Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an exclusive interview with Fox News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier insisted a cease-fire is not an option even though operations in Gaza have taken ‘longer’ than planned. 

‘One thing we haven’t agreed to is a cease-fire,’ Netanyahu said during the interview that aired Thursday on ‘Special Report with Bret Baier.’

‘A cease-fire with Hamas means surrender to Hamas, surrender to terror and the victory of the Iran’s axis of terror, so there won’t be a cease-fire without the release of Israeli hostages,’ he insisted. 

Calls for a ceasefire have continued to plague both American and Israeli officials as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presses on with its efforts to wipe out Hamas and ensure the terrorist group can no longer operate within the Gaza Strip. 

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 10,000 people have died, with multiples more injured due to IDF bombings that aim to kill Hamas officers and bases of operation, including the extensive tunnel network that exists throughout Gaza City. 

Critics, including President Biden, have cast doubt on the numbers reported by the ministry, with some reports noting that the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its counts, and Netanyahu this week claimed the IDF has killed ‘thousands’ of terrorists. 

‘[The army] is fighting the terrorists both above ground and below ground,’ Netanyahu told Baier. ‘We’re doing everything in our power to reduce civilian casualties: We’ve managed safe zones and safe corridors so civilians can hear our call to leave, even though Hamas is trying to keep them in.’

He claimed that 50,000 people departed Gaza City, in the northern part of the strip, to the southern safe zone two days ago, and another 70,000 on the day of the interview. Meanwhile, Hamas militants have tried to keep civilians in the north – an act that Netanhayu described to Baier and a Palestinian activist previously discussed with Fox News Digital. 

‘Not only do they murder and mutilate, rape and murder women burn children alive, take hostages of toddlers, babies, elderly, Holocaust survivors, the worst savagery perpetrated on the Jewish people since the Holocaust … Not only do they do that, but they actually target their own civilians,’ Netanyahu lamented. ‘That is, they want to keep their civilians as a human shield.’

Netanyahu admitted that the operations have not progressed at the pace he had initially anticipated, but he credited the support from the U.S. Congress and Biden as ‘very, very important’ to the overall success of the IDF operations. 

‘It’s taking a little longer than I had hoped,’ Netanyahu said. ‘I hope we could do it very fast, but we have battled conditions on the ground, the safety of our own forces, the hostages. We want to get out and the humanitarian corridors.’

‘So it’s taken a little while, but … I very much appreciate the support that President Biden has shown, the administration has shown, and frankly, the American people have shown and in the Congress have shown on both sides of the aisle,’ he added. 

However, support has not remained unanimous across the U.S., and Netanyahu commented on the censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., following her comments related to the explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital and her refusal to apologize for using the ‘From the River to the Sea’ chant, which many have insisted is a call to wipe Israel off the map. 

The censure effort succeeded thanks to support from 22 Democrat representatives who agreed that her language required an official reprimand – a stance that Netanyahu supported. 

‘What this congresswoman is calling for is Palestine and genocide, the elimination of the Jewish state, the one and only Jewish state of the Jewish people,’ Netanyahu said. ‘That’s absurd, and I salute the Congress for censoring [sic] her.’

He acknowledged that the protests across the U.S. and some parts of the world, in which demonstrators repeat the chant among others – including a disturbing incident in Australia in which the crowds chanted ‘Gas the Jews’ – may include ‘naïve people,’ but he maintained that ‘there are a lot of people who know exactly what they’re saying.’

The protesters have aligned themselves with Hamas, according to Netanyahu. During his speech alongside German Chancellor Olaf Schulz last month, Netanyahu called Hamas ‘the new Nazis.’ 

‘This is what they’re aligning themselves with,’ Netanyahu told Baier. ‘We have to protect not only our lives, but our future.’ 

Netanyahu insisted that the future does not include an extended stay in the Gaza Strip once the IDF cripples and eliminates Hamas, saying that Israel does not ‘seek to govern Gaza.’ 

‘We don’t seek to occupy, but we seek to give it and us a better future in the entire Middle East,’ he argued. ‘That requires defeating Hamas. I’ve set goals. I didn’t set a timetable because it can take more time.’

‘I wish it’ll take a little time, but we’re proceeding step by step, reducing our casualties in the process, trying to reduce and minimize civilian casualties and maximize the casualties of the Hamas terrorists, and so far I think it’s proceeding well.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MIAMI, Fla. – Former Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd hopes that some of the remaining GOP White House contenders will follow in his footsteps.

Hurd, a former CIA spy turned three-term congressman from Texas, last month ended his long-shot bid for the 2024 Republican nomination.

‘It has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign,’ Hurd said as he dropped out of the race.

Fast-forward a month, and the vocal critic of the GOP nomination front-runner — former President Donald Trump — has a message for some of the other candidates still in the race who face steep uphill climbs to victory.

Hurd told Fox News Digital it’s time for the 2024 field to further winnow.

‘It’s hard to put aside your own personal ambitions and ego, but this is about the country, this is about making sure that we have another 247 years of a country, of a way of life that has become the envy of the world, and that’s what we need to focus on,’ he said.

Hurd was interviewed in the spin room following the third GOP presidential primary debate, which was held Wednesday in Miami.

The former congressman, who endorsed Nikki Haley as he ended his campaign, was at the debate as a surrogate for the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration.

‘Nikki Haley’s the only person who can beat Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and that’s where I hope some of these candidates can consolidate around. And tonight she showed her grasp of the issues,’ Hurd emphasized. ‘We’re living in a dangerous world. It’s only going to get more dangerous, and Nikki Haley’s ready to lead on day one.’

Late last month, former Vice President Mike Pence became the first major Republican presidential contender to drop out of the 2024 GOP nomination race. 

Besides Hurd, the other contenders who also failed to make the debate stage who have ended their presidential bids are Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, business leader and quality control expert Perry Johnson, and 2021 California gubernatorial recall election candidate and former conservative talk radio host Larry Elder.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who qualified for the first debate but didn’t make the stage at the second and third showdowns, remains in the race for now.

Hutchinson, whose shoestring campaign is running low on cash, has said he will reevaluate his standing come Thanksgiving.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who narrowly missed qualifying for Wednesday’s debate, is a multimillionaire due to his private sector success in the tech industry. He has more than ample resources to stay in the race and continues to campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two lead-off states in the GOP nominating calendar.

As for his own political future, Hurd told Fox News, ‘I’ve been fortunate to have some great experiences. I love my country and if I can serve my country, I’ll always evaluate it.’

He added, ‘Right now, it’s trying to help Nikki Haley however I can, take my wife on a honeymoon, and then we’ll go from there.’

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

An alleged campaign finance violation could ensnare Secretary of State Antony Blinken and 51 former senior intelligence officials who asserted without evidence in 2020 that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.  

America First Legal, a conservative organization run by former Donald Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in late October, alleging a ‘coordinated communication’ and an unreported in-kind contribution to the Joe Biden presidential campaign and related entities, in violation of federal law. 

‘[The] evidence suggests that the respondents failed to disclose coordinated expenditures constituting in-kind donations with respect to the infamous ‘Letter of 51’ former intelligence officials claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story had ‘all the classic earmarks’ of Russian disinformation,’ says the 13-page AFL complaint, with 110 accompanying pages of evidence.   

The FEC complaint claims that the Biden for President campaign in 2020, the Biden Victory Fund, the Democratic National Committee, and the Biden Action Fund should have reported on coordinating efforts. 

The ‘Letter of 51’ was released on Oct. 19, 2020, weeks before the Nov. 8 presidential election between Biden and Trump.  

The Obama administration officials who signed included former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Former George W. Bush DNI Michael Hayden, a vocal Trump critic, also signed. 

The complaint notes that Panetta and Clapper donated to the Biden Victory Fund and the Biden for President campaign in 2020.  

In March, former CIA Deputy and Acting Director Michael Morrell testified to the House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence Committees that on Oct. 17, 2020, then-Biden campaign adviser Blinken contacted him to discuss the Hunter Biden laptop story first reported by the New York Post.  

The complaint cited an April statement from the House Judiciary Committee that summarized the Morrell testimony.  

‘Morell testified that his communication with Blinken was one of a few communications he had with the Biden campaign, explaining that he also received a call from Steve Ricchetti, Chairman of the Biden campaign, following the October 22 debate to thank him for writing the statement,’ the House Judiciary Committee press release from April said. ‘Morell also explained that the Biden campaign helped to strategize about the public release of the statement. Morell further explained that one of his two goals in releasing the statement was to help then-[former] Vice President Biden in the debate and to assist him in winning the election.’ 

The letter from intelligence officials provided cover and credibility for social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter to restrict the access and distribution of the Hunter Biden laptop story, first broken by the New York Post. Eventually, both the New York Times and Washington Post verified the authenticity of the Hunter Biden laptop. Also, during the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden, Biden referred to the laptop story as Russian disinformation. 

‘There are reasons to believe that the public statement by 51 former intelligence officials was a coordinated political operation to help elect Vice President Biden in the 2020 presidential election, as set forth below,’ the complaint to the FEC says.  

This fits a pattern of election meddling, said Reed D. Rubinstein, senior counselor and director of oversight and investigations for America First Legal.  

‘In 2016, high-ranking federal intelligence officials interfered in a presidential election, lying about Russia collusion in a failed effort to elect Hilary Clinton,’ Rubinstein said in a statement.  

‘In 2020, many of these same officials again interfered in a presidential election, lying about Hunter Biden,’ Rubenstein continued. ‘The Federal Election Commission’s charge includes election integrity — Americans have the right to know who is coordinating with federal candidates. But this right is only as effective as the agency that enforces it. The FEC must act here.’  

Neither the Biden 2024 presidential campaign nor the Democratic National Committee responded to inquiries for this story.  

The State Department also did not respond to an inquiry about Blinken’s role from Fox News about the matter.  

The complaint alleges that the ’51 former intelligence officials’ statement was part of a carefully orchestrated effort to influence the 2020 election. AFL argued the Biden campaign, through key individuals, actively participated in drafting and disseminating the statement. The complaint argues that the 51 former intelligence officials’ public statement was strategically crafted to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story, with the intent of aiding Joe Biden’s campaign. 

The complaint details communication between then-Biden campaign advisor Blinken and Morell regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story. For his part, Blinken has denied having a role.  

‘There is reason to believe that the respondents failed to report the above contribution and to identify the individuals who made it,’ the complaint says.  

The complaint also alleges that the disinformation campaign should be considered a ‘coordinated communication’ under FEC regulations, subject to reporting requirements. 

The AFL complaint contends that the Biden campaign actively participated in drafting and disseminating the statement, utilizing the national security credentials of the former intelligence officials to downplay the Hunter Biden laptop revelations. 

The complaint further references a survey that found almost four of five Americans who followed the Hunter Biden laptop scandal thought that honest news coverage would have changed the outcome of the election. The survey by Technometric Institute of Policy and Politics was released in August 2022.  

Washington, D.C. – Last month, twins Ziv and Gali Berman were average Israeli citizens. They cheered for Maccabi Tel-Aviv Soccer Club, worked for a sound and lighting company, and enjoyed traveling for concerts when they were able.

Now, the Israeli Defense Forces believe the 26-year-old brothers were taken from their own home and are being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Oct. 7, violent attacks broke out across Israel as Hamas launched a coordinated assault on civilian and military targets. In addition to those killed and injured in the mayhem, hundreds of Israelis were taken hostage by the terrorist organization.

The twins’ brother, Liran Berman, spoke with Fox News Digital on Wednesday about the night of the terrorist attack and ongoing efforts to rescue his siblings.

‘I went to nine funerals of friends, neighbors. It was the worst week of my life,’ Liran told Fox News Digital about the time since the war broke out. ‘Nine funerals since then. Since the last funeral, the ninth, I haven’t managed to cry anymore. No more tears are left.’

The horror at the Kfar Aza kibbutz began similar to other areas of Israel on the day of the attack – with alarms and explosions.

‘We all woke up in Israel around 6:30 a.m. to a barrage of rockets. Sadly, we are used to it,’ Liran recounted. ‘And for the first hour, we were [thinking], ‘OK, again rockets. Missiles.’ Sadly, it is a usual issue.’

Liran is one of four brothers. The siblings and their parents live in the same kibbutz and his father also requires an in-home caretaker for his Parkinson’s disease. The family stayed in contact as much as possible during the onslaught.

Every person Liran was in contact with believed the violence would pass and life would quickly resume as it had many times before. 

But as the attacks continued, the possibility that this was not a routine assault became more and more likely.

‘Around 7:30, 8, we started to realize it was something much bigger. We saw media coverage of Hamas terrorists inside a big city and throughout the city of Sderot – which is a seven-minute drive from the kibbutz – and Hamas terrorists on pickup trucks going door to door in the city,’ said Liran. 

‘[The families] started to hear Arabic voices shouting in the kibbutz. They hear a lot of gunshots, which is very, very, very not common. Never happened. And we didn’t understand the scale of it yet,’ Liran said. ‘But the rumors were terrible – the WhatsApp groups and the phone calls that they are in the house next door.’

Liran’s parents and his father’s caretaker managed to survive by staying in a safe room for close to 18 hours. The caretaker was forced to crawl on the floor of the house to stealthily retrieve his father’s medicine outside the bunker.

Liran lost contact with Ziv and Gali that Saturday around 9:30 a.m. Their last sign of life was a WhatsApp message to their mother. The kibbutz witnessed extreme violence and a prolonged battle that stretched all the way until Monday.

Roughly 1,400 Israelis were killed in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the ongoing war between the IDF and Hamas.

The twins’ family waited for days as recovery efforts in the kibbutz sorted through bodies and identified fatalities. They waited with grim solemnity to hear if Ziv and Gali would be named as victims.

But nothing surfaced. There was no trace of the twins – until officials of the Israeli government contacted Liran’s family. 

‘Ten days later, officers of the government came to us. And let us know that, according to their understanding, with a 99.9% guarantee, they are kidnapped in Gaza.’

As misinformation, unverifiable reports and conflicting statistics plague the public’s understanding of the conflict, Liran says his family is subject to the IDF’s painstaking but steady stream of intelligence on the hostage crisis.

‘We know that they can’t share with us all the information… We know that and we understand. In the first week or a bit more than the first week, there was complete chaos,’ Liran told Fox News Digital. 

He continued, ‘There [were] numbers changing all the time. And the IDF and the government didn’t know what to say or how to say. But I feel that now the information that we’re getting is still incomplete. It’s still missing, but it is consistent – like what is now going out to the media and to the families is the most up-to-date that the government can show. So we trust them.’

The Kfar Aza kibbutz is gone. The violence and bombardment of Oct. 7 left its buildings and infrastructure in utter shambles.

Liran told Fox News Digital, ‘Complete destruction. Houses burned to the ground. The neighborhood where my brothers lived is completely demolished. Completely. Trees were [torn] up from the roots. Roads were completely destroyed – remnants of destroyed cars, remnants of missiles that Hamas shot at the kibbutz. It’s a complete destruction.’

There are plans to rebuild, but it’s impossible to speculate how long such efforts could take in the current environment.

Asked what his message would be to his brothers if they could hear him, Liran had only love to offer.

‘We miss them. We need them home. We know that together they are strong. Individually, they are strong,’ he said. 

Voice shaking, he concluded, ‘Keep each other safe and we miss you. And we need you home. And we love you.’