US intelligence report suggests Netanyahu government may be in crisis

Israeli forces shot and killed 13-year-old Rami Hamdan al-Khalhouri after setting off fireworks at a refugee camp near East Jerusalem tonight, the Palestinian Governorate of Jerusalem announced on Facebook.

Israeli police said in a statement that officers were involved in a “violent disturbance” in the Shuafat refugee camp in which fireworks and Molotov cocktails were fired at security forces. During the incident, a Border Patrol agent opened fire on a “suspect who endangered the force by firing aerial fireworks at the force,” police said.

Police issued a similar statement to NBC News in response to a request for comment about the death and footage of the alleged incident.

The Jerusalem prefecture posted a video of the incident on Facebook, showing the boy launching fireworks directly into the air. Tonight is the second night of Ramadan, and it is not uncommon for Muslims to set off fireworks during the holy month of breaking the fast.

A second video posted on the page shows him falling to the ground and his mother running to him, screaming.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the team was called to the camp at 8:20 p.m. local time. The boy, who was shot with live ammunition, was taken by the Red Crescent to an Israeli ambulance and taken to a Jerusalem hospital with an intensive care unit.

Spokesman Nebal Farsak told NBC News he was alive when he was transferred. Farsak said the Red Crescent learned of the boy's death from an official announcement from Jerusalem Governorate.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is suing Columbia University over its decision last fall to suspend two student organizations that protested Israel's actions in the Gaza war.

The lawsuit announced today comes a day after the Ivy League school launched a Nov. 9 campus protest sponsored by more than 20 organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voices for Peace. The school accuses the school of violating its own rules for suspending students. The next day, the two groups were suspended for allegedly violating university regulations without an opportunity to respond or challenge the charges, according to the suit.

The protests took place in the heated weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war and Israel's subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, with pro-Palestinian students and parents at Columbia University and other U.S. campuses. Demonstrations were organized by both Israeli students. Students on both sides filed incidents of harassment and bias.

The Colombian government said in a statement that the Nov. 9 demonstrations “included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.” Both organizations remain suspended and are prohibited from holding events on campus or raising funds for the school. The lawsuit, brought by the NYCLU and advocacy group Palestine Legal, seeks to invalidate the suspension and related remedies.

WASHINGTON – The White House calls for a temporary ceasefire in fighting with Israel against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, releasing women, elderly and injured hostages to ensure a more permanent fight with Israel. requested to accept.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters: “If Hamas only releases women, wounded, and elderly people, we are announcing today a six-week cease-fire with the goal of developing it into something more permanent.'' is being considered,” he said.

Israel accepted terms of a six-week cease-fire in exchange for the release of some hostages held by Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people.

Hamas said it would accept an agreement based solely on a permanent cease-fire that would end the war and include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, rather than another temporary one. Under the latest proposal, Israel would release Palestinian prisoners at a 10:1 ratio to the number of Hamas hostages.

Hamas took at least 200 hostages on October 7th. During a week-long ceasefire in late November, more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages were released in exchange for Israel releasing about 240 Palestinian prisoners.

“We are determined to achieve a cease-fire of at least six weeks until the hostages come out and try to develop it into something more permanent, but we cannot predict how this will play out. ” Sullivan said.

In a video address to the pro-Israel group AIPAC in Washington, D.C., Prime Minister Netanyahu also claimed that Israel had “taken steps to minimize civilian casualties that no other military force in history has taken.”

Mr. Biden said in a statement released today on behalf of himself and his wife that he was “devastated” to learn of Itai Chen's death.

Chen is a 19-year-old Israeli-American soldier who is believed to have been held hostage in Gaza for six months. His family announced today that they were informed by the Israel Defense Forces that he died on October 7 while protecting civilians on the Gaza border during a Hamas-led offensive in the country.

No additional details were provided.

Biden recalled welcoming Chen's father and brother to the White House in December and presenting them with a menorah, saying, “Let us solemnly remind you that light always dispels darkness and evil never triumphs.'' “It was,” he said. He said he joined in their grief.

“And I reaffirm my pledge to all the families of those still being held hostage. We stand with you,” Biden said. “We will never stop working to bring your loved ones home.”

Israeli Minister of National Security Ben Gvir, who has been reprimanded by US officials in the past, today called on Israel to go to war with Hezbollah in a video posted to his X account.

Gvir appeared to mock Defense Minister Yoav Galant shortly after the Israel Defense Forces announced that 100 rockets had been fired into Israel from Lebanon today. The Israel Defense Forces said all rockets were intercepted.

“What are you waiting for?” said Gvir. “Over 100 missiles have been fired at the State of Israel, over 100 times, and you sit still?”

He went on to say that the time had come to launch an attack, adding: “This is war.”

Gvir is one of the most hardline figures in the Israeli government and is known for his inflammatory comments. He was convicted of anti-Arab incitement in 2007 and was previously a member of an Israeli extremist group listed by the United States as a terrorist organization.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement earlier this year condemning remarks by Mr. Gvir and another Cabinet member urging Israel to resettle Gaza, a position other Israeli officials reject. The State Department called the remarks “inflammatory and irresponsible.”

Chef José Andrés described the organization's mission to deliver 200 tons of food to Gaza by sea as a “very complex situation.” World Central Kitchen, which Andres founded in 2010, has partnered with Spanish charities to send aid by water from Cyprus, with the first ship setting sail today. Gaza's port was destroyed during the war, so the World Central Kitchen team needed to build a pier to make their mission possible.

Andres considered the ship's sailing an accomplishment, but warned there was still a chance it could fail.

“But what we cannot do is disappoint the people of Gaza,” Andres said. “That's the real failure is not the effort. So we're trying. I hope in a few days we'll be able to say that we had very little success. And from that success.”

It was confirmed today that the United States, with support from the Government of Jordan, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Office of the Prime Minister of Jordan, has provided another airlift to Gaza.

According to U.S. Central Command, 5,280 pounds of flour, rice, pasta, and canned goods were dropped in northern Gaza this afternoon.

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Kassaune said five airlifts were completed today, including one with assistance from Egypt and another with assistance from Belgium.

“Since the beginning of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, the number of airdrops carried out by Jordanian, or Arab, forces has increased to 40 by Jordan and 49 in cooperation with brotherly and friendly countries. ” Kasaune said. .

CIA Director William Burns told the House Intelligence Committee today that there is still a chance for a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, despite recent negotiation setbacks.

“I think it's still a possibility,” he said. “I think it’s important that we all do the best we can while there’s even a slight possibility.”

Discussions have been going on for months over the release of hostages and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. President Joe Biden previously appeared optimistic that such a deal would be in place by the start of Ramadan. Even when that failed, he continued to express his hope that it might come true soon.

Burns said the alternatives to a ceasefire are worse for both Palestinian civilians and hostages held by Hamas. He described the negotiations as a “very tough process” and added that the failure to reach an agreement “is not due to a lack of effort on our part.”

A framework for an agreement exists, including a six-week cessation of fighting, but Israel and Hamas have accused each other of failing to reach an agreement. Hamas officials are calling for a permanent rather than a temporary truce.

Prime Minister Netanyahu argued today that Israel needs to invade Rafah in videoconference remarks to leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

“To win this war, we must destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah,” he said. “If not, Hamas will regroup, rearm and reconquer Gaza, and we will be back to square one.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude for U.S. aid in the war, but appeared to be pushing back against President Joe Biden. President Joe Biden told MSNBC this weekend that the invasion of Rafah could be a “red line” for his administration.

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