Three people are dead and 11 others are wounded after two Hamas terrorists opened fire on people at a bus station near Jerusalem Thursday morning, according to Israeli police.
Police responded to the Givat Shaul junction on the outskirts of Jerusalem at around 7:40 a.m. local time after two Palestinians arrived at the area in an armed vehicle and began shooting in the direction of civilians at a bus station.
The three killed have been identified as 73-year-old Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, 67-year-old Hana Ifergan and 24-year-old Livia Dickman.
The two shooters, who were from east Jerusalem, were shot and killed by Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the area and a civilian. Israeli media said the shooters were brothers and associated with Hamas.
"The initial investigation indicates that the terrorists arrived to the scene by car in the morning, armed with an M-16 rifle and a handgun," a Jerusalem District Police spokesperson said. "At a certain point, the terrorists began shooting at civilians before subsequently being killed at the scene. A police search of the terrorists' car revealed ammunition and weaponry."
The eleven people wounded in the shooting have injuries ranging from moderate to severe, according to Israeli police. Three of the victims are said to be in serious condition after medical evaluations and four victims have non-physical injuries. The remaining four are believed to be moderate.
The area of the attack has been blocked off and searches have been initiated to rule out additional suspects, if any.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew condemned the shooting on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday morning.
"Abhorrent terrorist attack in Jerusalem this morning. We unequivocally condemn such brutal violence. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and I offer my sincere condolences to all those affected," he wrote.
Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Jewish State since Hamas launched its terror attack on Oct. 7.
Blinken first met with President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv where they discussed Thursday morning's shooting by Hamas terrorists at the entrance to Jerusalem that left at least 3 people dead and 16 wounded. The two terrorists were also killed.
The two also acknowledged the death of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, with Herzog describing the powerful diplomat as a "giant" and a "titan."
"We are big admirers of Henry Kissinger, who laid down the foundations of so many great decisions of his and processes which he has led, which has brought results that we feel until today, peaceful results," Herzog said. "He laid the cornerstone of the peace agreement, which were later signed with Egypt, and so many other processes around the world. I admired Henry Kissinger."
Blinken followed up by saying Kissinger "set the standard" for everyone in the Secretary of State role.
"I was very privileged to get his counsel many times, including as recently as about a month ago. He was extraordinarily generous with his wisdom, with his advice. Few people were better students of history – even fewer people did more to shape history – than Henry Kissinger," Blinken said.
Blinken then went to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu privately.
Watch Greg Palkot's latest update from Israel Thursday morning.
The Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday morning that its temporary cease-fire deal with Hamas terrorists has been extended again. The announcement came minutes before the extended deal was set to expire at 7 a.m. local time.
"The operational pause will continue in light of the mediators' efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework," the IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The pause in fighting has been extended for one more day, according to Reuters, and the original deal allowing one hostage to be exchanged for three Palestinians detained in Israel still stands.
{{#rendered}}President Biden confirmed that Liat Beinin, a rescued Israel-American hostage, is safe after crossing the border from Gaza into Egypt.
"Ihave some very good news to report," Biden told a group of reporters. "Liat Beinin is safe in Egypt, she's crossed the border."
The president added that he has been in contact with Beinin's family.
"I talked with her mother and father," Biden continued. "They're very appreciative, and things are moving well. She'll soon be home with her three children."
"That's all I have to say for now," he added.
FOX News correspondent Mike Emanuel reported Wednesday on the rise in antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war.
According to Emanuel, Jewish students are filing lawsuits at colleges and universities where antisemitism is allegedly festering.
"In 2019, then-President Trump expanded Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act to include 'discrimination rooted in antisemitism,'" Emanuel explained. "Two Jewish groups are suing the University of California, Berkeley, saying the school violated federal civil rights laws and the Constitution by allowing 'unchecked antisemitism.'"
"The lawsuit cites inaction on discrimination and argues that UC Berkeley has become a hostile environment for Jewish students," he added.
In a statement to Fox News, UC Berkeley disputed the lawsuit said that they have 'been committed to confronting antisemitism.'"
A Thai hostage told Israeli media on Wednesday that Jewish captives were beaten by Hamas terrorists during their time in Gaza.
The hostage, whose name has not been released, told Israel's Channel 12 that captives were barely given food to eat, according to the Times of Israel.
He said that captives got a pita a day and occasionally a piece of cheese, and that four hostages often had to share a can of tuna.
“We were with Israelis, and they were guarded all the time,” the hostage reportedly said. “The Jews who were held with me were treated very harshly, sometimes they were beaten with electric cables.”
The captive also said that he was only allowed to shower once in the seven weeks he was held hostage.
{{#rendered}}Former CIA director Leon Panetta appeared on "Your World" Wednesday to discuss rowdy protests about the Israel-Hamas war in the United States.
Panetta told host Neil Cavuto that protests about the war shouldn't distract people from "keep[ing] their eye on the ball."
"Obviously, people in this country have the right to protest and to do it without any violence or disruption," he said. "And that's something we accept in a free society. But I think the [Biden] administration and frankly, everybody, has to keep their eye on the ball."
The former CIA official explained that the main two objectives of the war are to destroy Hamas and rescue all hostages.
"Whatever we can do to obviously get the hostages released as we had over these last number of days, I think is a good thing," Panetta continued. "But at the same time, the focus here still has to be on destroying Hamas and making sure that that kind of attack never happens again."
"I think that has to be the principal focus," he added.
Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres made a social media post condemning "gender-based violence" in the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday, as reports have emerged of Hamas terrorists raping Israeli women.
"There are numerous accounts of sexual violence during the abhorrent acts of terror by Hamas on 7 October that must be vigorously investigated and prosecuted," Guterres wrote on X.
"Gender-based violence must be condemned. Anytime. Anywhere," he added.
Guterres has been criticized by Israel supporters for consistently criticizing the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) offensive in Gaza. He stressed earlier on Wednesday that Gazans have a "right to live in peace and dignity."
"The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people is a moment to reaffirm their right to live in peace and dignity," Guterres' post on X read.
"It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-State solution, on the basis of @UN resolutions and international law," he continued.
U.S. Navy officials say that an unmanned aircraft from Iran took "unsafe and unprofessional actions" near the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Tuesday.
“The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) was conducting routine flight operations in the international waters of the Central Arabian Gulf when it detected an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)," the statement from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Vice Adm. Brad Cooper read. "The UAV was visually identified as Iranian. Its closest point of approach to IKE was approximately 1,500 yards."
"Multiple hails and warnings were ignored by Iran," the press release added.
No injuries or damage were reported after the incident. Cooper called the actions "unprofessional" on Iran's part.
“This unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior by Iran risks U.S. and partner nation lives and needs to cease immediately," Cooper added. "U.S. naval forces remain vigilant and will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows while promoting regional maritime security."
Fox News Digital's Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney recently shot down an Iranian-made Houthi drone, a U.S. military official confirmed to Fox News.
The official said there was no reported damage or injuries as a result of the incident.
The destroyer previously shot down 15 drones and four cruise missiles within a 9-hour timespan on October 19. The missiles were headed to Eilat, Israel.
Fox News Digital's Liz Friden contributed to this report.
Israel's Government Press Office shared an image depicting hostage Irena Tatti, 73, after she was released by Hamas on Wednesday.
The image shows Tatti, who is a dual Israeli-Russian citizen, embracing a family member after her release. Tatti was accompanied by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) service members.
Tatti's daughter Elena Trufanova, 50, was released by Hamas on Wednesday as well.
Fox News Digital's Dana Karni contributed to this report.
Sixteen hostages were released by Hamas on Wednesday, including one American citizen with dual citizenship.
12 of the hostages were Israeli citizens, including 49-year-old Liat Beinin Atzili who is a dual Israel-American citizen. Four other hostages were Thai nationals, but their identities have not been released yet.
Raaya Rotem, 54; Raz Ben Ami, 57 and Yarden Roman Gat, 36 were on the list of released hostages.
Other captives that were transported to Israel on Wednesday include Moran Stela Yanai, 40; Liam Or, 18; Ofir Engel, 18; Amit Shani, 16; Gali Tarshansky, 13; Itay Regev, 18; Irena Tatti, 73 and Elena Trufanova, 50.
{{#rendered}}Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan spoke at a UN meeting on Wednesday, criticizing foreign ministers from Arab countries during his speech.
Erdan referenced the history of Israel and how the UN adopted the Partition Plan for Palestine during his remarks.
"On November 29, 1947, the UN voted to adopt the Partition Plan and the establishment of the Jewish State. Yet while Israel joyfully accepted this resolution, the Arab States rejected it, and instead, tried to annihilate Israel," Erdan explained. "Today, exactly 76 years later, history is somewhat repeating itself."
The ambassador accused Arab leaders of supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization, and presented a photograph of Palestinian leader Amin al-Husseini with Adolf Hitler.
"Foreign Ministers of some Arab countries have arrived here today in order to support a terror organization that aims to annihilate Israel, Erdan said. "Thankfully, the plan to eliminate Israel was unsuccessful then, just as it will be unsuccessful today."
"This picture tells you everything you need to know about this conflict," he added.
Jewish students at the University of Michigan are expressing concern over a referendum campaign orchestrated by their peers that accuses Israel of genocide amid the war-torn country's war with Hamas.
From Nov. 28 to 30, students at the University of Michigan are being given the opportunity to vote on two separate ballot measures – Assembly Resolution 13-025 (AR 13-025), which calls for the university to "investigate their investments in any apartheid regime" while recognizing "the millions of people undergoing genocide in Gaza as we speak," and Assembly Resolution 13-026 (AR 13-026), which criticizes Hamas while condemning "the rise in Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and other forms of hate speech" amid the war.
Earlier this month, the Central Student Government at the university voted down (AR 13-025), the anti-Israel measure, when it was presented as a petition at the Assembly’s Oct. 31 meeting, according to The Michigan Review, one of the school's newspapers. The CSG's decision – with six voting in favor of the resolution, 21 voting against it, and three abstaining – sent the resolution to the student body for a vote.
Read the full article about University of Michigan by Kyle Morris
Pro-Palestinian supporters in Northern California defended Hamas during a city council debate on a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire with some even denying the atrocities committed by the terror group on Oct. 7.
The Oakland City Council unanimously passed the resolution 8-0 in a special meeting as hundreds of people spoke on the issue amid nearly five hours of public input. The resolution, which was introduced by Councilmember Carroll Fife, also demands the release of all hostages, unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the restoration of critical infrastructure like water, electricity and food.
"I want Jewish children to live as much as I want Palestinian children to live," Fife said.
Read the full article about Oakland by Louis Casiano
{{#rendered}}"Jeopardy!" host Mayim Bialik spoke out on social media, calling out feminists for their silence on the rape and murder of women during Hamas' October 7 terror attacks in Israel.
"There has been an abhorrent and conspicuous absence of women’s organizations around the world unequivocally condemning the systematic rape and torture of women on October 7 by Hamas," Bialik wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on November 25. "Brutal gang rapes, sexual torture, and murder of fetuses happened- period. Where are the ‘BELIEVE THEM’ voices?"
"These crimes against women were in many cases documented by the terrorists themselves and broadcast for the world to see," she added. "Those of us who have fought for women’s rights and have sought to shout from the rooftops when women’s bodies are being used in war for the sadistic pleasure of perpetrators are astounded at how the world has been silent surrounding this."
Read the full article about Mayim Bialik by Kendall Tietz
Abbey Onn, an Israeli woman who is related to two of the newly-released hostages, appeared on "America Reports" to discuss the recent developments of the Israel-Hamas war.
During the interview, Onn said that the two children in her family were severely malnourished when they returned to Israel.
"[The children] are their mother and with their two older siblings, which for us has been what what we've been fighting for. They came home very skinny, malnourished, with dark circles under their eyes, Onn explained. "The first thing they got was medical attention...They weren't wounded, but they weren't fed."
Onn added that she was told not to "interrogate" the children about their experience in captivity.
"The instructions that we've gotten have to not ask them any questions, not interrogate them and let them talk at their own will," she explained. And so we're kind of waiting for them to take the lead."
"We know without detail that this was a horrific experience and just terrifying," she added. "And so we are making sure that they have all the space and all the love that they need."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure from within his government to end the cease-fire with Hamas and resume the military campaign in Gaza.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu on social media on Wednesday, saying the current coalition government would dissolve if the war against Hamas is halted. Officials from the U.S., Israel and Qatar are in negotiations regarding a second extension of the cease-fire with Hamas.
Israel and Hamas have paused their fighting for six days, exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure from international organizations and even the U.S. to accept a long-term cease-fire agreement.
Such an agreement would put an end to hopes of dismantling Hamas and ending the terrorist organization's leadership in Gaza, something Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to do.
{{#rendered}}The Israel Defense Forces say two Israel-Russian hostages have been released from Hamas' custody in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross first received the hostages before they crossed into Israeli territory, according to the IDF.
The hostages have been identified as Irena Tatti, 73 and her 50-year-old daughter Elena Trufanova.
"IDF special forces and Israel Security Agency forces are currently with the two released hostages inside Israeli territory," the IDF said. "After the released hostages undergo an initial medical assessment, IDF soldiers will continue to accompany them to hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families."
The release comes as at least eight additional hostages are expected to still be freed Wednesday as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, which is set to expire in just hours.
Fox News' Dana Karni and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
More than a dozen Democratic senators visited the White House this week, where they discussed the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the impact it has had on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and what steps the Biden administration would take after the temporary cease-fire expires.
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Jack Reed, D-R.I., were joined by over a dozen of their Democratic colleagues for a meeting with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday. The named lawmakers then released a statement on Wednesday detailing what was discussed.
According to the statement, the senators condemned the terror attacks by Hamas, expressed support for funds to immediately replenish Israel’s defensive systems, and tasked the White House with detailing its plan to support Israel in a way that advances U.S. interests.
"We continue to support additional assistance to Israel in the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attacks – but we are all in agreement that this assistance must be consistent with our interests and values and used in a manner that adheres to international humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, and U.S. law," the Democrats said.
They added: "We need to find a better path toward helping Israel achieve legitimate military and security objectives. U.S. assistance has never come in the form of a blank check – regardless of the recipient."
The leader of the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday has approved planes for the continuation of fighting in the war against Hamas.
Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said "We know what needs to be done, and are ready for the next step," according to IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
"The Chief of Staff today approved plans for the continuation of fighting in the Southern Command together with the Commander of the Southern Command and members of the General Staff Forum, in which he approved the attack plans for the continuation of the maneuver," Hagari wrote on X.
The announcement comes as a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is set to expire soon.
Negotiators are trying to once again extend the agreement, which first went into effect Friday.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}One of the first Israeli hostages to have been freed by Hamas is now saying she confronted the terrorist group's Gaza leader in a tunnel underneath the Gaza Strip during her time in captivity.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, told the Israeli newspaper Davar that Yahya Sinwar paid the hostages a visit and "was with us three to four days after we arrived," according to Reuters.
"I asked him how he is not ashamed to do such a thing to people who all these years have supported peace," she reportedly said. "He didn't answer. He was silent."
Prior to their capture from their home in the Nir Oz kibbutz near the Israel-Gaza border, Yocheved and her husband Oded -- who remains in captivity -- were activists who helped sick Gazans receive medical care in Israel, her grandson Daniel Lifshitz previously has told Reuters.
"They are human rights activists, peace activists for all their life," Daniel Lifshitz was quoted as saying.
An Israeli government spokesperson said Wednesday that 161 hostages remain held by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas inside of the Gaza Strip.
Eylon Levy told reporters that the figure includes 146 Israelis and 15 foreigners, of whom 126 are men and 35 are women. There are still four children under the age of 18, and 10 people aged 75 and older.
“We want to get all of the hostages home, we’re committed to that pledge, there will be no one left behind,” Levy was quoted by the Associated Press as saying at a news conference.
“The current framework allows for a few more days of hostage relief pause, and as long as there is a serious offer on the table to release the remaining hostages as we are demanding, we will of course consider every serious proposal because we’re committed to doing everything to bring them back,” he said.
Another set of hostages is expected to be released by Hamas Wednesday before the ongoing cease-fire deal expires.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An internal reminder went out to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) staff Wednesday about social media posts that could be construed as political, Fox News has confirmed.
This internal reminder came after reports surfaced that a senior CIA officer had posted a pro-Palestinian image on social media two weeks after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
In a statement to Fox News, the CIA said its officers are committed to "analytic objectivity."
"CIA officers may have personal views, but this does not lessen their — or CIA’s — commitment to unbiased analysis," the agency said.
The CIA has not denied the authenticity of the pro-Palestinian image first reported by the Financial Times.
{{#rendered}}Israeli DJs have staged a memorial concert called "The Set for the Angels" at the site of the music festival in southern Israel that was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Five DJs played music Tuesday in front of rows of placards showing the faces of those killed in the attack that launched the Israel-Hamas war, according to Reuters.
"It's strange to see that all these people, all these pictures, are pictures of people that actually died here," Yahel Irony, an 18-year-old who survived the massacre, told the news agency. "Those people danced with me and they didn't survive."
Police say 364 people were killed at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Reim while another 40 were taken hostage by Hamas, Reuters reports.
"I believe that each one of these people celebrated life and they wanted us to celebrate for them, with music," Asher Swissa, one of the DJs that performed at Tuesday's event, told Reuters.
As more of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel are freed as part of a U.S.-Qatari-Egyptian brokered cease-fire deal, stories of the horrors endured during their 50-plus days in captivity are slowly coming to light.
Instead of the usual chatter, crying and laughing typical in pediatric wards, Dr. Yael Mozer Glassberg, a senior physician in the Department of Returned Children at the Schneider Medical Center in Tel Aviv, who is part of the specially assembled team of professionals tasked with treating the returned hostages, told Fox News Digital, "It is very, very quiet here."
Mozer Glassberg, who usually heads the hospital’s liver transplant unit, said so far, she and her team have worked with 22 of the freed hostages, including 15 children, in a specially created ward.
While most of the returned hostages appeared to be physically stable, many lost up to 15% of their body weight during captivity, and all are afraid to raise their voices after their 50-day stay with terrorists.
"At the moment they are being wrapped and hugged by family members and by the psycho-social medical team," Mozer Glassberg said.
Israel has announced Wednesday that a terrorist group commande r has been killed during a military operation in the West Bank.
Muhammad Zabeidi, whom the Jerusalem Post says leads the Jenin branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was taken out in the operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel’s border patrol, according to the IDF.
A joint statement from the three agencies said Zabeidi, who was “one of the main terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp, was involved in extensive terrorist activity and carried out shooting attacks as well as promoted other attacks of various types.”
"Also, during the operation, 17 wanted persons were arrested and during searches for weapons, the forces located and confiscated seven weapons, improvised explosive devices, ammunition and military equipment," the statement continued.
"During the activity, exchanges of fire developed and explosives were thrown at the forces who shot at the terrorists and hit them," it added.
{{#rendered}}Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday has called for an international conference to resolve the Israel-Hamas war.
He said Palestinians are ready to work with the international community on a “serious political process” that leads to an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, according to the Associated Press.
He also again called for a halt to the war in Gaza.
Abbas’ Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamas drove his forces out of Gaza when it seized power there in 2007.
The war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct. 7 following a surprise terrorist attack in southern Israel, is now in its 53rd day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Negotiators are pushing Israel and Hamas to extend their cease-fire for a second time Wednesday as the brief pause agreement enters its sixth and final day.
Israel and Hamas have so far agreed to one more exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, having extended the cease-fire for two days beyond its original end date of Monday. Israeli leaders have vowed the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, but it is unclear when that campaign will resume.
"How far both sides will be prepared to go in trading hostages and prisoners for the pause is about to be tested, but the pressures and incentives for both to stick with it are at the moment stronger than the incentives to go back to war," Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, wrote on X.
CIA director William Burns and Mossad chief David Barnea negotiated with Qatari officials regarding an extension of the cease-fire throughout Tuesday as well. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also expected to push for a longer cease-fire when he visits Israel and the West Bank this week.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that America wants the Israel-Hamas cease-fire to continue.
“With regard to the pause, look, we'd like to see the pause extended because what it is enabled first and foremost is hostages being released. It's also enabled us to surge humanitarian assistance into the people of Gaza,” Blinken told reporters. “So it's continuation, by definition means that more hostages would be coming home, more assistance would be getting in. So clearly, that's something we want, I believe it's also something that that Israel wants.”
When asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apprehension towards a two state solution, Blinken said that was a work in progress as well.
“These are conversations that we'll pursue in the days ahead in the weeks ahead, in the months ahead,” he said.
{{#rendered}}The current cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is set to expire at midnight tonight (5 p.m. ET) if the two sides can’t come to an agreement on an extension.
The cease-fire began last Friday and was extended by two days earlier this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said last week that the "release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day in the pause" in the fighting.
"The Government of Israel, the IDF and the security services will continue the war in order to return home all of the hostages, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that there will be no new threat to the State of Israel from Gaza," Netanyahu's office added, suggesting that fighting will resume whenever the agreement expires.
Meanwhile, Hamas has said "we affirm that our victorious brigades and all our resistance factions will remain the protective shield and defender of our people until the occupation and aggression are defeated."
"We promise our people that we will remain loyal to their blood, their sacrifices, their patience, their bond, and their aspirations for liberation, freedom, the restoration of rights, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, with God’s will," Hamas added.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been a vocal critic of Israel since the war against Hamas started, is now calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “butcher of Gaza.”
Erdogan on Wednesday also reiterated that his government would ensure that Israel is held accountable for its military actions before international courts, accusing Netanyahu of committing “one of the worst atrocities” of the century, according to the Associated Press.
“With the murders he committed in Gaza, Netanyahu is firing up antisemitism and endangering the security of the people of Israel and of all Jewish people,” Erdogan reportedly said. “Immigrants living in [Western] countries are paying the price for the irresponsible rhetoric of Western leaders that demonize Palestinians.”
Turkey in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 had denounced the violence and condemned deaths caused by the group, but as Israel rolled out its response, Erdogan shifted his support and started to refer to Hamas as "freedom fighters."
Israel’s Foreign Ministry previously has said that "Erdogan’s attempt to defend a terrorist organization and his inflammatory statements won’t change the horrors seen by the world that proves Hamas is ISIS."
Fox News’ Peter Aitken and Reuters contributed to this report.
The Israel Defense Forces issued a "daily message" to residents of Gaza with safety instructions amid a temporary cease-fire deal that includes swapping Hamas hostages for Palestinians detained in Israel.
The IDF reminded Palestinians to not move to northern Gaza as it is still considered a war zone, adding that it is OK to move south of Wadi Gaza via the Salah al-Din Road.
"It is forbidden to approach within a kilometer of the border," the IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Entry into the sea is prohibited."
The IDF said the instructions have been issued for the safety of civilians.
{{#rendered}}The temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that has resulted in a swap of Hamas hostages for Palestinians detained in Israeli jails could be extended up to four more days, according to FOX News' Greg Palkot.
Live in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Palkot shared that talks are underway to extend the temporary pause in fighting that is set to expire today.
As of Wednesday, Hamas has released 60 Israeli women and children and 21 people of other nationalities. There are believed to be 159 hostages still in custody of Hamas or other terrorist groups.
In exchange for the hostages, 180 Palestinians detained in Israeli jails have been released.
Coverage for this event has ended.