Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Episode Date: November 2, 2023

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the evacuation out of Gaza. For the first time since war broke out in the region, people are being allowed out of the war zone. Egypt finally opening up the Rafa border crossing to desperate civilians, letting hundreds of foreign nationals out. Some Americans among them trapped, now allowed, into Egypt. With them, though, dozens of gravely injured Palestinians in desperate need for aid. Ambulances lining up to rush them to hospitals. the Israeli military not backing off from their aerial campaigns, two strikes in two days hitting the oldest refugee camp in Gaza.

The IDF claiming to kill Hamas commanders and destroy parts of that tunnel network, though a doctor at Gaza's biggest hospital with a dire warning that it eats in danger of becoming a mass grave. Back in New York, Don Jr. testifies the son of the former president testifying in court today, the first of Donald Trump's adult children, Facing questions. His testimony key in the quarter billion dollar civil fraud trial against the Trump organization, why he suddenly was quiet outside of court.

Halloween wide out snowstorms blanketing the upper Midwest weeks before the start of winter. Highways completely covered, slick conditions leading to crashes across the region, plus the system now growing in the tropics. Also tonight, the search in Virginia Beach. Look at this for a fire starter. alleged work leading to flames spreading to an apartment building, why police think the same person could be tied to even more fires at the same housing complex. Devastation in paradise, the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Mexico after Hurricane Otis slammed into Alcapulco, 10,000 troops deployed to help a city of nearly a million people. Love and poison, a North Dakota woman, accused of poisoning her boyfriend with

anti-freeze. Investigators finding traces in their home in a beer bottle. Her friends coming forward saying she allegedly joked about antifreeze in the past. Why police say she did it, all to score his inheritance. And Lake Como disaster, massive storms dumping more than 10 inches of rain on northern Italy. The iconic Lake Cormo swelling over its banks, causing fast-moving floods sweeping through a major city. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening. Tonight we begin top story at a choke point for people trapped in Gaza, opening for the first time in three weeks since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

300 people with foreign passports given the chance to pass through that Rafa crossing border. People clutching suitcases. You see them here, children's hands walking through the gates to safety. Only a handful of the hundreds of Americans that were led. out, including a 71-year-old pediatrician who was in Gaza to make prosthetic limbs for children. In a few moments, her nephew will join us live to talk about her ordeal. But after allowing all those foreign nationals out, Egypt only allowing the grievously injured to cross the border. So hundreds of foreign nationals and just under 80 Palestinians led out on stretchers or loaded onto ambulances to get treatment. Among them, an eight-year-old boy clinging to life after

surviving an airstrike that killed his father and grandparents. Crowds inside Gaza, swarming around the gates, trying to get out. People with their families unsuccessfully pushing through, forced to wait longer to leave. These people all trying to escape the grim realities of the war, Israeli air strikes battering the north of Gaza as tanks and troops close in on Gaza City. A second strike in two days on a massive refugee camp, the IDF claiming to hit Hamas command and control complex. Jabalia, killing terrorists, both strikes leveling entire buildings, people digging through craters

with their bare hands to find survivors, the nearby hospital overrun with the injured. Later tonight, we'll have an in-death look at the situation inside Gaza. Three women trapped and documenting life in a war zone when abandoning their family home only to be hit by an airstripe when following Israel's warnings to head south, many of them surviving shrapnel wounds while looking for sanctuary. Their story of survival, much like the thousands of people waiting to get out of Gaza tonight. NBC News Foreign Correspondent, Ralph Sanchez,

starts us off from Israel. Tonight, for the first time in three weeks of war, civilians making their way out of Gaza to the safety of Egypt. It's a diplomatic breakthrough after long negotiations. But today, only around 300 lucky foreigners found their names on the list to pass through the Rafa crossing. Among them, a handful of Americans, including 71-year-old aid worker Ramona Akamara, who came to Gaza to make prosthetic limbs for children.

We spoke to her niece tonight. We are just so relieved and grateful that she is finally on her way to safety. Hundreds more Americans are still trapped. The U.S. says Hamas has been blocking them. We'll see more of this process going on in the coming days. Working non-stop to get Americans out of Gaza as soon and as safely as possible. Egypt is not accepting refugees from Gaza, so for Palestinians without a foreign passport, the only ticket out of the strip is a grievous injury.

Eight-year-old Salim was wounded by an Israeli strike. His family tells us his father and grandparents were killed. He's one of around 70 patients evacuated today for urgent medical care in Egypt. Earlier, Israel bombed the Jabalya refugee camp for the second time in two days. Today, Israel says it hit a Hamas command center deliberately hidden under civilian homes. Our cameras were at a nearby hospital as the wounded, including children, were rushed in. And Israeli ground troops pushing deeper into the strip, closing in around Gaza City in their effort to crush Hamas. The military says these weapons were used in Hamas's October 7 massacre, where 1,400 Israelis were killed.

Assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades like this. This is just a fraction of the firepower Hamas has inside Gaza. Israel's Prime Minister repeating his pledge, no ceasefire until Hamas is defeated. But as the death toll in Gaza rises, so is international pressure on Israel. Dozens of aid trucks did cross into Gaza today, but nowhere near enough. And Israel's still blocking fuel deliveries, saying the gas will be stolen by Hamas. And with every hour, fears for the hostages growing, with Hamas still refusing to release them. In New York, Holocaust survivors holding photos of the hostages.

So I feel very, very attached to all those innocent people who are being captured. Survivors of the Jewish people's darkest hour, sending strength to those being held in darkness in Gaza. from Ashdod, Israel. Ralph, let's start with that strike on the refugee camp. Those images are horrific. What more is Israel saying about the attack and why they targeted for a second time that refugee camp? So, Tom, Israel is saying that they targeted the Javalia refugee camp today in order to hit a Hamas command and control center. Yesterday, they said they were going after a senior Hamas leader who was involved in the October 7th massacre.

They're saying in both cases, Hamas hiding military assets deliberately underneath civilian homes. But the question being asked around the world, Tom, tonight is about proportionality. Was it worth it to kill dozens of civilians, according to a local hospital, in order to get the senior Hamas terrorist and to take out that command center? Ralph, there's a part of your story. I'm sure that's going to stay with viewers. I know it's stay with me. It's about that eight-year-old boy who was able to get out. He lost his father. care for him while he's being treated in Egypt. What more do we know about this case?

Yeah, so his name is Salim. He was being looked after at the hospital in Gaza by his uncle who took him down to the border. He's now going to be in the care of Egyptian medical authorities. And Tom, he was caught up in an Israeli strike in Kan Yunus, which is in the south of Gaza, which is important because the Israeli military has been telling Palestinian civilians to flee the north, to head south, that there would be relative safety there. But even there, in the south, strike still raining down. And in this case, catching up a little boy. Raf, before you go, I do have one more question, because I think it's important that our viewers understand what's happening here. When we report this out, this was a major breakthrough in this

war, right, that the Rafa border crossing was opening and hundreds of foreign nationals got to leave. And yet only 80 Palestinians, like this little boy, who are struggling for their life, were allowed to go out, and there's probably thousands more that could use that medical aid. Do we know why Egypt, and I understand this is not Egypt's war or Jordan's war, but can you explain to our viewers why more Palestinians who are injured aren't being allowed out? Yeah, Tom, it's a really good question. Egypt is very, very sensitive to the idea of large numbers of Palestinians leaving Gaza coming into their territory, partly because they see it as potentially aiding in a bed,

a large-scale displacement of Palestinian civilians from Palestinian territory, which they see as a benefit to Egypt. But it's a good question. There are certainly hospital facilities at scale in Egypt. They definitely could be accommodating more than the 70 or 80 grievously wounded people who they're taking in right now.

Tom. Raf Sanchez, continuing his great reporting out of the region. Ralph, we thank you and your team for everything. As we mentioned that group of Americans, including Ramona, are en route to Cairo, Egypt after traveling through the Rafa border crossing. And as Raft just reported, Okomara, you see her here. She's a medical expert.

She was in Gaza helping out Palestinian children with some relief there. Join us live now here on Top Story in studio is Ramona's nephew, Nicholas Pang. Nicholas, thank you so much for joining us. I'm so happy that she was able to get out. Has your family heard from her? How is she doing? I mean, first we're just absolutely thrilled that she was able. to make it through the border. It's been three very long weeks, I mean, for our family,

in addition to the hundreds of other Americans who are trapped there, and of course, the millions of Palestinians. And so we are thrilled. We have not heard from her much, except that she made it through the Rafa Crossing and is currently on a shuttle bus taking her and other aid workers to Cairo. Will she come back to the States, or what is her plan? So her current plan is to come back to the United States. I think that she deserves a good rest and able to process what she has gone through. But, I mean, we will see what the future will hold.

How frustrating has it been as a relative, knowing that your loved one is there, that she's an American, seeing what's happening to Gaza just being bombed off this planet, and knowing that U.S. officials couldn't do anything, and Egypt wasn't allowing these people out, what was going through your mind? mind? I mean, I think that speaking for myself and speaking for the entire Okomor family, I mean, we were just terrified. I mean, just waiting for her message. Is she going to message again or is something going to happen? Knowing that she was facing food insecurity, they were down to limited water and 1,200 calories a day, and just knowing that there are airstrikes, Hamas rockets

and Israeli air strikes, I mean, simply rattling the windows of the buildings that they were in. You bring up a good point. There's the Israeli air strikes, and then there's a there are the rockets from Hamas that sometimes get lost as we saw in the hospital and kill its own people. What was that like day and day out to see the pictures and not knowing what was happening with her? I mean, it was incredibly challenging, especially knowing that within the first week of the war, when Israel said that Gaza City had to be evacuated, she left the hospital that she

was working with in Gaza and moved down to the Rafa area. but just knowing that she wasn't entirely safe there either. Yeah. When this happened, when this first happened and Hamas launched that terror attack, that was so horrific and killed all those innocent Israelis, did you know the amount of danger that your loved one was going to be in in the following days? I mean, I think that we're all in shock.

I mean, obviously I was, and all of us were terrified or horrified by Hamas' attack and killing of. over a thousand Israelis and taking hundreds hostage. And so we were focused on that with the anticipation that she would be able to evacuate and return when the conflict was over. And then we've just seen how it's just simply spiraled out of control. Did U.S. officials help you? Did the State Department help you?

I mean, were they in contact with your family? So I would say that the State Department got a hold of the situation in the first week. At first, there was some guidance that she should try to exit out. of Tel Aviv, which was not feasible. But over time, the State Department has become helpful in providing updates. And at the same time, we as her family members, have been trying to... Initially, they told you she should go to Tel Aviv, which was literally impossible. Yeah.

Okay. So that was very frustrating. And then how did she, like, where did she live when she was waiting to cross in the Rafa border crossing? So, I mean, it's just been very unstable. First, it was the hotel in Gaza City where she was staying as part of her humanitarian work. And then it was a UN compound in Gaza City. Then it was multiple UN compounds near Rothen Khan Yunus, depending on what they thought was most safe for her and other humanitarian workers, including Dr. Barbara Zind. And it's just been very unstable since then.

Nicholas Pang, I can't imagine what your family's going through. I'm glad your loved one's going to be coming through, and hopefully you'll see her soon. Thank you for sharing her story and yours here. Thank you for having us. Later in the broadcast, we're going to have an in-depth look at life inside Gaza. NBC News's digital docs team follows the stories of three women as they struggle to find food, water, and electricity while trying to shelter from explosions. I can tell you it's one of the most in-depth looks NBC News has done so far on this war on life in Gaza. She should definitely wait for that later in the broadcast. We do want to turn out of the other major headline here in New York. The first of Donald Trump's adult children took the witness stand today in the fraud

trial against the former president in New York City. Laura Jarrett has that story. tonight the former president's eldest son inside a Manhattan courtroom. Donald Trump, Jr., the first of his siblings, to testify in a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against the family's real estate business. New York's Attorney General accusing the Republican frontrunner, his sons, and his company of inflating assets to get better terms on loans and insurance, pointing to Don Jr.'s signature on documents certifying the accuracy of the company's financial statements, which include assets like Mr. Trump's apartment in Manhattan, listed as 30,000 square feet when it's actually a third of that size. Today, he was pressed by the state

about his role as executive vice president of the Trump organization. Don Jr. saying he relied on outside accountants who prepared the financial statements. He's blasted the suit from the Democratic Attorney General and the judge, also a Democrat, as a partisan kangaroo court. It doesn't matter what general practices in business would be it doesn't matter they have a narrative they have an end goal and they'll do whatever it takes to get there the judge has already ruled in the state's favor on the central fraud claim much of the trial is to determine what if any punishment should be handed down meanwhile the former president has said he's done nothing wrong and again slamming the judge posting quote leave my children alone laura joins us now in studio so laura what more

do we know about what don jr said on the stand because i think it was interesting that he didn't speak to reporters outside of court. He usually has a lot to say on social media and during friendly interviews, but it seemed to feel like he wasn't saying much there. Well, the judge told him not to say anything. So he's following the judge's instruction and instruction. The judge did not give his father, who has had plenty to say outside the courtroom, but he was more measured. He was substantially less combative than he's been in other conservative media interviews where he's called this essentially a partisan judge in a kangaroo court. And instead today, he was even joking with the judge at certain points and essentially sticking to it.

his story that he didn't have anything to do with the financial statements. If there was any errors in there, it's on the accountants who prepared them. All right. Thanks so much for that, Laura. Next night to the devastating scenes coming out of Mexico, a week after Hurricane Otis made landfall, residents still struggling to get basic necessities like food and water. As the death toll continues to climb and dozens remain missing, NBC's Valerie Castro, has the story. Tonight, a humanitarian crisis exploding in Acapulco, Mexico. After Hurricane Otis ripped through the beach resort town a week ago, destroying infrastructure and flooding streets and homes.

Up and down the coastline, the horrifying evidence of Otis's wrath, boats thrown like toys along the shore. Many residents now feeling as though they've been left to fend for themselves. Clean drinking water becoming scarce. Authorities say just 35% of water service has been restored. Lines of desperate residents snaking through the streets, people waiting to collect it by the jug full, but the weight itself is dangerous. Where is the government?

Where is the support of the government? Look, you want to see, the filan, us say that since the 8th, we're here at 5 o'clock, 5 o'clock, because now they're assaulting in the streets. Looting in the days after the storm, stripped store shelves bare. Food now coming from a government-backed community kitchen, NGOs like World Central Kitchen stepping up to meet the demand. Today we are putting out

3,000 meals. Yesterday it was 2,500, so each day we're looking to increase our output more and more. Otis's rapid escalation from a tropical storm to a monster cat five hurricane in just 12 hours, leaving residents like this woman with little time to prepare. She thought the rising floodwaters would be the death. of her, her husband, keeping her calm through the worst of it. The couple surviving, but now struggling. Mexican president deploying more than 10,000 troops and 1,000 government workers to deal with the aftermath. Government officials unveiling a $3.4 billion recovery plan, but experts estimate the cost of the damage could be as high as $15 billion. The human cost of

the storm continues to climb, at least 45 people killed, including one American. Loved ones of those lost, seen waiting outside the morgue. This funeral homeowner says he can't prepare bodies for burial until power is restored, now taking in more of the dead than he can handle, while families wait to lay their loved ones to rest. The official death toll is expected to continue to rise with at least 47 people still reported missing. The Navy says it will be focused on recovering and searching through more than 30 boats

that sank in Acapulco Bay the night of the storm. The Navy says large cranes will be brought in to help lift those wreckages out of the water. Tom. So much damage there. Okay, Valerie Kastrow for us. Valerie, thank you. Back here at home when we turn to the forecast and the coldest air of the season slamming millions. Parts of the Midwest hit with heavy snowfall for Halloween.

You see it here. Look at this. In areas of western Michigan, the harsh conditions, downing trees, knocking out power and closing schools here today. Looks like winter to me. More than 60 million now under freeze warning, stretching all the way from Texas to New Jersey. Let's get right over to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens, who joins us live in studio. Bill, walk us through this. Yeah, it's been a shock to the system after a very warm summer and early fall.

I mean, it's unusual to be this cold this time of year in the deep south. Yeah, you get the snow occasionally into Great Lakes in the Northeast. But there's everyone here. This is the end of the growing season. If you haven't done so yet, head outside and grab whatever you have, the plants, whatever you can keep warm, because after tonight they'll freeze up and they won't exist anymore, unfortunately. I did that myself in my garden tonight.

So the temperature is tomorrow morning, 32 in Chicago, 32. in Memphis will be 30 in Philadelphia, really cold in northern Maine. And by the way, in Killington, they announced today they're going to be the first ski resort to open this weekend in the northeast. A lot of snow. They had some natural snowfall, about two to four inches, plus they're blowing the snow. It's plenty cold. So that gets a lot of people happy out there. A lot of the skiers and other people alike. So we will have the really cold temperatures. But here's the good side. It's not going to last long. We're going to warm up, Tom, right through this upcoming weekend. I know a famous Karen's who's a snowboarder who may be

looking at those pictures, asking dad for a trip. Before we go, I know there's also a system we're looking at down in the Caribbean, which may slam into Central America. Yeah, we're hoping this one doesn't develop anything close to Otis, but this does have maybe about a 40, 50 percent chance of developing from the hurricane center, not going to head north up towards Florida. The water is plenty warm enough to support a storm, even a strong storm in the Caribbean, but thankfully the upper level winds are not favorable.

This will be drifting south of Jamaica and towards Nicaragua and Honduras in the days ahead. We'll keep an eye on that, Tom, but nothing threatening the U.S. mainland anytime soon. Good to know. Okay, Bill, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the kidnapping standoff. Dramatic new video showing the moment police arrested a suspect, you may remember, accused of holding a woman captive in a cinder block dungeon in his garage, who the FBI says was in the car with him during the 10th standoff. Plus, the search for an arsonist caught on camera in Virginia Beach,

why police believe that suspect could be behind several other fires. And love and poison a North Dakota woman accused of killing her boyfriend, with anti-freeze, why authorities believe she may have been trying to get her hands on his inheritance. Stay with us. Top Story. Just getting started on this Wednesday night. All right, we're back now with dramatic new video from a case we follow closely here on Top Story. Body cam footage capturing a tent standoff between police and the man accused of kidnapping a woman and holding her in a cinder block dungeon in his home. The arrest happening with his young child right in the front seat.

NBC Stephen Romo with that video tonight. Hey, get back in your car. Get back in your car. In a Reno Walmart parking lot, a dramatic confrontation between police. Hands up! And 29-year-old Nagazi Zaviri wanted by the FBI for a chilling kidnapping that crossed state lines. He's wanted for kidnapping, rape.

Zabiri refusing to get out of his car, threatening to hurt himself. No one's going to hurt you. As long as you come out with your hands visible, no one's going to hurt you at all, man. The video, heavily redacted by Nevada State Police, obtained in a public records request by NBC affiliate KGW. Sitting in his lap, according to an FBI affidavit, was one of his children. He's got a kid in the front seat with him right now. The tent standoff unfolding over the course of an hour on July 16th.

He was walking to the back of the vehicle. Zaviri eventually surrendering his legs and feet visible as he's taken into custody. This arrest just one day after police in Oregon responded to a disturbing 911 call. They discovered a makeshift cinder block cell with a metal door and a singular light bulb above for light. Inside the makeshift cell, a single chair, two bottles of water and a fan. Federal prosecutors say this is where Zuberi held a woman he kidnapped from Seattle. She alleges she was kidnapped, shackled, sexually assaulted, and locked in this makeshift cell. The woman escaped, the FBI says, by punching her way through this locked door.

The bloodied woman later flagging down a passing motorist and calling 911. When searching his home, the FBI discovering handwritten notes and plans to dig a hundred foot hole. Zubari has been linked to at least four sexual assaults and four other states. We believe there may be more victims. Police seeking information about potential other crimes in 12 states where Zuberi, who had multiple aliases, has lived. Zubari, who pled not guilty to all charges, is currently being held in jail in southern Oregon, where in August he attempted to stage his own escape, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, trying to break the glass of his cell window.

This federal trial in this case, now scheduled for December. Stephen Romer, NBC News. All right, we thanks, Stephen, for that. When we come back, the deadly coal plant collapse. Two workers trapped under a mountain of rubble. At least one of them has died. The race now to get the other out. Stay with us.

Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we have some breaking news just in Hall of Fame basketball coach. Bobby Knight has died. Knight was a college basketball coach for more than four. seasons, but was best known for his nearly 30-year career with the Indiana University men's basketball team, leading them to three national championships. He also coached the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team to gold in 1984. He had a style that was unlike anyone else. His family says he died at his home in Bloomington, but did not provide a cause of death. Night was 83 years old.

Now to that deadly coal plant collapse in eastern Kentucky, authorities say two workers were disbandling the 11-story structure when it caved in, trapping them both under tons of rubble. Rescue crews initially made contact with one of the men who has since died. The governor declaring a state of emergency in Martin County as search efforts continue for the second worker. And a manhunt underway for a serial arsonist in Virginia Beach. New video shows the suspect actually holding a gasoline can

outside an apartment building, then lighting a mailbox on fire, flames spreading as they walk away. Investigators say the suspect also tried lighting the other side of the building and believed that this person is responsible for several larger fires in the area. Okay, this is new tonight, an alleged murder plot out of North Dakota. Prosecutors accusing a woman of poisoning her longtime boyfriend with antifreeze, killing him, hoping to get a piece of a large sum of inheritance. However, police say that money may have never even existed. Maura Barrett has the details. Tonight, a North Dakota woman accused of

poisoning her long-term boyfriend with antifreeze as part of an alleged plot to inherit part of a $30 million fortune. According to an arrest affidavit, Enah Thea Kanoir told police 51-year-old Stephen Riley Jr. had been drinking all day and had heat stroke after he fell ill and lost consciousness on September 3rd. The affidavit says Kenoyer's friends told police she had made comments about wanting to poison him before. And then an autopsy showed ethylene glycol and Riley's system, a key ingredient in antifreeze. We had received phone calls from some of the victim's friends who told us that they believed that he was possibly poisoned by ENA. So we started the investigation at that point. According to the University of Florida Health, Antifreeze, which is used in car radiators, is colorless, odorless, and can even taste sweet, making it easy to disguise and drinks. Authorities say traces of the substance were found inside the couple's home.

There were a couple containers. One was a Windex bottle. The other one was a beer bottle. Believed have antifreeze in them. According to the affidavit, friends say that Riley believed he was about to inherit $30 million and told them he was going to leave Knoir, who believed she was owed part of the money because she had been with him for 10 years. There was a belief that if he wasn't in the picture, that she would be entitled to any settlement money through that common law marriage. That kind of changed as the investigators informed her that we don't have common law marriage in North Dakota. Police also revealing there may have been no money after all.

Yeah, everything that we have indicates that that settlement doesn't exist. There wasn't a long lost, rich relative or any other type of settlement that would lead to $30 million going in the direction of the victim. But that was the belief. Both parties believed that and had discussed it with friends, discussed it with family members. This is just the latest case in a string of alleged poison plots. Connor Bowman, a former Mayo Clinic doctor in court today on second-degree murder charges for the death of his wife, Betty Bowman. Prosecutors have accused him of poisoning her with a drug to treat gout in an alleged effort to claim $500,000 from a life insurance policy. I'm going to turn out a tech.

And in Utah, Corey Richon's awaiting trial for allegedly poisoning. reasoning her husband with fentanyl for life insurance money before she wrote a children's book about grief. She has denied those allegations. As for Knoir, her bail has been set at $1 million and she will be arraigned on December 7th. If convicted, she faces life in prison without parole. Tom? Maura, thank you for that. Coming up, a flooding emergency out of Italy. We'll take you there. Flood waters causing the famous Lake Como to swell. The warning tonight, even in Venice, as more rain moves in. Stay with us. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch.

We start with the major fire at a Ukrainian oil base. Video shows flames engulfing fuel tanks in the Russian-held Donesk reason. According to Russian authorities, shelling with Ukrainian troops triggered the fire that killed at least two people. Ukrainian officials dispute those claims. And a storm bringing major flooding to Italy's northern region. Look at this. Video shows the streets of Milan completely underwater after heavy rains pounded the region overnight. rain falling also causing the famous Lake Como to swell over its banks as its waters rose to uncontrollable levels.

Parts of the lakeside now closed. Venice now under a red alert as well with more rain in the forecast. Okay, when we come back, we take an in-depth look at life in Gaza. This is a powerful report. NBC News using interviews, video diaries, and satellite imagery to document the struggles of three women in Gaza. Their stories. Next. Finally tonight, as the raid against Gaza continues, both in the air and on the ground, the civilians living there are running out of options with no water, food, or electricity. The desperate effort to survive could not be more pressing. Yasmin Salaman, the NBC News Digital Documentary Team, has the story of three women living in fear in Gaza.

This is one of the most comprehensive looks at life in Gaza so far by NBC News. And a warning now. Some of the images you're about to see are very graphic. On October 27th, a near total internet blackout hits Gaza. As darkness falls, the Israeli army pounds Gaza with airstrikes. The heaviest bombardment of the conflict so far. The night sky lit up by rockets, artillery, and flames. Israeli tanks and soldiers are on the move, the next stage in Israel's war against Hamas. A war that began when Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel murdered more than one.

1,000 civilians and kidnapped over 230 more. Somewhere under the night sky in Gaza are three women NBC News has been in touch with for the past two weeks. They have been sending us their stories any way they can. Voice memos, video diaries, texts, and the occasional spotty Zoom interview. They are stories of survival, impossible choices, and fear of what lies ahead as they search for safety in Gaza. Like, this is day 16 of us not having electricity, not even a second. Like, this light is my flashlight, and this is an LED light. Noir Diab first sent us a video diary from Khan Yunus in the south of Gaza.

She's far from her home. I've been here in the south for maybe nine days. I don't really know. Because when you're under such circumstances, you lose track of time, and your brain just doesn't think about checking the time. It's full of other things. She is 20 years old. She's an English literature major at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City, where she lives with her two younger siblings. She plays the cello.

She's in a theater group. And a few nights before Hamas Terrace attack Israel, she's hanging out at the beach with her friends. I had plans. I was supposed to travel. I was waiting for my visa. My education was going great. I was just starting my last year of college. Then the bombing starts. And I just want to say something, Gaza is a very small city. So any place that get bombed is technically near because it's very, very small. The Gaza Strip is approximately equal. and size to the city of Philadelphia, but add about another 600,000 people.

It is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Here is the tower that was bombed on the first day of the war. Ronna Akila is a translator and 35-year-old mother of two. I woke up on a strange and weird and scary sound of bombing. It's like our building is collapsing on us over our heads, like something we were blown up in the same room. The blast took out the windows in the room where her kids slept. They don't sleep there anymore. I fear for my children, for my family, because what's happening is like more than a scare movie.

There's no word that can describe what's going on here right now. The strikes in response to the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel are followed by what the Israeli government calls a complete siege of the Gaza Strip. It cuts off electricity, water, and blocks the entry of food and fuel. Four days later, IDF leaflets fall from the sky, telling residents of northern Gaza they must evacuate south for their own safety. The Israeli military has plans to attack Hamas strongholds in the north. The residents are given.

24 hours to leave. It's a moment of decision for the 1 million people who live there, to leave their homes, not knowing if they will ever come back, or stay where they are, not knowing what will come next. So as you can see, all Gaza citizens are just preparing themselves to leave. And no one has a place right now. We're just going. If you have a car, just run. no one knows where we're going, but we're all evacuating. Salma Shurab is a 22-year-old dental student. All my neighbors have left the neighborhood. No one is left but us, and we're ready to run where no one has any idea.

Rana, And Noir decided to evacuate, too, the day the leaflets dropped. They set off down Salahideen Road. It's the main artery running north to south down the length of the Gaza Strip. We got into the car, and it was my first time seeing my city with no features. The streets that I made memories in are not there, so my memories are being erased. The road is jammed with families and cars, horses and carts, people on foot. all fleeing for safety.

It's on that same road on the first day of the evacuation warning that an explosion rocks a convoy of people heading south. Ambulance is speed to the scene. Then a second explosion. According to the Hamas run, Gaza Ministry of Health, 70 people die and more than 200 are injured. Among the wounded are Ahmed and Sharif and his wife, Nisreen. He's saying that his wife suffered a shrapnel wound in her arm and had to have a pin put in. Mislien tells us she wants to see her daughter Judi because she's worried about her

and feels like her head is going to explode because she thinks about her so much. in another room three-year-old Judy lies in bed Shrapnel lodged in her head She's saying that the Israelis told them to leave and then targeted and attacked them she asks why and says it would have been better to die at home Israel denies we'd like to take us, we'd have our ownings for us, we're going to be

in our arms, Israel denies targeting the convoy and suggests Hamas might be behind it. Hamas accuses Israel of striking the evacuees fleeing south. The blast is just one example of the dangers evacuees face on the road. There are also reports of IEDs and rockets misfired by militants within Gaza. Christine and her family, their journey south is over. Two days after the evacuation order, an estimated 600,000 people have left their homes and moved south of Gaza City. Noor in Chen Yunus is six miles from Egypt, but the border is still closed to the vast majority of Gazans. When I first got here, I drank salty water, and we would, like, make tea and coffee with it so it tastes, like, less salty.

and you just can't be picky and say, I don't like it or I want to drink it. Just drink it. Just drink it. She's packed into a house with as many as 14 other people. Access to food is one of the most difficult, most tiring things now. It's where my brother today spent more than five hours in the bakery to get bread. People fight in bakeries. Water is also extremely difficult to access. We have to fill it in bottles.

It's like a very big gallon and we try to reduce your use of water. But how can you do that? Like water is very, you need it for everything you do. While some aid is now getting across the border, the need is over. overwhelming. We have internet like three hours maximum every day. And mind you, this is, if you were very lucky, like, I consider them are very, very lucky extremely.

And if we want to, like, charge our phones, we would go to our neighbors. They have solar energy. And we charge them for, like, let's say, two, three, four hours. But it's not just the bad living conditions. Israeli airstrikes are targeting the South too. The Israel Defense Forces told NBC News they have hit Gaza thousands of times but didn't provide a breakdown on North Gaza versus South Gaza. Maps show urban damage detected by satellite across Gaza from before and after the evacuation. Damage to buildings in the South has increased by more than 150% as of October 25th.

This footage shows the aftermath of an airstrike in Rafah on October 23rd. This drone video captures the destruction of residential buildings in Deerl Balah on October 24. And on that same day, an airstrike hits this three-story building in Chen Yunus, killing at least 32 people, according to a survivor. It's supposed to be safe or not safe. Let's say, more calm in the south. But it was it. The Israeli military military.

says it tries to distinguish between civilians and combatants, that it uses airstrikes to target terrorist infrastructure and personnel, and sometimes those targets are located in the south. After Rana goes south, she only stays a few days. The bombing of a nearby home convinces her she'll be safer back north. We arranged to catch up with her by Zoom, but she sends us this voice note. A few minutes ago, there was a very clear, closed bombardment here, like the next building right next to us.

As soon as she can, she gets on a Zoom to tell us what happened. I don't know if you can hear the bombing right now, because the sounds of the missile are very close. I'm trembling, actually. Nowhere is safe, nowhere out of their target. There's nothing to be done. If we are ready to be killed and die, Then, okay, rather we should die at home.

On October 25th, Salma sends us this video diary. After spending a few days down south, her family has returned to Gaza City. This is what they find. So this is our fridge. It's empty because everything was in it got ruined because there's no electricity. There's no coldness. Here's our water for the kitchen. And it doesn't work.

It just drops a few drops. drops. We can't clean this now. And it's the night and I can't see anything and I'm very, very scared of the darkness. Hopefully this night, oh my God, you can hear now. Oh my God. As Israeli troops mass on the border with Gaza, the IDF once again encourages civilians to move south. In this recent leaflet, it says civilians left behind in the north may be considered a partner to terrorists. But some families can't leave. Judi and Sharif, who survived the convoy explosion,

is still in the hospital recovering from her injuries, unable to walk or talk. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health says more than 20,000 people like Judy have been injured in Gaza since the war began, and more than 8,000 people killed. The UN estimates some 1.4 million people in Gaza have been displaced.

The Israel Defense Forces says it cannot be blamed for the civilian toll of the war. It accuses Hamas of deliberately planting its personnel weapons and operations in civilian areas like schools, mosques and hospitals. Hamas is holding the people of Gaza hostage, cowardly, using them as human shields. No one is holding us right now. If we want to leave, we will leave. No one is holding us. Plus, you will never find any fighters in the street. Only civilian is the streets. Since the war began, NBC News has been in touch with dozens of Palestinians in Gaza. For those who shared their feelings on Hamas, they said they have nothing to do with Hamas,

and they wanted people to know that they are not Hamas. And that the majority of people living in Gaza are not affiliated with any political faction. We are really priming people. We just want to live peacefully. Now entering its fourth week in the war, the IDF says a new phase in its ground operation has begun. Troops clash with Hamas fighters in northern Gaza. An Israeli tank is seen on the Salahaddin Road. The IDF says the battle will only intensify.

30 hours after the internet blackout, Rana sends this message. When the sun comes up in Gaza, mangled cars align the streets. There are twisted and burned buildings block after block. For now, the bombing has stopped, but there is desperation in the quiet as people try to reach friends and family, find food and shelter. People on bicycles are sitting in the back of a horse and cart ride past the rubble of their lives before. And there is a fear about the next round of airstrikes. or what will come after that. And with that, the reporter of that documentary, Yasmin Salam, joins us now in studio.

She's part of the NBC News Digital Docs team. Very powerful film. I mean, that moment when you see that one young woman looking for the water and then she hears the bombing strikes. I mean, it's wild. And then all those kids, I mean, you'll never forget what those kids look like. And unfortunately, so many children have also perished in this war. I do want to ask you, because I know you guys completed this film a couple days ago, When was the last time you heard from these three women, and do you know if they're okay?

Yeah. So, no, what, I haven't heard from her for a few days, but I do know that she's okay after the blackout that happened this weekend. But today, my messages to her on WhatsApp or one tick, which means, you know, there's no service, there's no signal. She's not connected to Wi-Fi. It's not delivered. You're not sure if she's received them.

Yeah, exactly, exactly. So, but something she had shared with me before that was that she had lost her best friend, and she's obviously very upset about that. And that just goes to show with this, you know, high death toll that we're seeing, not just, you know, the actual physical struggles of what's going on in terms of survival, but also the psychological toll this is taking on a population where, you know, 50% are under the age of 18. So that's how Nawar is doing. She's still in the south in Chan Yunus, as you can see from the documentary.

That's where she is with 14 people. Rana did get back to us today confirming that she's okay with her two kids. She's the one that went north after, you know, a nearby bombing, really scaring her and feeling like the north, you know, would be better to be at home, given the dire, you know, conditions in the south because it's just so crowded. This is a really densely populated, you know, region. And, you know, 600,000 people going to already what is a very populated area means that, you know, it's makeshift shelters and schools and kind of public spaces. So, yeah, they're, you know, they're okay means they're alive. Right. So one of the reasons why we wanted to show this here on Top Stories

is that we want to show sort of a complete picture of what's happening with the war with Hamas and Israel, and we show both sides. But I do want to press you on what these Palestinians think of Hamas, because you touched upon it in the film, and I understand they're living in a very scary situation. But we never sort of explore the idea of this thing started. Not everything in the region, but this incident, this war started with the terror attack. Is there any frustration in these three young women with Hamas for having launched that terror attack in the first place?

Did that ever come up? So I, you know, me among and others at NBC News, you know, we've, through our reporting efforts, have spoken to dozens of Palestinians. And, you know, so part of the threads are, you know, reflected in that documentary. So when it comes to their feelings on Hamas, among that, you know, the larger group of who we spoke to, not those three women specifically, I mean, you heard what Rana said about this idea that... They're not political, that they're not part of Hamas. Yeah, no, no, like, in the sense of, like, this idea that, like, for her, specifically, she was bringing up, like, how, you know,

like, seeing Hamas fighters on the street and we're, like, among them is, is not true. Like, she's like, no one's making me, like, stay here, like, we can go. that's something we've heard a lot, but among the dozens that we've spoken to, for those that did share their feelings, they were very vocal about Hamas does not represent us, we are not part of it. Just like people all over the world, we have problems with our government too. And the majority of people living here are not affiliated with any political faction, and they don't speak for us. And I mean, they haven't had an election since 2006, so that also reflects that a little bit.

other Arab nations as well that would not let these Palestinians in, namely Egypt, that just today is now opening the border after weeks of horrific war? Yeah. So not necessarily, because the thing with this population that we're dealing with is they have, you know, deep generational trauma from mass displacement. And that's something that, you know, the majority of people living in Gaza are actually descendants from that community of people in 1948 that were not able to return when they thought they might have been able to when they fled during that creation. So of Israel,

obviously. So for then leaving, doesn't feel like, oh, it will be temporary that we can go to Egypt. They're afraid if they leave, they're never going to come back. They are completely, completely. It's impossible to have a conversation. And Noir brought that up to me. It did not make the documentary, but we wrote about it in a different story, that when she fled the north, which is where she's from, she's from Gaza City. She's not from Han Yunus. She was like, something I heard about from my grandparents and saw in photos, I really felt, which was, you know, this mass exodus of Palestinians. So they're not on the, you know, when we're talking to them, they're not saying, I mean, of course they're so, so scared for their lives.

They want the bombardment to end. That's 100%. But they're not saying like, we want to definitely cross into Egypt. They just really want an end to this, to the violence that they're seeing. Yes, bin Salam, a very powerful film, you and the entire digital docs team. Thanks so much for sharing that with us. And you can watch and read much more on the search for safety, the desperate struggle to survive in Gaza on NBCNews.com. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.