Deadline expired for Palestinians to flee Gaza as Israeli troops amass at border

The State Department offered details of Secretary of State Tony Blinken's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

Blinken traveled to Israel for the second time in as many weeks on Monday to meet with Netanyahu regarding Israel's war against Hamas. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller says Blinken riterated U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself and also discussed humanitarian issues.

"The Secretary underlined his firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas’ terrorism and reaffirmed U.S. determination to provide the Israeli government with what it needs to protect its citizens.The Secretary discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu the United States’ close coordination with the U.N. and regional partners to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians. The Secretary also discussed our commitment to the safe and speedy release of those held hostage by Hamas," Miller said.

Netanyahu will hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Monday. The State Department did not clarify whether Blinken discussed that call with Netanyahu.

More than 4,000 people have died in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas after the terror group carried out a brutal attack on Oct. 7, which included the slaughter of more than 1,400 Israelis in communities surrounding Gaza. The deaths also include 260 attendees of a music festival that Hamas terrorists killed that same day.

While the identities of all those who have been killed in the violence or taken hostage by the terror group are unknown to the public, the Israeli government has identified several victims as: a daughter who initially decided not to go to the Tribe of Nova music festival but changed her mind at the last minute, an Israeli jewelry designer described as "the softest soul," an elderly couple married more than 50 years, a third-generation Israeli soldier, and many others.

As officials have identified those who died, remain missing or those taken hostage by Hamas, surviving family members have begun to shed light on who they were, their personalities and their lives.

Karin Journo, 24, recently fractured her leg and talked herself out of going with her friends to the Tribe of Nova music festival on Saturday, Oct 7. Content with her decision, she even sold her ticket. However, a week before the event, she changed her mind — a decision that changed her life forever.

Before going silent, she texted her loved ones: "To the whole family, I want to say that I love you a lot, because I am not coming home."

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

The Israeli government is distributing roughly 10,000 rifles to Israeli citizens living in towns near its northern and southern borders, officials announced Monday.

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir purchased the rifles early last week and has expedited the process for "hundreds of thousands" of Israelis to be approved to carry firearms.

"I call on everyone who is eligible [to get] a life-saving weapon," he said in a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The 10,000 rifles are being distributed to civilian security teams, some of which were able to fight off Hamas terrorists last week using only pistols. Members of at least one team told the Times of Israel that the Israeli Defense Forces had taken their rifles sometime prior to the Hamas assault.

The Lebanese military has destroyed 20 different rocket launching sites that Hezbollah was using to attack Israel from Southern Lebanon, accoridng to Lebanese media.

Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed terrorist group, has threatened to join Hamas in the war against Israel. The group has launched anti-tank guided missiles over the Lebanon-Israel border in recent days, leading to Israeli reprisals.

The reported attacks on Hezbollah rocket positions indicate that there is disagreement in Lebanon regarding whether to challenge Israel.

The news comes as Hezbollah began destroying surveillance cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border on Monday.

Hezbollah’s military media arm released a video showing snipers destroying surveillance cameras placed on five points along the Lebanon-Israel border, including one outside the Israeli town of Metula. Hezbollah’s aim appears to be to prevent the Israeli army from monitoring movements on the Lebanese side of the border.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, offered to exchange himself for Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza on Monday.

Pizzaballa, who represents Pope Francis in the Holy Land, made the offer in a video conference with Italian journalists on Monday.

"I am ready for an exchange, anything, if this can lead to freedom, to bring the children home....The first thing to do is to try to win the release of the hostages, otherwise there will be no way of stopping [an escalation]."

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that the FBI is receiving a spike in reported domestic terror threats following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.

Wray made the comments Saturday, warning Americans to be vigilant as "lone actors" in the U.S. may take inspiration from the Hamas assault.

"In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats, and we have to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own," he said. "And I’d encourage you to stay vigilant, because as the first line of defense in protecting our communities, you’re often the first to see the signs that someone may be mobilizing to violence. And I’d also ask you to continue sharing any intelligence or observations you may have."

"On our end, we’re committed to doing the same, so that together, we can safeguard our communities," Wray said.

The warning came a day after major U.S. cities, including New York, were on heightened security and increased police presence Friday amid concern over demonstrations related to the conflict. A former Hamas leader had also called for Muslims around the world to take to the streets in support of Palestinians and consider Oct. 13 a "Day of Jihad." 

Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

President Biden has postponed his planned visit to Colorado on Monday and will instead remain at the White House as Israeli forces appear poised to invade Northern Gaza.

White House officials say Biden will participate in national security meetings throughout the day. His planned trip to Colorado would have been focused on his Bidenomics agenda.

"The President’s trip to Colorado is postponed and it will be rescheduled. The President will remain at the White House to participate in national security meetings," a White House official told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Fox News' Sarah Tobianski contributed to this report.

CNN's Jake Tapper pressed President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, about whether hostages taken by Hamas were a "priority" for the Biden administration on Sunday.

"Is rescuing the hostages a priority at all? Israeli news media like Haaretz, they say it doesn’t seem like it at all," Tapper asked. "And frankly, Jake, if my kids were being held hostage in Gaza, and as you know, there are Americans being held hostage in Gaza right now, I'd want you to send in the Navy SEALs. What’s the conversation like in the White House about the U.S. conducting any sort of operations in order to save Americans being held hostage in Gaza?"

Sullivan responded and said Biden has been clear about wanting to get Americans back to the U.S. safely.

"The Israelis are bombing the crap out of Gaza, I mean, it doesn’t seem like saving the hostages are a priority at all right now," Tapper asserted.

"Well, for President Biden, they are a priority. They’re the highest possible priority. And he has sent hostage experts to coordinate and consult with the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts. He’s also made sure that our diplomats are in touch with third countries in the region to explore avenues for their safe release. I have to be cautious about how much I can say about certain efforts he’s undertaking, because we want to protect those efforts to give us the best possible chance of getting our people home," Sullivan responded.

He added that the U.S. does not currently know the locations of the American hostages.

Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

President Biden spoke with family members of American citizens being held hostage in Gaza, telling them in a video call that the U.S. is "workin' like hell" to rescue them.

News of Biden's Zoom call with the family members came in a "60 Minutes" interview released Monday. The call, which included 14 families, lasted roughly an hour.

"I'm saying we're gonna do everything in our power to find those who are still alive and set them free. Everything in our power. And-- I'm not gonna go into the detail of that, but there's-- we're workin' like hell on it," Biden said.

When Biden took the call, the situation in Israel had at least 29 dead Americans and 14 missing. One of those missing was identified as deceased over the weekend, however, and the count now sits at at least 30 killed and 13 missing.

"Why do you feel so strongly about speaking to these families personally on Zoom?" CBS News host Scott Pelley asked in the interview.

Because I think they have to know that the president of the United States of America cares deeply about what's happening. Deeply. We have to communicate to the world this is critical. this is not even hum-- human behavior. it's pure barbarism. And we're gonna do everything in our power to get them home if we can find them," Biden responded.

Iran is planning to "break out" in the Middle East if Israel is weakened by a two-front war with Hamas and Hezbollah, predicted Heritage Foundation National Security vice president James Carafano.

Carafano made statement during a Monday appearance on Fox Business, telling host Maria Bartiromo that Iran is the most likely candidate for masterminding the October 7 attack on Israel.

Iran has a long history of funding both Hamas and Hezbollah, the two terrorist groups now assailing Israeli Defense Forces.

"If [Iran] wanted to set the conditions for [a breakout], what would be the optimum conditions?" Carafano posited. "They would have two-front war against Israel that would diminish and weaken the Israelis, and hopefully humiliate the United States. And they would do that at a politically sensitive time for the U.S., right up on the eve of a U.S. election. That's when they break out, and that's what I think is behind this strategy."

Zack Weiss, a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a member of the 2021 Team Israel Olympic team, spoke with Fox News Digital and expressed sadness over those attempting to justify Hamas' unprecedented terrorist attack last week.

"I would say, No. 1, is just disappointed, sad," Weiss told Fox News Digital on Monday.

"It’s a bummer that there is some sort of justification for what took place," Weiss continued, expressing carefulness in his word choice. "I think anybody who has seen the videos of what’s happened is familiar with any of the stories that you’ve heard from people, that’s just one-on-one disgusting terrorism at its core. It’s personal, it’s inhumane, it’s just so direct. And that action, in my opinion, is just rooted so deeply in hatred that I don’t really see how we’re seeing political organizations justify it in a political sense."

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) expressed "solidarity with Palestine" in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying that Oct. 7 "events" were a "direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime — a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States."

Dozens of other organizations, from college campuses to political parties, echoed the sentiment in blaming Israel.

Fox News' Joe Morgan contributed to this report.

The Senate is back in session Tuesday, and funding the government with aid to Israel and Ukraine will be at the heart of negotiations.

A source familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital the upper chamber will be awaiting the official supplemental request from the Biden administration before an official package is drafted, which could take more than a week.

The upper chamber was briefed on a call last week by the administration on a "mega package" request that would combine aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and border security, according to a source familiar.

Expected floor action for the week is on three separate appropriations bills combined into one legislative package for the 2024 fiscal year, which includes funding for the Food and Drug Administration, and the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. The temporary spending patch that the upper chamber agreed on before the Sept. 30 deadline will expire on Nov. 17.

On Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee will convene for a closed-door briefing. Senate leaders will resume their weekly luncheons with a corresponding press conference, where aid to Israel and Ukraine is likely to be a topic of discussion.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, in 2018, warned the United Nations Security Council about the terror threat the Iran-backed Hamas posed to Israel, while also seeking to label it a terror group both in the chamber and the General Assembly -- but the efforts were snubbed or shut down by other members.

Haley, serving as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in 2018, told the body that Hamas "has been inciting violence for years," long before the U.S. moved to shift its embassy to Jerusalem as it did in 2018.

She sounded the alarm about media reports of plans Hamas made to invade Israel if rioters could break through.

"They have reported that Hamas maps and social media show the fastest routes to reach Israeli communities in case demonstrators make it through the security fence. They have reported on Hamas messages over loudspeakers that urge demonstrators to burst through the fence, falsely claiming Israeli soldiers were fleeing, when in fact, they were not," she told the Council.

She noted incidents where Molotov cocktails were put on kites and flown into Israel, and how key crossing points had been attacked. She also rebuffed calls for additional restraint by Israel by some on the Council -- calls that have been echoed in recent days since the terror attack by Hamas.

"I ask my colleagues here in the Security Council, who among us would accept this type of activity on your border? No one would. No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has. In fact, the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained."

Hamas is not labeled or sanctioned as a terror group by the United Nations Security Council, unlike ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived back in Israel on Monday, where he is expected to meet with Israeli officials as the country's war with Hamas in Gaza continues to intensify.

The Secretary will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid in Tel Aviv, a U.S. official told Fox News. His visit is to show continued U.S. support for Israel, America's closest Middle Eastern ally.

The meeting comes ahead of a potential Israeli ground invasion of Gaza as Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas terrorists, saying he will "exterminate the bloody monsters."

On Sunday, Blinken was interviewed by Randa Abul Azm of Al-Arabiya, who asked the secretary about efforts to get civilians out of harm’s way in Gaza, as Israel stages a ground offensive.

"Israel is not blocking the departure of foreign nationals," he said. "The problem has been Hamas has disrupted that, and of course, we have to make the necessary arrangements."

"At the same time, Egypt is fully prepared – and we’re working with them – to get assistance in," Blinken said. "And we’re putting in place a system – working with the United Nations, working with Egypt, working with other countries – to make sure that the assistance can get into Gaza, get to the people who need it."

He added: "And the fact of the matter is this: What does Hamas do? Hamas makes sure that all of its critical leaders, that its command centers, that its weapons, its ammunitions are all located in residential areas, in residential buildings or buried underneath hospitals, schools, and supermarkets. They know – they are using Palestinians of Gaza as human shields, and that, too, is disgraceful."

Israel's Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Defense Force released a joint statement Monday announcing a plan to evacuate residents located near the Lebanese border to state-funded guesthouses.

"The National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) of the Ministry of Defense and the IDF are announcing the implementation of a plan to evacuate residents of northern Israel who live in the area up to 2 kilometers from the Lebanese border to state-funded guesthouses," the statement read.

Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant approved the plan's implementation. The Northern Command notified the heads of the local authorities of the plan, which will be implemented by the heads of the local municipalities, the Ministry of Interior and the National Emergency Management Authority of the Ministry of Defense.

The 28 communities impacted by the plan are Ghajar, Dishon, Kfar Yuval, Margaliot, Metula, Avivim, Dovev, Ma’ayan Baruch, Bara’m, Manara, Yiftach, Malkia, Misgav Am, Yir’on, Dafna, Arab al-Aramshe, Shlomi, Netu’a, Ya’ara, Shtula, Matat, Zari’t, Shomera, Betzet, Adamit, Rosh HaNikram, Hanita and Kfar Giladi.

More than 3,600 people have been killed since Hamas launched its attack against Israel on October 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.

Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa took a moment in his postgame press conference to talk about the victims of the Hamas terror attack in Israel last weekend.

Tagovailoa had just led the Dolphins to a 42-21 win over the Carolina Panthers – in a game in which he had three touchdown passes and 262 passing yards. He started to talk about the touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill and then veered off to the other topic.

"I kind of want to also just bring to the attention – I didn’t really realize how bad things were in Israel – and just wanted to bring to attention for those who don’t necessarily understand things that are going on, that it really is bad, and if you don’t understand, if you go on Google, you look, you search and you read about what’s going on in this world. This world needs prayer," he said.

"I don’t know what we’ve come to, but just my thoughts, my prayers are out with those people in Israel. I know the Ukraine and Russia war is still going on as well, and just wanted to bring notice that although we have the freedom to do this here, play football and be able to have the freedom to do these things, that to come back into reality and think that’s where we all are here in this world. Just want to bring that to the attention."

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the American government is supporting Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Hamas terrorists, and that American officials are working to help Gaza civilians with evacuation efforts and humanitarian assistance.

"We stand with Israel as it defends itself. The United States is also actively working to ensure the people of Gaza can get out of harm’s way and the assistance they need — food, water, medicine — can get in. Hamas does not care if Palestinians suffer," Blinken wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Civilians in Gaza were urged by Israeli forces last week to evacuate the area in preparation of Israel's potential ground attack, although Hamas has reportedly prevented residents from leaving.

The Rafah Crossing connecting Egypt and Gaza will reopen shortly, providing the last remaining exit for Palestinians wanting to evacuate the violence ahead of the potential ground attack from Israel. The crossing's reopening also allows humanitarian aid to pass through to Gaza.

More than 3,600 people have been killed since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades, 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.