Israel-Hamas war updates: Israel says 2,600 'terrorist targets' struck; Gaza's health services enter 'critical stage'

Health services in the Gaza Strip are at a "critical stage," the Palestinian health ministry said in a Facebook post.

"Medicines, medical consumption and fuel are running out" and hospitals are fully occupied, with wounded patients "on the ground due to the intensification of Israeli aggression," a spokesman said.

"Urgent action must be taken to provide a safe corridor for medical supplies and the wounded and patients should leave before it is too late," the ministry warned.

Egypt is reportedly in talks with the U.S. to provide aid to Palestinians through the Egyptian border with Gaza, Reuters reported quoting Egyptian security sources, adding that moves to set up a safe passageway for fleeing refugees of the Palestinian enclave have been rejected.

— Joanna Tan

The Israel Defense Forces said late Wednesday they have struck 2,600 "terrorist targets" in the Gaza Strip deemed as belonging to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad even as 169 Israeli soldiers have died in battle.

Among the more prominent targets its fighter jets have hit in Gaza: the Islamic University, which the IDF said Hamas militants used as a training camp for military intelligence operatives, as well as for the development and production of weapons.

The IDF said it will continue to prioritize the targeting of senior Hamas leaders in Gaza, following the strikes on Hamas' minister of economy and the head of its internal relations office on Tuesday, according to its daily update.

The IDF said it has confirmed the identities of 60 Israelis among the dozens of hostages currently being held in Gaza.

— Clement Tan

President Joe Biden said his administration warned Iran to be careful after Hamas' attacks on Israel.

After listing aid the U.S. is sending to Israel, Biden "made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful."

The president made the remarks at a roundtable of Jewish leaders at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

Sources tell NBC News that U.S. intelligence shows Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas' attack on Israel, but White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that Iran was "complicit" in the attack because it has backed Hamas for decades.

Biden called the attack by Hamas "pure cruelty."

"I would argue it's the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust," Biden said.

— Emma Kinery

The U.S. State Department has raised the advisory level for travel to Israel and the West Bank to Level 3, asking American citizens to "reconsider travel due to terrorism and civil unrest."

"Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza," the advisory said. "Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities."

The U.S. State Department's travel advisory for Gaza remains at Level 4 - "do not travel due to terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict."

At least 1,200 Israelis have been killed, with more than 2,700 injured, while roughly 950 people in Gaza have been killed, with 5,000 injured in the Israel-Hamas war.

— Riya Bhattacharjee

Defense stocks have risen broadly this week as the Israel-Hamas war continues. The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is up 5.8% week to date through Wednesday's close. That puts it on track for its best weekly performance since October 2022.

Kratos Defense and Northrop Grumman have led the gains this week, rising more than 10% each. All but one stock in the exchange-traded fund is higher for the week.

— Fred Imbert

U.S. intelligence shows Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas' attack on Israel, two sources tell NBC News.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that Iran was "complicit" in the attack because it has backed Hamas for decades, but he noted there was no evidence at this time that Iran was involved in planning the attack.

— Emma Kinery

European regulator Thierry Breton shared a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging the billionaire to be "vigilant" about removing disinformation on his company's platforms amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Breton, European commissioner for the internal market, said the European Union has seen an increase in illegal content and disinformation on "certain platforms" following militant organization Hamas' attack on Israel. Meta owns Instagram and Facebook, as well as Threads, the company's competitor for X, formerly known as Twitter.

Under the EU's newly enacted Digital Services Act, Meta is responsible for monitoring and removing illegal content such as terrorist content or illegal hate speech. Failure to comply with the European regulations around illegal content could result in fines worth 6% of a company's annual revenue.

Read the full story here.

— Ashley Capoot

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby declined to discuss future military operations in Israel and reiterated that the recent deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group closer to the region is to serve as a deterrent for additional aggression.

"We moved that carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean primarily as a deterrent to make, to send a strong signal," Kirby told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell during an interview.

Kirby said the Biden administration does not "want to see any actor, any group, any organization, any nation state try to take advantage of the situation, Israel and try to perpetuate their hostility on Israel by opening up or widening this conflict."

"We don't want to see this conflict widen or expand. We certainly don't believe it's in the Israeli Defense Force interest for there to be a second front now that they're going to have to fight and defend against as they're trying to prosecute a conflict against or prosecute operations against Hamas," he added. 

— Amanda Macias

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other senior officials.

"I look forward to seeing our embassy teams as well that's been doing terrific work during these difficult days," Blinken told reporters before boarding a plane from Joint Base Andrews.

Blinken added that while in Israel, he will reiterate Biden's warning that no country or any party try to take advantage of the situation.

"The President deployed as you know, the world's largest aircraft carrier group, to the region to make very clear our intent to deter anyone contemplating any further aggression against Israel," Blinken added.

— Amanda Macias

EDITOR'S NOTE: Graphic content: This post contains images of death from Kibbutz Be'eri attacks.

Israeli soldiers regain control of the Kibbutz Be'eri after Hamas attack.

— Getty Images / Reuters

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the death toll of Americans from the Israel-Hamas conflict could go up as violence escalates in the region.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing that at least 22 U.S. citizens have died in the war and at least 17 Americans are unaccounted for. The White House also said the number of American hostages held by Hamas is "less than a handful."

— Amanda Macias

The State Department confirmed to NBC News that at least 22 American citizens have died in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," a State Department spokesperson added.

— Amanda Macias

President Joe Biden, speaking ahead of a scheduled address on junk fees, condemned the attacks by  militant organization Hamas as "beyond the pale."

"This attack has brought to the surface the painful memories and scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and genocide against the Jewish people," Biden said from the White House Rose Garden. "In this moment, we have to be crystal clear: There is no justification for terrorism, no excuse. And the type of terrorism that was exhibited here was just beyond the pale, beyond the pale." 

Biden said he and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday morning and the White House "continue[s] to monitor the situation in Israel very closely."

"The United States has Israel's back and we're going to be working on this all day and beyond."

— Emma Kinery

British Airways has suspended its service to and from Tel Aviv, the latest airline to halt Israel service as the war escalates.

"Safety is always our highest priority and following the latest assessment of the situation we're suspending our flights to and from Tel Aviv," British Airways said in a statement.

Virgin Atlantic has canceled some of its flights but is still operating service to Tel Aviv from London.

American Airlines said Tuesday that it won't fly its only nonstop flight to Tel Aviv from the U.S. until at least Dec. 5. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has suspended its nonstops to Israel through at least the end of October. United Airlines' Israel flights are suspended indefinitely.

El Al is still flying between the U.S. and Israel, as well as other destinations.

— Leslie Josephs

President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior administration official confirmed to NBC News.

The call marks the fourth time the two leaders have spoken since militant organization Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel over the weekend.

— Amanda Macias

Israel's opposition leader Benny Gantz said Wednesday in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he spoke to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"I conveyed my deep appreciation for his unrelenting support for Israel and his commitment to Israel's security," Gantz wrote on X.

"I conveyed plainly, this is Israel's 9/11," he added.

— Amanda Macias

Israel will form an emergency government amid the war against Hamas, seeking to shore up security decision-making as the conflict with the Palestinian militant group persists.

Opposition leader and former head of the army Benny Gantz will join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli media reported.

— Sam Meredith

People looking to help those affected by the Israel-Gaza crisis may consider donating to charities already working on the ground there.

To that end, the Federal Trade Commission recommends searching the internet for the name of any charity you're considering donating to along with the words "complaint," "review," "rating," "fraud" and "scam."

Laurie Styron, CEO and executive director of CharityWatch, said her organization looks for charities that already have a presence in the affected region and a history of helping people there.

"If it's not an organization with a clear plan, your donation could just sit there," Styron said.

The folks at CharityWatch have put together a list of top-rated charities providing aid during the Israel-Gaza crisis. The list includes Doctors Without Borders, which has had medical programs in Gaza for more than 20 years, Styron said. "So they're going to be able to mobilize quickly."

Another charity on its list is the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which is currently providing a wide range of emergency services to victims in Israel.

Take a look here.

— Annie Nova

Israeli airstrikes continue to pound Gaza. Israel declared war on Hamas following a shock land, air and sea assault by the Palestinian militant group.

— Getty Images

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for Palestinian militant group Hamas to release children captured during its surprise assault on Israel and urged Israel to stop a barrage of attacks on the enclosed territory of Gaza.

"Hamas must release Israeli children who have been kidnapped from their families. Israel must cease bombing so that Palestinian children and their mothers can leave the Gaza Strip across the border with Egypt. There needs to be a minimum of humanity in the insanity of war," Lula said Wednesday via X, formerly known as Twitter, in a Google-translated post.

"An international humanitarian intervention is urgently needed. A ceasefire is urgently needed in defense of Israeli and Palestinian children," he added.

Brazil currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

— Sam Meredith