White House says Israel agrees to '4-hour pauses' in fighting as IDF combats Hamas in Gaza City

Chicago elected official Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, chairwoman of the city council's Committee on Health and Human Relations, defended her use of the phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," on social media Thursday morning.

Rodriguez-Sanchez made the initial comment with the phrase on X, sparking backlash as the controversial slogan has been described as antisemitic. She posted again about two hours later to defend her remarks.

"Ppl angry abt a slogan that speaks to the liberation of colonized ppl while they watch Israel commit genocide, bomb civilians, leaving ppl of all ages from babies to elderly dismembered is some intense gaslighting. Over 10K killed & many more lost under rubble. Go find your soul," she said in the follow-up post.

The phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" has been chanted by pro-Palestinian supporters, but has been used more frequently since Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people during its Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said the phrase is "a call for the end of Israel as a Jewish State."

"That these words appear in the founding charter of Hamas tells you everything you need to know about its meaning," Torres wrote on X.

Fox News Digital's Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

An organization in Syria accused of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle toward Eilat, Israel, was struck by the Israeli Air Force on Friday.

Israel Defense Forces said the strike came after the Syrian UAV hit a school in Eilat on Thursday.

The name of the Syrian organization was not released.

The IDF said it "holds the Syrian regime fully responsible" for all terrorist activities coming from the country, adding that its forces "will respond to every aggression against Israel."

Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., headed a letter to the United Nations Thursday urging it to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization and impose sanctions.

Lankford and Rosen, who are co-chairs and co-founders of the Abraham Accords Caucus and Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, said the Oct. 7 attack on Israel demonstrated Hamas is no different than other terrorist groups recognized and sanctioned by the UN.

“Recent events have demonstrated that Hamas’ actions, tactics, and stated goals are in many ways indistinguishable from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist organizations the United Nations has sanctioned," the senators said.

The letter stated that the Department of Treasury has designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and added that the group has been labeled Specially Designated Global Terrorists since October 2001.

"Numerous other countries and international entities rightfully have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Israel, the Organization of American States, Paraguay, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Switzerland is also actively exploring legal avenues to designate Hamas as a terrorist entity,” the senators concluded.

Thirty-two other senators, Republicans and Democrats, signed onto the letter addressed to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

During a town hall, Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu he's planning a trip to Israel.

"And so tomorrow night, I am leaving to go to Israel because I want to see it for myself, because I don't think you can try to be president of the United states and be afraid to go and see what's happening on the ground," Christie said.

Christie said he was going to meet with the families of the kidnapped victims, along with he Israeli Defense Force soldiers and government officials in Israel.

"I want to see this for myself, because if I'm going to continue to be a strong advocate for doing everything we need to do to defend Israel, I got to see it for myself," Christie said. "And if you really want to lead, you need to go over and show the people of Israel that one person running for president of United States cares enough to get on an airplane and get over there and do what needs to be done to find out how we fix this problem."

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh announced on Thursday that there have been 56 injuries total to U.S. service members since October 17th from the attacks in Iraq and Syria.

Singh says this includes 25 cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

According to Singh, all have returned to duty including the two service members who were being treated at Landstuhl, Germany for their TBI's.

On Wednesday, U.S. Forces conducted a self-defense airstrike on a Syrian weapons storage facility.

Officials say this was in response to a series of recent attacks targeting American personnel in Iraq and Syria.

"The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Wednesday. 

Fox News Digital Reporter Louis Casiano contributed to this story.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an exclusive interview with Fox News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier insisted a cease-fire is not an option even though operations in Gaza have taken "longer" than planned.

"One thing we haven't agreed to is a cease-fire," Netanyahu said during the interview that aired Thursday on "Special Report with Bret Baier."

"A cease-fire with Hamas means surrender to Hamas, surrender to terror and the victory of the Iran's axis of terror, so there won't be a cease-fire without the release of Israeli hostages," he insisted.

When asked about the pushback from protests in the U.S. and around the world, Netanyahu praised congress for censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

"Well, the river to the sea, from the river to the sea means there's no Israel, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, which is a tiny area, by the way, that encompasses Israel. There is no Israel. And so what this congresswoman is calling for is Palestine and genocide, the elimination of the Jewish state, the one and only Jewish state of the Jewish people," Netanyahu said.

"That's absurd. And I salute the Congress for censoring [sic] her. But it's beyond that. I think the protest that you're seeing, I'm sure it includes some naïve people, but there are a lot of people who know exactly what they're saying," said Netanyahu.

Herzi Halevi, the Chief of the General Staff and Ronen Bar, the Head of the Israel Security Agency (ISA), have entered into the heart of the Gaza Strip, together with combat units, to conduct a situational assessment in the field.

"The main source of strength in this war, which I feel all the time, is our cooperation. I look around and see the IDF, in every corner, everyone is doing everything that they can so that you will be as strong as possible,” said Halevi. “There is nothing that they will not do to help you work well. Keep moving forward, in a thorough way, you set the pace. We are behind you!"

Bar also commented on the assessment and gave his full support to the IDF."There is great and unprecedented awe both amongst the public, the political echelon, and inside Hamas. This continues to improve. As a representative of the ISA I can tell you that during the war, we work for the IDF,” Bar said.

Pro-Hamas sympathizers vandalized the office of Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas. De La Cruz has expressed support for Israel amid its military response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists that killed 1,400 Israelis.

Many pro-Palestinian supporters have criticized Israel for its bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in thousands of deaths.

"The pro-Hamas activists who have vandalized my office may disregard the importance of standing with our Jewish brothers and sisters during their darkest hour, but I do not," she said.

"My support for Israel and the Jewish community is, always has been, and always will be unwavering. I make no apologies for standing firmly against anti-Semitism. These vandals will not intimidate or silence me."

Fox News Digital Reporter Louis Casiano contributed to this story.

In his exclusive interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they have a clear plan of what they are working to achieve with the war against Hamas terrorists.

"I think It's clear what Gaza's future has to look like. Hamas will be gone, we have to destroy Hamas, not only for our sake, but for the sake of everyone. For the sake of civilization, for the sake of Palestians and Israelis alike.

Netanyahu says that they have to see Gaza de-militarized, de-radicalized, and rebuilt.

"All of that can be achieved. We don't seek to conquer Gaza, we don't seek to occupy Gaza, we don't seek to govern Gaza. In the foreseeable future, we have to make sure that this doesn't happen again," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu says what he expects to see out of all this is a rebuilt Gaza, for the people of Gaza.

During his exclusive interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, when asked about President Joe Biden’s comments on the war in the Middle East

“It’s taking a little longer than I hoped,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t disagree with President Biden’s comment.

“I think we share a common goal and I very much appreciate the support that President Biden has shown, the administration has shown, and frankly, the American people have shown and both powers of the aisle have shown,” said Netanyahu. ‘That’s very important. The American support and President Biden’s support is deeply, deeply appreciated."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained the reasoning behind sending troops into Gaza and calls for humanitarian pauses from other world leaders in an interview with Bret Baier.

"We don't want to seek to govern Gaza. We don't seek to occupy, but we seek to give it and us a better future in the entire Middle East. And that requires defeating Hamas. I've set goals. I didn't set a timetable because, you know, it can take more time," said Netanyahu.

When asked about the United States and how firm the push has been by President Biden and his administration for the humanitarian pauses, Netanyahu says he has not agreed with everything.

"Well, one thing we haven't agreed to is a cease fire. A cease fire with Hamas means surrender to Hamas, surrender to terror and the victory of Iran's axis of terror. So there won't be a cease fire without the release of Israeli hostages," said Netanyahu.

Netanyahu further addressed the pause pushed by the Biden administration to allow for hostages to safely exit Gaza.

"The fighting continues against the Hamas enemy, the Hamas terrorists, but in specific locations for a given period, a few hours here, a few hours there, we want to facilitate a safe passage of civilians away from the zone of fighting. And we're doing that," said Netanyahu.

FOX News Channel’s chief political anchor Bret Baier will present an exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Special Report (weekdays, 6 PM/ET) on Thursday, November 9th. The pre-taped interview will cover the latest on the Israel-Hamas war, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s relationship with President Biden, the potential of ceasefire and global pressure on Israel, among other topics.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News' Bret Baier in a "Special Report" exclusive interview about the pauses in fighting planned to help civilians in Gaza.

When asked if he was surprised by by all the pushback happening across the world, Netanyahu did not hold back.

"Well, the river to the sea, from the river to the sea means there's no Israel, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, which is a tiny area, by the way, that encompasses Israel. There is no Israel. And so what this congresswoman is calling for is Palestine and genocide, the elimination of the Jewish state, the one and only Jewish state of the Jewish people," said Netanyahu. "That's absurd. And I salute the Congress for censuring her. But it's beyond that. I think the protest that you're seeing, I'm sure it includes some naive people, but there are a lot of people who know exactly what they're saying."

FOX News Channel’s chief political anchor Bret Baier will present an exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Special Report (weekdays, 6 PM/ET) on Thursday, November 9th. The pre-taped interview will cover the latest on the Israel-Hamas war, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s relationship with President Biden, the potential of ceasefire and global pressure on Israel, among other topics.

Two Ivy League students have called out their colleges and are demanding them to stop accepting the hate speech they say is running rampant on their campuses.

"The past few weeks have been incredibly difficult. It started with, you know, the usual, the chants and the terrorist sympathies," Talia Dror a junior at Cornell University told Fox News.

Dror says those chants have now become death threats.

"Jewish students were truly afraid to go on campus. Students began using pepper spray to defend themselves, not being able to go to classes. People started doing classes from Zoom. I mean, it's absurd that Jewish students right now feel like they can't be part of the campus community," said Dror.

Gabriel Diamond, a senior at Yale University echoed Draw's concerns on college campuses across the U.S.

"Everywhere on campus, there are signs that say Israel is committing genocide and it says 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free', calling for the elimination of the Jewish state,"  said Diamond. "Students are, in some cases, afraid to go to classes. And overall, there's a really, really bad sense in the air that these campuses are not safe spaces."

Dror added what's even worse is that it's not just students spear heading the hate -- it's also coming from professors.

"When you have professors using their captive audience, professors telling their students these biased narratives and shouting out all of these buzzwords without giving any of the context, they are indoctrinating their students," says Draw. "Why are we having these professors in our Ivy League institutions? This is absurd. We are having anti-Semites in our classrooms indoctrinating our students. And not only that, we're paying a fortune for it."

Diamond and Dror say overall, it's a tough time on campus, a hostile environment, and many students do not feel safe right now.

"It's time that universities really step up to the challenge and that they take action, not just issue statements, because it's long past time for doing that and that we restore our campuses to a sense of civility and decency," said Diamond.

The Islamic Jihad released two hostage videos showing an elderly Israeli woman and a young boy both kidnaped and taken into Gaza on Oct. 7 where they've been held ever since.

Richard Hecht, the lieutenant colonel and a spokesman for the Israeli military said this is psychological terrorism.

“Hamas and Islamic Jihad are trying to basically bend the arm of Israel into getting a cease fire. But we understand that it will be incredibly difficult because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they're going to push forward with operations inside Gaza until they destroy Hamas leadership and get rid of all of the weapons inside the strip.”

On the West Bank, the Israelis were seen operating in the city of Jenin and claim they have killed ten militants in different cells that are currently fighting inside the West Bank.

When it comes to the hostages, there is some progress taking place in Doha as Qatari negotiators are meeting with the head of Mossad and also CIA director William Burns.

An official with knowledge of that visit says  the talks have been progressing well toward a deal.

As the operations continue on the ground and the fighting inside Gaza escalates, Israel is facing other fronts, and that includes a drone attack and a ballistic missile attack today from Yemen.

The Israelis say the arrow defense system was able to intercept one of those missiles that was trying to target the southern city of Bin Laden.

In his recent briefing, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel will not back down.

"We will not stop the fighting until we bring the hostages back. We will do what ever it takes," said Gallant. "As a father I want to ask the world, "I see those kids as my kids, I will not stop the fighting and I will not stop looking for them until I find them," Gallant emphasized.

Gallant added that the IDF started using new tactics for dealing with Hamas' tunnels and said those efforts will improve in the coming days.

"We are fighting against evil, we are fighting against an enemy who tries to harm us. We want all Palestinian out of Gaza. This is important in order for us to have freedom of action, we do not want to harm them," said Gallant.

Gallant said that Israel shares the same goal as America: to eliminate Hamas.

"This phenomenon should stop from exist here and anywhere else. As much as the pressure on Hamas increase, the better the chances we will succeed to release hostages and bring them back home," said Gallant.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing the West Thursday of being "too weak to even call for a cease-fire" in the Israel-Hamas war, a report says. 

Erdogan, who previously has called Israel a "war criminal" for its military actions against Hamas, made the comment during a meeting of the 10-member Economic Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to The Associated Press. 

Erdogan said Western nations and organizations are observing these "massacres by Israel" from afar but are "too weak to even call for a cease-fire, let alone criticize child murderers." 

"If we, the Economic Cooperation Organization, as Muslims, are not going to raise our voices today... when will we raise our voices?" he added. 

The Economic Cooperation Organization consists of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

Erdogan ripped the West on the same day the White House announced the Israeli military has agreed to honor four-hour daily pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. 

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the new Israeli policy began "today." 

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report

The Pentagon say U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have faced four attacks in the hours after the U.S. carried out a retaliatory airstrike on a weapons depot in Syria.

The four new incidents bring the total for attacks on U.S. forces since October 17 to 46, the U.S. military says. Three of the attacks occurred in Syria, with two involving rockets and another being a drone attack. The attack in Iraq used drones, the Pentagon says.

The U.S. reported three minor injuries in one of the Syria attacks, but the other three attacks caused no injuries and no damage to infrastructure. The three servicemembers injured have already returned to duty.

The U.S. sough to deter Iran from entering Israel's war on Hamas, deploying considerable assets to the region. Critics argue the dozens of attacks indicate that the operation is failing, however.

Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report