Israel launched airstrikes on southern Gaza early Sunday in the first major test of its ceasefire with Hamas, as the two sides traded accusations of significant breaches of the deal brokered by President Donald Trump.
Israel said that Hamas had carried out “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement” with attacks on its forces in the Rafah area, accusing militants of firing an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward IDF troops.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it began the strikes “to eliminate the threat” posed by militants and “dismantle tunnel shafts and military structures used for terrorist activity.”
Hamas restated its commitment to the truce and said it had no knowledge of any clashes. A senior official accused Israel of working to “fabricate flimsy pretexts” for its own actions.
The group alleged Israeli forces have killed civilians, delayed the release of detainees and blocked aid delivery, warning that Israel would be responsible if the deal collapsed.
- Released Palestinians: Detainees spoke of their shock at returning to an unrecognizable Gaza, as some freed from Israeli detention shared stories of brutal treatment.
‘Meet the Press’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged President Donald Trump to get tougher with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, saying he was ready to join their upcoming summit in Budapest and remained optimistic despite leaving the United States without the weapons he was seeking.
The Ukrainian leader told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in an exclusive interview taped Friday that Trump needed to apply even more pressure on Putin than he had applied to Hamas during his recent success in securing a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Putin is something similar but more strong than Hamas,” Zelenskyy said. The war is bigger and Russia’s army is the second biggest in the world, he added, “and that’s why more pressure” is needed.
Later in the show, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., condemned U.S. strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, saying that the strikes “go against all of our tradition.”
“You have to present evidence,” Paul said. “So all these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime.”
Paul’s criticism comes as the U.S. has targeted several boats that the administration says it believes are connected to Venezuelan drug cartels.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that two survivors of one such strike were being repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries. The president on Sunday said he would slash U.S. funding to Colombia because the country’s leader “does nothing to stop” drug production.
Meanwhile, Paul said he would support passing a stand-alone measure through the Senate to pay U.S. troops and federal workers who are not getting paid during the ongoing government shutdown.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., joined the program after Paul and spoke about his party’s continued decision to vote against the GOP-backed bill to fund the government.
No Kings protests held across U.S. to demonstrate against Trump administration
Nearly 7 million people turned out for No Kings protests nationwide, organizers said, as demonstrators rallied against the Trump administration and called for the defense of First Amendment rights.
Protesters from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles flooded into streets, waving homemade signs that proclaimed, “We want all of the government to work,” and, “Make America Good Again.”
Politicians also joined the rallies. In Chicago, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gave a defiant speech, calling out the White House for “coming for the immigrants, and for Black and brown people, and for LGBTQ people and for their political opponents.”
While many protesters spoke to NBC News about their dissatisfaction with Trump, a plethora of left-leaning and liberal protesters also made one more thing clear: They’re not happy with their Democratic leaders, either.
In response to the demonstrations, Trump posted an AI-generated video depicting him in a fighter jet dropping what appears to be feces on U.S. protesters. The 19-second video features the president wearing a crown in a jet labeled “King Trump.”
Politics in brief
- Santos speaks: Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said that he would only pay back approximately $374,000 in restitution if it is “required of me by the law.”
- Garden State gains: The surprising inroads that Trump made in traditionally Democratic nonwhite areas of New Jersey in 2024 have added an unpredictable variable to this year’s governor’s race.
- Expanding influence: Chicago Teachers Union leader Stacy Davis Gates was unanimously voted the next president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
- Campaign buzz: A Michigan Senate candidate keeps talking about beekeeping on the stump. Here’s why.
- Still in the race: Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said old Reddit posts from Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner are “hurtful” but not “disqualifying.”
Thieves pull off daring heist at the Louvre, stealing jewels once worn by French royalty
Armed with power tools, a crane lift and a plan straight out of a heist movie, four thieves broke into the Louvre on Sunday and made off with royal jewels once worn by France’s queens and empresses, officials told NBC News.
The group used power tools to shatter display cases, threatened guards and fled on scooters — leaving behind a trail of clues, including Empress Eugénie’s crown, apparently dropped during the escape.
The thieves broke in using a ladder mounted on the back of a truck as the museum was opening, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told radio station France Inter. The robbery forced the museum to close for the day, officials said.
The Commanders were the NFL’s biggest surprise last season. Their encore is struggling.
The Washington Commanders shocked the NFL last season by reaching the NFC title game with a rookie quarterback, fresh ownership and a new general manager.
But entering Week 7 at 3-3, the franchise is struggling to build on that breakout success.
Injuries have sidelined some of the Commanders’ top players, including quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown. Washington’s defense has also been a mixed bag, forcing just three turnovers, the third fewest in the league.
The team has shown a penchant for falling behind by double digits, doing so in four of their first six games, with coach Dan Quinn saying after one loss that “we’ve become way too accustomed to digging ourselves out of holes.” The next month will be a litmus test for the team’s postseason viability.
- Falcons-Niners on ‘Sunday Night Football’: Hot off an upset of Buffalo, Atlanta heads to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. NBC News is covering all the action.
Notable quote
That was the real last nail in the coffin for Andrew because it makes him look, in black and white, like a liar.
Daisy McAndrew, NBC News royal commentator, on alleged email correspondence between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
A flow of stories about Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein has dogged King Charles III’s younger brother for six years, becoming one of the most damaging scandals in recent British royal history. The latest wrinkle? British police are “actively looking into” reports that Andrew tried to obtain personal information about accuser Virginia Giuffre.
In case you missed it
- Police discovered human remains while searching for Kada Scott, the 23-year-old Philadelphia woman who has been missing for two weeks.
- Chinese Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang, one of the most influential scientists in modern physics, died at 103.
- Limp Bizkit bass player Sam Rivers died at 48, the band announced.
- Early-phase research showed that Covid mRNA vaccines could give immunotherapies a cancer-fighting boost.
- At least 10 people were injured after a third-floor balcony collapsed at a housing complex near the University of Cincinnati, officials said.
- A Rutgers University fraternity was ordered by the school to cease operations after a student was critically injured in an incident that is being investigated to determine whether hazing was involved.
- M.C.I. Foods Inc. recalled over 90,000 pounds of its ready-to-eat breakfast burritos and wraps because of a potential listeria contamination.
