Israel remains poised for Gaza invasion as airstrikes on Hamas continue

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said Monday he has "grave concerns" about Israel's potential ground invasion into Gaza amid an ongoing war prompted by Hamas' terror attack on the Jewish State.

In a statement released Monday, Welch said he has "grave concerns about the wisdom and military efficacy" of an Israeli ground invasion in Gaza and that there is "no doubt" an imminent ground invasion would be "catastrophic for innocent Palestinians in Gaza and jeopardize urgent efforts to save hostages."

"Israel has the absolute right to attack Hamas for the brutal, heinous slaughter of more than 1,400 Israelis and the taking of more than 200 hostages," Welch wrote. "But, Israel also has a responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians living in Gaza, including one million children. Already, more than 5,000 Palestinians have died."

"The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are terrible and getting worse every day," Welch continued. "One million Palestinians, including women and children, have been displaced. Most are living in the open—without food, without shelter, fuel, water, or access to medicine. United Nations relief efforts have begun but are unable to meet the extreme needs of the moment."

The senator concluded, "A ground invasion would further exacerbate the dire conditions in Gaza."

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said members of the far-left "Squad" of Democrats should be kept "on the fringe where they belong" and suggested their "influence has waned and weakened" because of extreme ideology related to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., have irked supporters of Israel on both sides of the political aisle since Hamas’ devastating terror attacks on Oct. 7 that killed hundreds of civilians, including women, children and babies. Tlaib accused the Biden administration of funding a "genocide" against Palestinians and has spread the debunked claim that Israel bombed a Gaza hospital, Ocasio-Cortez has accused Israel of war crimes and Omar seemed to equate the Israeli victims killed by Hamas terrorists and Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli response.

"I think Rashida Tlaib has been so marginalized in her own district. And like, AOC, I don't even see her in the media anymore. I think these individuals with their radical ideas have marginalized themselves," Greenblatt told Fox News Digital.

Greenblatt was in Washington, D.C. last week and attended a meeting of Jewish communal leaders, the Jewish community and congressional leadership. He was pleased to see influential people from all sides standing with Israel, and believes the "Squad" should be disregarded on the topic.

"Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer and Steve Scalise and Mitch McConnell all said exactly the same thing. So, I just think AOC doesn't matter that much. She's one of 430-something people, or Tlaib or Ilhan Omar, and we don't need to assign them any more influence because already you see that their influence has waned and weakened in the last few years as their positions have become more radical, and they've reduced their ability, I think, to reach a wider audience," Greenblatt continued. "There are extreme voices on all sides. Let's leave them on the fringe where they belong."

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is introducing a resolution on Tuesday to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., accusing the progressive "Squad" member of "antisemitic activity" and "sympathizing with terrorist organizations."

"The [Democratic] Party has done nothing to hold her accountable. They've done nothing to rein her in, and no one else here has done it. And so I thought it was right to list examples of – this isn't just new. This isn't a one-off thing. This is exactly who she is," Greene told Fox News Digital.

Greene accused Tlaib of leading a pro-Palestinian protest on Capitol Hill last week. Hundreds of demonstrators called for a cease-fire after the terror group Hamas staged an unprecedented, bloody incursion from the Palestinian exclave of Gaza into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing hundreds of civilians and prompting an ongoing response from the Israeli military.

Tlaib spoke at the protest, during which activists took over much of the ground floor at the Cannon House Office Building.

In those comments, she blamed Israel for bombing a hospital in Gaza – remarks she did not retract after multiple intelligence agencies said that existing proof indicated the blast came from a misfired Hamas rocket.

Greene called the protest "an insurrection" in her resolution.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hamas has scaled back the airstrikes from Gaza in an effort "to make us calm."

"We observe a decrease in the launches from Gaza," Hagari said in a morning briefing. "We call upon the public - stay alert. This is an attempt by the enemy to make us calm. Hamas still has launching capabilities from Gaza."

More than 5,700 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas terrorists launched their largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on the terrorist group. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

Fox News' Yael Kuriel contributed to this report.

Israeli students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say they are "terrified" to be on campus after participants at a campus protest chanted "one solution, intifada, revolution" at a rally supporting the devastating Hamas terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis in Israel.

MIT students Liyam Chitayat and Lior Alon told Fox News Digital in interviews that after they contacted MIT’s administration to report the calls to violence being chanted from the protest and for concern for their own safety, they’ve yet to receive a substantial response.

Chitayat, a 19-year-old pursuing a Ph.D. on a prestigious scholarship and who previously served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), describes the rally cry as a call for the murder of Jews and the demolition of Israel.

"Intifada is not a call for resistance. Intifada is the name of acts of bombing and killing civilians in Israel in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It's the name of taking civilian lives in terrorist attacks in Israel. That is what intifada means. That is how it's defined," she said.

Fox News' Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.

The New York Times is being accused of "modern-day blood libel" by one of its former journalists after the Gray Lady botched its coverage of an explosion at a Gaza hospital by falsely attributing it to Israel.

Alison Leigh Cowan, a reporter and deputy business editor who spent 27 years at the Times, penned a scathing piece in Commentary magazine calling out her former employer for "callously, and somewhat blithely committ[ing] at least two grave journalistic errors in relation to Israel and Gaza" in the past week, telling readers "its brazen self-assuredness and moral blindness in moments like these is breaking my heart."

The first example she gave was the Times' rehiring of freelance videographer Soliman Hijjy, who was exposed last year of repeatedly praising Hitler on social media. The Times defended its decision to have Hijjy cover the current Israel-Hamas war telling Fox News Digital, "We reviewed problematic social media posts by Mr. Hijjy when they first came to light in 2022 and took a variety of actions to ensure he understood our concerns and could adhere to our standards if he wished to do freelance work for us in the future. Mr. Hijjy followed those steps and has maintained high journalistic standards. He has delivered important and impartial work at great personal risk in Gaza during this conflict."

Cowan knocked the Times' response, "Translation: we need all hands on deck now, and if we had to pester people about everything they had posted online since they were ten or make them forswear Nazism and other noxious ideologies before we allowed them to help shape our news report, we might disappoint readers awaiting their daily fix of news. So, quit asking about how the sausage gets made, unless you want to see more recipes and word games filling out pages where there should be news."

"'Journalistic ‘standards’ are good things, I agree, as are second chances for people who have seen the error of their ways. But this statement is evidence of an elementary lack of standards, not the re-imposition of them," she added.

Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., tripled down on the Hamas narrative that Israel was behind last week's explosion at a Gaza hospital, something that had already been debunked by both Israeli and U.S. intelligence.

"Media outlets and third-party analysts have raised doubts about claims and evidence offered by both Israel and the Gaza Ministry of Health, and I agree with the United Nations that an independent investigation is necessary," Tlaib told Haaretz on Monday. "I cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact, especially in light of confirmation from the World Health Organization that Israel has bombed numerous medical facilities in Gaza and reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society of ongoing threats from the Israeli military to evacuate hospital."

She continued, "Both the Israeli and United States governments have long, documented histories of misleading the public about wars and war crimes - like last year’s Israeli military assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh and the false claims of weapons of mass destruction that led our country into the Iraq War - and cannot clear themselves of responsibility without an independent international investigation. This debate should not distract us from the urgent need for a ceasefire to save innocent civilian lives."

Last week, Tlaib quickly condemned Israel after it was first reported that an Israeli airstrike killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians at a Gaza hospital.

"Israel just bombed the Baptist killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that," Tlaib wrote on X. "@POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate. Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood."

Initial reports were solely reliant on a statement from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. However, evidence emerged that the origin of the explosion was from a misfired rocket within Gaza aimed at Israel from Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.

It was also revealed that the explosion mostly occurred in the parking lot of the hospital and that the death toll is estimated to be a small fraction of what Hamas first alleged.

Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to the United Nations in New York City on Tuesday for a meeting on the Israel-Gaza conflict in the Middle East.

According to department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken will go to New York City to participate in a United Nations Security Council Ministerial on the situation in the Middle East.

While there, Blinken will also meet with counterparts and UN officials, the spokesperson added.

The meeting is slated to start at 10 a.m. and the U.S. will likely present a draft resolution for a vote.

President Biden said Pope Francis is "on the same page" when it comes to the Israel-Hamas conflict, adding that the pontiff endorsed his "game plan," according to reports.

Biden spoke about his conversation with the Pope during an event at the White House unrelated to the conflict, the New York Post reported.

"The pope and I are on the same page," Biden said. "He was very, very interested in what we were doing to deal with some of the crises that we are facing, particularly in Israel this time around."

Biden is only the second Catholic to hold the office of President in the U.S.

He said during the economy-focused event on Monday that he laid out what his game plan was with the middle east and how the U.S. “should be providing the kind of assistance to Israel that they needed.”

“And the pope was across the board supportive of what we’re doing,” he added.

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with the Israeli defense minister over the phone on Monday, as the U.S. continues to lend support to Israel during its war with Hamas.

"Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant by phone today to receive updates on Israel's operations to restore security following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks," a press release from the Department of Defense read. "Secretary Austin underscored the importance of Israel's role in facilitating the humanitarian convoys Oct. 21-22 into Gaza and emphasized the importance of civilian protection."

"The two leaders also discussed the United States' continued provision of security assistance and reviewed actions the Department of Defense is taking to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war," the release added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the U.S. would not hesitate to respond to attacks on American troops as they help the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"What we’re seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region," Blinken explained. "We’re going to do what’s necessary to make sure that our troops are in that position and they were protected and that we have the ability to respond." 

"We won't hesitate to take the appropriate action," he added.

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

Senior Pentagon officials predicted "significant escalation" of attacks against American troops in the Middle East during the Israel-Hamas war.

A senior defense official and a senior military official held a background briefing on Monday. Both officials referenced Iran as a malignant force.

"We see a prospect for much more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel in the near term," the defense official explained. "And let’s be clear about it: the road leads back to Iran."

The defense official also said that the Iranian government is currently equipping, funding and directing various Middle Eastern partners, including Lebanese Hezbollah militia groups.

"I think it’s fair to say when you see this uptick in activity in attacks by many of these groups, there’s Iranian fingerprints all over it," the defense official said. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

A U.S. veteran non-profit organization is currently trying to rescue hundreds of trapped Americans in Israel.

The Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), which is based in Washington, D.C., has been working out of Tel Aviv to assist the stranded citizens. The SOAA is working to identify and reach the Americans who are still stranded amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The operations are being conducted by veteran volunteers working around the clock six days a week. Some of them only get one or two hours of sleep per night.

"We’re in contact with those American citizens trapped in Gaza and providing updates to official channels, keeping them calm, and staying prepared to move them to safety based on intelligence," Executive Director of SOAA David Cook said.

"With Hamas currently in control of Gaza it is incredibly dangerous to evacuate trapped Americans," Cook added. "We’re working with local authorities and the State Department to make sure Americans reach safety, but to do this without risk of innocent life we are favoring a slightly slower, but more deliberate and safe response."

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Two Israeli hostages named Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and Nurit Cooper, 79, were released by Hamas terrorists on Monday, officials say.

The two women were kidnapped from their houses in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Both of the women's husbands are still being held as hostages - Amiram Cooper, 85, and Oded Lifshitz, 83.

According to a statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acted "in all channels" to "overcome the many obstacles Hamas has laid" and secure the women's release.

"After they were transferred to the hands of the IDF, they are making their way to a medical center in Israel who is prepared for them and where their family members await them," the statement read. "We thank Egypt for the assistance and the Red Cross for their important role as life savers."

"The government of Israel, IDF and the security establishment, will continue to act to the best of their abilities to trace all missing and return all hostages back home," Netanyahu's press release added.

Fox News's Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

President Biden said that the U.S. "can talk" about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas once hostages are released from Gaza, as the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists goes on.

After Biden walked away from the podium following a Monday press conference, a reporter shouted "Is the U.S. supporting a hostages for a ceasefire deal?"

"We should have a ceasefire...not a ceasefire - we should have those hostages released and then we can talk," Biden replied.

At least 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists and forcibly brought into Gaza since October 7. Biden, along with European leaders like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, has called for the urgent release of all hostages.

"The leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians," a joint statement from the leaders read. The statement, which was released on Sunday, also requested the "immediate release of all remaining hostages."

An Israeli source has confirmed to Fox News that two Israeli hostages have been released from Gaza, as the war between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues.

The hostages were reportedly released after Qatari mediation efforts, according to an additional source.

More than 1400 Israelis have been killed since the war began on October 7, with at least 200 hostages taken into Gaza by Hamas fighters.

Palestinian authorities estimate that over 5,000 of their citizens have been killed so far, with nearly 16,000 injured.

Fox News's Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

Israel says it has killed five commanders of a key Hamas military group in the 17 days since the war broke out in the region.

The IDF says each of the commanders was a member of the Hamas Aerial Array, which operates a variety of weapons against the State of Israel and played a significant role in the October 7 massacre.

Israel identified the commanders as Murad Abu Murad, Commander of the Hamas Aerial Array in Gaza City; Moed' Abdel Rahman, Head of Hamas Training Portfolio in Gaza City; Othman Hamdan, Aerial Defense Officer of Hamas’ Zabra Tel Elhua Battalion; Machud El Rifi, Hamas Weapons Supply Manager in Gaza City, and Essan Shalouf, Head of Training for the Hamas Aerial Defense Array in northern Gaza.

Israel has so far restricted itself to launching airstrikes against Hamas installations in Gaza, but the military appears poised for a ground assault as well. Military experts say such an operation is the only way to ensure the destruction of Hamas, which is Israel's stated goal.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has withdrawn his offer to participate in fellowships at Harvard this fall, citing "dangerous anti-Semitism" that has spread across the campus.

Hogan, a Republican, made the announcement Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The move comes after dozens of Harvard student organizations and staff blamed Israel for the October 7 Hamas attack that left at least 1,400 people murdered.

"This morning, I informed Harvard that I must withdraw my offer to participate in fellowships this Fall. I cannot condone the dangerous anti-Semitism that has taken root on their campus," Hogan wrote.

Harvard University has been the center of controversy ever since the Hamas attack on Israel, with pro-Palestinian student groups releasing a joint statement claiming Israel was "entirely responsible" for Hamas’ attack. It said, "Today's events did not occur in a vacuum. For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison."

Fox News' Gabriel Hayes contributed to this report.

Conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate this week as Israel began hitting Hezbollah targets deeper in Lebanon.

Israeli forces have warned Hezbollah not to join Hamas' war against Israel, vowing to destroy the terrorist organization if it does. The Iran-backed group has continued to fire missiles into Northern Israel since Hamas' October 7 assault.

Israel would be faced with a true two-front war should the conflcit escalate, with Hamas to the south and Hezbollah to the north.

The U.S. has joined Israel in threatening both Iran and Hezbollah with retaliation should they intervene. The U.S. has stationed two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Eastern Mediterranean to assist Israel should it need them.

The New York Times admitted on Monday that "editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation" of the explosion that occurred at a Gaza hospital last week after the paper "relied too heavily on claims by Hamas."

Much of the legacy media has egg on its face for allowing the Hamas-backed Gaza Health Ministry to set the initial framing of the story, as Hamas’ claim that Israel was at fault was widely parroted. The Israel Defense Forces determined the blast was caused by a rocket misfire launched by Islamic Jihad, another terrorist organization active in Gaza. President Biden, based on evidence from the IDF and U.S. intelligence, has publicly said Israel was not to blame. 

The New York Times published a lengthy editor’s note on Monday explaining its mistakes.

Read more from Fox News' Brian Flood