sam
Meredith,
Getty
Images

The
president
of
the
Committee
to
Protect
Journalists
(CPJ),
a
U.S.
non-governmental
organization
that
promotes
press
freedom,

said
the
last
week
has
been
the
deadliest
on
record
for
journalists
covering
Israel-Palestine.

As
of
Saturday,
12
journalists
had
been
killed,
eight
were
injured
and
two
were
missing
over
the
course
of
the
first
eight
days
of
the
Israel-Hamas
war,
the
CPJ
said
in
an
update
via
its
website.

Of
the
journalists
confirmed
to
have
been
killed,
the
CPJ
said
10
were
Palestinian,
one
was
Israeli
and
a
Beirut-based
journalist
was
killed
during
a
shelling
attack
in
southern
Lebanon.

“This
is
the
deadliest
week
ever
for
journalists
covering
Israel-Palestine
in
the
more
than
30
years
that
@pressfreedom
has
been
covering
attacks
on
the
press,”
Jodie
Ginsberg,
president
of
the
CPJ,

said
Saturday
via
X,
formerly
known
as
Twitter.

—
Sam
Meredith

The
U.S.
Embassy
in
Israel

said
it
would
help
Americans
and
their
immediate
family
members
with
valid
travel
documents
to
depart
the
northern
Israeli
port
city
of
Haifa
via
sea
to
Cyprus
on
Monday.

In
a
security
alert
posted
on
its
website
Sunday,
the
embassy
said
boarding
for
passengers
would
begin
at
8
a.m.
local
time
(1
a.m.
ET)
and
U.S.
citizens
must
arrive
at
Haifa
Port’s
passenger
terminal
no
later
than
9
a.m.
local
time.

“Boarding
will
proceed
in
order
of
arrival
and
is
on
a
space
limited
basis,”
the
embassy
said.

The
alert
listed

several
instructions
for
travelers
and
noted
the
passage
to
Limassol
Port
in
Cyprus
was
expected
to
take
roughly
10-12
hours.

—
Sam
Meredith

Israel
Defense
Forces
said
Sunday
in
a
message
addressed
to
residents
of
Gaza
City
and
northern
Gaza
that
it
won’t
carry
out
any
military
operations
from
10
a.m.
local
time
(3
a.m.
ET)
to
1
p.m.,
renewing
its
call
for
people
to
move
southward.

“Residents
of
Gaza
City
and
northern
Gaza,
in
the
past
days,
we’ve
urged
you
to
relocate
to
the
southern
area
for
your
safety.
We
want
to
inform
you
that
the
IDF
will
not
carry
out
any
operations
along
this
route
from
10
AM
to
1
PM,”
the
IDF

said
in
a
post
via
X,
formerly
known
as
Twitter.

“Your
safety
and
that
of
your
families
matters.
Please
follow
our
instructions
and
head
southward,”
it
added.

The
United
Nations
has

criticized
Israel’s
military
for
issuing
an
evacuation
order
to
1.1
million
people
in
northern
Gaza,
saying
it
is
“impossible
for
such
a
movement
to
take
place
without
devastating
humanitarian
consequences.”

—
Sam
Meredith

EDITORS
NOTE-Graphic
content-
Image
shows
body
bags
of
those
killed
in
Gaza.

More
than
2,300
people
have
been
killed
and
another
9,000
injured
in
Gaza,
according
to
the

local
health
ministry’s
latest
update.

In
Israel,
at
least
1,300
have
been
killed
and
3,300
wounded,
according
to
public
broadcaster
Kan.

—
Christine
Wang

U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
is
set
to
meet
with
Saudi
Arabia’s
Crown
Prince
Mohammed
bin
Salman
in
Riyadh
at
7:30
a.m.
local
time
(12:30
a.m.
ET),
a
U.S.
official
said.

The
meeting
comes
as
Blinken
is
scheduled
to
depart
for
Egypt
later
in
the
day,
where
he
is
expected
to
discuss
a
tentative
agreement
to
grant
Americans
in
Gaza
safe
passage
through
the
Rafah
border
crossing.

—
Christine
Wang

The
United
Nations
Relief
and
Works
Agency
for
Palestine
Refugees
in
the
Near
East
called
on
Israeli
authorities
to

protect
all
civilians
in
its
shelters
across
the
Gaza
Strip,
including
those
in
northern
Gaza
and
Gaza
City.

The
UNRWA
warned
that
despite
Israel’s
order
to
evacuate
the
north,
many
people
will
not
be
able
to
flee,
particularly
pregnant
women,
children,
the
elderly,
and
people
with
disabilities.

“UNRWA
shelters
in
Gaza
and
northern
Gaza
are
no
longer
safe.
This
is
unprecedented,”
it
said.

“This
war
should
be
no
exception,
protection
of
civilians
and
civilian
infrastructure,
including
United
Nations
buildings,
applies
to
this
conflict
too.”

Israel
has
ordered
roughly
1
million
residents
in
northern
Gaza
to
evacuate
to
the
south
ahead
of
an
anticipated
ground
offensive.

Separately,
the
UNRWA
warned
that

2
million
people
are
at
risk
as
water
runs
out
in
Gaza
and
called
for
humanitarian
supplies
to
be
let
in.
It
said
its
newly
relocated
base
in
the
south
is
also
running
out
of
water
as
it
takes
in
refugees,
thousands
of
whom
it
said
followed
the
evacuation
order.

UNRWA
Commissioner-General
Philippe
Lazzarini
said
fuel
needs
to
be
brought
in
immediately
to
guarantee
safe
drinking
water.

“If
not,
people
will
start
dying
of
severe
dehydration,
among
them
young
children,
the
elderly
and
women.
Water
is
now
the
last
remaining
lifeline.
I
appeal
for
the
siege
on
humanitarian
assistance
to
be
lifted
now,”
he
said.

—
Christine
Wang

The
Israel
Defense
Forces
reiterated
its
call
for
residents
to
evacuate
to
southern
Gaza,

in
a
post
on
X,
the
social
media
platform
formerly
known
as
Twitter.

Earlier,
the

military
posted
another
video
listing
other
acts
committed
by
Hamas,
saying
the
Palestinian
militant
group
“has
shown
the
world
time
and
time
again
what
they
are
capable
of.”

“Now
the
IDF
is
prepared
to
counter
with
an
even
greater
force.
There
is
no
place
in
the
world
for
terrorism,”
it
said.

The
posts
come
as
Israel
is
expected
to
commence
a
ground
offensive
in
Gaza.

—
Christine
Wang

The
Israel
Defense
Forces,
or
IDF,
said
it
was
“preparing
to
implement
a
wide
range
of
offensive
operative
plans”
which
will
include
“an
integrated
and
coordinated
attack
from
the
air,
sea
and
land”
against
Hamas.

The
IDF
added
that
it
had
already
completed
its
mobilization
of
hundreds
of
thousands
of
servicemen
for
the
counteroffensive,
according
to
a

statement
translated
by
NBC
News.

“IDF
battalions
and
soldiers
are
deployed
all
over
the
country
and
are
prepared
to
increase
readiness
for
the
next
stages
of
the
war
—
with
an
emphasis
on
a
significant
ground
operation,”
the
statement
added.

—
Amanda
Macias

The
tentative
agreement
to
grant
Americans
in
Gaza
safe
passage
into
Egypt
through
the
Rafah
gate
continues
to
face
significant
obstacles
to
implementation,

U.S.
officials
told
NBC
News.

Previous
discussions
between
Egypt,
the
U.S.,
Qatar
and
Israel
looked
set
to
allow
Americans
across
the
border
crossing
during
a
five-hour
window
Saturday,
but
NBC
reports
the
deadline
came
and
went
without
any
immediate
sign
of
success.
One
official
told
NBC
the
parties
are
continuing
to
negotiate.

Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
is
expected
to
land
in
Cairo
on
Sunday
and
the
deal
is
set
to
be
a
key
issue
on
his
agenda.

While
sticking
points
remain,
the
State
Department
has
urged
the
estimated
500
to
600
Americans
in
Gaza
to
move
south,
warning
that
if
the
crossing
opens,
the
window
could
be
brief.

—
NBC
News,
Christine
Wang