Gaza’s health system is failing, as the humanitarian crisis there reaches unprecedented levels. Hospitals are on their last drops of fuel and some have shut down. Sources of food are quickly running out, and people have resorted to unsafe drinking water.
U.N. shelters are also completely overrun, with some holding 10 or 12 times as many people as intended, and can “no longer provide dignified living conditions,” the U.N. relief agency UNRWA said.
If fuel isn’t allowed into Gaza soon, the UNRWA said it would be forced to reduce or stop humanitarian operations.
Growing international calls for a cease-fire, however, have been met with fury by Israel, which angrily denounced the head of the U.N. for saying that the attack had not happened “in a vacuum.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council failed, once again, to come to an agreement on how to ensure aid reaches the Palestinian people after it shut down dueling resolutions from the U.S. and Russia.
Fears of broader escalation with Hezbollah across the border in Lebanon as well as a ground war in Gaza are still growing, as Israel conducted new strikes on the occupied West Bank and against Syria overnight. Netanyahu said Israel was “getting ready” for ground offensive in Gaza but wouldn’t reveal details.
For its part, the IDF continued to try to keep the focus on Hamas by playing a gruesome, 46-minute montage of video from various sources that it says captures parts of the deadly attack on Oct. 7. NBC News could not independently verify all of the footage.
An estimated 220 hostages are still being held by Hamas after the attack, more than half of whom are foreign nations, Israel said. Four hostages have been freed so far, and a diplomat with knowledge of the discussions said talks were “progressing positively” although there has been “no breakthrough yet.”
On U.S. soil, political and social tensions continue to rise. The House of Representatives underwent its first vote with new speaker, Mike Johnson, R-La., who was elected earlier today, and overwhelmingly passed a resolution supporting Israel.
Divisive protests and demonstrations also continue to break out on the streets and on several college campuses, sometimes drawing national attention as well as intense scrutiny on a young generation’s interpretation of foreign policy.
