covering the unspeakably brutal attack on israel by hamas and now the wider war, among the best and bravest in the business. they've seen and devastation for decades, and yet some of them have choked up at having to report the absolutely gruesome details of the atrocities carried out by the hamas terrorists. my fox news colleague trey yingst. >> reporter: you see scenes of parents showing up to -- sorry. it's difficult. >> yeah. >> reporter: parents showing up to give hair of their kids to the authorities to see if they can match the dna to the bodies. just horrific. howard: anderson cooper, after a woman described the kidnapping of family members. >> i'm sorry i'm so emotional. howard: cnn's nick robertson on talking to an israeli military official. >> reporter: and i asked him how are you going to get these hostages back. >> all right. nick robertson, thank you. >> reporter: and what he told me was -- >> go ahead, nick. >> reporter: i'm sorry, abby. and how he k he toll me that they were going to do everything in their power to get them back. howard: by putting themselves in harm's way, many have had to take cover. nwc's richard engel -- nbc's richard engel. >> reporter: i can tell you right now, there's been a lot of incoming fair here. howard: with the death toll in israel over 3900, hamas is claiming over 2300 killed by retaliatory airstrikes, but the israeli military at least tries to avoid casualties. what has been so heartbreaking for journalists to report, more than 200 young people slaughtererred at a music festival, many women waned, families with children taken -- raped, families with children taken hostage. babies decapitated. a bloody crisis like this reminds us not just that journalism can be risky, but that letters are human beings -- reporters are human beings who grapple with their emotions in dealing with unimaginable terror. i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." ♪ howard: from president biden to pundits across the spectrum, most -- but not all -- are backing israel. >> more than 1,000 civilians slaughtered. not just killed, slaughtered, in israel. among them, at least 14 american citizens. parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children. we must be crystal clear, we stand with israel. >> israel is fighting back against what is a savage enemy that wants to wipe them off the planet. >> they want israel to occupy gaza, get enmeshed in a, you know, door to door, house to house fighting there, kill a to hot of palestinian civilians and immediately erode the moral high ground that it has right now. >> these are animals committing atrocities against civilians. they're raping women, kidnapping children and butchering corpses and parading them around like a savage ritual. if you can't take the right side on this war after hearing these repugnant tactics, there's something wrong with you. howard: on "the view," sharp iser criticism of israel fighting back. >> and when you look at that law, part ofs it is retaliation against innocent civilians collectively is also terror and is also a war crime. howard: joining us now to analyze the cover coverage, ben domenech, and in los angeles, leslie marshall. both are fox news contributors. ben, almost every story the media cover there are, there's a divide. one side says this, the other side says that. the consensus in the american press right now seems to be after these unthinkable hamas atrocities that there are not two sides. >> yeah, i don't think that most of the media is taking that side, so i think that some of the voices that are taking that position stand out all the more. you obviously played the clip from sunny hostin on "the view," there have been a couple other media members on msnbc and elsewhere who have taken an opposite stand, certainly on social media you see some of this. but i do think it's almost impossible to advance that argument in the face of the facts as we know them on the ground. and, look, gaza is an incredibly, an incredibly condensed population. you do not have the luxury of, you know, as we've seen in many other conflicts of really having the possibility of bombing them in any real sense, responding to them as israel has every right to without the threat of the deaths of innocents. but that's something that, frankly, hamas was counting on. howard: yes. >> it's something they understood about this dynamic, and we have to understand that this is something that they welcomed because they do not care about their people. they only sought the death of jews. howard: leslie, whatever mistakes the israeli government has made, isn't that dwarfed by a massacre at a music festival and the killing of children and babiesesome. >> look -- babies? >> look, i have a jewish parent, i'm married to a muslim, i lived in israel, and i also have been to the palestinian territory, so i don't come at this from sound bites or headlines or pictures or videos online, i've seen it with my own eyes. certainly, i haven't been there during this. what happened is absolutely horrific. it is a massacre. it is mass murder. and here is my worry, howie, and i don't want to be, like, leslie was right, but my worry was9 that the tide would start to change, and i think hamas counted on it. some people would say hamas set a trap for israel and they're perhaps stepping into it with what they plan to do in gaza. gaza is, almost 52, 53% of their 2.3 million population are under 18 years of age, so more than half of the gauze san population are children. and, you know what in i read something on twitter, and it made me cry, and it said i will stand alongside the casket of an israeli child the same as i stand along the casket of a palestinian child. and i think that's what it is. when it comes to the children, the children are not part of the 44% that elected hamas into government in gaza. howard: right. which is a dictatorship, by the way. >> the problem is -- right. that's what we're seeing, absolutely. and that's what we're seeing, i think, in the change in the tone of coverage and also in the response and also in the increase free palestinian and pro-palestinian, not pro-hamas rallies. howard: the american press was notoriously silent during the holocaust, now i think that's not the case. do you think we are moving on to deal with what is a humanitarian crisis in gaza with the blockade and not having enough food and a million people ordered to move from the north to the south and some of them don't have any shelter? >> look, i understand that the media -- this is something that i think was very predictable, and leslie was right to predict it just in the sense that it was something i was saying a week ago as well. you're going to see the media inevitably move away from this pro-israel position and start to say, oh, well, they've gone too far, oh, well, you know, this is too much. but i think what we have to understand is that israel, if israel stops defending itself, if it allows these types of, a massacre of this type to happen without the repercussions of going in and taking out the leaders of hamas and the participants in this in a very direct and violent way, then they will be exterminated. they will be exterminated by the people who want to see them exterminated. and that's why israel has to keep fighting, and that's the perspective i think the media has a duty to offer. this is one side in this situation that brought this upon themselves with their inhuman action against innocents and that the innocent casualties of war that inevitably follows is something that they began. it was not israel that took the first step. howard: right. and israel, you know, its enemies like hamas, like hezbollah believe it has no right to exist, wants to wipe the country off the map. leslie, it's certainly fair to create says president biden who i thought gave a very moving and forceful speech. we played a little bit at the top, for his dealings with iran which funds and trains groups like hamas. and now after a saying, oh, that $6 billion that was part of the iranian assets for the prisoner swap, it was irrelevant, now they've caved to pressure and freezed it again. should the media make that a main focus? >> no, i don't think finish. you know, just like i didn't think covid should be political, this shouldn't be political. i know people say how can you not -- this shouldn't be political. i think this is humanitarian. honestly, nobody should be pro-hamas, nobody should also be when the u.n. says we have people in hospitals and we can't mauve them in 24 hours, please, we are begging you, including our own workers, nobody should be pro that east. we as a world -- either. we as a world need to get together. it's not just iran, howie. when this first started, jordan and egypt were very pro-israel, and after israel made that stance and said what they were going to do and gave the gazans in the north 24 hours to get to the south and people were, like, where will they go, especially with the denseness of the population, you've seen a change in that tone. from jordan, from egypt. so certainly, you know, people want to criticize president biden, he's not alone with the rest of the world. what they're trying to do is prevent iran from attacking and being able to have nuclear weapons quicker to attack israel. but i don't think this is the time to be playing, you know, politics. i think this is the time for the world to get together to stop what could be not only middle east war but, god forbid, a world war. howard: right. donald trump has taken a lot of flak for some comments he made, flak from the media, from democrats and from some of his republican presidential opponents for saying this. let's roll it. >> i'll never forget that bibi netanyahu let us down. that was a very terrible thing. hezbollah's very smart. they were all very smart. howard: ben, it's the timing of trump's remarks, and he's referring to a military operation that he says israel bailed on, israelis deny this. but what do you make of the former president's comments here? >> his inability to move away from if making anything personal even in the most dire of circumstances, are we supposed to be surprised at this point many. [laughter] of course this is what a he cares about the most. i think he's actually spent the days following trying to walk that back -- howard: yeah. saying israel has no greater friend -- >> exactly, exactly. i have to respond to what leslie just said about the iran deal because i don't think that's turning this into in any way, i don't want to take away are from what joe biden said about israel, because i thought that was one of the strongest things he said in a long time. at the same time, the special envoy that he appointed, okay, the original author of this iran deal, rob malley, is currently urn suspension for violating so many different security protocols and being suspected of actually being an iranian spy or perhaps enabling their own agents to take advantage of that deal, a deal that came back on, it became live again as soon as joe biden was elected. so from my perspective, that pratt question about is the coddling -- separate question about is the cods -- coddling of iran under the obama and biden administerings is that a fair question? i think the answer is absolutely yes with. howard: leslie, a brief response from you. >> i think it's a fair question, but, yup, what i can't stand and i see it -- you know, what i can't stand is whether it's from the right who can't get their act together in the house, for crying out loud, to tan are this fenger-pointing and blaming president biden for this when the only blame with, and we love to blame, don't we? americans love to blame, more than anybody else, you knowing, the only blame here is hamas. let's go back to blame. donald trump was blamed, rightly so, by both sides for talking about smart, intelligent terrorist organization, hezbollah. and, you know, i think, i agree with ben on that 100% -- >> just quickly -- >> you know, did a 180 when he said -- >> the house can't get its act to together because of 208 democrats and their decision to join with the hateful 8 -- howard: we'll talk -- >> but one of them wasn't marjorie taylor greene. [laughter] howard: we'll talk about that later. >> marjorie taylor greene did blame joe biden for what is happening in the middle east. howard: all right. can i call a halt to this? [laughter] i did want to mention i'm glad president biden did an interview with "60 minutes." he seems to be getting that people need to see a president leading in times of crisis. also a reuters reporter was killed and ap has sidelined a gaza reporter who tweeted things like israelis elect nazis. when we come back, why some in the media are refusing to call hamas a terrorist organization. ♪ ♪ it's easy to get lost in investment research. introducing j.p. morgan personal advisors. hey david. connect with an advisor to create your personalized plan. let's find the right investments for your goals okay, great. j.p. morgan wealth management. [ applause ] >> the day you get your clearchoice dental implants makes every day a confident day... a never-hide-my-smile day... a life-of-the-party day... a take-on-the-world day... a believe-in-myself day... a flash-my-new-teeth day. because your clearchoice day is the day you get your confidence back for good. a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation. howard: some left-wingers for reason of ideology or ethnicity have no sympathy for is reel, are quick to blame the jewish statement for any mid violence including msnbc. >> what we're seeing today are very deadly consequences of failed policies, failure on the american administration's part to change ours, to take a different course cans of action with how it deals with the palestinians and the israeli, failure on israel's part. >> msnbc has made 441 references to hamas militants or or the fighters. they are terrorists. full stop. and msnbc's pathetic refusal to call them that is just shameful pandering to their far-left audience. howard: ben, so disappointing for some at msnbc, but why are liberals generally so afraid of using the word terrorist to describe clearly horrible acts of terror? >> i think, howie, there's a connection here that we need to understand which is the reason that you see support from the socialists, from the b with lm backers, from a lot of the same people in these leftist organizations is because these are all the different trees, different branches of the tree e of the decolony sizer -- decolonizer movement as a whole, whatever you want to describe it as, which has become a cause celebre on the far left. i think you're seeing a conflict which is to some degree a generation aal conflict between the left establishment which typically is more akin to manager pro-israel or at least fine with israel with a younger and quite loud, vibrant leftist movement within not just the media landscape, but the political landscape as a well which views this as part of that overall effort and is completely alignedded with palestine, the same people you see appearing at rallies, putting up their palestine flag in response to support from israel that you see from most of american politics. howard: leslie, "the new york times" insisted on calling hamas militants. and there was a story the that said they were terrorists, okay, they've finally seen the light, but the story was changed later in the day to gunmen. washington post, bbc also avoiding use of the word terrorist. how do you see it? >> i see it as we're focusing on the wrong issue. it really doesn't matter what we call them, and i call them terrorists and i'm a liberal democrat. i think the reason for this, howie, is twofold. one, the united nations does not list hamas as a terrorist organization; rather, they do call them a militant operation. and and also because they are an elected political body, you know, by 44% of those that could vote, of the less than half that are over 18. and like you said, it was not, you know, it wasn't a majority by, you know -- [laughter] if you win by majority, if so, they would have lost. howard: yeah. >> so i think that's part, you know, part of the reason. i don't think it's pandering being on the left, sorry, ben, but being on the left it doesn't make me feel good or bad what they call them. we all see what's happened in the same pictures, and if i may add a quickly one other thing, i really want us to be careful about lumping people that are saying they're pro-hamas to people who are pro-free palestine. howard: yeah, i understand that. i understand that. >> but it is important, but it is important -- >> people that feel that they have -- >> it's important that we call it out for what it is. i mean, i think -- >> right. but -- [inaudible conversations] >> i don't think any of these people are taking marching orders from the united nations. and, frankly, the united nations which is, essentially, an anti-israel body in the way that it behaves and certainly is in no position to lecture us given the kind of elevation that they have given to authoritarian and despotic regimes around the world who use the u.n. to recycle and basically try to apply, get some kind of shamefulness and moral equivalency to the rest of the world and the free world and the west. i simply do not accept the idea that it doesn't matter what we call them. howard: all right. >> call them militants and you're wearing, you are weighing in in favor of palestine in this moment, i think it's a tell about what you're willing to do and how much you are willing to grapple with the extreme and hateful acts that went on as we saw this past week. howard: i don't want to be unfair to ordinary palestinians living in poverty in gaza is, but i'll tell you this, if gunman had killed 200 people at a music festival in nashville or boston, all the media would be using the word terrorist. leslie, there have also been all of these rallies on behalf of either hamas or palestine, depending on how you look at it, midtown manhattan, columbia, where i went, harvard students putting out statements, it's all israel's fault. all this violence is israel's fault. what is it about some elements of the left that refuse to condemn the killing of children and babies carried out by hamas? >> you know, it's very interesting i'm on tv today about this with you, because last night we had a belatedded birthday for me with my and kids and we were walking through downtown l.a., and there were a bunch of people that were pro-palestinian and didn't want occupation. they were all getting, like, tacos -- howard: briefly. >> and i said can i just can is you something, i said, what's your take? basically, they were not pro-has ma -- hamas. it was a problem, not just a line in the sand, but that these people had just been oppressed for so long and that something, like it was a matter of time before somebody was going to do something horrific. that was their stance. howard: okay. well, different people on that side of the argument have different views. ben domenech, leslie marshall, thanks for joining this conversation. up next, we'll go to israel for a talk about how journalists deal with the horror of the hamas atrocities. ♪ ♪ tarctica... you have to experience it to truly appreciate the beauty, the wildlife, the sheer majesty. experience it with state-of-the-art expedition equipment and hands-on scientific research activities, all in exceptional viking comfort. we invite you to discover the world's seventh continent: antarctica. viking. exploring the world in comfort. my a1c was up here; now, it's down with rybelsus®. his a1c? 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[inaudible conversations] [background sounds] everyone down? other your head. more rocket fire now. howard: covering the war between us eel and hamas, as we noted earlier, is dangerous business. joining us now from southern israel is fox's trey yingst. before we get to our border conversation, trey, tell us the latest that you're seeing on the ground there. >> reporter: yeah, howard, just a few moments ago we had some incoming rocket fire here in the southern part of israel. hamas and islamic jihad continue to fire on southern and central israeli communities, sending millions running to bomb shelters. this has been a familiar scene since that massacre last saturday that left more than 1300 israeli soldiers and civilians dead at the hands of hamas. we do know in the north there's been some activity today to as well. five separate anti-tank guided missiles fired into israeli territory, and the israelis pushed to respond along the border there from hezbollah. this is a significant development, because it does bring up this issue of whether or not this will expand into a much broader conflict. howard: right. which everybody 's worried about. i've seen you report on scenes of heinous crime. what kind of toll is it taking on you personally? >> reporter: look, we have a job to do, and it's our job to go to the places that other people won't go and tell the stories that other people won't tell. and this week that involved going to israeli communities along the border and looking at the aftermath of massacres against civilians. what happened last weekend was not combatant on combatant, it was a terror attack against innocent civilians. we went to a community that's known for its printing press and also for its art gallery. people were peaceful there. they were quietly at home on a weekend and militants, terrorists went into the homes of these civilians and slaughte. so it's part of our job to go and to show people what it was like, and it was truly horrific. bloodstained the floors, there were bodies lining the sidewalks in this small community, and it just gives you a sense of what it's like here in southern israel. personally, we've got to put a lot of our emotions aside. we have to let people know what's happening here, understanding that a we are, indeed, the first draft of history and for decades to come people will look back at this moment, and they need accurate and clear information about what a took place. howard: right. at the same time, as we saw in clips we played at the top, every journalist tries to put his or her emotions aside, but it can be almost impossible when you're dealing with murdered children and so forth, and you're not alone on this. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. and, look, there have been some difficult, difficult moments over the past week. we have seen the worst of humanity on display, howie, really. howard: right. >> the worst that can be done to humans was done to these israeli civilians, women, children, people who were peaceful people slaughtered in their own homes. we watched as bodies were piled into the back of a pickup truck outside the sderot police station. very minutes after this took place as the attack was unfolding, we were the first crew down here in southern israel at an evacuation point, and we watched as mothers pulled their children out of the backs of their personal cars trying to push them into waiting ambulances and get them any sort of help they could receive. we watched as soldiers pulled their wounded friends out of jeeps, trying to resuscitate them on the ground and when they couldn't get a pulse, they similarly had to leave them. -- simply had to leave them as they died in front of our eyes and moved on to the next one. it was pure chaos here in southern israel, and it's part of the reason these soldiers are so moteuated -- motivated to bring the fight to hamas inside because gaza. dozens of soldiers say, yes, they are scared for the war to come, it will be a bloody and difficult battle, but they're ready. hu howe just sitting here in a television studio, it's hard to listen to this, sometimes hard to watch. i've talked to a lot of people who just turn it off to get a break from the inhumanity, you say. so too old that as you are doing it -- to do that as you are doing it day after day after day really takes a level of positional. ism -- professionalism. thank you, trey yingst from israel. >> reporter: thank you. howard: next on "mediabuzz," the washington press corps dealing with the paralysis of the house speaker's race. stay with us. ♪ muck [car door slam] [camera shutter sfx] introducing ned's plaque psoriasis. 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[laughter] when jordan ran the second time, austin scott ran against him, and a lot of reporters were google him. how do you fine out, because you're up on the hill so much, what's going on when republicans have 50 different takes and scenarios about the backstage maneuveringsome. >> i do have a lot of republican members reaching out to me trying to share. so you're being proactive in texting them, they're being proactive, but they're also trying to gauge what i know. hey, what are you hearing and, you know, you sort of swap information back and forth, and then you ask them as well. but with austin scott, when he decided to run, i think there's something important there, he was going around saying he didn't want it. he's a steve scalise ally, and 81 republicans voted for him, hen there was -- a protest candidate. then there was a second ballot, and 55 republicans on a secret ballot said they would not support him on the floor. jordan allies think they can shave it down, but can they shave it down by more than 50? >> anybody want to see mchenry possibly? that's a name that's percolating now, speaker pro tem. howard: i don't know. i've got to get some of these numbers, no congressmen are texting me. [laughter] these candidates can only lose four votes. is this the, well, a crazy system? >> it is a crazy system. i think -- remember when harry reid had the nuclear option and people were, like, you'll reyet that? i think the gop really regrets having gone to this level because this can happen again and again and again. and it paralyzes the country. it's one thing to put it in a political perspective what because it do to the gop, but what does it do to the country? our business needs to get done, and that's not happening right now. howard: jim jordan, olivia, had endorsed scalise, offered to make a nominating speech for him, one version by axios said only if scalise agreed to make a speech for him if he couldn't get to the magic number. and remember jim jordan, as i know you know, has been endorsed by donald trump, but a lot of people are refusing to go along. why have these test votes if everyone's going to say, okay, you got the most votes, so we're all going to support you? >> they don't believe the number with jordan, 55, is accurate. there was enough grassroots conservatives, talk show radio hosts and members of the party who will pressure the holdouts who say you need to cave, we're going to come after you if you don't, primary challenger, and even republicans i was talking to today, they're reluctant to support him, but they say are you going to vote for him on the house floor? yeah, otherwise we get a a primary challenger. howard: there's also threats? >> i mane, people want to keep their jobs. howard: yes, they do. >> there's an incentive to vote a certain way on the house floor. >> there's horse trading. but there's horse trading and outright threats, and i think you're right, outright threats is something that a lot of members are gown to have to be faced with. howard: a lot of people think this is inside baseball, they don't particularly care who's speaker. the house can't vote on aid to israel, ukraine or avoiding a government shutdown which led to mccarthy losing his job which is now a month away. so there are real world consequences here. >> dereliction of duty if you don't get the job done because, ultimately, untalk about the politics, but the -- you can talk about the politics, but they have an obligation and responsibility to get their speaker done, vote for and get the business done. they're not doing it yet, but that could happen monday night at 6:00, 6:30. howard: or not for another week -- >> yeah, you never know. indeed. >> on that subject, there were a few democrats who said, they sent a letter and were, like, we'll extend the power of the interim speaker, patrick mchenry, if you help us with with israel and ukraine aid, but there doesn't seem like an appetite right now with house republicans. there are some who don't want mchenry's power extended. howard: oh. i was going to say it sounds like a reasonable compromise. some republicans say, well, i can't vote for steve saw lease because he's -- scalise because he's battling blood cancer, or some say jim jordan's too head strong. are these basically excuses for ideological or personal opposition? >> i mane, you're seeing the -- i mean, you're seeing the different camps trying to pick whatever they can to launch their candidate forward. howard: right. >> you are hearing that from jordan allies, but there are also some who were just going to oppose scalise no matter what and vice versa. there's been a lot of poisoning of the well. there's different poisons from mccarthy allies not wanting scalise and blocking him and jim jordan allies as well, you know, feeling like scalise allies are blocking them. there's so much poison in the well right now, it's hard to see them moving forward at the moment. howard: yeah. and, of course, this has brought so much criticism from the media who love when parties fight within themselves. but -- particularly when rewill palins fight among themselves. -- republicans. but at the same time, this is dragging on and on, and republicans themselves have gone before the cameras and saying we look like fools and so forth. it's not just, don't blame it on the media. good conversation, kevin corke olivia beavers, thanks so much. after the break, with israel coming under growing criticism for the mass evacuation in gaza, the head of the adl is here next. ♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> the day you get your clearchoice dental implants makes every day a confident day... a never-hide-my-smile day... a life-of-the-party day... a take-on-the-world day... a believe-in-myself day... a flash-my-new-teeth day. because your clearchoice day is the day you get your confidence back for good. a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation. aah, it's a good day to cough. oh, no! bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours?! hmmm, ok. not coughing at yoga. antiquing not coughing? 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(soft music) ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ ( ♪ ) with the push of a button, constant contact's ai tools help you know what to say, even when you don't. hi! constant contact. helping the small stand tall. howard: jonathan greenblatt, chief executive of the antidefamation league, didn't mince words when he appears on "morning joe is." >> i love this show and i love this network, but i've got to ask, who is writing the scripts? hamas, the people who did this, they are not fighters, jonathan, they are not militants. and i'm looking right at the camera. they are terrorists. howard: and joining us now from new york is the adl's jonathan green balad. you really let msnbc have it. why? >> look, this is a war, like you said, but it's not a war that israel started. it's not a war with two equivalent sides, and this false equivalency referring to the individuals from hamas as combatants or fighters or militants, they are terrorists, they are barbarians. and for the american people to understand what's at stake, just hike we talked about al-qaeda and isis, we've got to put hamas in the right context. this wasn't an attack, howard, it was a massacre. the israelis are not retaliating, they're responding with a defensive measure. and, frankly, the organization occupying gaza a is not is reel, it's hamas. israel, it's hamas. hamas is the most anti-palestinian group in the world. it's a terror organization that's moved the palestinian people farther from their national aspirations than any other organization in the industry. howard: -- in history. howard: right. and in many cases, using them as human shields. i've been surprised by some of the liberal rallies on campuses at some of the nation's top schools and elsewhere not just supporting the palestinian people, but celebrating the brutal attacks on israel last weekend. do you find that troubling? >> i wouldn't call them liberal, i'd call them loathsome. anyone who thinks that decolonization involves decapitation should have their e own head examed, howard. -- examed, howard. there's nothing liberal about burning babies in their cribs. rape is not resistance. so these large scale rallies, these are essentially pro-hamas demonstration thes. now, it's possible that some of the people involved might not realize it. it's possible that some of the people are showing up because they care, and i get that. but literally, i mean, if you think that there's apartheid in gaza where there are no israelis, if you think that the by any means necessary means, you know, murdering children in front of their parents, murdering parents in front of their children, seizing toddlers as hostages, it is a deranged mentality. this is what we need to focus on, howard, because it is the dehumanization of israelis, it is the demonization of jews that creates the condition in which people can believe these lies, and they're dangerous. we track anti-semitism, we've seen an explosion of anti-semitic incidents. in the past week alone in america, howard, we've had ab increase of almost 300% reported incidents versus the same time last year. howard: all right. that's indeed -- i've got to jump in here, that's troubling, and i will say that every news organization should call them terrorists. there's no question that hamas launched this war with a series of atrocities that shocked the world's conscience. but there is growing criticism, as you know, of israel for ordering 1 million hamas civilians -- excuse me, gaza civilians -- to move from the knot to the south. -- north to the south. there are shortages of food, of fuel, many don't have shelter. don't you worry that world opinion will turn existence the israelis? >> well, i certainly worry about the world opinion turning against the israelis, and i certainly wish the israelis didn't have to undertake such a massive exercise, of course. but the truth is, howard, this could end today. it could be stopped if the hamas would give up the hostages and say they were going to put down their arms and work out a means to live in peace with israel. the organization with the power to stop this is hamas. this is hamas' war. they started it, hamas can finish it by returning the hostages, they can finish it by laying down their arms. so who's responsible for displacing these palestinians? hamas. who's responsible for the pain and suffering in gaza? hamas. it started with hamas, but it will be finished by israel is hamas doesn't do the right thing. howard: all right. i've got a little more than a minute. let me ask you this, if we are to grieve for the killing and wounding of innocent israeli children and babies, as of course we should -- >> yes. howard: -- shouldn't we have the same sympathy for innocent children and babies in gaza? >> we should have the same sympathy. every life is a world. every life taken is a world destroyed. innocent israelis were butchered last weekend, innocent palestinians certainly will suffer as well. who's accountable for their suffering? hamas. who's responsible for the situation? hamas. who can end this hinge today if they return the hostages, lay down their arms? hamas. howard: what are the people of gaza supposed to do? hamas is a dictatorship with plenty of arms. they can't rise up and overthrow them, seems unrealistic. >> look, it's the not for me to lay out a geostrategic argument -- howard: okay. >> but i do know that a gaza is borderedded by israel and egypt. egypt is as accountable. egypt is as responsible. so i just think, like, blaming one side, drawing false equivalencies, you know, it really hurts all of us because it doesn't do the situation justice the. many terms of what's -- justice in terms of what's happening on the ground. howard: i understand. jonathan greenblatt, appreciate the chance to talk to you. >> thank you. howard: still to come, rfk jr.'s family denounces him and why george will's wife objects to his latest column. ♪ unpredictable and inconvenie nt, but with a generac home standby generator, nt, your life goes on uninterrupted because you'll have power when you need it the most. - with the generac it powers our well, the refrigerator, and my cpap machine, which are all things that we need to survive on a day-to-day basis - [narrator] get the security and peace of mind your family deserves with a home standby generator from generac. eight out of 10 home generators are generac with thousands of satisfied customers. - it's the peace of mind to get the generac generator. that was the best investment that we could have ever made. - [narrator] and owning a generator is easier than ever. special financing is available with low monthly payment options. act now and you will also receive a free seven-year warranty valued at $735. power your life with generac. call or go online to request your free quote today. (vo) sail through the heart of historic cities and unforgettable scenery with viking. unpack once and get closer to iconic landmarks, local life and cultural treasures. because when you experience europe on a viking longship, you'll spend less time getting there and more time being there. viking. exploring the world in comfort. howard: the news had already been leaked, but robert kennedy jr. is abandoning his democratic bid and running for president as an independent. that brought this blast from four of his siblings, californialy kennedy can, rory kennedy, joe kennedy ii and kathleen kennedy townsend. the decision of our brother or is dangerous to our country. bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same value, vision or judgment. we denounce his candidacy. rfk jr. or responded on "fox & friends." >> and it was very painful of for me. i mean, i was raised in the democratic party. my, my father, my uncles were the leaders of the party. howard: the pundits are divided on who rfk would help or hurt. president biden met voluntarily this week with robert her, the other doj special counsel investigating classified documents. in this case, those taken by biden after he was vice president and found in his delaware home as well as his d.c. office at penn biden center. that strongly suggests the i justice department is closes to wrapping up its probe of the president. this, of course, didn't make huge headlines compared to the trump investigation. george santos, who makes up a whole lot of stuff, has been hit with new criminal charges beyond his original indictment. the latest accusations against the freshman congressman with the fabricated resumé includes stealing the identities and the credit cards of donors to his campaign. by the way, his campaign treasurer just pleaded guilty to a felony. the editor-in-chief of "harper's bazaar" has apologized for her comments about the mid if east war. she said on instagram that israel cutting off water and electricity to gaza is, quote, the most inhuman thing aye seen in my life. israel says the blockade will be lifted when hamas releases the hostages. she now say says sorry to the entire jewish community for, quote, my deeply insensitive and hurtful comments adding she's in no way sympathetic to a terrorist group that just murdered thousands of israeli citizens. conservative commentator george will says it's time for tim cost to adopt out of the presidential race. -- tim scott. his piece has a disclaimer, the columnist's wife disagrees with this conclusion. of course she does. marie will is an advise iser or to senator scott is. that's it for this edition of "mediabuzz." i'm howard kurtz. hope you'll subscribe to my free daily podcast, media buzzmeter. we refer to the day's five buzziest stories and have fun with some other stuff as a well. we will continue to cover and this network will continue to cover the ongoing war in the middle east. of it is very difficult, as we have talked about, to cover, to put your emotions aside, but that's what we do. back here next sunday. we'll see you then at 11 eastern. ♪ ♪ ax gels cold & flu relief with more concentrated power because the only thing dripping should be your style. plop plop fizz fizz winter warriors with alka-seltzer plus. f-r-e-e. e-x-a-m. oh. yeah. free exam. at america's best, you get a free, quality eye exam when you buy two pairs of glasses starting at just $79.95. the exam alone is worth at least fifty-nine bucks. who wouldn't like to save that? two pairs and a free exam starting at just $79.95. book an exam today at americasbest.com. >> wte