Blinken meets with Palestinian leaders of West Bank as Israel continues Gaza invasion against Hamas

A University of Massachusetts Amherst student was arrested after allegedly punching a Jewish student and spitting on the Israeli flag the student was holding.

The incident took place Friday night at the end of a vigil organized by UMass Hillel in which students called for the release of the more than 240 Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The event included symbolic Shabbat tables with empty seats representing each hostage abducted during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The suspect is accused of approaching the crowd and aggressively giving people the middle finger, according to school officials and the UMass Chief of Police.

After security left, the same student allegedly returned to the gathering and assaulted a Jewish student holding an Israeli flag, UMass Hillel said. The suspect also allegedly grabbed the flag and spit on it. A UMass Hillel staff member stepped in to de-escalate as other staff members witnessed the incident.

The victim was not injured, according to the university.

UMass police investigated and arrested the suspect on the night of the event. The suspect was released on bail, but prohibited from returning to campus.

Hundreds of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered outside the Texas State Capitol on Sunday to show their support for the Jewish State amid the war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.

The demonstrators were seen holding and wearing Israel's blue and white flag in Austin, Texas, as they voiced their support for the country.

"This is a huge support for us to show that we will not forget ever," protestor Dori Roberts told FOX 7 Austin.

Roberts explained that he lost a family member in the war and several more remain missing.

"Every day for us is a struggle, every day for us is an hour by hour, day by day struggle to keep the faith and believe that we will see them again," he said.

Protestor Gregg Philipson said, "We're able to be out here in peace with the proper security to vote for our cause, if you will."

Israeli Defense Forces remember the "last day of normalcy" of Oct. 6, the day before Hamas terrorists launched their attack against Israel.

"1 month ago was the last day of normalcy before the world changed forever," the IDF wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"While Jews around the world celebrated the holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists were planning a barbaric and deadly massacre," the IDF continued.

The IDF added, "This war was forced upon us by Hamas. We didn't start it, but we will win it."

Gaza experienced its third total communications outage since Hamas terrorists launched their attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

The "collapse in connectivity" across Gaza on Sunday was reported by internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org and confirmed by Palestinian telecom company Paltel. The communications loss makes it increasingly difficult to deliver details of the new stage of the military offensive to civilians in Gaza.

U.N. Palestinian refugee agency spokesperson Juliette Touma confirmed that her team is facing an outage. 

"We have lost communication with the vast majority of the UNRWA team members," Touma said. 

Paltel has blamed the blackout on Israel, saying in a statement that the "main routes that were previously reconnected [were] cut off again from the Israeli side."

This, as Israel’s military said it encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip into two.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Multiple members of the Democratic Party are calling out Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., after she attempted to justify the pro-Palestinian chant, "From the river to the sea," calling it an "aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence."

Tlaib posted her interpretation of the chant to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Nov. 3.

"From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate," the post read. "My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity."

In response, a group on X called StopAntisemitism told Tlaib what the phrase actually means, saying it refers to "the full erasure of the Jewish state, from Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea."

The group also told the congresswoman the chant is Hamas’ battle cry, adding, "You echo terrorists."

While several Republicans came out against the squad member for her attempt to justify the phrase, multiple Democrats have also called her out on the matter.

On Saturday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called for Tlaib to "retract" the "cruel and hateful" social media post.

"@RashidaTlaib, I have supported and defended you countless times, even when you have said the indefensible, because I believed you to be a good person whose heart was in the right place," Nessel wrote in an X post. "But this is so hurtful to so many. Please retract this cruel and hateful remark."

Another Democrat from Michigan, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, "the only Jewish member" of Michigan’s congressional delegation, said she has worked to reach out to constituents who are Arab and Muslim who "are feeling fear and anguish," while also reflecting on their empathy as she approaches the crisis at hand.

"I ask the same of [Rep. Tlaib]," Slotkin posted to X. "The phrase ‘from the river to the sea’ is one of division & violence, & it is counterproductive to promoting peace. None of us, especially elected leaders, should amplify language that inflames a tense situation & makes it harder for our communities to find common ground."

One other party member, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said Tlaib "is wrong."

Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

London's Metropolitan Police are facing backlash after one of its advisers was reportedly revealed to be an activist who has made statements critics say call for Israel's destruction.

Attiq Malik, an adviser with the Metropolitan Police, was caught on video encouraging chants of "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" during 2021 protests, according to a report from the Telegraph.

The phrase has been called "an antisemitic slogan commonly featured in anti-Israel campaigns and chanted at demonstrations" by the Anti-Defamation League and has been denounced by the British government as "deeply offensive," according to the report.

"This rallying cry has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the PFLP, which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means," reads an explainer of the phrase on ADL's website. "It is fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state."

Malik's role with the Met Police has become increasingly controversial in recent weeks, most notably after he was present in the police operations room during anti-Israel protests in London last month. Critics had already been noting the lack of police response to protesters calling for "jihad" during demonstrations, according to reports.

The attention to Malik's involvement with the police comes as the agency has also been under fire for seemingly unequal policing practices that have favored pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including the arrest of a man who posted a video on social media criticizing people for putting up Palestinian flags in a U.K. neighborhood.

According to a report from the Express, the viral video features the man saying, "Look at this c--- here," while zooming in on Palestinian flags affixed to lamp posts and road signs, adding that "you let him into this country and this the s--- they come up with."

The man was later arrested "on suspicion of a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offense," according to the report, and was held in custody at an East London Police Station.

Fox News' Michael Lee contributed to this report.

As the war between Hamas terrorists and Israel enters its second month, the U.S. military has sent or redirected at least 17,350 military personnel to the region.

At least 1,200 troops have been deployed. Additionally, both carrier strike groups that were sent to the Eastern Mediterranean - the USS Gerald Ford and USS Eisenhower - carry around 6,000 personnel each.

The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group includes around 4,000 sailors and marines, while the Ohio-class submarine that recently entered CENTCOM's area of responsibility has a crew of around 150.

The U.S. military has also sent a variety of aircraft to the region, including F-35s, F-15s, F-16s, A-10s and F-18s.

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

King Abdullah II of Jordan announced on X that the Jordanian military air-dropped medical aid to Gaza amid the Israeli offensive against Hamas.

"Our fearless air force personnel air-dropped at midnight urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza," Abdullah II's X post read. "This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza."

"We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren," the post added.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they coordinated the air drop with Jordan. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says that 9,700 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, while the Israeli death toll is more than 1,400.

Fox News Digital's Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

The U.S. Department of Defense reported that Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant over the phone on Sunday.

"Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to receive updates on Israel's operations in Gaza," the press release read. "The Secretary reiterated his ironclad commitment to Israel's right to defend itself and emphasized the importance of both protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian assistance."

"He reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this conflict," the statement added.

The call came days after President Biden called for a "pause" in the conflict for the sake of civilians in Gaza. Biden said that there was some progress made towards a pause on Saturday, but did not elaborate beyond that.

The Iranian government has announced that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Hamas's leader over the weekend, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

"The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei, met with the Chairman of #Hamas’ political bureau, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, and his accompanying delegation," Khamenei's X account posted on Sunday.

In the X thread, the leader called the Israeli government "Zionist occupiers."

"Islamic Republic of Iran’s permanent policy is to support Palestinian resistance forces vis-à-vis Zionist occupiers," the post added. "The Zionist regime’s crimes in #Gaza is directly supported by the US and certain Western governments."

"Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was criticized by a fellow Michigan congresswoman who asked her to apologize for her rhetoric during Israel's war against Hamas.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., called out Tlaib in posts on X, formerly known on Twitter, on Sunday evening.

"As the only Jewish member of MI’s congressional delegation, I have worked to reach out to Arab & Muslim constituents who I know are feeling fear and anguish right now, & I have tried to reflect that empathy in my approach to this crisis," she wrote. "I ask the same of @RepRashida."

"The phrase 'from the river to the sea' is one of division & violence, & it is counterproductive to promoting peace. None of us, especially elected leaders, should amplify language that inflames a tense situation & makes it harder for our communities to find common ground," Slotkin added.

Tlaib had recently defended the phrase as an "aspirational call for freedom." The Anti-Defamation League has maintained that it is an antisemitic expression calling for Israel's annihilation and the ethnic cleansing of its land.

"If I knew that a phrase I’d used had hurt any of my constituents, I would apologize & retract it, no matter its origin," the congresswoman added. "I’d ask the same from you."

Fox News Digital's Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Sunday that a new Ohio-class submarine entered their area of responsibility.

The CENTCOM area of responsibility covers millions of square miles from North Africa through the Middle East and Central Asia. They have not specified what region the submarine is in.

"On November 5, 2023, an Ohio-class submarine arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility," CENTCOM's post on X, formerly known as Twitter, read. Ohio-class submarines are the American military's largest class of submarines.

The announcement came as the U.S. military continues its build-up in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war. The USS Eisenhower and USS Gerald R. Ford, two massive aircraft carriers, have both been sent to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Hamas terrorists allegedly originally planned their attacks against Israel for Passover instead of Simchat Torah, according to an Israeli journalist's findings.

The report by Ben Caspit, which was covered by the Jerusalem Post, claimed that Iranian officials decided to delay the planned Passover attacks for an unknown reason.

The details were allegedly discovered after Israelis interrogated captured Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 attacks.

Caspit reported that the attack was changed to October 7 partially because it was near the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Baghdad on Sunday, following a visit to the West Bank amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

U.S. troops in Iraq have been attacked by Iranian-backed militants since mid-October. There have been 17 attacks in Iraq and 15 in Syria, totaling at least 32 incidents.

Blinken met Iraqi Prime Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and the two men discussed recent developments in the Middle East. The officials also talked about the recent drone and rocket attacks against American forces, and Blinken told reporters that the Iraqi leader pledged to help stop the incidents.

"In Iraq, I met with Prime Minister @MohamedShia to underscore that we must prevent the conflict from spreading," Blinken wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I urged him to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and discussed our work to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza."

Blinken had met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier, where they discussed violence in Gaza and how to mitigate civilian deaths.

"This is a process,” Blinken told reporters. “Israel has raised important questions about how humanitarian pauses would work. We’ve got to answer those questions."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst joined "MediaBuzz" to share how he was escorted into the Gaza Strip as one of the few journalists allowed in the embattled territory.

"This was an opportunity we've been pushing for since the war began 30 days ago, trying to get access into the Gaza Strip to see what it looks like and what the operations in the battles are like," he explained. "We've been listening as the Israelis launch new airstrikes against Gaza."

"But inside, you really got a sense of just how dangerous it is for the Israeli forces. We took an armored personnel carrier with the Israelis as they went to a house that they'd taken over," he added. "And on the way there, you could see on the faces of these Israeli soldiers the concern and the fear."

The reporter explained that he went over a mile into Gaza and instantly walked into gunfire by Hamas.

"When we arrived, we were at a house and within seconds of getting out of the APC [armored personnel carrier], two bullets whizzed past and the Israelis were engaged in a new gun battle with Hamas militants

Former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf joined Fox News Channel on Sunday to share his thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war that has been raging for nearly a month.

The ex-U.S. official said that his former department had concluded that Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah has a presence in the U.S.

"We know that Lebanese Hezbollah has been in the United States for some time," Wolf said. "We have a threat assessment from the Department of Homeland Security going back to 2020 that says that they could engage in operations with little notice."

Wolf also referenced the crisis at the U.S. southern border as a potential threat to national security.

"Whether you have known, suspected terrorists or you have special interest aliens coming from countries of concern like Iran, like Syria, like Lebanon. All of this leads us to a situation where we're... vulnerable, particularly as that southern border continues to be wide open," he explained.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari presented evidence of Hamas terrorists exploiting hospitals in Gaza during a briefing on Sunday.

"I will be sharing evidence proving that Hamas systematically exploits hospitals as part of its war machine," Hagari said. "We already heard evidence that Hamas operates command and control centers inside and under Shifa Hospital."

"We decided to declassify and share more sensitive intelligence with you because the world must take immediate action against that information," he added.

The spokesperson also emphasized that the Hamas terrorists use civilians as "human shields" and denounced that practice.

"Among the worst of Hamas war crimes is the use of hospitals to hide the terror infrastructure," he explained. "Unsurprisingly, Hamas built the hospital on top of their terror infrastructures."

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

For Mitchai Sarabon, a Thai fieldhand working on Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, Oct. 7 started like any other Saturday. His one day off a week, the 32-year-old said, he woke early and began doing his laundry. His friends – a mix of Thai migrant workers and Nepalese agricultural students – were also milling about the compound where they lived on the edge of the kibbutz, taking care of various personal tasks, when suddenly they heard gunshots.

"Suddenly, I saw one of the Nepalese guys being shot, others ran to hide in a bomb shelter and then the terrorists arrived," Sarabon recounted to Fox News Digital in a video interview from his home in Udon Thani, Thailand, on Friday. "They threw a grenade inside, some of the people died instantly and others ran away, they were shot dead too."

Sarabon also began to run, taking cover inside his living quarters, crouching in the kitchen, and turning off the lights. But hiding did not help, Sarabon said. The terrorists soon found him and the five other people with him, first lobbing in grenades and then shooting everyone who was still alive. Sarabon, who served in the Thai military before moving to Israel for work, made the impulsive decision to break the kitchen window and climb out.

"Everything was burning, the room, the people and I just decided to jump out and run," he said, showing Fox News Digital scars from shrapnel and two gunshot wounds in his side and upper chest. Running from the burning building, Sarabon said he almost made it to the edge of the kibbutz’s orange groves when the terrorists shot at him again, this time hitting him in the head.

Fox News' Ruth Marks Eglash contributed to this report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu after the official claimed that nuking Gaza was "one of the possibilities" in Israel's ongoing war against Hamas.

Eliyahu has been relieved of his duties and will no longer participate in cabinet meetings, though it is unclear how long his suspension will last. The minister had told an interviewer that nuclear weapons were a possibility during an appearance on Radio Kol Berama this weekend.

"Minister Amihai Eliyahu's statements are not based in reality. Israel and the IDF are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Netanyahu further clarified that Eliyahu was never a member of the emergency security cabinet created in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre.\

“This is one of the possibilities," Eliyahu had said when asked about nuclear weapons being used in Gaza. The right-wing Israeli politician added later in the interview that "there's no such thing as innocents in Gaza.