(NEW YORK) — Fish, sea turtles, elephants, sharks, shorebirds and more of the world’s migratory species are in dire decline, according to the first-ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report from the United Nations.
“This report showed us for the first time, in a very sobering way, that across the globe, over half the species that migrate are in decline. And that’s largely because of human activities,” Mark Hebblewhite, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Montana, told ABC News Monday. “Migration allows animals to achieve greater numbers. So if we lose migration, we lose lots of numbers of animals.”
Approximately 44% of migratory species across the world are in population decline and more than 20% of migratory species face extinction, according to the U.N.’s report, published Monday.
Migratory species are defined as wild animals whose entire population, or any geographically separate part of the population, periodically and predictably cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries at different times in their lifecycles, according to the U.N.
“They regularly travel, sometimes thousands of miles, to reach these places. They face enormous challenges and threats along the way as well at their destinations where they breed or feed,” Amy Fraenkel, executive secretary for the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), told UN News.
Of the 1,189 species monitored for the report, migratory fish face the most dire threat, with 97% of the species on the brink of extinction.
“The situation is far worse in aquatic ecosystems,” the report said.
The report lays blame at the hands of human activity and climate change, saying overexploitation, such as illegal hunting and fishing, and habitat loss have led to the worrisome population decline.
“Migratory species encounter more problems,” Hebblewhite said. “And we as a species, humans, are generally the reason for these problems.”
In terms of climate change, the report calls for increased global efforts to reduce chemical, plastic, light and noise pollution are needed to reduce humans’ impact on the world’s ecosystems.
The boom of agriculture and urbanization has led to “loss or reduction in important habitats such as stopover sites or deterioration in breeding and foraging habitats,” according to a statement by Graeme Taylor, CMS Science Councilor for New Zealand.
Urgent action is recommended in the report to preserve the species that are most threatened — this means protecting not only the at-risk animal groups but also their migratory sites.
“We put up fences, we put up roads, we put up barriers, we change land use, we drain our wetlands and we make a farm that changes the migratory stopover sites for birds,” Hebblewhite said.
Migratory species in Asia are the most threatened, according to the report, which states species in North America and Africa follow in experiencing the most decline.
Alternatively, migratory species in Europe, Central America, South America and the Caribbean have presented population increases.
There are 4,508 total species that are considered migratory, according to the report, which notes 399 of those species were not covered in the findings and “deserve greater attention.”
“In the future, it would be wonderful to see the scope of this important work expand to also include assessment of species that are not currently listed on the CMS appendices,” Dr. Philippa Brakes, chair of the CMS Expert Group on Animal Culture, said in a statement.
Brakes noted that the report “shines a light on the complexity of conserving migratory species,” but maintains that “collaboration between nations” is needed “to ensure that populations thrive.”
The first-of-its-kind report was prepared by conservation scientists at the UN Environment Programme for CMS’ 14th Conference of the States Parties in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from Feb. 12-17.
(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 14, 5:50 PM
Biden defers removal of most Palestinians in the US for 18 months
President Joe Biden issued a memo Wednesday deferring the removal of most Palestinians in the United States for an 18-month period, citing the “deteriorated” humanitarian conditions in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, and Israel’s retaliatory military operations.
“While I remain focused on improving the humanitarian situation, many civilians remain in danger,” Biden wrote in the memo.
The president added that this move is “in the foreign policy interest of the United States.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement this will give Palestinians in the U.S. “a temporary safe haven.”
The so-called deferred enforced departure status Biden granted would not apply to convicted felons, Palestinians who are subject to extradition or those who voluntarily leave the country, according to the memo.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 14, 2:15 PM
US asks for ‘credible plan’ to protect civilians in Rafah
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the White House wants to see a “credible plan” from the Israelis for how they would avoid civilian casualties during a potential military operation in Rafah in southern Gaza, where so many residents have fled for safety.
Sullivan said the Israelis are facing “three realities”: They must evacuate more than 1 million people to a safe place; they need to avoid disrupting the flow of humanitarian aid; and they need a “clear answer” to what a potential military operation in Rafah would mean for Egypt, which borders Rafah.
Sullivan also made a point to highlight that Hamas “has to account for itself, as well.”
“Hamas is hiding amongst civilians, embedding itself among civilians in ways that also put those civilians at risk. And so, some of the international community’s questions and pressure, should be on Hamas,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, “We will fight until complete victory, and this includes a powerful action also in Rafah — after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones.”
ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Feb 14, 1:48 PM
FBI director makes unannounced trip to Israel
FBI Director Christopher Wray made an unannounced trip to Israel Wednesday where he met with officials to discuss the “threat landscape” facing the U.S. and Israel, the FBI said.
“Director Wray’s key focus is the work the FBI continues to do to confront the elevated threat as foreign terrorist organizations have expressed support and praise for the attacks on Israel and threatened to attack U.S. interests both abroad and in the homeland,” the FBI said in a statement. “The FBI has and will continue to be responsive to requests from the Government of Israel to provide support in their ongoing efforts to keep their citizens safe from the threats and acts of terrorism.”
Feb 14, 1:25 PM
Netanyahu says negotiations can ‘move forward’ when Hamas drops ‘delusional demands’
The delegation that Israel sent to Egypt to take part in negotiations on Tuesday over a potential cease-fire or hostage deal with Hamas will not return for more talks this week, an Israeli political source told ABC News on Wednesday.
Officials from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since war broke out on Oct. 7.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that negotiations “can move forward” when “Hamas drop[s] their delusional demands.”
But Israeli labor leader Merav Michaeli is criticizing the prime minister, saying, “Netanyahu’s refusal to send a delegation to the follow-up talks on the hostage deal shows, once again, that he really does not see an urgent need to bring the hostages home. We must not allow Netanyahu to abandon our hostages for the benefit of his political survival.”
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 14, 9:29 AM
Israeli delegation won’t return to Egypt for more talks this week, source says
The delegation that Israel sent to Egypt to take part in negotiations on Tuesday over a potential cease-fire or hostage deal with Hamas will not return for more talks this week, an Israeli political source told ABC News on Wednesday.
Officials from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since war broke out on Oct. 7.
Feb 13, 5:11 PM
US confirms death of another American in the West Bank
A U.S. citizen has died in the West Bank, the State Department confirmed on Tuesday — marking what is potentially the second killing of an American in the occupied territory in recent weeks.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the administration was “still in the gathering information stage.” He did not provide additional details, including identifying information for the deceased or the apparent cause of death.
The death comes after a 17-year-old Palestinian-American was fatally shot in the West Bank on Jan. 19. Israeli police said at the time that its internal affairs department was investigating a firearm discharge involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier and a civilian.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford
Feb 13, 4:06 PM
Israel still ‘acting in good faith’ on hostage talks: State Department
The U.S. believes Israel is still “acting in good faith” on hostage negotiations, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Miller was mostly tight-lipped on the latest round of discussions with Egypt, the U.S. and Qatar in Cairo, though he did say that the U.S. assesses that Israel still shares the administration’s interest in reaching an agreement despite its potentially looming Rafah offensive and reports of the country’s limited involvement in the talks.
“We have seen public statements from the government of Israel that they want to secure the release of hostages,” Miller said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reiterated to Secretary Antony Blinken last week in Israel that it is a “top priority” for him to secure the release of the hostages, Miller continued.
“So yes, we do believe they’re acting in good faith,” he said.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford
Feb 13, 3:42 PM
No hostage deal reached as Netanyahu rejects parameters
Top intelligence officials from Israel, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt are meeting in Cairo Tuesday for a new round of hostage deal discussions.
The Israeli delegation will not present a revised proposal to negotiators; they have come only to listen to possible options by the other partners, according to Israeli sources close to the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the draft proposal his own team came up with hours before they departed for Egypt.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Feb 13, 12:41 PM
Kirby: Renewed hostage negotiations ‘moving in the right direction’
National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the renewed hostage negotiations have “been constructive” and are “moving in the right direction.”
Officials from Israel, the U.S. and Qatar are in Egypt Tuesday for discussions.
ABC News’ Noah Minnie
Feb 13, 8:13 AM
Israel sends delegation to Egypt for truce talks
A delegation from Israel is in Egypt on Tuesday for negotiations regarding the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli political source told ABC News.
Egyptian state-owned television channel Al-Qahera News reported that Israeli, Qatari and U.S. officials are meeting with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo on Tuesday to “discuss a truce in Gaza.”
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating talks between the warring sides.
Feb 12, 4:25 PM
Gaza hostage talks may be hitting new snag: US officials
CIA Director Bill Burns will head to Egypt this week to try to move Hamas and Israel closer to a deal to free all hostages in Gaza for an extended pause and humanitarian aid, but two U.S officials said Burns may face a fresh challenge: So far, Israel hasn’t committed to sending representatives to the table.
If Israeli intelligence officials don’t attend the planned talks, a U.S. official said Burns would still press on, working with Egyptian and Qatari partners, even though it would mean none of the main players are directly represented at the meeting.
The official also said that while American and Israeli officials are frequently engaged in high-level talks, the U.S. does not have a clear understanding of Israel’s red lines for a hostage deal.
After two hostages were rescued from Gaza overnight, the official said there could be more targeted rescue missions in the days to come. But, the official said the U.S. believes the vast majority of hostages can only be recovered through diplomacy.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 12, 3:33 PM
State Department downplays Israeli military action in Rafah
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller on Monday downplayed recent Israeli military operations in Rafah, saying the U.S. did not assess that the overnight strikes were a prelude to a full ground incursion in the southern Gaza city.
The Israelis “have conducted airstrikes against Rafah, really, since going back to the original days of the campaign,” Miller said. “It is not our assessment that this airstrike is the launch of a full-scale offensive happening in Rafah.”
Miller again stressed that the U.S. wanted to see “a credible plan that they can actually execute” to address humanitarian concerns before Israel undertakes any kind of military campaign in Rafah, and that the State Department was looking forward to receiving briefings on the evacuation preparations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered last week.
The Israel Defense Forces said details of a civilian evacuation from Rafah are being planned and will take some time.
Miller also dismissed the notion that Israel’s strikes on Rafah could have a detrimental impact on hostage talks.
“I don’t think it should and I think that Israelis are well within their rights to do everything in their power to try to get back the hostages that were taken from Israel and continue to be held and held for far too long now,” he asserted. “It should in no way impact the negotiations.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 12, 1:01 PM
Hostage families commend rescue but say ‘time is running out’ for remaining hostages
Two hostages, Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were among those kidnapped in Israel on Oct. 7, were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Monday, “We will continue to make every effort in every way to create the conditions for the return of the abductees, including … the possibility of a deal.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement, “We commend the IDF soldiers who demonstrated strength and bravery to secure the release of the two hostages, and wish them all to return home safely and speedily. Time is running out for the remaining hostages held captive by Hamas. Their lives are at risk with each passing moment. The Israeli government must exhaust every option on the table to release them. The lives of 134 hostages still hang in the balance.”
Feb 12, 11:21 AM
2 Israeli soldiers killed during hostage rescue mission
Two Israeli soldiers were killed during the mission to rescue two hostages from Gaza on Monday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
“We are in a day of joy mixed with sadness,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Joy for the release of our hostages and sadness for the fall of our fighters. But I want to tell you that the release of Luis and Fernando is one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of the State of Israel.”
The two hostages — Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were among those kidnapped in Israel on Oct. 7 — were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the IDF.
Hagari said Monday, “We will continue to make every effort in every way to create the conditions for the return of the abductees, including … the possibility of a deal.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement, “We commend the IDF soldiers who demonstrated strength and bravery to secure the release of the two hostages, and wish them all to return home safely and speedily. Time is running out for the remaining hostages held captive by Hamas. Their lives are at risk with each passing moment. The Israeli government must exhaust every option on the table to release them. The lives of 134 hostages still hang in the balance.”
Feb 12, 9:09 AM
Israel knew location of 2 rescued hostages in Gaza for weeks, source says
The location of two hostages rescued early Monday from the Gaza Strip was known for weeks, but the special operation was delayed several times due to fears it would cost the hostages their lives, an Israeli source told ABC News.
It took Israeli forces about 40 minutes from the time they entered the building in Rafah in southern Gaza, where the two hostages were being held, to placing them on a helicopter that flew them out of the area, according to the Israeli source.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 12, 9:00 AM
Netanyahu vows ‘continued military pressure, until total victory’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday hailed the military’s announcement that two Israeli hostages were rescued from the war-torn Gaza Strip.
“Fernando and Louis, welcome home,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I salute our brave fighters for the daring action that led to their release. Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages.”
“We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home,” he added.
The two hostages — Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 — were among those kidnapped in southwestern Israel and taken across the border to Gaza amid the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. They were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 12, 12:41 AM
IDF spokesperson details hostage rescue
Members of the Israeli forces that saved two hostages from Rafah, shielded the hostages from gunfire with their own bodies during the rescue operation, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters during a briefing early Monday morning.
“Police SWAT team members protected the hostages with their own bodies” during the firefight that ensued when Israeli forces entered the room where the hostages were being held, Hagari said.
The rescue operation began at 1:49 a.m. local time on Monday, when IDF forces “breached the building,” he said. Armed Hamas militants were on the second floor, Hagari told reporters.
Israeli forces had been preparing for the operation to save the two hostages “for a while,” Hagari said.
ABC News’ Dana Savir
Feb 11, 3:48 PM
What we know about the conflict
The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 28,176 people have been killed and 67,611 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 383 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.
Feb 11, 3:19 PM
Biden speaks with Netanyahu about possible military operation in Rafah
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday in their first call since Biden delivered his strongest rebuke yet of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, with Biden calling the Israeli forces’ actions “over the top.”
In their Sunday call, Biden told Netanyahu a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many Palestinians have fled to for safety, “should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring” civilian safety, the White House said in a statement.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has sought refuge in Rafah after being displaced from their homes since Israel’s military offensive began, according to the United Nations.
When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said, “I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. … I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population.”
A senior administration official told reporters that Biden’s “over the top” comment was “not specifically addressed” during the two leaders’ call on Sunday. Biden instead reiterated that he wants to see Hamas defeated, though it “must be done while ensuring that operations are … conducted in a way that ensures innocents are protected to the extent possible,” the official said.
When pressed on if Israel has indicated whether moving more than 1 million civilians in Rafah out of harm’s way is feasible, the senior official said that Israel has “made clear they would not contemplate an operation without it.”
The official added that plans to get enough U.S.-procured flour to feed nearly 1.5 million Gazan residents over six months are “coming along,” but that logistical issues need to be worked out.
In Biden’s nearly 45-minute phone call with Netanyahu, the two leaders spent about two-thirds of the conversation discussing the ongoing hostage deal negotiations, the senior official said.
The official said a framework for the hostage deal, which has been “a primary focus” for Biden over the last month, is now in place, though there are gaps that need to be worked through. Later, the official conceded that some of those gaps are “significant,” but said progress has been made in the last three weeks.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 11, 11:41 AM
Biden Netanyahu to speak Sunday, US official says
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plan to speak Sunday in their first call since Biden delivered his strongest rebuke yet of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News
Biden called the Israeli forces’ actions “over the top.” When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said, “I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. … I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population.”
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 11, 11:24 AM
Netanyahu defends Gaza bombardment after Biden criticizes ‘over the top’ defensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending the Israeli military’s continued bombardment of Gaza, targeting Hamas fighters, after President Joe Biden criticized the campaign as “over the top” given the dire conditions and high death toll in the Palestinian territory.
When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said he appreciated the president’s support thus far and laid the blame for civilian casualties on the Hamas terrorist group, which launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. Unprovoked attack, murderous attack on Oct. 7,” Netanyahu said, adding, “I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population in which the terrorists embed themselves and use them as human shields.” The Israel Defense Forces has said it is only targeting Hamas and other militants in Gaza and alleges that Hamas deliberately shelters behind civilians, which the group denies.
Karl pressed Netanyahu on the number of deaths, with the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health estimating more than 28,000 killed. Netanyahu acknowledged many civilians had been killed but claimed — without presenting evidence — that Israel’s military is currently killing more Hamas fighters than civilians.
Feb 10, 4:49 PM
IDF says it killed 120 Hamas terrorists, claims tunnels found in northern Gaza
The Israeli Defense Forces said it killed approximately 120 Hamas terrorists and destroyed 20 Hamas infrastructure sites in Shati and Tel al-Hawa in northern Gaza.
The IDF said it found a tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school which led to an underground tunnel which passes under the UNRWA’s headquarters in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel was over 2,296 feet long, according to the IDF. The IDF alleged that Hamas militants used the space under the UNRWA’s headquarters as an electrical supply room.
The UNWRA said it had no knowledge of the facility’s underground, but the “recent media reports” merit an “independent inquiry,” which the agency is unable to perform due to the ongoing war.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Feb 10, 6:34 AM
More deaths in Rafah as ‘disastrous’ invasion looms
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in Rafah early Saturday, just hours after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the southern Gaza city ahead of a ground invasion.
Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline but the announcement set off widespread panic as more than than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after being uprooted repeatedly by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of Gaza’s territory.
It’s not clear where much of that population could turn to next as word of the potential invasion plans capped a week of increasingly public friction between Netanyahu and the Biden administration.
U.S. officials have said an invasion of Rafah without a plan for the civilian population would lead to disaster.
Feb 09, 2:58 PM
Hostage may have been killed from IDF attack in Gaza, Israeli forces say
The Israel Defense Forces presented information to the family of hostage Yossi Sharabi, who died in Gaza, telling the family that Sharabi may have been killed when a building adjacent to an IDF target in Gaza collapsed, ABC News has learned. It’s also possible Sharabi may have been killed by Hamas, the IDF said.
Sharabi was confirmed dead in mid-January, but this is the first time the IDF has presented their findings on how Sharabi may have died to his family.
The IDF has determined that the buildings its forces hit was a “legitimate target,” but also found “lessons” that were “learned regarding target approval processes and the required dialogue between all relevant military authorities for the approval of a target,” when reviewing how Sharabi died, ABC News has learned.
Feb 09, 10:16 AM
Israel says it will come up with plan to evacuate civilians in Rafah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to come up with a “dual plan” to evacuate the civilian population in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip before “disbanding” Hamas battalions allegedly located there, according to his office.
“It is impossible to achieve the war objective of eliminating Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday. “On the other hand, it is clear that a massive operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones.”
“That is why the Prime Minister directed the IDF and the defense establishment to bring to the cabinet a dual plan for both the evacuation of the population and the disbanding of the battalions,” the office added.
Rafah is the southernmost governorate of Gaza, where more than half of the 2.3 million population has sought refuge after being displaced from their homes amid Israel’s military offensive in the Hamas-ruled enclave, according to the United Nations. The U.N. and other aid organizations have expressed concern over where civilians would go if Rafah, which the IDF previously designated a safe zone, becomes the next target in Israel’s war against Hamas.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 09, 7:16 AM
‘Thousands more could die’ if fighting escalates in Rafah, UNICEF warns
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund on Friday urged Israel and Hamas to refrain from escalating fighting in Rafah, the southernmost governorate in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where more than a million people have sought refuge after being displaced from their homes.
“UNICEF is urgently calling on the parties to refrain from military escalation in Rafah Governorate in Gaza where over 600,000 children and their families have been displaced — many of them more than once,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “An escalation of the fighting in Rafah, which is already straining under the extraordinary number of people who have been displaced from other parts of Gaza, will mark another devastating turn in a war that has reportedly killed over 27,000 people — most of them women and children.”
“Thousands more could die in the violence or by lack of essential services, and further disruption of humanitarian assistance,” she added. “We need Gaza’s last remaining hospitals, shelters, markets and water systems to stay functional. Without them, hunger and disease will skyrocket, taking more child lives.”
ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Edward Szekeres and Morgan Winsor
Feb 08, 4:06 PM
US wouldn’t support Israel entering Rafah if civilians aren’t considered: Kirby
The U.S. would not support Israel sending its military into the southern Gaza city of Rafah — where many Gaza residents have fled for safety — if Israel does not consider the impact to civilians, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
“More than a million Palestinians are sheltering in and around Rafah. That’s where they were told to go,” Kirby said. “The Israeli military has a special obligation, as they conduct operations there or anywhere else, to make sure that they’re factoring in protection for civilian life — particularly civilians that were pushed into southern Gaza by operations further north.”
“Given the circumstances and the conditions there that we see right now, we think a military operation at this time would be a disaster for those people,” Kirby said.
Kirby noted that the U.S. has not seen any Israeli plans “that would convince us that they are about to or imminently going to conduct any kind of major operations in Rafah.”
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 08, 3:29 PM
State Department aware of reports of 2 US citizens detained in Gaza
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel acknowledged Thursday that the U.S. was aware of reports that two American citizens had been detained by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza but said he couldn’t share anything more.
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens overseas,” Patel said. “We are aware of these reports, and we are currently seeking additional information. But I don’t have any additional information to share and would not be able to at this point, given the privacy considerations.”
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, “Obviously, this is the kind of thing to take very seriously. So, we’ll be talking to our Israeli counterparts and trying to get information, more context here, about what happened.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 08, 12:30 PM
Netanyahu will likely send negotiators to Cairo in coming days, source says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely send negotiators to Cairo in the coming days, an Israeli political source told ABC News.
Egypt and Qatar are co-hosting a new round of negotiations on the proposed hostage and cease-fire deal on Thursday in Cairo, according to Egyptian state TV.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Feb 08, 7:33 AM
Aid groups sound alarm as Israeli troops advance toward Rafah
Aid organizations are sounding the alarm as Israeli troops advance toward Rafah, the southernmost governorate of the war-torn Gaza Strip, where more than a million people are displaced.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned Thursday that expanded military operations on overcrowded Rafah would “lead to more civilian deaths and risk the aid system in Gaza coming to a halt.”
“An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to,” Angelita Caredda, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement. “Conditions in Rafah are already dire, and a full-scale Israeli military operation will lead to even more loss of civilian life. Aid workers have been grappling with insecurity and insufficient aid for months. Attacks in areas where they provide food, water and shelter means this life-saving support will be impeded, if not entirely stopped.”
“Repeated relocation orders issued by Israeli authorities over four months of hostilities have forced tens of thousands of people to flee multiple times to areas that are not safe and where shelter is not available,” Caredda added. “Palestinians are being pushed into tiny corners, narrow alleys, and overcrowded shelters while residential areas continue to be pounded.”
The Israel Defense Forces originally designated some of the relocation areas in Gaza as “safe zones,” but they have been heavily bombarded, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The United Nations estimates that 67% of the coastal enclave, or 246 square kilometers, has been placed under evacuation orders amid the latest outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas.
Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee warned Wednesday that more military operations in Rafah would “significantly disrupt aid transfers from Egypt and prevent aid agencies from delivering even the most basic services to the Palestinian people who were told by Israel they would be safe there.”
“More than half of Gaza’s 2.2 million population are seeking refuge in Rafah, with the majority residing in temporary shelters, tents, or exposed to the elements,” Bob Kitchen, vice resident of emergencies at the IRC, said in a statement. “Within the last 48 hours, airstrikes on residential zones in Rafah have killed at least 11 Palestinians, two of them children. If Israel expands its operations further south, it would mean the renewed forced displacement of more than a million people who have nowhere left to go; and it would end the humanitarian lifeline from Egypt.”
“If they aren’t killed in the fighting, Palestinian children, women and men will be at risk of dying by starvation or disease,” Kitchen added. “There will no longer be a single ‘safe’ area for Palestinians to go to as their homes, markets, and health services have been annihilated.”
Both the IRC and the Norwegian Refugee Council are calling for the warring sides to agree to an immediate cease-fire.
Feb 07, 5:00 PM
Blinken: Hamas counteroffer has ‘clear nonstarters,’ but there’s ‘space for agreement’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes a hostage deal is still within reach, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier comments rejecting Hamas’ counteroffer.
“We had an opportunity to discuss with the Israeli government the response that Hamas sent last night to the proposal that the United States, Qatar and Egypt have put together to bring the remaining hostages and extend the humanitarian pause,” Blinken said at a news conference in Israel Wednesday. “What I can tell you about these discussions is that while there are some clear nonstarters in Hamas’ response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached and we will work at that relentlessly until we get there.”
Blinken later added, “These things are always negotiations. It’s not flipping a light switch.”
Blinken said he plans to meet with the families of hostages on Thursday.
As for Israel’s growing offensive in Gaza, Blinken stressed that “any military operation that Israel undertakes needs to put civilians first and foremost in mind.”
Blinken said he had outlined specific measures the U.S. expected to see during his “extensive” talks with Netanyahu and Israeli national security leaders.
He said Israel should open a border crossing between Israel and northern Gaza to help improve the flow of humanitarian aid.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 07, 3:23 PM
Freed hostages react to Netanyahu rejecting deal
Freed Israeli hostages and families of those still being held hostage by Hamas are speaking out, pleading for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a hostage deal, after the prime minister on Wednesday rejected the current proposed deal.
Netanyahu called the deal “delusional,” and described it as a “surrender” that would lead to another massacre.
Adina Moshe, who was released after being held hostage for 49 days, said Wednesday, “We love our country. … But I want my country back and its morality that is gone.”
“I fear for the lives and fates of the hostages,” Moshe said. “I’m afraid we’ll have nothing to pass on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Please, prime minister: If you continue on this path, there will be no more hostages to release. Restore our trust — release them now.”
Sahar Calderon, a 16-year-old who was released after being held hostage for 54 days, said, “Every hour there was hell. . … A terrorist glared at me for 24 hours with murder in his eyes, and every minute I feared being raped.”
Calderon’s father is still being held hostage.
“I am grateful to the government for bringing me back, but what about my father, who is abandoned anew every day, uncertain if he will live or die?” she said. “Bring him back — do not make me lose faith in our country a second time.”
Feb 07, 1:45 PM
Israeli prime minister rejects hostage deal proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected the current proposed hostage and cease-fire deal, calling it “delusional,” and describing it as a “surrender” that would lead to another massacre. But Netanyahu did not say negotiations were closed.
To the families of the hostages, Netanyahu said in Hebrew, “Your loved ones are always standing before my eyes. … We do not stop working for the release of our abductees — even now.”
“The continuation of military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the abductees,” he said. “Surrendering to the delusional demands of Hamas … not only will not lead to the release of the abductees, it will only invite another massacre.”
Netanyahu also said it would be “a matter of months” to reach Israel’s objectives and achieve “total victory” of completely dismantling Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said he told Secretary of State Antony Blinken in their meeting Wednesday, “We are within touching distance of a complete victory, which will also be the victory of the entire free world — not only of Israel.”
Netanyahu also said the Israeli military operation will expand to the city of Rafah, where thousands of Gaza residents have fled and are living in makeshift shelters.
-ABC News’ Anna Burd and Jordana Miller
Feb 07, 12:20 PM
New round of hostage negotiations to take place in Cairo: Egyptian state TV
Egypt and Qatar will co-host a new round of negotiations on the proposed hostage and cease-fire deal on Thursday in Cairo, Egyptian state TV reported.
Feb 07, 10:41 AM
Blinken meets with Netanyahu on latest trip to Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
First, Netanyahu and Blinken “held a long and in-depth meeting in private” before having “an extended meeting” with other Israeli and U.S. officials, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, Blinken reaffirmed Israel’s right to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas and the need to protect civilians in Gaza, according to the State Department. Blinken also stressed the importance of a two-state solution — a prospect Netanyahu has vocally opposed.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since Oct. 7 when war erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Shannon Crawford and Morgan Winsor
Feb 07, 7:22 AM
Blinken meets with Netanyahu on latest trip to Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
First, Netanyahu and Blinken “held a long and in-depth meeting in private” before having “an extended meeting” with other Israeli and U.S. officials, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since Oct. 7 when war erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 06, 7:33 PM
US House fails to pass Israel aid bill
The U.S. House failed to pass a $17.6 billion standalone bill to provide aid to Israel.
The bill failed 250-180 during a vote Tuesday evening.
The GOP measure was being considered under suspension, which required a two-thirds majority to pass.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who unveiled the standalone bill over the weekend, blamed President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for its failure.
“The decision by President Biden and Leader Schumer to torpedo this bill to aid the Israeli people in their fight against Hamas is a disappointing rebuke to our closest ally in the Middle East at their time of great need,” Johnson said in a statement following the vote.
The Biden administration had issued a veto threat to the bill on Monday, saying it “strongly opposes” the measure after a bipartisan group of senators came to an agreement on a national security supplemental that includes Israel aid.
Schumer said he was against the bill and wanted Israel aid coupled with aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and the border.
Feb 06, 4:50 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
However, after receiving the response from Hamas, Israeli officials indicated a deal is still “far off,” according to Israeli political sources.
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
Feb 06, 4:02 PM
31 hostages are dead and remain in captivity in Gaza, Israeli sources say
The bodies of 31 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli sources. The 31 hostages either died while being held captive by Hamas or were killed on Oct. 7, the sources said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Feb 06, 1:31 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 06, 9:48 AM
Blinken meets with Egypt’s president amid push for new truce
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s ongoing war in the neighboring Gaza Strip.
Their “meeting focused on developments in unyielding efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, exchanging detainees and providing access of needed relief aid to end the severe humanitarian catastrophe in the sector,” according to a readout from Egypt’s presidency.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since war erupted between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 05, 11:54 AM
UN secretary-general opens independent review into UNRWA
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Monday that he has appointed an independent review group to determine whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is “doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”
The probe comes amid Israel’s allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack.
“These accusations come at a time when UNRWA, the largest U.N. organization in the region, is working under extremely challenging conditions to deliver life-saving assistance to the 2 million people in the Gaza Strip who depend on it for their survival amidst one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world,” Guterres said in a statement.
The independent review group will begin its work on Feb. 14 and will provide an interim report by late March. A final report is due April 2024, according to Guterres.
The probe is separate from an investigation the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight is conducting into the allegations.
UNRWA has said it is investigating the allegations and took swift action against those accused of participating in the attack. However, the United States and other top donors have suspended their funding to the agency, which is the biggest humanitarian aid provider in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Morgan Winsor
Feb 05, 8:43 AM
Food convoy hit by Israeli naval gunfire in Gaza, UNRWA says
A food aid convoy waiting to move into the north of the Gaza Strip was struck by Israeli naval gunfire on Monday morning, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“Thankfully no one was injured,” Tom White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Feb 03, 4:52 PM
House plans vote on standalone Israel aid bill next week
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Saturday the House will vote on a standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package next week.
“Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package. During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets. The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally,” Johnson said in a letter to colleagues obtained by ABC News.
This news is a major reversal after House Republicans previously approved a $14.3 billion Israel funding package that included cuts to IRS funding. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not bring this legislation to the floor for vote because of Democrats’ opposition to IRS funding cuts.
Johnson again emphasized the Senate negotiated supplemental will face an uphill battle in the House and attacked Senators for excluding him and the House from the bipartisan talks.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Feb 03, 3:21 PM
IDF deploys 3 divisions to northern border amid Hezbollah attacks
The Israeli military has deployed three divisions to the northern border amid Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Saturday.
He said the IDF is working to “reshape the security reality” on the northern border, so that some 80,000 Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks can return to their homes.
“We do not choose war as our first option but are certainly ready, and preparing for it all the time, if need be,” Hagari said.
The IDF has struck more than 150 cells, killing some 200 terror operatives, mostly members of Hezbollah, and targeted more than 3,400 Hezbollah sites since the beginning of the war in Gaza, according to Hagari.
Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Locust outbreaks, a visual often used in entertainment to signify an upcoming apocalypse, could worsen as global temperatures continue to climb, according to new research.
Far-reaching, synchronized desert locust outbreaks are strongly coupled to climate change in the last several decades, a study published Wednesday in Science found.
Desert locusts can migrate long distances, threatening crops in regions such as North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, the researchers said. Patterns of wind and extreme rain — severe weather events that are intensifying and becoming more frequent with climate change — may be contributing to more widespread locust outbreaks, according to the researchers, who analyzed 35 years of locust sightings and climate data.
Since these weather events are forecast to intensify in a warming climate, scientists are predicting higher risks for concurrent outbreaks of desert locusts, the paper found.
Researchers calculate that about 80 million locusts are capable of devouring enough cropland to supply food for 35,000 people, which could contribute to food security and famine in the long term, according to the study.
Locust outbreaks are the most severe in a small number of regions. Ten of the 48 countries listed in the United Nations’ Locust Hub experience 82.5% of total locust outbreaks, including Morocco, Kenya, Niger, Yemen and Pakistan, the researchers found.
Arid regions that experienced sudden extreme rains were most vulnerable to isolated locust outbreaks, according to the paper.
In addition, concurrent wind and flood inundation patterns modulated synchronized outbreaks across these regions, and El Niño events were strongly coupled to locust abundance and spatial extent, the researchers said.
New locust hot spots that could emerge due to warming temperatures include Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and west India, according to the paper.
“These regions will also face an elevated risk of locust abundance, making it increasingly difficult to prevent and control locust outbreaks in a changing climate,” the authors wrote.
The researchers advised that international cooperation will be crucial to aid endemic locust control and prevent global locust plagues.
Hafez Abduljabbar speaks with ABC News’ James Longman. CREDIT: ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Tawfic Abdel Jawwad went to spend a year with his family in the West Bank after he finished high school in New Orleans, where he was born and raised.
Tawfic, 17, was enjoying connecting to his roots and spending time with his cousins, the teen’s father, Hafez Abduljabbar, told ABC News.
But now he says his son is a martyr.
Abduljabbar claims Tawfic was driving to a picnic last month with a friend when he was killed on a hillside road in what Abduljabbar called an ambush.
He claimed that eyewitnesses told him, “They shot him and executed him from a very short distance. He didn’t see them. He didn’t see them coming. He didn’t see them hiding. They just came out of the trees and just saw shooting.”
The teen’s death, which is still under investigation, is among the many killings that Palestinians and international groups say are part of the growing violence and threats inflicted by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
And while the U.S. has recently taken action with sanctions against accused settlers, Palestinians in the area said they are afraid that they are still going to be targeted.
The circumstances of Tawfic’s death remain unclear.
When asked about the incident by ABC News, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement, “A report of an off-duty police officer and a civilian who shot at a Palestinian, suspected of throwing stones in the area of Mazra a-Sharqiya was received on Friday, January 19, 2024. An off-duty IDF soldier was also present at the point. The Israel Police is reviewing the incident, in which the police investigation unit is cooperating with the military criminal investigation division (CID)”
Abduljabbar rejected the IDF’s claims that Tawfic was throwing stones, contending that his son could not have been throwing rocks while the car was moving. He said that when he went to get his son from the scene, IDF soldiers were there pointing guns at him.
“They scarred my family like that,” Abduljabbar said.
The Israel police have opened what they described as “a comprehensive investigation” into the incident,” and the U.S. State Department said that it hopes and expects “that the investigation will be conducted expeditiously.”
“We are eager to hear and learn of the findings,” the agency said in a statement.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the United Nations has documented more than 500 incidents against Palestinians and violence by settlers has surged.
One of the most serious cases was an attack in the village of Qusra on Oct. 11.
Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed had been in a funeral procession for four other Palestinians allegedly killed by armed settlers a day earlier. The father and son were set upon and shot to death in their car, according to witnesses.
The IDF says the incident remains “under review” and is still under “active investigation” by Israeli border police.
Abdel Hafez, al-Wadi’s brother, told ABC News that he was in the procession during the assault and was lost in the commotion following the attack.
“We found our friends there, and my brother and his son martyred, then we moved them. We were with four martyrs then became six,” Hafez said.
He added that the humiliation that came after the deaths has been unbearable for this family.
Video cameras outside Hafez’s home filmed Israeli soldiers tearing down posters that commemorated his brother and nephew.
The IDF would not comment on this specific issue, but said in a statement, “The video sent by ABC shows a soldier taking something off the wall. That is not enough information for the IDF to respond.”
Hafez said he does feel some hope given recent actions by the U.S. in response to the violence.
On Feb. 1, President Joe Biden issued sanctions to four Israeli settlers accused of inciting violence or being involved in attacks on Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized the sanctions and defended the settlers.
These initial sanctions are not related to the murders of Tawfic or Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son.
One of the Israelis sanctioned is Yinon Levi, who has been accused by the U.S. of creating an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank.
Levi and other settlers at Meitarim farm have repeatedly attacked Palestinian and Bedouin civilians and threatened them with additional violence if they don’t leave their homes, according to the State Department.
Yinon Levi and his wife Sapir denied the accusations in an interview with ABC News.
“We are here and we have to defend ourselves and nothing more,” Sapir Levi told ABC News’ James Longman.
However, ABC News obtained videos from April 2022 and March 2023 of Yinon Levi with his dog discouraging Arabs and activists from herding sheep in the area. In another video from October 2023, Yinon Levi is seen getting off a bulldozer with a weapon, threatening Arab civilians.
Yinon Levi sent a statement to ABC News in response to the videos, claiming, “This is exactly what I explained. Anarchists come to our territory and do provocations. They disturb the soldiers, they attack us, the dog and the sheep on purpose and document it for provocation.”
When asked if they think their presence in the West Bank would create a hurdle to a two-state solution, Sapir Levi contended that Jews in the country have no choice.
“We all saw what happened when we didn’t have a country. So we don’t have another option. We need to live in this country and we don’t have another place to go,” she said.
However, when told about Tawfic’s murder, Yinon Levi acknowledged that he would be angry, just like the boy’s family, if he were in their situation.
“I don’t know what I would do, but obviously there is anger over such a thing,” he said. “But this is not the reality here.”
(LONDON) — The suspect accused of killing his girlfriend at Boston’s Logan International Airport and fleeing to Kenya was recaptured Tuesday after he escaped custody a week ago, police said.
Kevin Kangethe was caught after they conducted an intelligence-led operation, Kenyan officials said.
Earlier this week, police said they arrested two people they believe helped him escape custody.
In addition to announcing the arrests, Amin Mohammed Ibrahim, chief of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations, had said Tuesday that they had made progress in their search for Kangethe.
“It’s unfortunate that after we made laborious efforts to apprehend him that through circumstances yet to be determined Kevin escaped from police custody, Muthaiga police station for that matter,” he said. “But so far so good, we have progressed very well and as of today arrested two people who we suspect facilitated the disappearance of the fugitive,” he said Tuesday.
Authorities offered no further details on the two people who were arrested or how they helped facilitate Kangethe’s escape.
Kangethe was awaiting extradition to the U.S. under suspicion that he killed his girlfriend and left her body in an airport parking garage last November.
“In the fullness of time and very soon, we should be able to apprehend him and also take action against all persons who aided or abetted the escape of Kevin from lawful police custody,” Ibrahim said Tuesday.
Kangethe was being held at Muthaiga police station in Nairobi when he escaped custody on Feb. 7.
He is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu. Mbitu’s body was found in a vehicle at a parking garage at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Nov. 1, 2023.
Kangethe boarded a plane to Kenya after the alleged murder and was arrested Jan. 30 after a three-month international manhunt.
(LONDON) — Ukraine said it “destroyed” another one of Russia’s warships in the Black Sea on Wednesday — a claim not yet confirmed by Moscow.
Ukrainian naval drones struck the Caesar Kunikov landing ship, part of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, near the city of Alupka on the southern edge of the Crimean Peninsula that Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The drone strike resulted in “critical holes on the left side” of the ship, causing it to “sink,” according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, which released dark, grainy video of the alleged attack.
Ukraine said the Caesar Kunikov can carry 87 crew members and that Russia’s search and rescue operation “was not successful.”
ABC News could not independently verify Ukraine’s claim. The Russian government spokesperson declined to comment on the alleged attack during Wednesday’s press briefing, telling reporters that their questions should be addressed to the Russian military.
It’s the second time in two weeks that Ukraine has alleged to have sunk a Russian warship in the Black Sea. Last week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence released a video purportedly showing Ukrainian naval drones striking a Russian guided-missile ship named Ivanovets on the night of Jan. 31.
The Ukrainian military has disabled 33% of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet — 24 ships and one submarine out of a total of 74 combat vessels — since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the Strategic Communications Department of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. If Ukraine’s claims are true, the Caesar Kunikov would be the 25th disabled Russian warship.
(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 14, 9:29 AM
Israeli delegation won’t return to Egypt for more talks this week, source says
The delegation that Israel sent to Egypt to take part in negotiations on Tuesday over a potential cease-fire or hostage deal with Hamas will not return for more talks this week, an Israeli political source told ABC News on Wednesday.
Officials from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since war broke out on Oct. 7.
Feb 13, 5:11 PM
US confirms death of another American in the West Bank
A U.S. citizen has died in the West Bank, the State Department confirmed on Tuesday — marking what is potentially the second killing of an American in the occupied territory in recent weeks.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the administration was “still in the gathering information stage.” He did not provide additional details, including identifying information for the deceased or the apparent cause of death.
The death comes after a 17-year-old Palestinian-American was fatally shot in the West Bank on Jan. 19. Israeli police said at the time that its internal affairs department was investigating a firearm discharge involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier and a civilian.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford
Feb 13, 4:06 PM
Israel still ‘acting in good faith’ on hostage talks: State Department
The U.S. believes Israel is still “acting in good faith” on hostage negotiations, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Miller was mostly tight-lipped on the latest round of discussions with Egypt, the U.S. and Qatar in Cairo, though he did say that the U.S. assesses that Israel still shares the administration’s interest in reaching an agreement despite its potentially looming Rafah offensive and reports of the country’s limited involvement in the talks.
“We have seen public statements from the government of Israel that they want to secure the release of hostages,” Miller said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reiterated to Secretary Antony Blinken last week in Israel that it is a “top priority” for him to secure the release of the hostages, Miller continued.
“So yes, we do believe they’re acting in good faith,” he said.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford
Feb 13, 3:42 PM
No hostage deal reached as Netanyahu rejects parameters
Top intelligence officials from Israel, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt are meeting in Cairo Tuesday for a new round of hostage deal discussions.
The Israeli delegation will not present a revised proposal to negotiators; they have come only to listen to possible options by the other partners, according to Israeli sources close to the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the draft proposal his own team came up with hours before they departed for Egypt.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Feb 13, 12:41 PM
Kirby: Renewed hostage negotiations ‘moving in the right direction’
National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the renewed hostage negotiations have “been constructive” and are “moving in the right direction.”
Officials from Israel, the U.S. and Qatar are in Egypt Tuesday for discussions.
ABC News’ Noah Minnie
Feb 13, 8:13 AM
Israel sends delegation to Egypt for truce talks
A delegation from Israel is in Egypt on Tuesday for negotiations regarding the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli political source told ABC News.
Egyptian state-owned television channel Al-Qahera News reported that Israeli, Qatari and U.S. officials are meeting with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo on Tuesday to “discuss a truce in Gaza.”
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating talks between the warring sides.
Feb 12, 4:25 PM
Gaza hostage talks may be hitting new snag: US officials
CIA Director Bill Burns will head to Egypt this week to try to move Hamas and Israel closer to a deal to free all hostages in Gaza for an extended pause and humanitarian aid, but two U.S officials said Burns may face a fresh challenge: So far, Israel hasn’t committed to sending representatives to the table.
If Israeli intelligence officials don’t attend the planned talks, a U.S. official said Burns would still press on, working with Egyptian and Qatari partners, even though it would mean none of the main players are directly represented at the meeting.
The official also said that while American and Israeli officials are frequently engaged in high-level talks, the U.S. does not have a clear understanding of Israel’s red lines for a hostage deal.
After two hostages were rescued from Gaza overnight, the official said there could be more targeted rescue missions in the days to come. But, the official said the U.S. believes the vast majority of hostages can only be recovered through diplomacy.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 12, 3:33 PM
State Department downplays Israeli military action in Rafah
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller on Monday downplayed recent Israeli military operations in Rafah, saying the U.S. did not assess that the overnight strikes were a prelude to a full ground incursion in the southern Gaza city.
The Israelis “have conducted airstrikes against Rafah, really, since going back to the original days of the campaign,” Miller said. “It is not our assessment that this airstrike is the launch of a full-scale offensive happening in Rafah.”
Miller again stressed that the U.S. wanted to see “a credible plan that they can actually execute” to address humanitarian concerns before Israel undertakes any kind of military campaign in Rafah, and that the State Department was looking forward to receiving briefings on the evacuation preparations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered last week.
The Israel Defense Forces said details of a civilian evacuation from Rafah are being planned and will take some time.
Miller also dismissed the notion that Israel’s strikes on Rafah could have a detrimental impact on hostage talks.
“I don’t think it should and I think that Israelis are well within their rights to do everything in their power to try to get back the hostages that were taken from Israel and continue to be held and held for far too long now,” he asserted. “It should in no way impact the negotiations.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 12, 1:01 PM
Hostage families commend rescue but say ‘time is running out’ for remaining hostages
Two hostages, Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were among those kidnapped in Israel on Oct. 7, were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Monday, “We will continue to make every effort in every way to create the conditions for the return of the abductees, including … the possibility of a deal.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement, “We commend the IDF soldiers who demonstrated strength and bravery to secure the release of the two hostages, and wish them all to return home safely and speedily. Time is running out for the remaining hostages held captive by Hamas. Their lives are at risk with each passing moment. The Israeli government must exhaust every option on the table to release them. The lives of 134 hostages still hang in the balance.”
Feb 12, 11:21 AM
2 Israeli soldiers killed during hostage rescue mission
Two Israeli soldiers were killed during the mission to rescue two hostages from Gaza on Monday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
“We are in a day of joy mixed with sadness,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Joy for the release of our hostages and sadness for the fall of our fighters. But I want to tell you that the release of Luis and Fernando is one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of the State of Israel.”
The two hostages — Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were among those kidnapped in Israel on Oct. 7 — were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the IDF.
Hagari said Monday, “We will continue to make every effort in every way to create the conditions for the return of the abductees, including … the possibility of a deal.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement, “We commend the IDF soldiers who demonstrated strength and bravery to secure the release of the two hostages, and wish them all to return home safely and speedily. Time is running out for the remaining hostages held captive by Hamas. Their lives are at risk with each passing moment. The Israeli government must exhaust every option on the table to release them. The lives of 134 hostages still hang in the balance.”
Feb 12, 9:09 AM
Israel knew location of 2 rescued hostages in Gaza for weeks, source says
The location of two hostages rescued early Monday from the Gaza Strip was known for weeks, but the special operation was delayed several times due to fears it would cost the hostages their lives, an Israeli source told ABC News.
It took Israeli forces about 40 minutes from the time they entered the building in Rafah in southern Gaza, where the two hostages were being held, to placing them on a helicopter that flew them out of the area, according to the Israeli source.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 12, 9:00 AM
Netanyahu vows ‘continued military pressure, until total victory’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday hailed the military’s announcement that two Israeli hostages were rescued from the war-torn Gaza Strip.
“Fernando and Louis, welcome home,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I salute our brave fighters for the daring action that led to their release. Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages.”
“We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home,” he added.
The two hostages — Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 — were among those kidnapped in southwestern Israel and taken across the border to Gaza amid the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. They were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 12, 12:41 AM
IDF spokesperson details hostage rescue
Members of the Israeli forces that saved two hostages from Rafah, shielded the hostages from gunfire with their own bodies during the rescue operation, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters during a briefing early Monday morning.
“Police SWAT team members protected the hostages with their own bodies” during the firefight that ensued when Israeli forces entered the room where the hostages were being held, Hagari said.
The rescue operation began at 1:49 a.m. local time on Monday, when IDF forces “breached the building,” he said. Armed Hamas militants were on the second floor, Hagari told reporters.
Israeli forces had been preparing for the operation to save the two hostages “for a while,” Hagari said.
ABC News’ Dana Savir
Feb 11, 3:48 PM
What we know about the conflict
The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 28,176 people have been killed and 67,611 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 383 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.
Feb 11, 3:19 PM
Biden speaks with Netanyahu about possible military operation in Rafah
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday in their first call since Biden delivered his strongest rebuke yet of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, with Biden calling the Israeli forces’ actions “over the top.”
In their Sunday call, Biden told Netanyahu a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many Palestinians have fled to for safety, “should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring” civilian safety, the White House said in a statement.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has sought refuge in Rafah after being displaced from their homes since Israel’s military offensive began, according to the United Nations.
When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said, “I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. … I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population.”
A senior administration official told reporters that Biden’s “over the top” comment was “not specifically addressed” during the two leaders’ call on Sunday. Biden instead reiterated that he wants to see Hamas defeated, though it “must be done while ensuring that operations are … conducted in a way that ensures innocents are protected to the extent possible,” the official said.
When pressed on if Israel has indicated whether moving more than 1 million civilians in Rafah out of harm’s way is feasible, the senior official said that Israel has “made clear they would not contemplate an operation without it.”
The official added that plans to get enough U.S.-procured flour to feed nearly 1.5 million Gazan residents over six months are “coming along,” but that logistical issues need to be worked out.
In Biden’s nearly 45-minute phone call with Netanyahu, the two leaders spent about two-thirds of the conversation discussing the ongoing hostage deal negotiations, the senior official said.
The official said a framework for the hostage deal, which has been “a primary focus” for Biden over the last month, is now in place, though there are gaps that need to be worked through. Later, the official conceded that some of those gaps are “significant,” but said progress has been made in the last three weeks.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 11, 11:41 AM
Biden Netanyahu to speak Sunday, US official says
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plan to speak Sunday in their first call since Biden delivered his strongest rebuke yet of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News
Biden called the Israeli forces’ actions “over the top.” When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said, “I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. … I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population.”
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 11, 11:24 AM
Netanyahu defends Gaza bombardment after Biden criticizes ‘over the top’ defensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending the Israeli military’s continued bombardment of Gaza, targeting Hamas fighters, after President Joe Biden criticized the campaign as “over the top” given the dire conditions and high death toll in the Palestinian territory.
When asked about Biden’s remark in a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Netanyahu said he appreciated the president’s support thus far and laid the blame for civilian casualties on the Hamas terrorist group, which launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“I don’t know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel’s shoes. We were attacked. Unprovoked attack, murderous attack on Oct. 7,” Netanyahu said, adding, “I think we’ve responded in a way that goes after the terrorists and tries to minimize the civilian population in which the terrorists embed themselves and use them as human shields.” The Israel Defense Forces has said it is only targeting Hamas and other militants in Gaza and alleges that Hamas deliberately shelters behind civilians, which the group denies.
Karl pressed Netanyahu on the number of deaths, with the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health estimating more than 28,000 killed. Netanyahu acknowledged many civilians had been killed but claimed — without presenting evidence — that Israel’s military is currently killing more Hamas fighters than civilians.
Feb 10, 4:49 PM
IDF says it killed 120 Hamas terrorists, claims tunnels found in northern Gaza
The Israeli Defense Forces said it killed approximately 120 Hamas terrorists and destroyed 20 Hamas infrastructure sites in Shati and Tel al-Hawa in northern Gaza.
The IDF said it found a tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school which led to an underground tunnel which passes under the UNRWA’s headquarters in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel was over 2,296 feet long, according to the IDF. The IDF alleged that Hamas militants used the space under the UNRWA’s headquarters as an electrical supply room.
The UNWRA said it had no knowledge of the facility’s underground, but the “recent media reports” merit an “independent inquiry,” which the agency is unable to perform due to the ongoing war.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Feb 10, 6:34 AM
More deaths in Rafah as ‘disastrous’ invasion looms
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in Rafah early Saturday, just hours after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the southern Gaza city ahead of a ground invasion.
Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline but the announcement set off widespread panic as more than than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after being uprooted repeatedly by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of Gaza’s territory.
It’s not clear where much of that population could turn to next as word of the potential invasion plans capped a week of increasingly public friction between Netanyahu and the Biden administration.
U.S. officials have said an invasion of Rafah without a plan for the civilian population would lead to disaster.
Feb 09, 2:58 PM
Hostage may have been killed from IDF attack in Gaza, Israeli forces say
The Israel Defense Forces presented information to the family of hostage Yossi Sharabi, who died in Gaza, telling the family that Sharabi may have been killed when a building adjacent to an IDF target in Gaza collapsed, ABC News has learned. It’s also possible Sharabi may have been killed by Hamas, the IDF said.
Sharabi was confirmed dead in mid-January, but this is the first time the IDF has presented their findings on how Sharabi may have died to his family.
The IDF has determined that the buildings its forces hit was a “legitimate target,” but also found “lessons” that were “learned regarding target approval processes and the required dialogue between all relevant military authorities for the approval of a target,” when reviewing how Sharabi died, ABC News has learned.
Feb 09, 10:16 AM
Israel says it will come up with plan to evacuate civilians in Rafah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to come up with a “dual plan” to evacuate the civilian population in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip before “disbanding” Hamas battalions allegedly located there, according to his office.
“It is impossible to achieve the war objective of eliminating Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday. “On the other hand, it is clear that a massive operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones.”
“That is why the Prime Minister directed the IDF and the defense establishment to bring to the cabinet a dual plan for both the evacuation of the population and the disbanding of the battalions,” the office added.
Rafah is the southernmost governorate of Gaza, where more than half of the 2.3 million population has sought refuge after being displaced from their homes amid Israel’s military offensive in the Hamas-ruled enclave, according to the United Nations. The U.N. and other aid organizations have expressed concern over where civilians would go if Rafah, which the IDF previously designated a safe zone, becomes the next target in Israel’s war against Hamas.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Feb 09, 7:16 AM
‘Thousands more could die’ if fighting escalates in Rafah, UNICEF warns
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund on Friday urged Israel and Hamas to refrain from escalating fighting in Rafah, the southernmost governorate in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where more than a million people have sought refuge after being displaced from their homes.
“UNICEF is urgently calling on the parties to refrain from military escalation in Rafah Governorate in Gaza where over 600,000 children and their families have been displaced — many of them more than once,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “An escalation of the fighting in Rafah, which is already straining under the extraordinary number of people who have been displaced from other parts of Gaza, will mark another devastating turn in a war that has reportedly killed over 27,000 people — most of them women and children.”
“Thousands more could die in the violence or by lack of essential services, and further disruption of humanitarian assistance,” she added. “We need Gaza’s last remaining hospitals, shelters, markets and water systems to stay functional. Without them, hunger and disease will skyrocket, taking more child lives.”
ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Edward Szekeres and Morgan Winsor
Feb 08, 4:06 PM
US wouldn’t support Israel entering Rafah if civilians aren’t considered: Kirby
The U.S. would not support Israel sending its military into the southern Gaza city of Rafah — where many Gaza residents have fled for safety — if Israel does not consider the impact to civilians, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
“More than a million Palestinians are sheltering in and around Rafah. That’s where they were told to go,” Kirby said. “The Israeli military has a special obligation, as they conduct operations there or anywhere else, to make sure that they’re factoring in protection for civilian life — particularly civilians that were pushed into southern Gaza by operations further north.”
“Given the circumstances and the conditions there that we see right now, we think a military operation at this time would be a disaster for those people,” Kirby said.
Kirby noted that the U.S. has not seen any Israeli plans “that would convince us that they are about to or imminently going to conduct any kind of major operations in Rafah.”
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Feb 08, 3:29 PM
State Department aware of reports of 2 US citizens detained in Gaza
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel acknowledged Thursday that the U.S. was aware of reports that two American citizens had been detained by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza but said he couldn’t share anything more.
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens overseas,” Patel said. “We are aware of these reports, and we are currently seeking additional information. But I don’t have any additional information to share and would not be able to at this point, given the privacy considerations.”
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, “Obviously, this is the kind of thing to take very seriously. So, we’ll be talking to our Israeli counterparts and trying to get information, more context here, about what happened.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 08, 12:30 PM
Netanyahu will likely send negotiators to Cairo in coming days, source says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely send negotiators to Cairo in the coming days, an Israeli political source told ABC News.
Egypt and Qatar are co-hosting a new round of negotiations on the proposed hostage and cease-fire deal on Thursday in Cairo, according to Egyptian state TV.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Feb 08, 7:33 AM
Aid groups sound alarm as Israeli troops advance toward Rafah
Aid organizations are sounding the alarm as Israeli troops advance toward Rafah, the southernmost governorate of the war-torn Gaza Strip, where more than a million people are displaced.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned Thursday that expanded military operations on overcrowded Rafah would “lead to more civilian deaths and risk the aid system in Gaza coming to a halt.”
“An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to,” Angelita Caredda, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement. “Conditions in Rafah are already dire, and a full-scale Israeli military operation will lead to even more loss of civilian life. Aid workers have been grappling with insecurity and insufficient aid for months. Attacks in areas where they provide food, water and shelter means this life-saving support will be impeded, if not entirely stopped.”
“Repeated relocation orders issued by Israeli authorities over four months of hostilities have forced tens of thousands of people to flee multiple times to areas that are not safe and where shelter is not available,” Caredda added. “Palestinians are being pushed into tiny corners, narrow alleys, and overcrowded shelters while residential areas continue to be pounded.”
The Israel Defense Forces originally designated some of the relocation areas in Gaza as “safe zones,” but they have been heavily bombarded, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The United Nations estimates that 67% of the coastal enclave, or 246 square kilometers, has been placed under evacuation orders amid the latest outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas.
Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee warned Wednesday that more military operations in Rafah would “significantly disrupt aid transfers from Egypt and prevent aid agencies from delivering even the most basic services to the Palestinian people who were told by Israel they would be safe there.”
“More than half of Gaza’s 2.2 million population are seeking refuge in Rafah, with the majority residing in temporary shelters, tents, or exposed to the elements,” Bob Kitchen, vice resident of emergencies at the IRC, said in a statement. “Within the last 48 hours, airstrikes on residential zones in Rafah have killed at least 11 Palestinians, two of them children. If Israel expands its operations further south, it would mean the renewed forced displacement of more than a million people who have nowhere left to go; and it would end the humanitarian lifeline from Egypt.”
“If they aren’t killed in the fighting, Palestinian children, women and men will be at risk of dying by starvation or disease,” Kitchen added. “There will no longer be a single ‘safe’ area for Palestinians to go to as their homes, markets, and health services have been annihilated.”
Both the IRC and the Norwegian Refugee Council are calling for the warring sides to agree to an immediate cease-fire.
Feb 07, 5:00 PM
Blinken: Hamas counteroffer has ‘clear nonstarters,’ but there’s ‘space for agreement’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes a hostage deal is still within reach, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier comments rejecting Hamas’ counteroffer.
“We had an opportunity to discuss with the Israeli government the response that Hamas sent last night to the proposal that the United States, Qatar and Egypt have put together to bring the remaining hostages and extend the humanitarian pause,” Blinken said at a news conference in Israel Wednesday. “What I can tell you about these discussions is that while there are some clear nonstarters in Hamas’ response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached and we will work at that relentlessly until we get there.”
Blinken later added, “These things are always negotiations. It’s not flipping a light switch.”
Blinken said he plans to meet with the families of hostages on Thursday.
As for Israel’s growing offensive in Gaza, Blinken stressed that “any military operation that Israel undertakes needs to put civilians first and foremost in mind.”
Blinken said he had outlined specific measures the U.S. expected to see during his “extensive” talks with Netanyahu and Israeli national security leaders.
He said Israel should open a border crossing between Israel and northern Gaza to help improve the flow of humanitarian aid.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 07, 3:23 PM
Freed hostages react to Netanyahu rejecting deal
Freed Israeli hostages and families of those still being held hostage by Hamas are speaking out, pleading for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a hostage deal, after the prime minister on Wednesday rejected the current proposed deal.
Netanyahu called the deal “delusional,” and described it as a “surrender” that would lead to another massacre.
Adina Moshe, who was released after being held hostage for 49 days, said Wednesday, “We love our country. … But I want my country back and its morality that is gone.”
“I fear for the lives and fates of the hostages,” Moshe said. “I’m afraid we’ll have nothing to pass on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Please, prime minister: If you continue on this path, there will be no more hostages to release. Restore our trust — release them now.”
Sahar Calderon, a 16-year-old who was released after being held hostage for 54 days, said, “Every hour there was hell. . … A terrorist glared at me for 24 hours with murder in his eyes, and every minute I feared being raped.”
Calderon’s father is still being held hostage.
“I am grateful to the government for bringing me back, but what about my father, who is abandoned anew every day, uncertain if he will live or die?” she said. “Bring him back — do not make me lose faith in our country a second time.”
Feb 07, 1:45 PM
Israeli prime minister rejects hostage deal proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected the current proposed hostage and cease-fire deal, calling it “delusional,” and describing it as a “surrender” that would lead to another massacre. But Netanyahu did not say negotiations were closed.
To the families of the hostages, Netanyahu said in Hebrew, “Your loved ones are always standing before my eyes. … We do not stop working for the release of our abductees — even now.”
“The continuation of military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the abductees,” he said. “Surrendering to the delusional demands of Hamas … not only will not lead to the release of the abductees, it will only invite another massacre.”
Netanyahu also said it would be “a matter of months” to reach Israel’s objectives and achieve “total victory” of completely dismantling Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said he told Secretary of State Antony Blinken in their meeting Wednesday, “We are within touching distance of a complete victory, which will also be the victory of the entire free world — not only of Israel.”
Netanyahu also said the Israeli military operation will expand to the city of Rafah, where thousands of Gaza residents have fled and are living in makeshift shelters.
-ABC News’ Anna Burd and Jordana Miller
Feb 07, 12:20 PM
New round of hostage negotiations to take place in Cairo: Egyptian state TV
Egypt and Qatar will co-host a new round of negotiations on the proposed hostage and cease-fire deal on Thursday in Cairo, Egyptian state TV reported.
Feb 07, 10:41 AM
Blinken meets with Netanyahu on latest trip to Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
First, Netanyahu and Blinken “held a long and in-depth meeting in private” before having “an extended meeting” with other Israeli and U.S. officials, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, Blinken reaffirmed Israel’s right to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas and the need to protect civilians in Gaza, according to the State Department. Blinken also stressed the importance of a two-state solution — a prospect Netanyahu has vocally opposed.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since Oct. 7 when war erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Shannon Crawford and Morgan Winsor
Feb 07, 7:22 AM
Blinken meets with Netanyahu on latest trip to Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
First, Netanyahu and Blinken “held a long and in-depth meeting in private” before having “an extended meeting” with other Israeli and U.S. officials, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since Oct. 7 when war erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 06, 7:33 PM
US House fails to pass Israel aid bill
The U.S. House failed to pass a $17.6 billion standalone bill to provide aid to Israel.
The bill failed 250-180 during a vote Tuesday evening.
The GOP measure was being considered under suspension, which required a two-thirds majority to pass.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who unveiled the standalone bill over the weekend, blamed President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for its failure.
“The decision by President Biden and Leader Schumer to torpedo this bill to aid the Israeli people in their fight against Hamas is a disappointing rebuke to our closest ally in the Middle East at their time of great need,” Johnson said in a statement following the vote.
The Biden administration had issued a veto threat to the bill on Monday, saying it “strongly opposes” the measure after a bipartisan group of senators came to an agreement on a national security supplemental that includes Israel aid.
Schumer said he was against the bill and wanted Israel aid coupled with aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and the border.
Feb 06, 4:50 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
However, after receiving the response from Hamas, Israeli officials indicated a deal is still “far off,” according to Israeli political sources.
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
Feb 06, 4:02 PM
31 hostages are dead and remain in captivity in Gaza, Israeli sources say
The bodies of 31 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli sources. The 31 hostages either died while being held captive by Hamas or were killed on Oct. 7, the sources said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Feb 06, 1:31 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 06, 9:48 AM
Blinken meets with Egypt’s president amid push for new truce
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s ongoing war in the neighboring Gaza Strip.
Their “meeting focused on developments in unyielding efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, exchanging detainees and providing access of needed relief aid to end the severe humanitarian catastrophe in the sector,” according to a readout from Egypt’s presidency.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since war erupted between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 05, 11:54 AM
UN secretary-general opens independent review into UNRWA
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Monday that he has appointed an independent review group to determine whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is “doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”
The probe comes amid Israel’s allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack.
“These accusations come at a time when UNRWA, the largest U.N. organization in the region, is working under extremely challenging conditions to deliver life-saving assistance to the 2 million people in the Gaza Strip who depend on it for their survival amidst one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world,” Guterres said in a statement.
The independent review group will begin its work on Feb. 14 and will provide an interim report by late March. A final report is due April 2024, according to Guterres.
The probe is separate from an investigation the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight is conducting into the allegations.
UNRWA has said it is investigating the allegations and took swift action against those accused of participating in the attack. However, the United States and other top donors have suspended their funding to the agency, which is the biggest humanitarian aid provider in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Morgan Winsor
Feb 05, 8:43 AM
Food convoy hit by Israeli naval gunfire in Gaza, UNRWA says
A food aid convoy waiting to move into the north of the Gaza Strip was struck by Israeli naval gunfire on Monday morning, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“Thankfully no one was injured,” Tom White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Feb 03, 4:52 PM
House plans vote on standalone Israel aid bill next week
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Saturday the House will vote on a standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package next week.
“Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package. During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets. The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally,” Johnson said in a letter to colleagues obtained by ABC News.
This news is a major reversal after House Republicans previously approved a $14.3 billion Israel funding package that included cuts to IRS funding. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not bring this legislation to the floor for vote because of Democrats’ opposition to IRS funding cuts.
Johnson again emphasized the Senate negotiated supplemental will face an uphill battle in the House and attacked Senators for excluding him and the House from the bipartisan talks.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Feb 03, 3:21 PM
IDF deploys 3 divisions to northern border amid Hezbollah attacks
The Israeli military has deployed three divisions to the northern border amid Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Saturday.
He said the IDF is working to “reshape the security reality” on the northern border, so that some 80,000 Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks can return to their homes.
“We do not choose war as our first option but are certainly ready, and preparing for it all the time, if need be,” Hagari said.
The IDF has struck more than 150 cells, killing some 200 terror operatives, mostly members of Hezbollah, and targeted more than 3,400 Hezbollah sites since the beginning of the war in Gaza, according to Hagari.
(NEW YORK) — As Americans gear up for the total solar eclipse in April, eclipse watchers can feast their eyes on a similar astronomical event that partially shadowed Mars.
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured images of Mars’ moon, Phobos, traversing the sun and casting a shadow across the surface of the Red Planet in a partial solar eclipse.
In the timelapse of photos taken on Feb. 8, Phobos’ irregularly shaped silhouette passes over Mars from the top and down across its side and into the pitch-black backdrop of space.
“Each time these eclipses are observed, they allow scientists to measure subtle shifts in Phobos’ orbit over time,” NASA said in an April 2022 statement following a previous solar eclipse. “The moon’s tidal forces pull on the deep interior crust and mantle of the Red Planet. Studying how much Phobos shifts over time reveals something about how resistant the crust and mantle are, and thus what kinds of materials they’re made of.”
Phobos is the larger of Mars’ two moons and orbits the desert planet three times a day, according to NASA.
Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, similarly passed in front of the sun on Jan. 20, creating a small, shadowed solar eclipse also captured by the Perseverance rover.
The space agency announced its car-sized rover, nicknamed Percy, acquired the eclipse images using a pair of Left Mastcam-Z scouting cameras, anchored high on the rover’s mast.
The rover landed on Mars’ Jezero Crater in Feb. 2021 after being launched in July 2020. The robotic vehicle’s mission is to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and soil for a possible return to Earth, according to NASA.
On April 8, North America will experience a rare total solar eclipse set to pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to NASA.
The agency reports another total solar eclipse will not return to North America for 20 years, making this natural phenomenon a must-see event.
(NEW YORK) — A Russian judge convicted a Texas man on Tuesday of abusing his two sons between 2014 and 2018 in the United States, even though the law enforcement officials in suburban Houston who previously investigated the allegations never found cause to file charges.
David Barnes, 66, was sentenced to 21 years in a high-security Russian penal colony. His attorney, Gleb Glinka, said he is planning to appeal.
“Frankly I’m horrified,” Glinka told ABC News outside the courthouse. “There was almost no evidence that the court could base that verdict on.”
Barnes, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, has been detained in Moscow since January 2022. His bench trial began in the fall of 2022 but occurred on nonconsecutive days and did not conclude until Monday. Barnes testified in his own defense near the end of the trial.
He was arrested by Russian authorities a few weeks after his family said he traveled to Moscow to see his children and apply for visitation rights in a Russian family court.
Barnes’ children had allegedly been taken out of the U.S. in 2019 illegally by his Russian ex-wife Svetlana Koptyaeva during a custody dispute, causing Interpol to issue global yellow warning notices to announce that the boys were missing.
“I didn’t steal anyone,” Koptyaeva said outside the courthouse on Tuesday. “I was just protecting my kids.”
A warrant for felony interference with child custody against Koptyaeva was issued by Montgomery County prosecutors.
A criminal complaint said Koptyaeva “failed to comply with any condition for travel outside the United States with the children” and that an FBI agent believed that she initially flew with the children from Houston to Istanbul.
Barnes was subsequently designated by a Texas court as the children’s primary guardian, though the designation has been unenforceable due to the children disappearing from the U.S.
Koptyaeva had previously gone to law enforcement in Texas to allege that Barnes had abused the children there, but officials in the Lone Star State investigated the claims and found no basis to file charges against him.
In 2018, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services found insufficient evidence to support the accusations of abuse and closed the case, while in 2023, Kelly Blackburn of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office told ABC News, “At this time, there are no accusations out of Montgomery County that we are aware of that would allow Mr. Barnes to be held in custody.”
“I do know that everyone that heard and investigated the child sexual abuse allegations raised by Mrs. Barnes during the child custody proceedings did not find them to be credible,” Blackburn said on Tuesday. “Mrs. Barnes’ Interference with Child Custody case is still pending and the warrant for her is still active.”
After Barnes arrived in Russia, Koptyaeva reported the allegations from Texas to police in Moscow. Koptyaeva later testified as part of the trial.
She told ABC News via email that the children were abused by Barnes, alleging they experienced “suffering and pain” and that she left the U.S. with them for their protection. Barnes has denied the allegations.
Unlike with other Americans who have been held in Russia, all of Barnes’ previous court appearances were closed to the press and U.S. embassy representatives. ABC News was granted access to the reading of the verdict on Tuesday.
Barnes appeared in a cell in the courtroom, telling an ABC News reporter that although trips to court have been very exhausting, he feels that justice will triumph.
Although the trial in Russia centered around allegations from Texas, officials based in the state had no involvement in the prosecution.
“No one from Russia has ever reached out to our office regarding David Barnes,” Blackburn said.
Barnes’ relatives in Alabama were expecting this outcome given the rarity of not guilty verdicts in Russia, but they fear what will happen next. They said they hope Barnes could be included in a prisoner exchange similar to the ones that allowed Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner to return to the U.S. from Russia after they were each convicted.
American Paul Whelan was sentenced to a Russian penal colony in 2020 and remains in custody, while Evan Gershkovich was arrested last year and is currently awaiting trial.
(NEW YORK) — What is a day in the life of an Alaskan polar bear like? Researchers recently found out after strapping collar cameras to several bears.
Scientists have long hypothesized what would happen to polar bear populations in the Arctic as sea ice continues to melt at unprecedented rates. But now they have visual evidence of just how hard it will be for polar bears to find sustenance as the sea ice disappears.
Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt their preferred prey — seals that are stock full of fat and blubber that provide polar bears the energy they need to survive the elements of the Arctic.
As the sea ice experiences mass melting, the polar bears have no other choice but to gravitate toward land. And researchers are now witnessing how the species is adapting to land-dwelling after fastening cameras equipped with GPS trackers and cameras onto 20 bears living in the western Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, Anthony Pagano, research wildlife biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center, told ABC News. The bears were studied during a three-week ice-free period from 2019 to 2022, Pagano said.
The researchers monitored the daily energy expenditure, changes in body mass, diet, behavior and movement, finding that polar bears could be at risk of extinction during Arctic ice-free periods when they are forced to find food on land — despite their ability to adapt their diets, hunting and foraging behaviors, a paper, published Tuesday in Nature, found.
The collar monitors indicated that individual polar bears chose different strategies to reduce energy loss during the ice-free periods, including fasting, reducing movement and resorting to eating berries and birds. The strategies were chosen independent of age, sex, reproductive stage or initial fat levels, according to the paper.
“The bears seem to be doing different things, regardless of their body condition,” Pagano said. “There is no real clear explanation for why a particular bear might be more active or less active.”
Some of the bears were “highly sedentary” and rested and fasted for the three-week monitoring period, Pagano said. However, most of the bears were “highly active” and moved about the landscape, feeding on a number of terrestrial foods, including bird carcasses, caribou carcasses, grass, seaweed and berries, he added.
“Regardless of which behavior strategy the bears were using, they all lost weight at similar rates, which highlighted that those bears were more active,” Pagano said.. “Basically, they were compensating for their higher activity levels through the terrestrial foods they were eating, but they weren’t getting any net benefit from that.”
On average, the bears lost about 1 kilogram, or about 2.2 pounds, per day, Pagano said.
The findings suggest that polar bears obtain little benefit from foraging on land when it comes to prolonging the predicted time to starvation, as 19 of the 20 bears studied lost mass during that time, the researchers said.
If sea ice were available, the bears would typically gain weight because they have access to their preferred prey, Pagano said. Polar bears have perfected an efficient strategy called “still hunting” in which they rest near a breathing hole a seal will scratch open in the ice and wait there until a seal comes up to breathe — when they pounce, he added.
At first glance, polar bears may not seem too different from their terrestrial cousins, like brown and black bears, Whiteman said. But from an evolutionary standpoint, polar bears have become “backed into a corner” by becoming specialized on the marine mammal prey, he said.
The food available on land is much less energy-dense, and the bears exert much more energy to catch terrestrial prey, Pagano said.
“Those terrestrial food sources these polar bears are taking in basically does them no good,” Whiteman said.
In recent years, sea ice has begun to break up sooner in the springtime and summertime and does not re-form until much later in the fall. The availability of sea ice is about a month shorter than it was about 30 years ago, according to recent research.
“With climate change and sea ice loss, the fear that is slowly being realized is that ultimately polar bear populations will shrink in size and then in some places they will start to disappear entirely,” Whiteman said.
This particular population of bears is spending about three weeks longer on land than they were in the 1980s, Pagano said.
“With forecasted declines in sea ice, the longer bears are on land, the more weight they’re going to be losing, and they’re at greater risk of starvation in the future,” Pagano said.
While most of the modeling so far indicates that many of the polar bear populations are at risk of future climate warming, bears at the southern extent of their range are at greatest risk, Pagano said.
Younger bears are likely at the greatest risk of starvation, particularly subadults and dependent cubs, as they are not able to accumulate as much stored energy relative to adult bears that are larger and much more skilled at hunting, Pagano said.
Not all of the video footage captured on the collar cams contained bad news, Pagano said. Personalities were on full display as researchers documented adult males play fighting with each other, both on land and on water.
“We were pretty blown away by the video footage,” Pagano said. “There was a real variety of behaviors that the bears were exhibiting.”
Outfitting the bears with the collars is a feat in itself. Typically, female bears are collared, because the devices typically won’t fit around a male’s neck, Whiteman said.
From a helicopter, the bears are typically sedated using a dart once the researchers determine they are in a safe enough space. Once the bear is immobalized, the collars are then fastened and are programmed to detach at the end of the study period, Whiteman said.
“Fortunately, polar bears are such large animals that you can put a fairly robust collar on them with a solid battery to power something like a video camera and be pretty confident that it’s not influencing their behavior,” he said.
Drastically lowering greenhouse gas emissions, the main culprit behind global warming, is the key to ensuring the survival of the species, the experts said.
“It’s really a matter of mitigating CO2 emissions,” Pagano said.
