Friday morning news: December 22, 2023

SOUND: [Gaza fighting]

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Israel » As Israeli Defense Forces continue to battle Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza.

HAGARI: [Speaking Hebrew]

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari says Israeli forces have killed 2,000 militants so far this month, after a one-week cease-fire ended.

HAGARI: [Speaking Hebrew]

His remarks came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of those still held hostage by Hamas.

Talks are ongoing with mediators from Qatar to try and reestablish a temporary truce to bring more hostages home.

Meantime in Gaza, civilians are still suffering the ravages of war.

Arif Husain with the World Food Program:

HUSAIN: People are very, very close to large outbreaks of disease because their immune systems have become so weak because they don’t have enough nourishment.

The White House says it’s pushing hard to get more aid into Gaza.

U.S.-Denmark » The United States has sealed a new defense deal, allowing the Pentagon to station U.S. troops and equipment in Denmark.

That follows the signing of similar deals with Finland and Sweden earlier this month.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken:

BLINKEN: These agreements underscore the shared commitment by the United States and our European partners to bolster European and Trans-Atlantic security.

European allies have been moving to bolster defenses following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Red Sea Task Force » Meantime, at the Pentagon, spokesman Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that 20 nations have signed on to a new task force to guard commercial ships in the Red Sea.

RYDER: This is an international problem, and it requires an international response. So we’ll continue to work with this coalition of the willing, and all countries will be able to contribute what they think that they can.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen have been terrorizing commercial ships on trade routes critical to global trade with rocket and drone attacks.

Border » President Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are continuing talks about the historic surge of migrants at the U.S. southern border.

The White House says those talks are aimed at trying to address the problems in the countries many of the migrants are fleeing.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: We’ve done a good job working with our partners in the regions trying to get at some of the root causes, including political instability and crime. There is more that needs to be done.

Top U.S. officials will fly to Mexico in the coming days to continue those talks.

Republicans are pressing President Biden to restart talks over the remain in Mexico policy for asylum seekers.

Prague shooting » Chaos in Prague Thursday as the Czech Republic suffered one of the worst mass shootings in that country’s history.

Police say a student walked into a philosophy department building at Charles University and opened fire, shooting more than 30 people. 14 of them fatally.

The suspect also died. It was not immediately not clear if he was killed by police.

PAVEL: [Speaking in Czech]

Czech President Petr Pavel addressed the nation, expressing both sadness and anger over what he called a senseless loss of life.

Czech officials have declared Saturday to be a day of mourning for the victims.

SOUND: [Rain]

Southern California storms » In Southern California, rescue crews have their hands full as torrential rain forces evacuations and water rescues near LA.

Officials warned of possible mudslides in two areas where previous landslides destroyed a dozen homes.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

HAHN: We’re moving forward with a plan, working with all the cities on the Palos Verdes peninsula to see if we can mitigate and at least slow down the land movement.

A slow-moving storm brought up to three inches of rain per hour to some areas on Thursday with more expected as the storm moves east today.

NORAD tracks Santa » During today’s press briefing at the Pentagon, Gen. Pat Ryder announced another critical operation:

RYDER: This is NORAD’s 68th year conducting this important mission. And children and families worldwide will be able to call to ask NORAD’s live operators about Santa’s location on the 24th, starting at 6am Eastern Standard Time.

The hotline number is 1-877 … HI (H.I.) NORAD.

Please note, however, that Christmas wish lists must be mailed directly to Santa.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, the Music of Advent.

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