Israel, Hamas cease-fire deal with hostage release is in final stages as Netanyahu meets officials

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President Biden and other administration officials said Tuesday that they welcomed the temporary cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of hostages.

Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken all released statements supporting the agreement between Israeli officials and Hamas terrorists amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

The president said he welcomes the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its "brutal assault" against Israel on Oct. 7 and that he is "extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls, who have endured weeks of captivity and an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented."

Harris said in her statement that she welcomes "the commitment that Israel has made to support an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure additional humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in Gaza" and that "the flow of aid must substantially increase and civilians must be protected." She also called on Hamas to "release all the remaining hostages."

In a statement Tuesday night, Blinken wrote that he cannot imagine what the hostages have endured the past few weeks and that he is thankful they will soon be reunited with their loved ones.

"Today’s outcome is the result of tireless diplomacy and relentless effort across the Department and broader United States government," Blinken said. "I appreciate the leadership and ongoing partnership of Egypt and Qatar in this work. I also thank the government of Israel for supporting a humanitarian pause that will facilitate the transfer of hostages to safety and allow additional humanitarian assistance to reach Palestinian civilians in Gaza. While this deal marks significant progress, we will not rest as long as Hamas continues to hold hostages in Gaza."

The Israeli Defense Forces said residents of Gaza City should evacuate the area during a pause in the war against Hamas for humanitarian purposes.

"Residents of Gaza City, especially the neighborhoods of the Old City of Jabalia and Shuja’iya, we urge you to evacuate your residential areas immediately in order to preserve your safety, via the Salah al-Din Road until 16:00, to reach the south of Wadi Gaza and the humanitarian zone," the IDF wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"There will be a local tactical pause for humanitarian purposes today between 10:00-14:00, in the area of ​​the Jourat al-Lot and Batn al-Sameen neighborhoods in Khan Yunis," the post continued.

The IDF added that Hamas has lost its control over northern Gaza, and is trying to prevent civilians from moving southward for their safety.

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Democrat Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown took action against a member of his own hate crime task force on Tuesday after numerous antisemitic social media posts by the member surfaced, including a claim that the babies murdered in the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack were "fake."

Zainab Chaudry, an anti-Israel activist who serves as the director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Maryland office, made the posts in the weeks following Hamas' attack on Israel, which saw more than 1,200 people killed, including children and babies, as well as numerous rapes and destruction of property.

"The Office of Attorney General learned last week about personal social media posts of a member of the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention, Zainab Chaudry, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations – Maryland Office," Brown said in a news release.

"Attorney General Brown has determined that Ms. Chaudry’s social media posts risk disrupting the work and mission of the Commission, so he is announcing steps that he took today to ensure that the vital work and mission of the Commission can continue without interruption," he said, adding that Chaudry's membership on the commission would be "temporarily suspended."

He went on to say that his office would "develop a draft values statement" concerning personal communications by commission members and called on those members to "to exercise great care in their communications and conduct."

In a Facebook post dated Oct. 26, Chaudry wrote, "I will never be able to understand how the world summoned up rage for 40 fake Israeli babies while completely turning a blind eye to 3,000 real Palestinian babies."

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Georgetown Law School student Julia Wax was first frightened, then steeled with resolve, when far-left groups flooded college campuses recently accusing Jewish people of global conspiracies then demanding that Israel be destroyed.

The National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), for example — a network of pro-Palestinian student groups — wrote in its "Day of Resistance Toolkit" that "the forces of Zionism engage in media campaigns which attack our people." It called for "resistance from all sides," as it shared on campuses nationwide in October.

The toolkit demanded the "decolonization" of Israel with "confrontation by any means necessary."

Wax, a first-year student from San Diego, told Fox News Digital in an interview that she believes this "means killing Jews if they're in the way." 

She added, "What they're calling for is the removal of 6 million Jews from their ancestral homeland. I fear for my life as a Jewish woman when I hear those words."

Fox News' Kerry J. Byrne contributed to this report.

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A legal group called on the Michigan bar to investigate and sanction "Squad" Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over her antisemitic rhetoric.

The nonpartisan Coolidge Reagan Foundation is calling on the State Bar of Michigan to probe Tlaib, who is an active attorney in Michigan, over her comments.

Dan Backer, the foundation's counsel, told Fox News Digital that he believes people who spread "vile, antisemitic lies to foster hatred towards a people" should be held accountable.

Backer said Tlaib "clearly violated" the Michigan bar's ethics code with her rhetoric and that he was initially looking into "some of those snot-nosed kids" out of Harvard and Columbia law schools.

"I was reading … what she was saying, and I was like, ‘You know, this is really outrageous. How is this OK?’" Backer said. "And then I remember, 'Well, she's in Michigan, I wonder if she's a lawyer.'"

"And I looked it up, and she was," Backer continued. "And so we talked about it internally. We realized that people need to be held accountable."

Backer said the "fundamental problem" that America is seeing right now is that "people do horrible s--- and they're never held accountable for it."

Fox News' Houston Keene contributed to this report.

Minnesota Public Schools’ (MPS) staff, parents and other concerned citizens were outraged Monday by a Minnesota teachers union’s statement on the Israel-Hamas war.

They wrote a letter to interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox and the MPS school board to condemn the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) Local 59 resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israel conflict, saying it is "antisemitic and hostile."

Mark Glotter, one of the signatories of the letter, told the Twin Cities Jewfolk, a local online Jewish media hub, that the MFT "should be teaching the kids."

"It’s not something that the teacher’s federation should be involved with," he said.

The letter, signed by over 800 stakeholders, began by describing the difficult current political climate for Jewish people.

"This is a remarkably difficult time to be Jewish, but it is especially hard to be a Jewish teacher, student, or the parent of a Jewish child given the tremendous surge of antisemitism in our schools," the letter stated. "For over a month, Jewish children in Minnesota have been bullied, gaslit, harassed, threatened, and even assaulted simply because they are Jewish."

"MFT’s resolution is antisemitic and hostile to our children, MPS staff, and puts our larger community at further risk because of their Jewish identity," the letter continued.

The MFT passed a resolution earlier this month to "condemn the role our [America] government plays in supporting the system of Israeli occupation and apartheid, which lies at the root of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."

Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.

Source: NYPD

A New York City woman who allegedly threw her hot coffee and cellphone at a man in a hate crime attack has turned herself into the police, according to the New York Police Department.

Officers said Hadasa Bozakkaravani, 48, is accused of making anti-Islamic statements to the victim at Edmonds Playground near Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, before assaulting him.

According to police, Bozakkaravani is facing nine charges, including four separate hate crime charges.

According to the report released by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force, the total number of incidents, like the most recent one involving Bozakkaravani, increased by 124% last month.

Read the full article about Hadasa Bozakkaravani by Stepheny Price

A map showing U.S. airstrike locations in Iraq as of Tuesday night. (Fox News)

The U.S. military carried out airstrikes towards facilities used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iraq, Fox News has learned.

The developments were confirmed by two U.S. defense officials. Tuesday's airstrikes mark the first time that the U.S. launched pre-planned strikes in Iraq since American military facilities were first attacked by Iranian proxy groups on October 17. The U.S. previously carried out airstrikes towards IRGC proxies in Syria.

There have been at least 66 attacks by Iranian proxies against the U.S. military so far.

Officials say that they are monitoring the situation. It is unknown if the airstrikes killed any militants, as the airstrikes directly targeted facilities rather than individuals.

Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman joined "Your World with Neil Cavuto" on Tuesday to discuss the prospect of a hostage deal amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Hyman's interview came before Netanyahu's Cabinet met to discuss whether or not to move forward with negotiations with Hamas to free hostages.

"We do anticipate a vote sometime in the next few hours," Hyman explained. "The entire country is looking on with anguish. We're hoping and praying to see those hostages freed."

But the spokesman insisted that Israel would not free any Hamas terrorists who had "blood on their hands."

"My understanding is that we will not be releasing anyone with blood on their hands, meaning that these are terrorists," he said. "These are people that have been convicted of terror, but these aren't the people that actually pulled the trigger."

"We will be monitoring that situation very closely," Hyman added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Israeli parliament during a new government sworn in discussion at the Israeli parliament on December 29, 2022 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the possible approval of a hostage deal with Hamas terrorists ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

"I want to start with something that should be obvious – there is nonsense talk out there, as if after the pause for the release of our hostages, we will stop the war," Netanyahu began. "So I want to make it clear: we are at war, and we will continue this war until we achieve ALL our goals." 

"To eliminate Hamas, to bring back all of our hostages and missing people, and to ensure that in Gaza there will be no factor that threatens Israel," he added.

The Israeli leader also thanked President Biden for helping with negotiations to free hostages.

"I’ve talked to our friend, the President of the USA, Joe Biden, I’ve asked him to intervene in order to better the deal that will be presented to you," Netanyahu explained. "And it was improved to include more hostages for lesser price. These talks have succeeded, Mr. Biden got involved, and I thank him for that."

Netanyahu called the decision to negotiate with Hamas "difficult" before the vote began.

"We have a hard decision tonight, but it is the right decision, all the security establishment supports it. Completely," he said. "They made it clear in their full professional assessment that the security of our forces will be guaranteed during the days of the pause, and that the intelligence effort will be maintained during those days."

Fox News Digital's Dana Karni contributed to this report.

Police officers leave a house during a raid in the early hours of the morning in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)

German police in the state of Bavaria on Tuesday raided the homes of more than a dozen people accused of having spread antisemitic material online, including the celebration of the Hamas attacks against Israel. 

Bavarian criminal police say the suspects included 15 men and two men, aged 18 to 62, according to dpa, a German news agency. The suspects were questioned and police confiscated evidence from their homes, dpa reported. 

The suspects were said to have celebrated the attacks by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, and were accused of spreading hate speech against Jewish people on social media, using symbols of banned terrorist organizations, dpa reported.

Read the full article about Germany by Bradford Betz

Susan Sarandon attends "Thelma And Louise" 30th Anniversary drive-in charity screening experience hosted by MGM and Cinespia at The Greek Theatre on June 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon was dropped as a client of UTA, a major Hollywood agency, following her controversial comments that American Jews are getting a "taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim."

A UTA spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Sarandon is no longer repped by them.

At a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City on Nov. 17, Sarandon called for protesters to listen and have conversations with Jewish Americans, as many have said they don't feel safe because of the rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.

Read the full article about Susan Sarandon by Lindsay Kornick

New York University in New York City (John Nacion/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/File)

The New York University Alumni Club of Israel is suspending ties with the school over its handling of antisemitism.

In a Monday statement, the organization announced it would be suspending ties with the university until concrete changes are made.

"The worldwide Jewish community is under attack. We are mourning the loss of 1,200 women, men, and children brutally murdered by Hamas, and agonizing over the abduction of over 240 people to Gaza, while facing a global rise in antisemitism," the group wrote. "NYU is not immune. On the contrary - on the NYU campus, Jewish students have been subject to antisemitic rhetoric and violence from Hamas-supporting students and faculty, including a hostile takeover of the Bobst Library and assaults caught on camera."

Read the full article about NYU by Adam Sabes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted video of a heavily-damaged mosque Tuesday that was reportedly used by Hamas terrorists during the Israel-Hamas war.

"Holy places, such as mosques, should not be used as fronts for terrorism," the IDF wrote on X. "Hamas used this mosque as a weapons storage facility and a laboratory for Hamas’ rockets."

At one point, the video purportedly shows Hamas' "rocket-manufacturing lab" with a variety of rockets and mortars on the floor of a dark basement.

"Finding dozens of mortars, warhead missiles, thermobaric weapons, RPGs and a tunnel shaft," the post added.

"What was once a place of worship is now a home for terrorism," the IDF said.

U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17, including 32 times in Iraq and 34 times in Syria.

U.S. forces stationed at Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq were attacked early Tuesday prompting a U.S. military aircraft to strike back, officials said. 

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Iran-backed militias used close-range ballistic missiles against U.S. and coalition forces, resulting in "several non-serious injuries and some minor damage to infrastructure." 

Reuters, citing two U.S. officials, reported that the attack resulted in eight injuries. 

U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17, including 32 times in Iraq and 34 times in Syria. U.S. personnel have sustained approximately 62 injuries, not including Tuesday’s attack, which is still being evaluated. 

Read the full article about the attacks by Bradford Betz

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis as seen from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 21, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

A Qatari official told Fox News on Tuesday that the Israeli government has received a proposal asking for a pause in fighting, as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

"The proposal for a humanitarian pause and the release of hostages was delivered to the Israeli side in the early hours of this morning following weeks of continuous negotiations," the official explained.

The Israeli government has not yet voted on the proposal, the official said.

"The State of Qatar is awaiting the result of the Israeli government's vote on the proposal," the statement added.

Fox News Digital's Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks at a press conference on the introduction of the Senate ETHICS Act outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on April 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., on Monday became the second Senate Democrat to urge a cease-fire in Israel's war against the terrorist group Hamas.

"I am calling for a ceasefire — a cessation of hostilities by both sides," Merkley posted on X. "To endure, the ceasefire and the following negotiations must accomplish other essential objectives, including the release of all hostages and a massive influx of humanitarian aid."

Merkley joins the number two ranking Senate Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and several far-left House lawmakers, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who have each called for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Read the full article about Jeff Merkley by Chris Pandolfo

Source: IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted pictures of purported Hamas terrorist tunnels on X Tuesday.

In the social media post, the IDF attached two pictures of ominous-looking tunnels.

"Just through this door, underneath the Shifa Hospital, are Hamas’ terrorists tunnels," the IDF wrote on X. "Here’s the PROOF of Hamas’ terrorism festering underneath hospitals."

The Israeli military has previously posted proof of the tunnels before, and has repeatedly asserted that the al-Shifa Hospital is being used for terrorist activities.

Israeli soldiers travel in armored military vehicles along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on Monday. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told Fox News on Tuesday that any cease-fire with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, “based on our previous experience is always a dubious endeavor.” 

“We have had soldiers taken hostage – or being abducted in 2014 after a U.N. cease-fire was brokered. So we have to be very careful when it comes to anything that relates to operations on the ground with Hamas,” Conricus said. 

“I also know that there are other conditions Hamas is trying to stipulate. What we will and will not do while the hostages are being returned,” he added, noting that any cease-fire or hostage swap deal is “not done until it’s done.” 

“Based on our experience with Hamas, I can only believe what I see and I can touch with my own hands,” Conricus declared. 

Around 240 hostages are being held by Hamas inside of the Gaza Strip.  

‘We would rather not be in the situation that we are in... but we have to deal with the hand that we have been dealt or play the cards that we have and make the best of the situation,” according to Conricus. 

“Nothing says that the war ends after hostages are returned,” Conricus also said. “Hamas needs to be destroyed.” 

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that the Biden administration is considering labeling Yemen’s Houthi rebels a terrorist group again after they recently hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship. 

The U.S. State Department had been labeling the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization until February 2021.  

“The seizure of the motor vessel Galaxy Leader is a flagrant violation of international law. Iran is complicit through its material support and its encouragement of the Houthi forces who conducted this seizure. Absolutely unacceptable,” Kirby said Tuesday. 

“So in light of recent targeting of civilians by the Houthis and now the piracy of the ship in international waters, we have begun a review of potential terrorist designations and will be considering other options together with our allies and partners as well,” Kirby added. 

In 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in announcing that the Houthi's status as a foreign terrorist organization was being revoked, said "We have listened to warnings from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, and bipartisan members of Congress, among others, that the designations could have a devastating impact on Yemenis’ access to basic commodities like food and fuel.   

"The revocations are intended to ensure that relevant U.S. policies do not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis," Blinken said at the time. 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks in New York City on Tuesday. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)

Social media platform X hit United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with a community note that countered a claim he made about the deaths in the Gaza Strip as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas. 

The official U.N. News account on X posted several quotes from Guterres’s press conference on Monday, when he insisted, "We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I have been Secretary-General." 

The post received a community note, which allows users to provide additional context for "posts that might be misleading," pointing to at least two conflicts with significant death tolls either equal to or above the death toll in the Gaza Strip -- the Syrian civil war and the Yemen War, which have seen hundreds of thousands killed. 

An Israeli official told Fox News Digital, "The Secretary-General has lost any moral standing. He willfully ignores the thousands of civilians killed in conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere, as he pursues vilification of Israel. Shame on him."

A spokesperson for the secretary-general told Fox News Digital that Guterres stood by his comments, initially noting that Guterres was responding to the "large number of civilian casualties reported so far in Gaza" and argued that the numbers cited in the community note "are still below the 11,000+ deaths counted so far in Gaza" and the Yemeni casualties "preceded the secretary-general’s term." 

An Israeli warplane flies over Rmeish, a Lebanese border village with Israel in south Lebanon on Tuesday, Nov. 21. (AP/Hussein Malla)

The Israeli Air Force said Tuesday that "following a warning about the infiltration of hostile aircraft in the north of the country a short time ago, interceptors were launched at a number of suspicious aerial targets that crossed the territory of Lebanon towards the territory of the Western Galilee."

The development comes after the IDF alerted that sirens were going off in northern Israel.

"IDF forces attacked an anti-tank launcher earlier today in the Lebanese border area," the Air Force added. "Also, the IDF is now attacking targets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in meetings with top officials over a possible hostage swap and cease-fire deal with Hamas.

“We are currently focusing on a very strong and very proactive defense in the north in order to achieve a crushing victory in the south,” Netanyahu said earlier today while visiting soldiers who recently returned from a deployment along the Israel-Lebanon border, where skirmishes with Hezbollah have been ongoing. 

This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized the ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after threatening to seize all vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)

Yemen rebels who hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea were backed, supported and potentially trained by Iranian authorities, according to a U.S. official.

New photos of the helicopter-borne Houthi attack on the Galaxy Leader, a cargo vessel linked to Israeli billionaire Abraham "Rami" Ungar, shows "all the signs" that Iran was behind the operation, an American defense official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

"This has all the signs these people were trained by a professional military, which could clearly be Iran," the defense official said. "This looks like something we haven’t seen before."

On Sunday, the Yemen rebel group seized the ship as it was traveling from Turkey to India. The rebels, carrying rifles and dressed in commando-style bulletproof vests, covered each other and moved in military formation before they quickly seized control of the bridge of the Galaxy Leader. The Israel Defense Forces described the hijacking as "a very grave incident of global consequence."

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Biden said Tuesday at the White House that "we're now very close" to hostages being released from Gaza. (Fox News)

President Biden said Tuesday that "we're now very close" to hostages being released from Hamas' captivity in Gaza.

"We can bring some of these hostages home very soon," Biden said at the White House. "But I don't want to get into the details of things because nothing is done until it's done. And we have more to say. We will. But things are looking good at the moment."

Biden made the remarks as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with top officials to discuss the hostage situation in Gaza.

There are reports Tuesday that Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a deal brokered by Qatar, which also would include a cease-fire.

An Air Force Special Forces AC-130 gunship is pictured in an undated photo. (US Air Force/Getty Images)

The U.S. carried out airstrikes last night directly responding to an attack at the al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, killing several militants, two U.S. defense officials tell Fox News. 

The multi-rocket attack from Iran-proxy forces on the base happened Monday and caused minor injuries and minor damage to infrastructure, according to the officials. 

A U.S. defense official tells Fox News that an AC-130 gunship carried out an airstrike on a vehicle in the proximity of the base, killing an estimated five to eight militants.

There have been dozens of attacks launched on American forces in the Middle East since Hamas launched its war against Israel. This is the 65th confirmed attack on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. 

The military response is the 4th time the U.S. has carried out an airstrike since the attacks ramped up in October.

The other counterattacks happened on Oct. 26, Nov. 8 and Nov. 12, all in Syria. 

Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Fox News Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reports that Israel's military is "continuing their air campaign against northern Gaza" on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with top officials over a possible cease-fire and hostage deal with Hamas.

Yingst said there is "a lot of activity" along the Israel-Gaza border.

The Israel Defense Forces recently posted on X that sirens are sounding off in northern Israel, warning of the risk of possible airstrikes.

The IDF also tweeted that "40 children are held hostage in Gaza."

"Some lost their parents, their siblings, their friends -- but they all lost their innocence," it said in a video featuring the names of children ranging in age from 10-months-old to 18 years.

"We will do everything in our power to bring them home," the IDF added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that “I hope there will be good news soon” when it comes to the possible release of hostages being held by Hamas. 

Netanyahu made the remark while visiting soldiers who recently returned from a deployment along the Israel-Lebanon border, where skirmishes with Hezbollah have been ongoing. 

“We are currently focusing on a very strong and very proactive defense in the north in order to achieve a crushing victory in the south,” he said. “The first goal -- elimination of Hamas. We will not stop until it is done.  

“Second goal, the return of the hostages -- we are making progress. I don't think it's worth saying too much, not even at this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon,” Netanyahu added. “A third goal is to ensure that what happened in Gaza does not happen again.” 

Netanyahu is expected to meet with top officials in an hour to discuss the possible release of hostages as reports are emerging that Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a deal today. 

Fox News’ Dana Karni contributed to this report. 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet soon with top officials as reports are emerging of a possible cease-fire and hostage deal in the works with Hamas. (Abir Sultan/Reuters)

The Israel Prime Minister's Office says "In light of developments on the issue of the release of our hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will, this evening, convene the War Cabinet at 18:00 [11 a.m. ET], the Security Cabinet at 19:00 [Noon E.T.], and the Government at 20:00 [1 p.m. ET]."

Fox News has been reporting this morning that negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a potential cease-fire and hostage release are in their final stages.

Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reported a short time ago that Israeli surveillance drones “would have to stop hovering over the northern part of Gaza for at least six hours a day” as part of a possible deal.

Yingst also said three Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israel in exchange for every hostage that Hamas sends back the other way. 

There are around 240 people believed to be held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

In this image taken from a video released by the Israeli Defense Forces on Wednesday, Nov. 15, Israeli soldiers walk in the area of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that it is helping facilitate the evacuation of three hospitals inside the Gaza Strip, a report says. 

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said "We’re looking at three hospitals right now in the north that asked to be evacuated but the important point is where to? There is no safe space," according to Reuters. 

The news agency identified the hospitals as the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City – which Israel and the U.S. says is above a Hamas base – the Indonesian Hospital and the Al Ahli Hospital, which also is in Gaza City. 

"Taking away healthcare from people, is taking away the last resort, it's taking away the last piece of humanity. And that's what is happening right now,” Lindmeier reportedly said, adding that the evacuation plans are “only in planning stages with no further details.” 

The Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health is claiming that 26 of 35 hospitals in Gaza are “not functioning” and nearly 13,000 people have been killed inside the territory since Hamas launched its war on Israel on Oct. 7, which has left more than 1,200 Israelis dead.  

Fox News Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reported Tuesday that Israeli surveillance drones “would have to stop hovering over the northern part of Gaza for at least six hours a day” as part of a possible cease-fire deal that Qatar is helping negotiate between Israel and Hamas. 

Yingst said such a move is “an indication that Hamas may want to use this cessation in fighting to try to move some of their fighters and personnel from the northern part of the strip.” 

Yingst also said as part of the deal, three Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israel in exchange for every hostage that Hamas sends back the other way. 

"We understand, according to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, that a deal is approaching," Yingst reported earlier today. "Reports indicate it would include the release of dozens of Israeli and foreign citizen hostages. The hostages are expected to be only women and children and would be exchanged for [Palestinian] prisoners being held in Israel." 

There are around 240 people believed to be held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

A book that the Israel Defense Forces says it has found at Al-Quds University, which is based in the West Bank. (IDF)

The Israel Defense Forces wrote on X Tuesday that it has found an “extremist antisemitic” book that displays Hamas’ “true ideology.” 

“Under Hamas’ rule, school curriculums promote extremist antisemitic practices -- calling for genocide against the Jewish people,” the IDF said. “This is another example for Hamas’ true ideology -- and another reason for us to dismantle it.” 

The IDF shared an image of a book it says its forces found in Al-Quds University – which is based in the West Bank – that has “The Big Lie: The burning of 6 million Jews in the gas chambers” written on its cover. 

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that "What Hamas wants, make no mistake about it, is genocide.  

"They want to wipe Israel off the map. They've said so publicly on more than one occasion, in fact, just recently. And they've said that they're not going to stop," he said, adding that attacks like that of Oct. 7 would continue to happen "again and again and again." 

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report. 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks at images of hostages taken by Hamas into the Gaza Strip. (Israeli Prime Minister's Office)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country has “not relented” in its effort to free hostages being held captive by Hamas inside the Gaza Strip. 

“Together with the War Cabinet, I met tonight with the families of the abductees who are always in my heart and guide my actions,” he wrote last night in a post on X. “Restoring our abductees is a sacred and supreme task -- and I am committed to it.” 

“I listened to the pain of the families. We talked heart to heart, I shared with them as much as I could -- the political, intelligence and operational efforts that we lead around the clock,” Netanyahu continued. 

“I told the dear families: our abductees are always in front of my eyes -- from the moment I get up in the morning until I go to bed late at night -- all the time,” he added. 

Netanyahu’s comments come as negotiations Tuesday between Israel and Hamas for a potential cease-fire and hostage release are in their final stages, Fox News has learned. 

The deal could include a potential hostage release as well as a temporary end to fighting to get humanitarian aid into the region. 

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report. 

Black smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel, on Thursday, Nov. 21. (AP/Hussein Malla)

Israel’s military said Tuesday that it is investigating reports that two journalists from the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV station have been killed in an airstrike along the Israel-Lebanon border. 

The station, which is politically allied with the militant Hezbollah group, said the journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to the Associated Press. Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary also confirmed the strike and the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports. 

Last week, the Israeli government blocked Al-Mayadeen TV from broadcasting in Israel. 

The Israeli Air Force posted on X this morning that “Aircraft of the Air Force identified and attacked three anti-tank squads in the Lebanese border area a short time ago.” 

“In addition, Air Force fighter jets attacked a number of terrorist targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, including military infrastructures and infrastructures for targeting terrorism,” it also said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Zainab Chaudry, the director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Maryland office. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

A member of a Maryland task force aimed at combating hate crimes published numerous antisemitic social media posts , including claiming that the babies brutally murdered in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack were "fake," and comparing the nation of Israel to Nazi Germany.

Zainab Chaudry, an anti-Israel activist who serves as the director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Maryland office, made the posts in the weeks following Hamas' attack, which saw more than 1,200 people killed, including children and babies, as well as numerous rapes and destruction of property.

"I will never be able to understand how the world summoned up rage for 40 fake Israeli babies while completely turning a blind eye to 3,000 real Palestinian babies," Chaudry wrote in a Facebook post dated Oct. 26.

"[T]hat moment when you become what you hated most," Chaudry wrote in an Oct. 17 post, including two photos of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, one showing it lit up with the Israeli flag in solidarity with Israel following the attack, and another from a ceremony in 1936 when it was decorated with the flag of Nazi Germany during the Olympics that year.

In another post from Nov. 6, Chaudry appeared to suggest the mere existence of Israel as a nation was the cause of the ongoing war, writing it was an "inconvenient fact." She included an image of the words "it all started in 1948," the year Israel was founded as a nation.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces said it is conducting precise operations in the Gaza Strip in the ongoing war against Hamas terrorists. The IDF also said an anti-tank missile was found under a baby’s crib.

"As part of the IDF’s activities in the Gaza Strip over the last day, IDF aircraft struck approximately 250 Hamas terror targets," the IDF said in a statement. "Among the targets struck were dozens of terrorists, rocket launchers, and terrorist infrastructure."

"Overnight, IDF troops directed a fighter jet to strike a rocket launch post from which rockets were fired toward central Israel yesterday (Monday). The post was located near a residential area of the civilian population," the statement continued.

IDF ground troops also located a "significant weapons stockpile" in the residence of a senior Nukhba terrorist in the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, IDF ground troops said they discovered an anti-tank missile hidden under a baby’s crib.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a potential cease-fire and hostage release are in their final stages, Fox News has learned.

The deal could include a potential hostage release as well as a temporary end to fighting to get humanitarian aid into the region.

"It does appear the final details are being discussed toward a cease-fire that would end fighting in Gaza for up to five days and include the release of some hostages," Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported from Israel Tuesday afternoon.

"We understand, according to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, that a deal is approaching," Yingst reported. "Reports indicate it would include the release of dozens of Israeli and foreign citizen hostages. The hostages are expected to be only women and children and would be exchanged for [Palestinian] prisoners being held in Israel."

He said the hopeful news "comes amid intense battles in Gaza as Israeli forces work their way across the strip. The Israeli military said it targeted 250 different Hamas sites over the past day, killing dozens of militants."

Reuters similarly reported Hamas officials were "close to reaching a truce agreement" with Israel. They also cited a statement from Ismail Haniyeh.