[bombs and gunshots] >> sandra: we are expecting to get a state department update as israel pushes deeper into southern gaza. and is reportedly eyeing new tactics to root out hamas terrorists. hello, welcome everyone, sandra smith in new york. great to have you today. >> bret: good afternoon, i'm bret baier in washington in for john roberts. pump sea water into the complex tunnel system to force hamas terrorists out of there. israeli forces are setting up pumps to draw water from the mediterranean and push it through miles of hamas' tunnels. >> sandra: the fate of some 130 hostages still in captivity remains unclear at this hour. fox team coverage kicks off right now. ai aishah hasnie is in capitol hill for an antisemitism hearing. >> bret: and trey, what are you hearing about the new tactic by israel. >> we are following the report from the "wall street journal" indicating israeli officials are considering using water from the mediterranean sea to flood the hamas tunnel network. this has raised some questions about what it would do to the freshwater supply inside gaza but it would give the israelis a tactical advantage against the miles of tunnels inside the strip. this development comes as israeli forces say they raided hamas general security headquarters in jabalia neighborhood. soldiers from two separate units located rockets and weapons in the area before calling in airstrikes. israel is expected to finish off in northern gaza in the coming weeks. and israel ramped up the campaign against southern gaza, focusing on khan younis, the airstrikes, some of the heaviest since the war began. and cell service was temporarily cut in gaza as the operation ramped up, amid the third phase of the war, the civilian death toll is rapidly rising but they say the operation is successful. >> many hamas operatives, including senior commanders, have been eliminated in recent days. we have moved to the third phase of the ground operations. we have secured many hamas strongholds in the northern gaza strip and now operating against the strongholds in the south. >> at this hour, we understand israeli forces are making their way into the heart of khan younis, gaza's second largest city and the israelis believe top officials like sinwar and others are hiding there. >> bret: thank you. sandra. >> sandra: u.s. says hamas may feel motivated to keep women hostage so they don't share what has happened to them while they have been held in captivity. all of this as jewish women are speaking out against the terrorist group sexual assaults, and against the women's rights groups to have stayed shockingly silent on the issue. >> what happened to israeli women, the rape, the torture, the mutilation, it's unhuman, it's crimes against humanity. and if you as a woman, an a leader can't say those words, i don't think you are worthy of your position. we will remember it and speak. we will remember that they wasn't there. >> sandra: she joined us yesterday, and gillian, how much does the u.s. know about hamas's brutality against israeli women? >> we are learning a lot. we being the u.s. every day from the israelis. yesterday at the u.n., women leaders pleaded for international groups to step in and take more action in support of women who they claim to care deeply about. take a listen. >> when i saw the list of women's rights organizations who have said nothing, i nearly choked. where is the solidarity for women in this country and in this world to stand up for our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters? >> high profile women's groups wlo have stayed silent about hamas rapes, including emily's list, the national organization for women. tech titan sheryl sandberg says it's time for the groups to believe israeli women. >> do we believe the hamas spokesperson who said rape is forbidden or do we believe the women whose bodies tell us how they spent the last minutes of their lives? >> well, former press secretary for bernie sanders's presidential campaign posted it's not a believe women scenario because no israeli women have offered testimony. senator marsha blackburn on our own air earlier today said even u.s. lawmakers now have been briefed on the evidence. take a listen. >> members of congress have seen this footage and the reports that we are hearing, women are being raped to the point of death. they are using sexual violence against women as a tool of war. >> the israeli government, law enforcement in particular has collected more than 1500 pieces of evidence documenting hamas sexual atrocities on just october 7th alone. they are taking that evidence to the u.n. and demanding a formal international investigation there. sandra. >> sandra: gillian turner live at the state department, bret. >> bret: presidents of three of the most prestigious universities in the country are facing a tough task. before a house panel how they have handled the wave of antisemitism flooding their campuses. aishah, what are they telling lawmakers today? >> aishah: hey, bret, good afternoon to you. look, they are trying desperately to walk this very fine line between trying to protect their jewish students and trying to protect free speech on campus. they are trying, i don't know if it's working, with house republicans and democrats as both sides of the aisle are really grilling these presidents as to why they continue to allow these protests to take place on campus. here is one of those very heated exchanges between elise stefanik, by the way, a harvard alum and the president of harvard university. watch. >> i assume you are familiar with the term intifada, correct? >> i've heard that term, yes. that type of hateful speech is personally abhorrent to me. >> can you not say it's against the code of conduct at harvard? >> embrace free expression, even views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful. >> now, i want to flag to you, bret, congresswoman jayapal was also in the room. she's under fire by her own colleagues as well for remarks that she made about hamas rapes of jewish women as gillian was talking about. listen to her here blame some of the antisemitism on former president trump. >> and also just want to appreciate the distinction that you made in one of your comments between what we can say and what we should say, frankly i think there's been an explosion thanks to the previous president in part that has shattered the norms of what is acceptable to say and we are dealing with some of the effects of that. >> what we can say and what we should say, bret. kind of ironic. >> bret: aishah hasnie, thanks. sandra. >> sandra: also coming up on the hill, happening a short time from now, a major hearing on the fight for fairness in women's sports. a house oversight subcommittee will hold a hearing on proposed rule changes to title ix that would prevent schools from banning biological males from competing in women's sports. let's bring in former ncaa swimmer riley gaines, the star witness at the hearing when it begins a short time from now, and contributor for outkick and host of gains for girls podcast. riley, great to have you here. obviously a busy afternoon for you. that hearing will be underway shortly. what would the dismantling of title ix mean for young women like you in sports? >> well, it's a lot broader than just women's sports. but in sports, this new rewrite would place the burden of proving that there's an unfair advantage in whatever sport that might be, places the burden entirely on the shoulders of the young girl. so if a male is competing in a women's sport, they are supposed to present evidence in whatever capacity that might be to the ncaa and hopefully maybe potentially the ncaa might agree. but nowhere in this new title ix rewrite does it define what an unfair advantage looks like. broader, this means men could be housed in dorm rooms with women, men could take academic and athletic scholarships away from women, men would and could use locker rooms and bathrooms on campuses. broader than just women's sports. >> interesting. something we have seen the current administration pressed on a lot. i want to bring up the timeline that we have prepared here so people can see what has transpired here. going back to 1972, when congress passed title ix, into law by president nixon. and 2016, obama administration said transgender athletes can use the bathroom or locker room of their choice. the next year the trump administration revoked those obama guidelines and then in 2020, the new title ix amendments took effect, regarding sexual harassment, riley, to this year the biden administration is proposing using title ix to stop the transgender athlete ban. you are calling this a rewrite of the policy protecting women an abomination, you call it. what's your message on capitol hill a few minutes from now. >> well, really i'm going to share my lived experience. the feelings that we felt as female athletes, myself, my teammates, my competitors, when we were forced to compete against a man, could not cut it in the men's category, ranking in the 400s to then dominating against the women. and winning national titles, and silencing from the universities if we dare questioned this, or if we felt in any way if we pushed back in any way. we were told we had to smile and step aside and that's why i say it's abomination. i think it's a despicable and i believe it's criminal what they are doing. in the name of being inclusive and feminism, they are actively excluding female athletes. >> sandra: riley, we often catch the white house press briefings during this program in the afternoons here on the east coast and this was one moment we are covering it in our own hillary vaughan was in the room and she pressed the press secretary for the president on what this means for girls. listen. >> daughters, does he care that girls are allowed to compete in sports without fear of injury. does he think it's fair to compete against biological males. >> i answered the question. it's a complicated issue. it is truly a complicated issue with a wide range of views. there is no yes or no answer to this. it is complicated. >> sandra: you make it clear it is not complicated and you are talking about the cycling race in illinois, a women's race where two transgender people took the title of first and second place, there was a woman, a biological woman on the third place podium. we can't even show the picture, we don't have it yet, we are trying to. but you tweeted out about it and said two men take first and second at the illinois state cycle cross championships. two categories for men, none for women. any women who concedes and does not compete, i will pay them the prize money they are missing out on. stop participating in the farce. last thought on you. >> it feels like a comedy, like we should be laughing at this because it's almost objectively funny if there were not real consequences, consequences being women losing out on opportunities, women being hurt in the process, especially in sports that you have physical contact. the safety aspect. that's why i say there's two categories for men. we can expect this to continue, if we don't have leaders who are willing to stand with women and if we don't have athletes willing to walk out. >> sandra: it is something. riley gaines, we know it's a busy afternoon for you. we will see you there as you offer your testimony on capitol hill a short time from now. thank you, riley. >> thank you, guys. >> sandra: bret, it's something, the transgender athletes winning the gold and silver in illinois, a lot of feedback on social media as you can imagine, but they -- those are biological men and they are taking spots on the podium from biological women and it's happening more and more in sports all over the country. >> bret: it's amazing. kudos to riley for being as vocal as she is, and this is an issue that crosses ideological lines, independents, democrat, republicans, they look at the gold medals and the winners and say what is going on here. something to follow. >> sandra: we'll be watching riley this afternoon. >> john: house republicans to hold a vote to jump start a formal impeachment inquiry into president biden as early as next week. mike johnson says it's a necessary step as the white house stone walls gop investigations. break down their case with andy mccarthy coming up. >> sandra: a long island native who decided to serve alongside israeli troops in 2020, now missing and believed held hostage by hamas terrorists. his family is urging leaders to do anything and everything to bring him back. his mother will join us live next. >> we have no time. each day that passes by, they are dying, slowly, each day. we need to get them out immediately, whatever the price might be. i'm patriotic kenny. and, hi, i'm amanda on tiktok. my scooter broke down. i went into a depression. how do you feel about that? pretty sad. and i posted it to show that kenny's not always happy. within 24 hours people had donated over $5,000. no, you're kidding. we set up the patriotic kenny foundation to give mobility scooters to veterans. it has changed my life tremendously. none of this would've happened without tiktok. i won't let me moderate to severe plaque psoriasis symptoms define me... emerge as you. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 4 months... ...and the majority stayed clearer, at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge as you. emerge tremfyant®. ask you doctor about tremfya®. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? it's true. plus when you buy your first line of mobile, you get a second line free. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. it's not just possible, it's happening. >> bret: concerns are growing for the roughly 130 hostages still held by hamas. our next guest is holding out hope for her son. omar grew up on long island, new york. captain of several high school sports teams. he took a gap year in israel in 2020 before deciding to stay and join the idf. his parents have not been able to reach him since october 7th and believe he's been taken captive by hamas. his mother orna nutra joins us now. i know it's a very difficult time. our thoughts are with you. what are your thoughts about your son and when was the last time you talked to him? >> thank you for having me. we last heard from omer on october 6th. although he was in israel and we are here in new york, he made a point in keeping in touch. we spoke a lot, whenever he could. and on friday night we spoke just like, you know, a regular friday before the weekend and he said that he expected it to be a calm weeknd, it had been a really tough month before that with the jewish holidays and him positioned close to the border, and that they were told that it was expected to be calm, and things were under control, and obviously a few hours later we know that it was anything but calm. and he was on the front line and he was positioned there to protect the villages around there which we know needed the protection but they were not prepared for what happened that morning. they were ambushed and raided and he was taken and they, you know, they show him in their own videos taking him out and taking him into gaza. we have not heard from him since, no sign of life, nothing, it's been 60 days today. it's a long time. >> bret: it's a very long time. when you hear some of the hostages who have been released talking about captivity and you see the stop and start of the ceasefire or the pause in action by the israeli forces against hamas, what do you think about all of that? >> it's terrifying. it's really terrifying. you know, it's been 60 days, like we said. we hear their account of what they have gone through. it's only getting worse. and being under military action now it's -- what can i say, i have no words, it gets worse and worse and time is really critical here. the biden administration assured us that they are doing everything they can to ensure the release of the hostages but it's 60 days. it's very scary. >> bret: very scary and very frustrating i'm sure to not have a lot of word. finally, when you see some of the protests around the country and here in america and college campuses and around the world who focus on the israeli action needing to stop, how do you view it? it doesn't seem like they talk or think about the hostages still in hamas custody. >> you have to think about the hostages, you know. this -- i feel for all the civilians, the civilians in gaza, the civilians in israel, the hostages, but this is a group of terrorists. this has to come to some kind of resolution. the international community should, you know, work together to bring this to resolution, bring the hostages home and make sure that they can't -- that hamas can't impact what's happening in that region. >> bret: we appreciate your time. a difficult time and we are thinking and praying for your son. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> bret: sandra, back to you. >> sandra: we pray and hope the best for her and her family and her son. and any moment we could get an update from the state department, many women's groups and prominent democrats are staying silent of the atrocities by hamas. we will take you to the briefing when it begins. >> bret: anti-israel protests overtaking city streets, and whether the white house is doing enough to address all of this. >> the purposeful gathering of a mob outside of a restaurant simply because it is owned by a jewish person, well, that's antisemitism. ♪ can't stop adding stuff to your cart? get the bank of america customized cash rewards card, choose the online shopping category and earn 3% cash back. directv sports central brings your games, stats and scores together... and now you can get it without a satellite. one more reason to finally get rid of cable. but getting rid of the cable guy might not be as easy. oh yeah, touchback! visit directv.com for up to a $400 reward card. sometimes, the lows of bipolar depression feel darkest before dawn. with caplyta, there's a chance to let in the lyte. caplyta is proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and ii depression. and in clinical trials,