Over the weekend, the Israeli Defense Forces proved that they could get October 7 hostages back from Hamas without the need to give them anything except warheads on foreheads. But during Monday’s Today show, NBC didn’t seem too impressed by the daring raid that rescued two hostages from the city of Rafah. Instead, they used it as an opportunity to hype anonymous sources who claimed that, in private, President Biden calls Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu an “a-hole.”
Leading into her report, correspondent Molly Hunter seemed apprehensive about the raid and appeared to suggest it put over one million people at risk. “Israeli troops entered a building in Rafah to rescue those two hostages,” she reported. “Now, Rafah is that southernmost city in Gaza where Israel has told 1.4 million Palestinians to go for their safety.”
Hunter breathlessly parroted talking points from “Gazan Health officials” (without mentioning that she was quoting Hamas) about how airstrikes launched as part of the raid had supposedly killed “dozens of Palestinians.” She used that as the impetus to whine about what a possible IDF operation to eradicate Hamas in Rafah would bring:
During the overnight rescue, Gazan Health officials say dozens of Palestinians were killed in a heavy wave of Israeli air strikes in Rafah. And this comes as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to threaten an incursion into Rafah. That is a move that international organizations and the U.S. have strongly warned against.
Today show co-anchor Savanah Guthrie followed up by huffing that the successful raid could hurt efforts to capitulate to Hamas in a ceasefire deal. “If a deal is imminent and pretty much there, does any of what happened overnight impact negotiations?” she huffed.
Hunter didn’t have any new information on how the raid could impact the negotiations, but did note that “President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu overnight.” She then hyped the claims that Biden thought Netanyahu was an “a-hole”:
And we also have new reporting that Biden has been pretty critical of Netanyahu privately. Biden has said that Netanyahu wants the war to drag on so that he can remain in power, and according to three people in at least three instances, Biden has even called the Israeli prime minister a, quote, “a-hole.”
“But Savannah, the U.S. has not changed their policy or changed their military funding towards Israel,” she griped.
At no point did Guthrie or Hunter admit that Israeli forces found an underground Hamas data center hardwired directly into the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters directly above it.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Today
February 12, 2024
7:10:37 a.m. EasternSAVANNAH GUTHRIE: But we're going to turn to breaking news overnight, now. Israeli forces carrying out a daring mission in Gaza rescuing two hostages who have been held by Hamas for more than four months. NBC’s Molly Hunter is in Jerusalem for us, this morning. Molly, good morning. What is the latest?
MOLLY HUNTER: Savannah, good morning. We are learning new details about that daring rescue. Now, the Israeli military says at 1:49 a.m. overnight, Israeli troops entered a building in Rafah to rescue those two hostages.
Now, Rafah is that southernmost city in Gaza where Israel has told 1.4 million Palestinians to go for their safety.
Now, the hostages, both older men taken by helicopter already. They are at a hospital in Tel Aviv. They have been reunited with their families. And I think we actually have those first pictures.
During the overnight rescue, Gazan health officials say dozens of Palestinians were killed in a heavy wave of Israeli air strikes in Rafah. And this comes as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to threaten an incursion into Rafah. That is a move that international organizations and the U.S. have strongly warned against.
Now, also this morning, Savannah, deal talks appear to be closing in. One senior administration official telling NBC News that a new deal is, quote, “pretty much there, but gaps remain.” Savannah.
GUTHRIE: If a deal is imminent and pretty much there, does any of what happened overnight impact negotiations?
HUTNER: Absolutely. And I think what we're trying to figure out, of course, in the next couple days how big, how significant those gaps may be. We do know that President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu overnight.
And we also have new reporting that Biden has been pretty critical of Netanyahu privately. Biden has said that Netanyahu wants the war to drag on so that he can remain in power, and according to three people in at least three instances, Biden has even called the Israeli prime minister a, quote, “a-hole.”
But Savannah, the U.S. has not changed their policy or changed their military funding towards Israel. Savannah.
GUTHRIE: Molly Hunter in Jerusalem, thank you very much.
