Israel-Hamas war live updates: Hamas releases two American hostages; Biden says Gaza aid is coming in 24 to 48 hours

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

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

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

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

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 Technologies | Getty Images

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.

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

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

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.

— Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

An aerial view shows destroyed buildings in al-Zahra city, south of Gaza City on Oct. 20 following Israeli bombardment overnight amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

-Belal Alsabbagh | AFP | Getty Images

The World Health Organization hopes to be able to deliver humanitarian resources to the Gaza Strip on Saturday and urges Israel to include fuel among the life-saving supplies allowed to enter the region.

In a video address posted on social media on Friday, Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We’re working with Egypt and Palestine Red Crescent Societies to deliver our supplies into Gaza as soon as the Rafah crossing is open, hopefully tomorrow.”

A humanitarian aid deal was agreed earlier in the week between the U.S. and Egypt to assist the civilians of the besieged Gaza enclosure, who have been facing shortages of electricity, fuel, water, medical equipment and food.

Anticipation is building for the arrival of humanitarian aid to the strip, where U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was posted earlier on Friday to witness preparations.

“We welcome Israel’s announcement yesterday that it will not block the entry of water, food and medicines into Gaza from Egypt. Fuel is also needed for hospital generators, ambulances and desalination plants, and we urge Israel to add fuel to the live-saving supplies allowed to enter Gaza. Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” Tedros said.

“All of us at WHO have been shocked, appalled and saddened by the conflict in Israel and Gaza.”

— Ruxandra Iordache

Place settings as a “Shabbat Dinner” table is prepared at the Tel Aviv museum plaza, with 200 empty seats, representing the hostages and missing people on Oct. 20, 2023 in Tel Aviv Israel.

-Lean Neal | Getty Images

Israel targets “complete removal of Israeli responsibility from the Gaza Strip, and the creation of a new security reality in the region” through its military campaign, Israeli’s defense minister said.

The offensive also seeks to eliminate the governance and military capabilities of Palestinian militant group Hamas in the enclave, Yoav Gallant said on Friday during a briefing to the Israeli Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to Reuters.

It is unclear whether Gallant referred to security, welfare or political responsibilities regarding Gaza.

Israel last week ended deliveries of its own fuel, food, water and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip, declaring a total siege of the region as part of its response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks of Hamas. Gallant on Thursday signaled that Israel’s military would go ahead with a widely anticipated ground incursion into the area.

On the diplomatic front, Israel officially endorses a two-state solution — which would create an independent Palestinian state alongside that of Israel — on the condition that Palestine demilitarizes.

— Ruxandra Iordache

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrives in Egypt, as officials wait to deliver aid to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

-Amr Abdallah Dalsh | Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden’s comparison between the actions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and those of Hamas is “unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesperson said Friday, in Google-translated comments reported by Russia’s state agency Tass on Telegram.

Divided between loyalties with Israel and Hamas-backing Iran, Putin has fallen short of condemning the Palestinian militant group, while broadly calling for an end to the violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in the week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decried the so-called “cynical” comments of Putin over the suffering in Gaza, given the numerous civilian casualties that have resulted from Russia’s own full-scale invasion of Ukraine since Feb. 2022.

Peskov on Friday once more reiterated Moscow’s warning that the risks to civilians in Gaza will “increase exponentially” when the Israel Defense Forces launch a long-anticipated ground incursion into the embattled enclave.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The U.N. is working with all parties to clarify conditions for humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, the U.N.’s secretary-general said Friday.

Conditions have rapidly deteriorated in the Gaza Strip, which is deprived of supplies as it remains under total siege by Israel. The Gaza health ministry has warned that the health system will collapse if nothing is done to address electricity and equipment shortages. Human rights groups, meanwhile, have issued warnings over food scarcity and dangers to civilians in the strip.

Earlier this week, the U.S. and Egypt agreed on a deal to get humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing — the only border not controlled by Israel. However, Egypt says it has been unable to open the crossing due to repeated Israeli bombardment at the site.

The humanitarian aid agreement came with “some conditions and some restrictions,” the U.N.’s Antonio Guterres said from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, according to NBC News. He added that the U.N. is working to “clarify those conditions.”

In Reuters-reported comments, Guterres called for a meaningful number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip daily as quickly as possible, and for aid verifications to be done in a way that is practical and expedited.

In an earlier social media post, Guterres said that he arrived in Egypt on Thursday to witness U.N. preparations to “deliver massive support to civilians in Gaza,” urging access and safe distribution conditions for humanitarian workers to bring aid in.

“On this side, we have seen so many trucks loaded with water, with fuel, with medicines, with foods. Exactly the same things that are needed on this side of the wall. So these trucks are not just trucks. They are a lifeline,” Guterres said Friday, according to NBC News.

“What we need is to make them move, to make them move to the other side of his wall, to make them move as quickly as possible and as many as possible.”

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Friday asked for international unity in calling for the release of hostages taken during the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7.

“We will do everything to free all the abductees. In addition, we demand that the international organizations and the Red Cross reach out to the abductees in order to verify their condition and the conditions in which they are being held,” he said on Friday in a Google-translated post on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter.

The Israel Defense Forces most recently estimated that around 203 hostages were taken by Hamas into the Gaza Strip. Earlier this week, the Palestinian militant group released its first video alleging to show a captive. The footage, filmed under duress, featured 21-year-old French-Israeli national Mia Schem, asking to be returned to her family. CNBC could not independently verify the video or when it was shot.

Analysts have previously said that holding hostages could give Hamas a substantial bargaining chip in the event of an Israeli ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.

— Ruxandra Iordache

A Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip said that it was hit overnight by an Israeli air strike, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Palestinian health officials said Friday.

CNBC was unable to independently verify the claims.

The number of people killed and injured was not clear Friday morning, though the compound of the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius church was said to be sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians.

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled interior ministry said the strike had left a “large number of martyrs and injured” while the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem accused Israeli forces of committing a “war crime.”

— Karen Gilchrist

The United Nations humanitarian office said Friday that it was in advanced talks with representatives from Israel and Hamas to enable an aid operation to Gaza soon, according to Reuters reports.

“We are in deep and advanced negotiations with all relevant sides to ensure that an aid operation into Gaza starts as quickly as possible and with the right conditions,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said.

“We are encouraged by reports that the different sides are nearing an agreement on the modalities, and that a first delivery is due to start in the next day or so.”

— Karen Gilchrist

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg called for ceasefire amid strike action in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

“Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected,” she said in a social media post on Friday.

A frequent demonstrator for climate change and social causes, Thunberg was arrested in London earlier this week for disrupting a major energy conference alongside hundreds of other protesters. She has since been released on bail, Reuters reports.

— Ruxandra Iordache

A long-anticipated Israeli ground incursion into the embattled Gaza Strip has yet to materialize, a week since the Israel Defense Forces instructed civilians in Gaza City to evacuate southward — but the offensive could take place imminently, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signaled on Thursday.

“Be ready, the order will come,” he told infantry troops rallied at the Gaza border, according to NBC News. “And those who now see Gaza from afar will see it from the inside. I promise you. Good luck.”

Earlier in the week, the IDF’s Lt Colonel Richard Hecht had told reporters that the next stages of Israel’s war against Hamas could be “something different” from a ground campaign, without disclosing further details.

Yoav on Thursday added that Israel’s military efforts will aim for the “total annihilation of Hamas organization — terror infrastructures, everything that has to do with terrorists and whoever sent them.”

Israel has repeatedly stated it only target is to remove the military abilities of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the Palestinian militant group’s attacks of Oct. 7. Human rights groups have drawn alarm bells over the exacerbating humanitarian crisis in the embattled Gaza enclave, which has been placed under “complete siege” by Israel and deprived of the country’s fuel, water, electricity and food resources.

Top U.S. and European officials and heads of state have visited Israel to show solidarity, entreat no further escalations and broker humanitarian corridors for the safe passage of civilians stranded in Gaza.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Palestine’s health ministry on Friday said that 22 people were killed and more than 70 were injured after Israeli airstrikes on six homes in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

— Sam Meredith

Over 1,000 Chinese nationals have left Israel amid the country’s conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing, according to Reuters.

The figures are preliminary and reunite both nationals who have returned to China or gone to a third country.

China has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and an end to the violence in Israel and the embattled Gaza Strip enclave, without explicitly condemning Hamas.

Governments around the world have organized special repatriation flights and transport to remove their citizens from Israel, following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have also encouraged their citizens to leave Israeli neighbor Lebanon, in the wake of rising tensions.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a Chicago-based pulmonary and critical care specialist and president of non-governmental organization MedGlobal, warned that dwindling supplies of essential goods in Gaza will likely have disastrous consequences over the coming days.

MedGlobal is a nonprofit that sends teams of physicians to countries in need. It is currently working on the ground in Gaza to provide humanitarian assistance during the Israel-Hamas war.

“The hospital explosion and the catastrophic death toll has significantly increased the fear, anxiety and trauma among civilians and medical workers alike,” Sahloul told CNBC, referring to a blast at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.

“The added stress, combined with dwindling and in many cases completely depleted supplies of water, fuel and medicine are pushing hospitals to the utter brink,” he added. “Humanitarian relief and supplies must come or the death toll at hospitals and displaced communities will climb drastically in the coming days.”

Israel responded to an Oct. 7 terrorist attack from Palestinian militant group Hamas by imposing a “complete siege” on Gaza. This means that supplies of drinking water, food, fuel and medicine are either dwindling or gone, while humanitarian aid from Egypt has yet to materialize.

— Sam Meredith

The Palestinian health ministry on Friday said that 13 people had been killed, including five children, after an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reported.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

The reported attack comes as Israeli forces are expected to launch a ground assault in Gaza and continue with an aerial bombardment campaign.

— Sam Meredith

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday, as part of the British leader’s broader Middle East tour to diplomatically rein in escalations of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We agreed on coordinated action to prevent further escalation in the region, provide vital humanitarian aid in Gaza and support stability, both now and in the long-term,” Sunak said Thursday on social media.

“As an international community, we must not let Hamas’ terror attack become a catalyst for a terrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We will work together to ensure regional stability and prevent a dangerous escalation,” he added in a separate update on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Riyadh has historically been a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Palestinian people, refusing official diplomatic relations with Israel on that count. Under U.S. auspices, ties between the two countries had been thawing in recent months, but the Oct. 7 terrorist attack of Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel’s retaliatory strikes against the Gaza Strip have cast shadow over the future of the relationship.

Earlier on Thursday, Sunak visited Israel, where he met with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Britain expressed solidarity with Israel in the latter’s “darkest hour.”

Sunak is on Friday expected to travel to Egypt, with whose leadership he has been discussing support for a humanitarian aid corridor to the Gaza Strip.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Israel Defense Forces attacked over 100 operational targets belonging to Palestinian militant group Hamas in an overnight offensive, the military said in an Friday morning update on Telegram.

The IDF said the hostilities also killed a Hamas naval operative involved in the terror attacks of Oct. 7, Amjad Majed Muhammad Abu ‘Odeh.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

The IDF has been carrying out an intense air strike campaign against the besieged Gaza Strip enclosure, as it seeks to remove the military capabilities of Hamas.

The Israeli military has simultaneously been exchanging fire with Hezbollah, most recently reporting retaliatory strikes against the Lebanese militant group’s infrastructure and observation posts in response to anti-tank missiles shot from Lebanon over the course of Thursday.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces have asked residents to leave Kiryat Shmona, a city near the northern border with Lebanon, according to a post from the ministry on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The ministry said residents would be moved to state-subsidized guesthouses and that the IDF notified the mayor.

The border town has been battered by rockets as tensions flare with Iran-backed fighters in Lebanon and Syria.

— Christine Wang

In a rare prime-time Oval Office address, President Joe Biden urged Israel “not be blinded by rage.”

“When I was in Israel yesterday, I said that when America experienced the hell of 9/11, we felt enraged as well,” Biden said. “While we sought and got justice, we made mistakes. So, I cautioned the government of Israel not to be blinded by rage.”

Biden also said that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.”

“The U.S. remains committed to the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and to self-determination,” President Biden says. “The actions of Hamas terrorists don’t take that right away … We can’t ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace.”

President Joe Biden vowed to hold the Iranian regime to account for supporting both Russia, Hamas and other malign actors as the U.S. works to support Israel and Ukraine on two different war fronts.

“Iran is supporting Russia, Ukraine and supporting Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region and will continue to hold them accountable,” Biden said.

The Biden administration has previously warned Iran to not further escalate the ongoing war in the Middle East.

— Amanda Macias