By NBC News
What we know
Israel said its troops had reached Gaza's coastline and split the enclave in two between "north Gaza" and "south Gaza" in its ground operation against Hamas. That development is likely to fuel new questions about the fate of the Palestinians now massing in the southern half of the Strip, which continues to suffer intense bombardment and a shortage of key supplies.
Israel has rebuffed mounting calls for a cease-fire, saying any deal would require the release of all hostages held by Hamas. The U.S. is pushing for a humanitarian pause in fighting amid growing anger at the civilian suffering.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Turkey after surprise visits to the occupied West Bank and Iraq, while the CIA chief is in Israel as Washington seeks to prevent a broader Middle East war.
More than 1.5 million people have been displaced in Gaza, and health officials there say more than 10,000 have been killed. Israel says 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack, and 240 are still held hostage.
NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Erin McLaughlin, Josh Lederman, Matt Bradley, Hala Gorani, Jay Gray and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region.
59m ago / 11:25 AM CST
Hostage family representatives meet opposition leaders
Annemarie Bonner
Representatives of the families of the hostages held by Hamas met with the leaders of the opposition, including Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra’am party. The meeting, which took place in the Knesset, was also attended by the opposition chairman, Yair Lapid, and the ead of the Labor party, Merav Michaeli.
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1h ago / 11:22 AM CST
U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria were attacked at least 10 times since Thursday
Courtney Kube
Bases in Iraq and Syria with U.S. personnel have been attacked at least 10 times since Thursday, bringing the total number of attempted attacks on U.S. targets in the region since Oct. 17 to 38, according to three U.S. defense officials.
The officials say most of the attacks have come via one-way drones and rockets, and there have not been any new U.S. casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Most of the newest attacks occurred yesterday and today, according to U.S. officials.
At least 19 of the 38 attacks against U.S. targets have come since the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes on two Iranian-linked targets in Syria on Oct. 26.
Before they retaliated, U.S. and coalition forces had been attacked repeatedly in Iraq and Syria, according to defense officials.
The U.S. defines attacks as attempted strikes on U.S. facilities. Not all attempts actually reach the U.S. targets.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Defense Department press secretary, said on Oct. 24 that the groups conducting the attacks are supported by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We always reserve the right to defend ourselves, and we will never hesitate to take action when needed to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” he said.
6, 2023
