IDF: Hamas commander who 'directed' October 7 terror attack killed in airstrike

The Massachusetts family stranded in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists said they continue to struggle to access drinking water, fuel and other resources and are hoping for safety as they await updates from the U.S. government about a possible exit plan.

Abood Okal, Wafa Abuzayda and their 1-year-old son, Yousef, were visiting family in Gaza when Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel on Oct. 7. The family has been in the region since late September, and had intended to return home to Medway, Massachusetts, on Oct. 13 before the violence delayed their plans.

In an audio recording obtained by Fox News Digital, Okal explained that the family ran out of drinking water on Sunday and that a nearby desalination station had run out of fuel needed to power generators. He said they have been roaming the main roads and streets in Rafah City, where they are staying in a single-family home with 40 other people including his sister Haneen and her three kids, in search of trucks or carriages carrying tanks of 1,000 or 2,000 liters of drinking water. Haneen and her children are also Americans.

"We stood in line, I think it was for maybe about two hours, to fill one gallon. They tried to limit the portions, so ours was a gallon. And we're hoping that would last us for the rest of the day today and for most of tomorrow until we could find another place to get drinking water from," Okal said in the recording created on Monday.

"Near the eastern side of the city where we're staying, every once in a while we would hear heavy caliber gunfire that we believe is fired from tanks," he continued. "And our biggest fear now is that the ground invasion is imminent near the neighborhoods where we are because we've heard of the reports of both intense artillery shelling, as well as gunfire exchanges, as an invasion is happening or right preceding an invasion. And that's basically what's been happening in northern Gaza."

Okal added, "We're staying hopeful that tonight will be another safe night for us. At this point, we don't care much about how intense the bombing is as long as we come out alive in the morning."

Foreign passport holders were seen entering the Rafah Crossing from Gaza to Egypt Wednesday morning.

These individuals are the first travelers to enter the crossing since the war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists began on Oct. 7.

This, after Qatar mediated an agreement between Egypt, Hamas and Israel in coordination with the U.S. to open the Rafah Crossing on Wednesday. The agreement allows foreign passport holders and some critically injured civilians out of Gaza.

It is unclear how long the crossing will remain open.

More than 9,700 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

The Israeli military reported additional casualties  inside the Gaza Strip, the day after it said its first two soldiers were killed during its ground invasion against Hamas Tuesday morning, the first such casualties in Gaza since Israel began its ground operations there.

According to Fox News’ Trey Yingst, who is in Israel, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were hit by an anti-tank guided missile while operating in the northern part of the strip, leaving 10 dead.

Israeli forces entered the second stage of their war with Hamas in what is expected to be a lengthy military operation. Until this week, Israel had largely relied on airstrikes and artillery to retaliate against Hamas' massacre in Israel on Oct. 7.

Military officials have warned that the war will be long and difficult, potentially spanning months or longer.

The IDF began expanded ground operations this week and ground troops are now tasked with clearing out a complex network of Hamas tunnels and other fortified strongholds. IDF says it has attacked 11,000 targets in Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

"Combined forces of the IDF attacked many terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip during the night, including operational headquarters and squads of Hamas terrorists," a translated statement from the IDF Wednesday read.

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

At campuses across the U.S., anti-Israel protesters have organized massive demonstrations since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The surge in incidents has been paired with antisemitic rhetoric and violence against Jews, leaving many students feeling unsafe and fearful of attending class.

"So we've had a plethora of incidents happen at UC Berkeley, everything from two physical assaults of students getting physically hurt on campus. We've had professors offering bonus and extra credit to students for attending pro-Hamas rallies. But the most concerning is Jewish student leaders getting an email from administration telling us to avoid certain parts of campus, to avoid showing our faces, to avoid filming these incidents and at these events, due to a fear of our safety," UC Berkeley student Danielle Sobkin said on "FOX & Friends First" Tuesday.

"So what does it mean when administrators are telling me to not be a target, which is leading me to believe that in order to be safe on campus at UC Berkeley, I need to hide my Jewish identity."

Campuses including UC Berkeley have become an increasingly hostile environment and home to some of the most aggressive anti-Israel demonstrations.

Most recently, student groups supporting Palestinians held a national walkout on Wednesday in support of Gaza and to protest U.S. funding of Israel, according to posts by pro-Palestinian student groups on social media.

Fox News' Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.

Nearly three dozen U.S. citizens were killed when Hamas terrorists executed a sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to the U.S. State Department.

A spokesperson for the State Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that 35 Americans were killed in the attacks.

"At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 35 U.S. citizens who were killed in the October 7 attacks," the spokesperson said, adding that an additional U.S. citizen died as a result of continued violence after the attacks.

As far as the number of Americans who have died in Gaza, the State Department spokesperson said they are not aware of any, but information about U.S. fatalities in Gaza is "extremely limited" because of the situation.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," the spokesperson said on behalf of the department.

Of the 35 U.S. citizens the State Department said have died, 26 have been confirmed.

Fox News' Lawrence Richard and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

The Ivy League student who allegedly made threats of a mass shooting and antisemitic violence at Cornell University has been criminally charged.

Court documents show that 21-year-old Patrick Dai, a junior at Cornell has been federally charged in connection with the threats following an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

"It is concerning, of course, that the threats came from within the campus. It must be particularly frightening for students to think that someone they sat in class with or socialized with could make such threats," said William A. Jacobson, a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Securities Law Clinic at Cornell Law School. "I hope that there will be a full and transparent investigation of his connections, if any, to any groups or others who may have known of the threats."

Click here to read Stepheny Price's full article

An Emerati official said on Tuesday that the Abraham Accords will be adhered to, despite the escalating conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas terrorists.

Ali Rashid al-Nuaimi, who serves as Chairman of the Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council, made the remarks during an online briefing, according to the European Free Press.

“This is the third war in Gaza. Whenever there is something happening in Gaza, people come to us and ask: ‘What do you think of the Abraham Accords. Are you going to change?’” Nuaimi said.

"The Accords are our future," he explained. "It is not an agreement between two governments but a platform that we believe should transform the region where everyone will enjoy security, stability and prosperity."

"They are part of our history and they should be part of our future," the official added.

A Pentagon official announced that U.S. troops in the Middle East have been attacked at least 27 times since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the new number at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon. An official told Fox News that the two latest attacks were at Mission Support Site Green Village in Syria. They took place on October 23 and 27.

It was reported on Monday that forces had been attacked 24 times. A 25th incident took place on Tuesday morning, in which drones were launched against Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase.

Militants, likely backed by Iran, have been attacking American forces with one-way drones and rockets. One American contractor has died, and at least 24 troops have been injured.

16 of the incidents took place in Iraq, while 11 happened in Syria. Officials say that most of the weapons "failed to reach their targets, thanks to our robust defenses."

Fox News Digital's Liz Friden and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will fly to Israel later this week, as the country's war against Hamas terrorists continues.

Spokesperson Matt Miller confirmed the news to Fox News on Tuesday.

“Secretary Blinken will travel to Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the Israeli government, and then will make other stops in the region," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Blinken told lawmakers that the U.S. "anticipate[s]" that some humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip will inevitably go to Hamas terrorists.

"Can I promise you in this committee that there'll be 100% delivery to the designated recipients? No, there will inevitably be some spillage," Blinken explained. "We haven't seen it to date, but I think we have to anticipate that. But the overwhelming, overwhelming majority of the assistance thus far is getting to people who need it. And we need more." 

Fox News Digital's Nicholas Kalman and Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Doron Spielman joined "The Story" on Tuesday afternoon after Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari was killed in a Gaza refugee camp.

Spielman told host Martha MacCallum that Biari was "one of the major architects and executioners of that horrific massacre that took place on October 7th."

"My heart goes out to the civilians [who were killed]. But we have to ask the question, why was this Hamas battalion commander literally operating underneath a civilian area?" Spielman asked. "It goes to show exactly what we're trying to face. They have no concern for the civilians and we're trying to defend our own civilians and eliminate them while trying to minimize when possible damage to their own civilians."

"Unfortunately, the death of any civilian is a reality of war. And we mourn that," he added.

Spielman also disputed claims that there was no fuel in Gaza, which has been under a blockade by the IDF. Hamas has launched 8,000 rockets against Israel's civilian population since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

"This whole time that they're saying there's no fuel in Gaza and there's no aid in Gaza," the spokesperson said. "There's never been a lack of fuel, apparently, for the rockets that they've been sending our direction."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed a Hamas leader who was hiding in a refugee camp in Gaza, according to Israeli officials.

Trey Yingst reported the news live from southern Israel on Tuesday night.

"We are learning more about the strike that took place earlier today on the Jabalia refugee camp," Yingst explained. "The Israelis say that fighter jets targeted the commander of Hamas's central Jabalia battalion. His name [was] Ibrahim Biari, and he was responsible, according to the Israelis, for a number of attacks."

The reporter discussed the news as the Israeli military continued launching airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

"You can see this area and an explosion there in the distance as I'm giving you this information here...There is some sort of firefight taking place in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, just beneath where those flares are being fired," he added. "We've heard heavy machine gun fire and targeted airstrikes. The Israelis appear to be calling in some air support."

The Israelis have repeatedly warned Palestinians to evacuate the camp in recent days, due to the presence of Hamas operatives there.

A high-ranking United Nations official has retired after calling for a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In his letter, the official wrote on what he called "essential points" regarding the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists.

In what was described as his "last official communication" as the director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber sent an Oct. 28 letter to Volker Türk of Austria, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, detailing what he believes a "U.N.-norm-based position" on the war would look like.

In what critics are calling comments devoid of historic fact, Mokhiber called for a one-state solution, which could mean the end of the Jewish state.

Click here to read the rest of Kyle Morris's article

The Senate moved to confirm President Biden's nominee pick for ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, Tuesday after weeks of Republican opposition.

In a 53 to 43 vote, senators confirmed Lew, who faced mounting Republican opposition to his nomination over his past work on Iran sanctions while he worked as treasurer under the Obama administration in the weeks leading up to the vote.

Every Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — except Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., — voted against Lew's advancement in the committee earlier this month. 

Click here to read the rest of Jamie Joseph's article

Former Israeli diplomat Shahar Azani appeared on "Outnumbered" on Tuesday afternoon to give his reaction to the United Nations Security Council's highly-criticized response to Hamas terrorists.

The security council is accused of remaining silent towards atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists in its latest war against Israel, which began on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah on October 7.

"When I look at those images from the United Nations, the very organization that came to be to stand up against that evil and now looks the other way, it's clear to me that that moral compass that it was supposed to be has completely lost its sense of direction," Azani began.

"Why do I feel a special affinity to be on this program with you, Kayleigh?" the former diplomat said to "Outnumbered" co-host Kayleigh McEnany. "Because when I look at the resolution at the UN, 120 states voted not for a cease fire, but to disregard Hamas as evils. We know that the forces of good are outnumbered out there, and it was only the United States and other 13 countries were the one that stood up for moral clarity and against moral hate."

"And even though we are outnumbered, because we have the upper moral hand, I have no doubt that we will win this," he added.

During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby accused Hamas terrorists of 'putting up obstacles' to prevent Americans from leaving Gaza.

"Why have Americans and foreign nationals still been unable to get out of Gaza, even though aid trucks have been going in?" a reporter asked during the briefing. "Beyond putting blame on Hamas, what more can you say about what's going on here and what the progress is?"

"How about if I just put the blame on Hamas?" the White House official shot back. "I mean, Secretary Blinken talked about this in his hearing this morning."

"I mean, they are they are putting obstacles up to allow us to get folks out," he continued. "It's not Israel. It's not Egypt. It's not places like Jordan...Hamas has been making it difficult to do this."

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby denied claims that Israel has genocidal intentions in its war against Hamas during a briefing on Tuesday.

Kirby was answering a question by a journalist who referenced recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu recently alluded a biblical story between the Amalekites and Israelites, which some have viewed as genocidal.

"I'm not qualified to speak much on biblical history here, but obviously, I think we've been crystal clear not only there but around the world on our concerns about genocidal behavior by any leader," Kirby began. "And that is not what we're seeing, is real desire to do that."

"They are going after Hamas terrorists, going after leadership that attacked their country October 7th in a gross and in barbaric fashion," he added. "They are not interested in genocidal activity to the people of Gaza."

Kirby acknowledged civilian losses in Gaza, but maintains that it was not the Israeli military's intention to kill innocents.

"We recognize there have been many thousands of casualties...way too many, should be zero. We understand that," he concluded. "But their war aim, as I said earlier, is not to target the innocent civilians of Gaza. Their war aim is to go after Hamas."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday that a person of interest in relation to threats of a mass shooting and antisemitic violence at Cornell University had been identified by law enforcement. 

"This individual is currently in New York State Police custody for questioning," Hochul wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"When I met with Cornell students yesterday, I promised them we would do everything possible to find the perpetrator. Public safety is my top priority and I'm committed to combating hate and bias wherever it rears its ugly head," the governor added. 

Earlier Tuesday, Hochul had delivered a message of "solidarity" to New Yorkers a day after she visited Jewish students at Cornell University's Center for Jewish Living who have received online death threats amid the Israel-Hamas war, insisting there is "zero tolerance" for antisemitism, Islamophobia or "hate or any kind." 

In a video, the Democrat announced that she tapped Judge Jonathan Lippman, the former chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, to conduct an independent third party review of CUNY [City University of New York] policies and procedures related to antisemitism and discrimination. 

"We will take on the antisemitism we have seen on college campuses. The problem didn't begin with the weeks following October 7th attacks. It's been growing on a number of campuses," she said. "While his assessment will be focused on CUNY, his recommendations will be a roadmap for institutions across the state and the country. My commitment to your safety is unwavering, but we can't do it alone."

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this update.

Yale Daily News (YDN), the independent student newspaper and oldest college daily in the country, issued an editor's note on a pro-Israel column over claims it made "unsubstantiated claims that Hamas raped women."

An Oct. 12 column by Yale student Sahar Tarak titled, "Is Yalies4Palestine a hage group?" was hit with an editor's note on Oct. 25, reading, "This column has been edited to remove unsubstantiated claims that Hamas raped women and beheaded men." 

Yalies4Palestine is a student group that describes itself as "organizing Yale's campus community to support the human rights and freedom of the Palestinian people" on its Instagram page.

The piece by Tartak still contains lines about beheadings by Hamas and condemning the "barbarism" that was carried out by "terrorists from Gaza who seemed intent on killing as many Jews as possible."

"Yes, they kidnapped children," she wrote. "Yes, they cheered the whole time. It’s all on video. Over 1,200 are dead, not to mention those kidnapped and maimed. This is terror, and Hamas is a designated terrorist group — as described by the United States, European Union and dozens of other countries."

There have been multiple reports that Hamas terrorists committed rape during their rampage. Israel released footage of one captured attacker who said they were given permission to rape the corpse of a girl, according to The Times of Israel. NBC News reported on "signs of rape" in videos of the attack presented to journalists last week. Military forensic teams in Israel also said they found signs of torture and rape among the victims, according to Reuters.

Fox News Digital's Jeffrey Clark contributed to this update.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has admitted to lawmakers Tuesday that "we have to anticipate" some of the humanitarian aid flowing into the Gaza Strip will end up in the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. 

Blinken made the remark in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee as he said the U.S. is trying to coordinate 100 trucks of aid per day into the conflict zone this week, arguing that it is the "bare minimum of what is needed." 

"Can I promise you in this committee that there'll be 100% delivery to the designated recipients? No, there will inevitably be some spillage," he said. "We haven't seen it to date, but I think we have to anticipate that. But the overwhelming, overwhelming majority of the assistance thus far is getting to people who need it. And we need more." 

Blinken said so far, the U.S. has gotten up to 50 trucks of aid per day into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. 

"Before the conflict in Gaza, before Hamas' aggression against Israel and its response, the U.N. and other agencies and other organizations providing relief were sending in between 500 and 800 hundred trucks a day," he said. "Right now, we're up to almost 60. We're trying to get to 100 this week." 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this update.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told "Outnumbered" co-host Kayleigh McEnany in a recent interview that he was intending to divert some IRS funding for aid to Israel. 

"My intention and my desire in the first draft of this bill is to take some of the money that has been set aside for building and bulking up the IRS right now," he said, and repurpose it for aid to Israel. 

"They have about $67 billion in that fund and we'll try to take the $14.5 [billion] necessary for this immediate and urgent need," Johnson said of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that started on Oct. 7 after terrorists killed, kidnapped and assaulted Israeli, American and other citizens at a festival.  

When asked how "united" the Republican Conference was on the providing funding to Israel in its war efforts, Johnson said the GOP was "100 percent united." 

"I hope the Democrats will be as well," Johnson added. 

House Republicans have rolled out a bill giving $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, while cutting into cash President Joe Biden allocated toward the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) last year.

The 13-page bill released on Monday would completely offset the foreign aid by rescinding those funds from the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year. Specifically, it targets some of the $80 billion the package gave to the IRS.

The new Speaker is expected to hold a vote on the Israel aid bill on Thursday.

Fox News Digital's Jeffrey Clark contributed to this update.

Chinese companies have removed the name of "Israel" from their online maps, Fox News has confirmed. 

Maps from the companies like Baidu and Alibaba list all the countries around Israel, but no longer name of Israel.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that internet users in China were confused by the missing Jewish state. 

"Baidu’s Chinese language online maps demarcate the internationally recognized borders of Israel, as well as the Palestinian territories, plus key cities, but don’t clearly identify the country by name," the outlet reported. "The same is true with online maps produced by Alibaba’s Amap, where even small nations like Luxembourg are clearly marked. Neither company responded to questions on Monday. It is unclear whether the development is new, though it has been discussed by Chinese internet users since war broke out."

China has a close relationship with Iran, and Iran is a known backer of Hamas. China remains Iran largest trading partner. Over the past several months, the Chinese have bought a record amount of Iranian oil. 

Fox Business' Edward Lawrence contributed to this update.

Nearly 2,500 Holocaust survivors and their families wrote a letter to President Biden thanking him for his support of Israel after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. 

"We are Holocaust survivors, children of Holocaust survivors, grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, and great grandchildren of Holocaust survivors living in the United States, and we write to thank you for strongly supporting Israel in its time of need," the letter dated Monday states. 

"Holocaust survivors lived through the worst of human capability," the letter continues. "We witnessed the murder of our families, our communities, and the near annihilation of the Jewish people. We chose the United States as our home, rebuilt our lives, and worked tirelessly to share our most painful experiences so the Holocaust would never occur again. We fought for the rights of all people to live in peace."

"Yet, the Jewish people have been massacred again. We are mourning and grieving the loss from the attacks of October 7, 2023, in which Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,400 people and abducted more than 200 innocent civilians in Israel. The trauma runs deep. The terrorists went home to home, family to family, killing and torturing with no regard for human life, just as the Nazis did. 

"But today is different," it concludes. "Today we have Israel. Today we have the United States of America and a President willing to support the State of Israel and denounce antisemitism at home and abroad.Your unwavering affirmation of Israel’s right to defend itself is meaningful to us. President Biden, we thank you, and we need your continued support to ensure that Israel recovers from this tragedy and emerges stronger than before. The United States and Israel have a shared destiny, united in our love for humanity and our belief in a brighter future. Thank you for standing with us and with the people of Israel." 

The letter was signed by 870 holocaust survivors. 

A Florida Republican congresswoman is introducing a bipartisan bill to strip the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of taxpayer funding until the international body condemns the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., on Monday introduced the Stand With Israel Act to withhold U.S. funding to the UNHRC until a resolution is passed condemning Hamas after the group's deadly surprise terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.

"It should not be a heavy lift for the UN, which claims to promote global human rights, to pass a resolution condemning what will go down in history as one of the deadliest attacks against the Jewish people," Luna said in a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

"The United States should not fund the UN Human Rights Council until it stops targeting our closest ally," Luna said. "The UN must unequivocally condemn Hamas’s utter disregard for human life and the terror they are inflicting on Israelis and the innocent Palestinians they use as human shields."

Luna said that until "this institution can defend objective human rights, not subjective ideological bias, it is a scourge to the values it claims to champion."

"The hypocrisy in all of this is while the UNHRC lectures Israel on defense, China (one of their HRC members) is actively putting Muslims in concentration camps," Luna said. "It’s time they save the world their virtue-signaling and we defund them."

The Stand With Israel Act prohibits taxpayer funds from going toward the UNHRC until both the U.N. Security Council and U.N. General Assembly adopt a clear resolution condemning the Palestinian terrorist organization.

Fox News' Houston Keene and Thomas Phippen contributed to this update.

The World Bank is warning Monday that the prices of oil and other commodities could see "large increases" if the Israel-Hamas war spreads through the Middle East. 

The Washington-based institution said in its October 2023 Commodity Markets Outlook report that despite commodity markets responding "calmly" to the war, "historical precedent" suggests that escalating conflict in the region could substantially disrupt commodity supply. 

"Although neither Israel nor Gaza is a major energy producer, an escalation of the conflict and its spread to the wider region could lead to large increases in the prices of oil and other commodities," the report says. "Historical precedent also indicates this could have destabilizing implications for the global economy. Moreover, spillovers to food prices could exacerbate food insecurity in conflict-afflicted areas in the region and around the world." 

If that happens, depending on the level of impact to the global oil supply, the World Bank says prices per barrel could rise from the 2023 Q4 baseline forecast of $90 a barrel to around $102 in a "small disruption scenario" to as much as $157 a barrel in a "large disruption scenario." 

"These types of disruptions in oil supplies can have a cascading impact on the prices of other commodities – especially natural gas prices, which are even more susceptible to transportation disruptions than oil," the World Bank also says.  

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday warned Iran-backed terrorist groups including Hezbollah against taking advantage of the Israel-Hamas war to start a larger conflict in the Middle East.

“It is also important that this war does not escalate into a major regional conflict,” Stoltenberg said in Oslo, where he attended the annual meeting of the Nordic Council.

“The suffering we have seen in recent weeks reminds us once again that we must not give up the work for a lasting, peaceful political solution to the conflict.”

The eight-member regional grouping includes Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, as well as the autonomous areas of the Aland islands, the Faeroe Islands and Greenland.

U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria last week in response to continued attacks on U.S. troops by Iranian proxies in recent weeks, striking a weapons depot and an ammo storage area believed to be used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News' chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

The strikes come as Pentagon officials have warned of the possible fallout of Israeli's war with Hamas leading to increased danger for U.S. forces, with one senior defense official telling reporters that they "see a prospect for much more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel in the near term and, let's be clear about it, the road leads back to Iran," according to a report from Military.com.

The warning came as Israel began its second phase, which saw a number of troops enter Gaza in response to the Hamas terror group's attack on communities in the country's south on Oct. 7 that saw some 1,400 Israelis killed and hundreds taken hostage. While U.S. troops are not directly involved in the conflict, forces carrying out counter-terrorism operations in Iraq and Syria have been put at increased risk, particularly from attacks by Iranian-backed proxies looking to influence U.S. support for Israel.

Fox News Digital's Michael Lee and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday, where he said the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israel may inspire attacks against America. 

"The reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023, but the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States to a whole another level since the horrific terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against innocent people in Israel a few weeks ago," Wray told lawmakers.  

"We assess that the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration, the likes of which we haven't seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago. In just the past few weeks, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West. Al Qaida issued its most specific call to attack the United States in the last five years. ISIS urged its followers to target Jewish communities in the United States and Europe. Hezbollah has publicly expressed its support for Hamas and threatened to attack US interests in the Middle East. And we've seen an increase in attacks on U.S. military bases overseas carried out by militia groups backed by Iran." 

Fox News' David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this update.

Kamala Harris and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are reportedly to meet and discuss the wars in Ukraine and Israel during the vice president's trip to London this week to attend an artificial intelligence summit. 

Harris is expected to talk about the Israel-Hamas war and "consult on next steps in our support for Ukraine" with Sunak during a visit to London later this week, Reuters reported Monday, citing an unnamed White House official. 

The meeting comes days after a "60 Minutes" interview with Harris aired, in which the vice president addressed whether American forces might get involved on the ground in the Gaza Strip, where American hostages were taken during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

"We have absolutely no intention, nor do we have any plans to send combat troops into Israel or Gaza, period," Harris said.

The vice president is scheduled to depart for the United Kingdom Tuesday and return on Nov. 2, and she will be accompanied by her husband, Douglas Emhoff, according to her office.

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this update.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks fired at Israel on Tuesday.

In a video statement, the militants said it was the third such attack and threatened to carry out more strikes "until the Israeli aggression stops," the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this month, a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched toward Israel by the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa. Mysterious projectiles have also struck inside Egypt, near the Israeli border.

Iran has long denied arming the Houthis even as it has been transferring rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other weaponry to the Yemeni militia using sea routes. Independent experts, Western nations and United Nations experts have traced components seized aboard other detained vessels back to Iran.

Critics have urged the United States to consider reclassifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization as the Iran-backed group has mounted attacks against Israel and U.S. military assets. 

"In word and in deed, the Houthi’s in Yemen are proving to the world their connectivity to Iran’s axis of resistance and why they should have remained on the U.S. terror list," Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. 

"Pulling punches and failing to hold Iran and it’s proxies to account, even diplomatically, shows you how far things have devolved," he added. 

Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed back on activists demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying such an agreement would be a "gift" for the terrorist government.

The former presidential candidate made the remarks during the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's 30th anniversary event on Thursday. 

"People who are calling for a ceasefire now, don’t understand Hamas," Clinton said, according to The Jerusalem Post. "That is not possible."

She continued, "It would be such a gift to Hamas because they would spend whatever time there was a ceasefire in effect rebuilding their armaments, creating stronger positions to be able to fend off an eventual assault by the Israelis."

Israel has entered its fourth week of war against Hamas after the terrorist group infiltrated the country on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets at residential areas and butchering civilians.

As many as 9,900 people have been killed in the war on both sides, including at least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers and 32 Americans. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 111 in the West Bank. At least 10 Americans are feared to be among the 239 people held captive by Hamas.

Fox News Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this update.

A Columbia University professor condemned an open letter penned and signed by Columbia and Barnard College professors in support of students who have made anti-Israel statements in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

Jennifer La'O, who teaches macroeconomics, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to condemn the letter. 

"As a @Columbia faculty member, I absolutely do NOT endorse this open letter," she posted. "This letter is a disgrace. I am disheartened and disappointed in my colleagues who have signed this."

Universities across the country, most notably Ivy Leagues colleges, have been ground zero for pro-Palestinian support in the U.S. following the surprise Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel that left at least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers, including 33 Americans, dead. In addition, 239 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. 

The faculty members published the letter Monday under the title: "An Open Letter from Columbia University and Barnard College Faculty in Defense of Robust Debate About the History and Meaning of the War in Israel/Gaza."

"The most recent devastating violence in Israel and Gaza that began on October 7, 2023 has had very disturbing reverberations on our campus – for all of us, students, faculty, staff, and the larger Columbia community," the letter began. "We write now to express grave concerns about how some of our students are being viciously targeted with doxing, public shaming, surveillance by members of our community, including other students, and reprisals from employers."

The letter calls on every person in the Columbia University community to do more to protect all students in response to "those who label our students anti-Semitic if they express empathy for the lives and dignity of Palestinians, and/or if they signed on to a student-written statement that situated the military action begun on October 7th within the larger context of the occupation of Palestine by Israel."

Fox News Digital's Kendall Tietz contributed to this update.

The Canadian government has reportedly attempted to clarify its stance on a "humanitarian truce" in the Israel-Hamas war, just days after the country abstained from a United Nations resolution on the matter. 

Delivering a speech Monday before the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly called for "humanitarian pauses" and a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza, as at least seven Canadian nationals have died, at least two others remain unaccounted for and "could be held hostage," and "400 Canadians are trapped in Gaza." 

"At this point, we need an agreement from all parties to get our foreign nationals out," Joly said Monday, telling a business audience she had been in contact with Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. nearly every day for the past three weeks. "All hostages must be released, and it is important to allow food, fuel and water in Gaza. And Canada will be reaching out to more countries to join in that call." 

Joly spoke out against the Hamas terrorist attacks, while also recognizing the situation that Palestinian civilians find themselves in.

"We have seen horrific scenes of unspeakable violence as Hamas launched its terrorist attacks against the people of Israel, which Canada unequivocally condemns," Joly said. "What is unfolding in Gaza is also a human tragedy. The humanitarian situation facing the Palestinian people – Palestinian women and children in particular – is dire. 

"And extremist settler attacks continue in the West Bank and must stop," Joly added. "Like all states, of course Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist attacks. It has an obligation to do so in accordance with international law. For even in crisis, there are principles and even in war, there are rules." 

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this update.

A Massachusetts family has been stuck in Gaza for weeks amid the ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists, and they are now without adequate resources – including food, water, fuel and connectivity – as they continue to look for a way home.

Abood Okal, Wafa Abuzayda and their 1-year-old son, Yousef, were visiting family in Gaza when Hamas launched its surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7. The family, which had been in the region since late September, was initially planning to return to their home in Medway, Massachusetts, on Oct. 13.

Sammy Nabulsi, friend and attorney for the family, spoke with Fox News Digital about their situation on the ground in Gaza, which he described as "extremely dangerous and dire," adding that their circumstances continue to worsen each day they remain in the region.

"Currently, the family is staying in a single-family home with 40 other people taking shelter," Nabulsi said. "They're having to sleep on the floor, as they've been doing for a little over two weeks. Their chief concern has been access to water. A couple of times over the last week, they've run out of clean drinking water. They've had to resort to drinking salt water from a well that they have access to."

"Another concern now on top of that is there hasn't been any access to fuel," he continued. "They rely on diesel fuel to pull and pump the well water, which is just the running water that they have at this home, and also to filter it, which they've been unable to do because they've run out of fuel and have no access to any fuel. So there have been days when they've just had to drink salt water, unfiltered salt water, to stay hydrated."

The University of California-Davis still has not completed its investigation into a faculty member allegedly tied to a social media account that violently threatened "Zionist journalists" and their children earlier this month.

A university spokesman told Fox News Digital on Monday it would provide updates once there was news to announce.

An account affiliated with a University of California-Davis faculty member named Jemma Decristo posted on Oct. 10 on X, "One group of ppl we have easy access to in the US is all these Zionist journalists who spread propaganda & misinformation… they have houses w addresses, kids in school… they can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more." The post ended with emojis depicting a knife, axe and drops of blood. 

The account has since gone private, and Decristo's biography on the UC-Davis page is inactive. Decristo has been an assistant professor in American studies and African American studies at the school, according to the Forward. 

Chancellor Gary S. May released a statement on Oct. 19 saying he disagreed wholeheartedly with the remarks and explained how the university was proceeding.

"I absolutely condemn the posts attributed to a UC Davis faculty member that recently appeared on the social media platform X," he wrote. "I find the comments revolting in every way, and I disagree wholeheartedly with them. UC Davis rejects all forms of violence and discrimination, as they are antithetical to the values of our university. We strive to foster a climate of equity and justice built on mutual understanding and respect for all members of the community."

He went on to say that when the university receives a complaint that a faculty member has engaged in misconduct, the matter is reviewed internally as a confidential personnel issue.

"Some have asked why this faculty member continues to be employed at UC Davis," May added at the time. "The University of California system has specific procedures for the review of complaints of faculty misconduct consistent with university-wide policies and bylaws. The status of complaints lodged against faculty members are confidential personnel matters, so we are unable to publicly comment on the steps we are taking."

Fox News Digital's David Rutz contributed to this update.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose father is a founding Hamas leader, joined "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday and called on the United States to urge Egypt to open its borders to Palestinian refugees.

"We need to somehow put pressure on the Egyptian government so they can open the border for the Gazans to just depart," Yousef said. 

"Instead of the United Nations blaming everybody and saying 'humanitarian crisis,' they should allow civilians to evacuate. Egypt has to open the borders. The United States must put pressure, apply tremendous pressure on the Egyptian government to open the freaking border." 

Limited humanitarian aid has passed through the border crossing at Rafah into Gaza, but Egypt has so far refused to take in Palestinian refugees. 

Egypt has long feared that Israel wants to force a permanent expulsion of Palestinians into its territory, as happened during the war surrounding Israel’s independence. Egypt ruled Gaza between 1948 and 1967, when Israel captured the territory, along with the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The vast majority of Gaza’s population are the descendants of Palestinian refugees uprooted from what is now Israel.

Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, has said a mass influx of refugees from Gaza would eliminate the Palestinian nationalist cause. It would also risk bringing militants into Sinai, where they might launch attacks on Israel, he said. That would endanger the countries’ 1979 peace treaty. He proposed that Israel instead house Palestinians in its Negev Desert, which neighbors the Gaza Strip, until it ends its military operations.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

The Israeli military succeeded in liberating a female soldier on Monday who had been taken captive by Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel.

Private Ori Megidish, 19, was freed from captivity overnight during the ongoing ground operation. She was originally taken from the Nahal Oz base on October 7.

“The soldier was medically examined, her condition is good and she met with her family," the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement.

Megidish was one of nearly 240 people taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised IDF for liberating Megidish. 

"I commend the ISA and the IDF for this important and moving achievement, which expresses our commitment to bring about the release of all the hostages. The entire people of Israel salute the ISA and the IDF," he said. 

"To the terrorists of Hamas and ISIS I say – you are monsters. We will continue to pursue you. We will continue to hunt you. We will strike you until you fall at our feet."

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this update.

Israel’s military announced Tuesday that another 300 Hamas targets have been attacked in the Gaza Strip over the last day as troops on the ground "conducted several battles with terrorist squads that fired anti-tank missiles or machine guns at the forces." 

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the ongoing military activity in northern Gaza focuses on "the center of gravity of Hamas." 

"We are hunting their commanders. We are attacking their infrastructure and whenever there is any potent target that is related to Hamas, we strike it," he said. "Now we do so with professionalism. Hamas is the enemy, not the civilian population." 

The Israeli Air Force said in a tweet Tuesday that the IDF has "attacked about 300 targets during the last day, among them the shafts of anti-tank and rocket launching positions, tunnel shafts and military compounds of the terrorist organization Hamas." 

"During the activities of the ground forces, the forces conducted several battles with terrorist squads that fired anti-tank missiles or machine guns at the forces," it continued. "The forces eliminated terrorists and directed air forces in order to destroy terrorist targets and infrastructure in real time." 

"Fighter jets of the Air Force attacked a short time ago the infrastructures of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the territory of Lebanon," it also said, noting that "weapons, positions and sites used by the organization were destroyed." 

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this update.

Israeli Maj. Gen. Yaron FInkelman, head of the Southern Command, told troops fighting in the Gaza Strip there can be "no result other than victory." 

The IDF released an audio message by Finkelman in which said Israel is launching an attack on Hamas and Palestinian terror groups in the strip, the Times of Israel reported.

"Our goal is one, victory. No matter how long the fighting will be, how difficult, there is no other result but victory,” Finkelman said.

“We will fight professionally and powerfully in light of the IDF values ​​we were raised on. Chief among them is sticking to the mission and striving for victory,” he continued. 

“We will fight in the alleys, we will fight in the tunnels, we will fight where necessary. We will strike the terrible enemy that stands before us.

“My fighting brothers, the residents of Be’eri, Sderot, Nir Oz, Kfar Aza, and the western Negev communities, and with them the entire nation of Israel, are all looking at us now. Like me, they also trust you and believe in you,. You are the generation of victory,” he said. 

“Get to your tasks, hit the enemy, over and out.”

American troops operating in the Middle East have been faced with an uptick in attacks in recent weeks, a trend that could continue as the U.S. supports Israel's war effort against Hamas.

U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on facilities in eastern Syria last week in response to continued attacks on U.S. troops by Iranian proxies in recent weeks, striking a weapons depot and an ammo storage area believed to be used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News' chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

The strikes come as Pentagon officials have warned of the possible fallout of Israeli's war with Hamas leading to increased danger for U.S. forces, with one senior defense official telling reporters that they "see a prospect for much more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel in the near term and, let's be clear about it, the road leads back to Iran," according to a report from Military.com.

The warning came as Israel began its second phase, which saw a number of troops enter Gaza in response to the Hamas terror group's attack on communities in the country's south on Oct. 7 that saw some 1,400 Israelis killed and hundreds taken hostage. While U.S. troops are not directly involved in the conflict, forces carrying out counter-terrorism operations in Iraq and Syria have been put at increased risk, particularly from attacks by Iranian-backed proxies looking to influence U.S. support for Israel.

Fox News Digital's Michael Lee contributed to this update.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu flatly rejected calls for a cease-fire in comments to the press on Monday.

Netanyahu compared the October 7 massacre by Hamas to the Pearl Harbor and 9-11 attacks on the U.S., saying Israel is equally justified in retaliating against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. He went on to say that Israel will continue its war against Hamas "until victory."

"Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen," Netanyahu said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war. A war for our common future," he continued. "Today we draw a line between the forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism. It is a time for everyone to decide where they stand. Israel will stand against the forces of barbarism until victory. I hope and pray that civilized nations everywhere will back this fight."

Israeli forces entered the second stage of their conflict with Hamas this week, greatly expanding ground operations within the Gaza strip. Military officials have warned that the war will be long and difficult.

Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this update.

The head of a United Nations agency said during an emergency meeting Monday that "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions."

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warned against additional fighting in Gaza, where Israeli forces are launching a ground invasion to eliminate Hamas, which governs the territory.

Lazzarini warned Israel against the "collective punishment" of Palestinians and said a further breakdown of civil order following the looting of the agency’s warehouses by Palestinians searching for food and other aid "will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the largest U.N. agency in Gaza to continue operating."

Lazzarini, flanked by the head of the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF and a senior U.N. humanitarian official, provided briefings to the Security Council, where the officials painted a dire picture of the humanitarian situation in Gaza after more than a million people have been displaced. The meeting comes 23 days after Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attacks in Israel that killed over 1,400 people.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, more than 8,300 civilians have been killed and tens of thousands have been injured since Israel launched retaliatory military action aimed at "obliterating" Hamas.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said the death toll includes more than 3,400 children, adding that over 6,300 have been injured.

"This means that more than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza each day — a number which should shake each of us to our core," she said.

U.S. forces in western Iraq were targeted in another drone attack early Tuesday morning, according to a report, marking the latest in a string of assaults on American troops in the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

Two armed drones were used against Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, Reuters reported, citing a security source and a government source. The base hosts international troops that assist Iraq in defeating a terror group called the Daesh, or the Islamic State. No casualties or damage were reported.

Tuesday's attack would be the 25th on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. The attacks have included a mix of one-way drones and rockets, resulting in the death of an American contractor and 24 injured troops, according to U.S. defense officials.

The attacks have increased in recent weeks as President Biden and other senior leaders continue to express support for Israel and its right to defend itself after one of the worst terror attacks in decades left more than 1,400 people dead, including 34 Americans.

According to Reuters, a group called the "Islamic resistance in Iraq" endorsed the attack, which took place less than 24 hours after another missile attack from the same base in Iraq.

On Monday, five rockets landed a mile away from the al-Asad Air Base.

No injuries to American soldiers or the base were reported. Coalition forces also were not injured.

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

The Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli Securities Authority said troops killed Nasim Abu Ajina, the Hamas commander who they say directed the part of the Oct. 7 massacre in the Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara.

"Yesterday, based on IDF and ISA intelligence, IDF fighter jets struck the Commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas' Northern Brigade, Nasim Abu Ajina, who directed the massacre on October 7th in the Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara," the IDF and ISA said in a joint statement. "In the past, Abu Ajina commanded Hamas' Aerial Array, and took part in the development of the UAVs and paragliders of the terrorist organization."

"His elimination significantly harms the efforts of the Hamas terrorist organization to disrupt the IDF's ground activities," the statement added.

More than 9,400 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.