Biden calls for humanitarian pause

Civilians pass through Rafah crossing

Max Butterworth

A young boy peers through a countertop window as civilians leaving Gaza are processed at the Rafah border point with Egypt today.

Two hospitals in Gaza have run out of fuel, Health Ministry says

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two hospitals in northern Gaza have run out of power because of fuel shortages, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported today.

The main power generator at the Indonesian Hospital, where victims of Israeli strikes on the Jabaliya refugee camp were taken, is empty, the ministry said in a statement.

It added that the Turkish hospital, the only facility dedicated to cancer treatment in the enclave, has also ceased operations.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca later posted on X that his country was ready to support the cancer patients at the hospital. “The only option other than saving the lives of patients is to knowingly let them die,” he said.

New list suggests 370 Americans will be evacuated from Gaza today

NBC News has obtained a new list of foreign passport holders who will be allowed to cross from the Gaza Strip into Egypt.

It suggests that more than 370 Americans are set to leave the enclave via the Rafah border crossing today. The Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority confirmed the list’s authenticity.

However, an NBC News review of the document found some duplicate names. At least one was of an American who was confirmed to have been evacuated yesterday.

Israeli strikes on Jabaliya refugee camp killed 195, Hamas says

At least 195 people were killed in two Israeli strikes in two days on the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, Hamas said in a Telegram post today.

Another 120 people are considered missing under rubble and 777 others were wounded, the post said. NBC News has not been able to independently verify these numbers.

The Israeli military said both strikes were targeting senior Hamas commanders.

Dr. Atef al-Kahlout, director of the Indonesian Hospital, told a news conference Tuesday that 400 people were either killed or injured in the first strike. It is unclear how many casualties there were in the second strike yesterday.

Funerals held in Khan Younis

Max Butterworth

Relatives mourn lost family members outside the Nasser Hospital morgue in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, ahead of their burial today.

Official hostage count increases to 242

TEL AVIV — The number of hostages recorded by Israel has risen to 242, a military spokesperson told a briefing this morning.

Although a trickle of hostages have been released or freed, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters that the number of families notified had ticked up again because of a complex counting and verification process.

The fate of the captives has heaped pressure on the Israeli government.

Hagari said, “We are committed to the national mission of returning everyone home.”

More than 20 Australians successfully cross Gaza border

As many as 20 Australians, one permanent resident and two family members have successfully crossed from Gaza into Egypt today, Australian officials said.

“I can’t describe the situation there … no one, no human being can handle this,” Mona Sakr, who left Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, told SBS Arabic News. “I’m very sad that all at the same time because I’m leaving my family behind with no food, no water and in a very scary situation,” she added.

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said today that she was “relieved and grateful this cohort was able to cross.” She added that arrangements were being made for “them to get home free of charge.”

Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts told ABC’s “News Breakfast” that his government was aware of 65 Australians who are still in Gaza. “We are continuing to push for them to be able to make that passage across the Rafah crossing as soon as possible,” he said.

Fact check: Has Israel’s name been removed from China’s maps?

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, social media users have been discussing the way Israel is labeled on Chinese-language online maps. Commenters note that Israel’s country name does not always appear on maps published by privately owned companies, such as the internet search giant Baidu, even though the names of neighboring countries, as well as key cities in Israel and elsewhere, are clearly marked.

China, which is known for its sensitivity around maps, particularly when it comes to the Beijing-claimed island of Taiwan, has tried to balance its relations with Israelis and Palestinians in the current conflict, and has been criticized for its refusal to explicitly condemn Hamas.

But the inconsistent depictions of Israel on Chinese-language maps do not appear to be a new phenomenon. In social media posts seen by NBC News, Chinese internet users have been discussing it as far back as 2015, with some commenters suggesting it could be a technical issue.

Asked about it this week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry noted that China and Israel have full diplomatic relations, and that Israel “is clearly marked on the standard maps issued by the Chinese competent authorities.”

Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Strikes on Jabaliya camp ‘cannot become the new normal,’ UNICEF says

The Israeli strikes on Jabaliya, the largest refugee camp in Gaza, “cannot become the new normal,” UNICEF said in a statement that once again called for a humanitarian cease-fire.

“Attacks of this scale on densely populated residential neighborhoods can have indiscriminate effects and are completely unacceptable,” the statement said. “Refugees and internally displaced people are protected under international humanitarian law.”

The organization went on to say that the “killing and captivity of children must stop.”

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck the camp in a targeted attack on a Hamas official and blamed Hamas for building its infrastructure under civilian buildings. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured, according to a local hospital

Tearful tennis star donates part of prize money to Palestinians

After she defeated America’s Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals in Mexico yesterday, Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur tearfully told the crowd that she would donate part of her prize money “to help Palestinians.”

Although she was pleased to win, she said in her post-match interview, “the situation in the world doesn’t make me happy,” adding that she felt “hopeless” watching videos and photos taken during the war.

“It’s very tough seeing children, babies dying every day,” Jabeur said. “It’s heartbreaking. So I’ve decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians. I cannot be happy with just this win, with what is happening.”

Satellite images reveal destruction of Gaza refugee camp

Max Butterworth

A combination image shows an overview of the Jabaliya refugee camp on Tuesday, and the destruction in the same camp after it was hit by an Israeli strike.

Egypt working to evacuate 7,000 people from southern Gaza, foreign ministry says

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Egypt is working to evacuate about 7,000 people from southern Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement this morning.

The statement said that people from “more than 60 countries” would be among those allowed to cross.

Evacuations began through the crossing yesterday for the first time since Israel imposed a siege on the Palestinian enclave after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

Some injured civilians crossed into Egypt and hundreds of foreign passport holders, including some American, were allowed to leave.

More than half of Gaza’s population has been displaced, UNRWA estimates

It’s estimated that 1.4 million people are currently displaced in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency said in a statement today.

That would mean that more than half of the enclave’s population of 2.3 million people had been uprooted from their homes.

The UNRWA statement added that an estimated 160,000 people are housed in 57 shelters in the north and in Gaza City, where the bulk of the Israeli airstrikes have taken place.

Biden, interrupted by protester calling for cease-fire, backs pause

At a campaign event in Minnesota yesterday, Biden was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Just as Biden was explaining how the deadly rally by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, inspired him to run for office again, he was interrupted.

“Mr. President, you care about Jewish people. As a rabbi, I need you to call for a cease-fire right now,” said a woman who later identified herself to NBC News as Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg. Rosenberg is part of the activist group Jewish Voice for Peace.

The crowd tried to drown her out, but Biden addressed Rosenberg: “I think we need a pause.”

Read the full story here.

Crowds gather at the Rafah border to cross into Egypt

Max Butterworth

Hundreds of more people with foreign passports, including Americans, were expected to make it out of Gaza today. Crowds were gathering this morning at the border crossing as they wait for permission to leave.

Catch up with NBC News’ latest coverage of the Israel-Hamas war