Life in Israel one year after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks is far from a return to normal, as one expert explained to Fox News Digital what it’s like dealing with the psychological fallout of the massacre while living near an active war zone – and even the lasting consequences for American Jews 12 months later.

Dr. David Fox, director of crisis and trauma services for Chai Lifeline International, a Jewish nonprofit and network supporting families living with illness or loss, said he’s traveled to Israel multiple times over the last year to meet with hostages’ families and consult with survivors’ families on the ground. 

“I think Oct. 7 will remain seared into the consciousness of Jews and of Israelis,” Fox told Fox News Digital. “It’s sometimes just referred to as ‘the seventh’ or as ‘October.’ October is not an Israeli or Hebrew word, but that’s what it’s been called. So I don’t think it will ever be forgotten as an infamous day of what has become an ongoing battle for survival.”

The Los Angeles-based rabbi described to Fox News Digital how daily life in Israel remains uprooted: Tens of thousands of Israelis are internally displaced, and Israeli families must adjust as parents who were in the Army Reserves are tapped again for active duty. With a cease-fire and hostage release deal still yet to actualize, Fox also explained the lasting trauma and constant fear of another attack — especially in border areas. 

Fox said he spoke to one of the country’s most prominent infertility specialists who transitioned from his day-to-day life as a gynecologist and obstetrician back into military service.  

The doctor now spends his days crawling onto the battlefield to rescue soldiers who have been hit and carry them back to ambulances to be transported to hospitals. 

ISRAELI AIR FORCE STRIKES HOUTHI TARGETS IN YEMEN WITH ‘EXTENSIVE’ OPERATION

“The families of those reservists who have now been activated and deployed, they may not see daddy for weeks or sometimes months at a time. Spouses may not see one another for a while… and there is that apprehension. Will he or will she return? So that has been a crisis for many individuals,” Fox explained. “On the other hand, those who serve in the IDF and the armed forces, they do it with a strong sense of conviction that we’re doing the right thing, and we’re doing really what God wants, but we’re doing what our families need us to be doing right now. So those unfortunate separations don’t end up fragmenting the family.” 

“But I believe in most situations, the children will look up to that parent who has to be away,” Fox said. “They’ll look up with love and admiration. But this has definitely been a change in what goes on on the ground, that family life has been changed.” 

A heightened threat environment is especially palpable in moshavs, which are cooperative Jewish agricultural settlements in Israel. Fox cited a recent conversation with members of one moshav, which was “surrounded by villages which were hostile,” where settlers could hear messages broadcast from prayer towers or minarets calling out for attacks against Jews. 

“Some of them are armed and many of them are not,” Fox said of the Jewish residents. “The army and security guards may not always be available at this point to shelter, to protect civilians. So there is a feeling of fluidity. The situation is changing.” 

Over the past year, Fox said Chai Lifeline worked to expand its crisis hotline to provide “around the clock” support, as well as Zoom counseling, trauma intervention and other materials to Israelis or people who had family in Israel who witnessed the horrors of Hamas terrorists slaughtering approximately 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages on Oct. 7, 2023. Since then, the rabbi said he observed another societal change among young Israelis “who are politically conscious” as they look at the “response or non-response of other countries, of the Red Cross or the United Nations” and are “rethinking their confidence in who we trust.” 

“An ally who’s with you in peace time, but who ignores you or turns against you in times of strife is not an ally,” Fox said. 

“The world does not expect the Jews to fight back,” he added. “The world does not expect a small country who has faced massacre and slaughter to get up and protect itself by going on the, let’s say, the avenging offense. And we do have to face the condemnation of many of the sanctions of others. But I think a groundswell of understanding from still others that we are fighting to survive, and we are doing what any other country would do. If citizens were attacked and raped and mutilated and butchered, and their homes desecrated, I think we are doing what virtually any sovereign nation would do if its people were attacked.” 

The trauma of the Oct. 7 attacks, Fox said, has remained for Israeli civilians and the families of hostages, including those who are still held in Gaza and are subjected to deprivation and torture. 

Yet, Fox said there’s also a bolstered sense of support among the Israeli people in supporting each other as the Jewish state continues its war effort. 

“We know that there is a constant punctuation of the reactive grief by an intensification of horror and feeling terrorized,” Fox told Fox News Digital. “The attitude of the Jewish people historically and of the Israeli nation since its inception has been to react to oppression by displays of resilience coming together.” 

IRAN’S AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI IN HIDING WITH EXTRA SECURITY FOLLOWING HEZBOLLAH LEADER’S DEATH: REPORT

The rabbi told Fox News Digital that he has been directly in touch with Israeli families who’ve retreated from their homes in the north along the Lebanon border amid the Israeli military’s escalating skirmishes and exchanges of rocket fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists, as well as people who have fled their homes in the south along the border with Hamas-controlled Gaza. Fox spoke to the continued need for intervention services, as people “out of familiar territory” have been finding “it’s very difficult to feel grounded emotionally and spiritually when you’re not sure what’s going to happen next, when you’re not sure where to go.” 

“There are families uprooted from their homes, nothing to go back to. All their belongings vanished,” Fox said. “But the country and its people, its blessed people, have absorbed those who have nowhere to go. And other communities have welcomed those in need of shelter. And we’re finding ways to get them into schools with their children and to give them some type of financial support or even employment if that’s needed.” 

“There’s also an upsurge in the principles that really have defined the Jewish religion in terms of loving kindness, charitable loss, compassion and caring for one another,” the rabbi added. “So there is this resounding feeling that we’re in this together. We’re going to help each other. Nonetheless, there’s traumatization.”  

“There’s the abject traumatization of those who were part of the targeted massacres, who still have the imprint of what they saw, what they heard, what they witnessed, and some of them what they endured physically and mentally themselves,” Fox explained. “So there has been a definite need for trauma intervention services. We’ve been providing some of that.” 

His work also extends to supporting Jewish Americans experiencing rising antisemitism in the United States. 

Anti-Israel protests reached a fever pitch last spring at U.S. college campuses. With the return of the fall semester and the Oct. 7 anniversary approaching, Fox said there’s a lot he unfortunately can’t control. 

“I think there’s a lot we can’t do,” Fox said. “Despite the fact that we’re offering support, we can’t get away from the fact that there is a new fear in the air, and it’s based on a credible threat. And how that will pan out in the course of time, whether the bigotry and the prejudice will skyrocket again or whether it will come down. I don’t think any of us can predict.” 

Fox also pointed to attrition, as more Jewish students opt to transfer to Jewish institutions and out of major elite American universities. He made a parallel with what happened in Germany leading up to the Second World War and noted that, in the present day, leadership at universities seem to “close their eyes” or “at times seem to condone” antisemitism, causing Jewish students and parents to no longer feel safe. 

“We saw this in Germany in the 1930s, where professors were fired from their positions if they were Jewish and students were, if they were Jewish, might not be admitted into the medical school or into the graduate school. So we’ve seen this before. That was because of the political governing of the state of Germany. What we’re seeing here is not coming from the White House,” Fox said. “It’s coming from other influences, other attractions. And the government or the police in some cases are just tolerating, and as I said earlier, at times, are condoning this. So it has some parallels, some echoes of pre-World War II.”

“There is a sea of change, I believe, in the attitudes shown toward Jewish people. We didn’t think it would happen in America,” he added. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed claims that the Biden administration diverted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to immigration efforts, saying the pools of funds are “different,” but that he understands why Americans are “frustrated.” 

“The streams of funding are different, that is not an untrue statement, of course,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “But the problem is with the American people, see, and what they’re frustrated by, is that FEMA should be involved. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, their mission is to help people in times like this of natural disaster. Not to be engaged in using any pool of funding from any account for resettling illegal aliens who have come across the border. That’s what the Biden administration, Kamala Harris and Secretary Mayorkas have been engaged in.” 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre last week denied that FEMA resources were going to migrants, but cited FEMA funds for migrants in 2022.

“Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants.  How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter asked during a Friday press conference.

FEMA HAS FUNDS NEEDED FOR ‘IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY,’ DESPITE MAYORKAS’ WARNING

“I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded. 

Critics have since compared her statement to comments made in 2022, where she cited FEMA resources were available to illegal immigrants.

“FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate – to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at a Sept. 16, 2022, press conference. 

“Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added.

FEMA has a pool of funds explicitly used for natural disasters, while Congress called on FEMA in 2022 to disseminate funds from Customs and Border Protection to assist American communities affected by the immigration crisis.

KJP SLAMMED AFTER HURRICANE HELENE OVER MIXED MESSAGES ON WHETHER FEMA RESOURCES USED FOR MIGRANTS

FEMA’s website currently has a “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response” page to address false claims surrounding recovery efforts, including a rebuke of the claim that FEMA diverted disaster response funds to “border related issues.”

“This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” FEMA posted in response to the claim. 

Hurricane Helene has left more than 220 people dead after flooding devastated towns and cities across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas drew national attention last week when he indicated that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which typically wraps up in November. 

LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED OVER FEMA FUNDING CONCERNS

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” he said Wednesday, heightening concerns around funds for Americans left displaced by the hurricane. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

The DHS, however, said the following day that FEMA has the funds needed to assist those currently affected. 

“FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg said on X. “As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget, but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it.”

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED TO ACT’ IN HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH: REP. CORY MILLS

Johnson said during his interview Sunday that when citizens take public transportation and spot illegal immigrants traveling the nation, their tickets are “gleefully” paid for by the Biden-Harris administration via non-governmental organizations. 

“When you see illegals in your local airport and you see them being transported around the country with planes, trains and automobiles to every community, everywhere, every state’s a border state now, because of that. That’s the NGOs, the non-governmental organizations mostly, that are transporting those people around. And then they send the receipts to the federal government,” he continued. 

“And Biden, Harris and Mayorkas gleefully pay those receipts because they open the border intentionally. The American people are disgusted by this. They’re fed up with it, and so are Republicans in Congress. And it’ll stop after Nov. 5 because we’re going to have a unified government with Republicans in charge, and we will bring sanity back to this situation,” he added. 

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

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson slammed the Biden administration’s handling of Hurricane Helene relief efforts, calling the federal government’s response an “abject failure.” 

“At the federal level, this has been a massive failure. And you could just ask the people there on the ground. I have been there. I was in Georgia. I was in Florida, where Hurricane Helene made landfall there on the coast. And then we’ll be going to the hardest hit parts of North Carolina on Wednesday of this week. When you talk to the people who are directly affected, they will tell you that this has been an abject failure,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Shannon Bream during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” 

Hurricane Helene has left more than 220 people dead after flooding devastated towns and cities across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Johnson went on to say that the nation had more than a week’s warning of the hurricane, and that FEMA should have been better prepared to assist victims. 

SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’

“FEMA has lost sight of its core mission, I think, in so many cases. And the administration has not shown that they were prepared for this eventuality and this terrible disaster. The thing about hurricanes, Shannon, is that we know that they’re coming well in advance. You know, they had more than a week’s notice of this, and yet we still have people who have not been served and even rescued in North Carolina. It is a heartbreaking, tragic and infuriating situation to have the federal government fail as they have,” he said. 

NORTH CAROLINA REELING FROM DEVASTATING HELENE AS DEATH TOLL CLIMBS: ‘NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS’

Republican elected officials, Elon Musk and volunteers have spoken out against the government’s response to the hurricane, as crews continue searching for missing people and bodies across the affected region. 

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

“There’s just a complete failure of weak leadership here in North Carolina, the federal government, and it takes mind-strong leadership in Florida to send us up here,” Florida Guard Special Missions Unit’s Jon Howard, who is assisting rescue efforts in North Carolina, said on Fox News last week. “If it wasn’t for [Gov. Ron] DeSantis sending the state guard special missions unit up here, this never even would have happened. But there’s just no support here. There’s no leadership.”

“When we meet these locals on the ground, they’re asking, like, ‘You’re from the state guard?’ I’m like, ‘I am from Florida,’ and they’re like, ‘Where’s North Carolina?’ You know, they’re asking where their leadership is,” he continued. “They have no understanding of what’s going on, and then we’ve even had people, officials here, try to kick us out of Lakemoor, out of Chimney Rock… Nonsense stuff. They’re asking me for my authorizations to be here… It’s the most insane thing you would ever see. It’s like they want these people to die.”

Musk slammed FEMA on Friday for “blocking” shipments of Starlink satellite internet deliveries to North Carolina as ravaged areas try to get back online. 

TRUMP TARGETS BIDEN, HARRIS OVER FEDERAL RESPONSE TO HURRICANE: ‘INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED’

“FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!” Musk posted on X. 

Musk said later that day that the problem was “resolved,” crediting Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, with FEMA denying any claims it confiscated any supplies for hurricane victims. 

President Biden surveyed damage from the hurricane in North Carolina and South Carolina last week, as well as spoke and met with victims in Florida and Georgia on Thursday, and called on Congress to replenish funds for disaster relief programs. 

Johnson continued that Congress will be back in session immediately following the election on Nov. 5 to address additional funding to FEMA for potential additional hurricanes and natural disasters in the immediate future. 

ELON MUSK SLAMS FEMA OVER HELENE RESPONSE IN NORTH CAROLINA AS SPACEX LOOKS TO SET UP NEW STARLINKS

“Congress will do its job. Remember that before we left Washington, the day before Helene hit, by the way, made landfall, Congress appropriated 20 billion additional dollars to FEMA so that they would have the immediate dollars they need to address the immediate needs. Then after that, Congress always takes its – the due approach of providing what is necessary,” he said, explaining that Congress first needs to see estimates on the damage from states, which he said can take time to calculate. 

Conservatives blasted Pennsylvania’s Department of State this month for scheduling a system maintenance update to its voter registration website the same day former President Trump returned to Butler, where he survived an assassination attempt in July.

The operation would have taken the site offline for several hours during the same time frame the Trump campaign expected to register voters. The department, however, moved the window of time for maintenance to later in the night amid an early outcry.

“The PA State Department voter registration website will be unavailable on Saturday, October 5th, the day that President Trump will be triumphantly returning to the site of the assassination attempt in Butler County, PA. W/ all eyes on PA, the site will be down. Coincidence?” GOP activist Scott Pressler posted to Instagram on Thursday. 

Fox News Digital reviewed archived data from the Pennsylvania Voter Registration website and found that it issued a disclaimer to voters that the website would be unavailable on Oct. 5 beginning at 6 p.m. 

“This website will undergo scheduled system maintenance and be unavailable Saturday, October 5 from 6 p.m. until 12 a.m. We thank you for your understanding.,” the Pennsylvania Voter Registration website stated on Oct. 1, an archived page reviewed by Fox News Digital shows. 

TRUMP SUPPORTER ELON MUSK OFFERS MASSIVE HOURLY PAY TO THOSE WORKING TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT

Trump announced on Sept. 25 that he would make a historic return to Butler on Oct. 5, months after he was shot in the side of the head by a would-be assassin on July 13. The Pennsylvania Voter Registration website announced its scheduled maintenance sometime between Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, archived data for the site reviewed by Fox Digital shows. 

Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and Pressler sounded the alarm on the scheduled maintenance earlier this month, questioning the timing and slamming the move as election “interference.” 

“Wow, they aren’t even trying to hide their blatant interference – appreciate you flagging, @scottpresler – @gop legal is on it and formally requesting the ‘system maintenance’ is moved to a different time,” Lara Trump posted to Facebook on Thursday, accompanied by a screenshot of an Instagram post from Pressler asking if the timing of the maintenance was just a “coincidence.” 

TRUMP’S RETURN TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, IS ‘GUTSY,’ SUPPORTERS SAY

Archived records of the website show that Pennsylvania officials updated the page on Oct. 3 – the same day Pressler and Lara Trump publicly posted about the timing of the maintenance – to reflect that the site would undergo maintenance at 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., instead of 6 p.m. until midnight. 

Trump was scheduled to take the stage in Butler at 5 p.m. Saturday, meaning the site would have gone dark as he rallied his base and encouraged residents to register to vote. 

Pressler joined Human Events’ Jack Posobiec about the matter last week, taking a victory lap that the time was changed to later in the night, following the rally, but added he’s still not “100 percent happy” with the timing of the schedule maintenance. Pressler noted that website updates are typically scheduled for the dead of night, when users are less likely to use the platform. 

“It was clear that the Pennsylvania Department of State was engaging in election interference, trying to stop all of this national attention from translating into new voter registrations,” Pressler said.

ARDENT TRUMP SUPPORTERS WEIGH IN ON SAFETY AT HISTORIC PENNSYLVANIA RALLY

Lara Trump also celebrated how the scheduled maintenance moved to later in the night, sharing on Facebook Thursday, “And just like that, we got PA to move it. Great example of what happens when citizens demand fairness.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of State on Sunday for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

The website is working as of Sunday morning, and no longer includes the disclaimer for a scheduled maintenance outage. Fox News Digital did not document the site shutting down for maintenance from Saturday evening into Sunday morning, though screenshots of the site posted to social media show the site’s reported error page for maintenance. 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES OUTDOOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY TO ‘FINISH OUR SPEECH’ AT SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

A review of the Department of State’s social media shows the website has previously shut down for scheduled maintenance at odd hours during the day, including on June 29 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. the following day. 

The historic rally in Butler drew thousands as Trump made a return to the same grounds where he was nearly killed, as well as short remarks from tech billionaire Elon Musk who stressed the importance of registering to vote. 

“I think it’s the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms… They want to take away your right to vote effectively,” Musk told the crowd on Saturday. 

Musk repeatedly encouraged the crowds to get everyone in their social circles and beyond to register and vote come Election Day. 

“And honestly, you want to just be a pest. Just be a pest to everyone. You know, people on the street everywhere,” he said. 

“Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk added, referring to how Trump shouted “fight, fight, fight” to the crowds after he was shot in the ear in July. 

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

Voters attending a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Flint, Michigan, argued that the Democratic nominee is better on immigration and that former President Trump is to blame for the current situation at the border.

“She comes with compassion and a plan,” one voter attending the Harris rally Friday told Fox News Digital. “We know that we have problems down there, but we have to do it specifically to make the changes… just throwing out rhetoric and building a wall is not going to do it. This is about people’s lives who have come here because they’re in distress and danger, and we need to help them because that’s who we are.”

The comments come as both Trump and Harris made multiple appearances in Michigan last week, highlighting the critical importance of a swing state that could decide the fate of November’s election.

KAMALA HARRIS’ SUPPORT WITH ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN IS ‘TENUOUS’: DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST

With the election just over four weeks away, polling shows Michigan could be decided by a razor-thin margin once again. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average as of Sunday, Harris currently holds a narrow 0.7 point edge in the state.

At the top of mind for voters in Michigan at both Trump and Harris rallies last week was immigration, with both sides agreeing that work needed to be done to secure the southern border. But while Trump supporters mostly pin the blame on the Biden administration, Harris supporters in Flint argued that it was Trump’s effort to kill President Biden’s bipartisan border legislation that was to blame for the current situation.

“She has worked on a bill that she said that if she’s elected she’s going to sign into law that directly puts more people on the front line that would actually be helping with the border, while Trump shot that down,” a voter told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL SHOULD HIT IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SLAMMING BIDEN’S RESPONSE

“The Biden administration tried to put through an act that would make border crossings more limited and better. It was basically a slam dunk, Trump went and told his people ‘Hey, we need to shoot this down, we can’t let them get a win,’” another voter said.

Meanwhile, some voters argued that all Trump brings to the table on the issue is “rhetoric” that divides people, while Harris has the experience to solve the problem.

“Harris is better on immigration because she’s experienced in border security, the policies and legislation that are necessary to result in a secure border,” a voter said. “Border security is a complex issue which requires a plan that’s very specific, detailed, and complex. A complex problem needs a complex solution… what we hear from former President Trump is essentially rhetoric and simple verbiage that’s not going to solve a complex problem.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on Sunday said that he will continue to “support and follow” Israel after seeing how the Jewish State has been able to humiliate Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Fetterman made the remarks on “Fox News Sunday,” telling anchor Shannon Bream that Israel knows best about how to take on Iran and the regime’s proxies.

“Whatever they decide to do in response to Iran, I’m going to support that because Israel will have a better idea of the intelligence and the circumstances on the ground,” Fetterman said. “And that’s why I’m going to support and follow that.”

The Democrat praised Israel for their effective responses against Hezbollah and Hamas that he said left the Iranian proxies “cowering.” 

BIDEN SAYS HE WOULD NOT BACK ISRAELI STRIKE ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR SITE

“I also want to celebrate what Israel has been able to do,” Fetterman said. “They’ve demolished Hamas and now they have humiliated Hezbollah and they are now cowering. And Iran shot, you know, 200 missiles and [Israel] vaporized those. So, Iran now is left exposed and humiliated, and Israel has put them back on the ropes. And I am going to support what they continue to do.”

Iran bombarded Israel with 181 missiles last week in what the regime said was retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike in September and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. 

Meanwhile, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have traded attacks with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.

Fetterman’s comments come days after President Biden told reporters that he would not support an attack by Israel on Iranian nuclear sites in retaliation for Iran’s missile attack against Israel amid fears that a lethal regional war is around the corner.

Biden said all the G7 leaders on a recent call – France, Canada, Japan, Britain, Italy and Germany – agreed that Israel had the right to “proportionally” respond to Iran’s military strike.

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL SHOULD HIT IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SLAMMING BIDEN’S RESPONSE

Biden’s response came under fire from former President Trump, who told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin on Thursday that Biden’s response on Israel attacking Iran was the “craziest thing I’ve ever heard. That’s the biggest risk we have. The biggest risk we have is nuclear.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called out Western leaders who he said had called for an arms embargo on Israel over its airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza. 

“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side, yet President Macron and other western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

He continued, “Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together, but countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel.”

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s political action committee is offering a starting salary of $30 an hour to individuals seeking to increase voter registration and turnout, the PAC’s website shows. 

“JOIN OUR TEAM,” Musk-founded America PAC reads on its website. “Email us if you are interested in working on increasing voter registration and voter turnout. Pay starts at $30 per hour, with bonuses for performance.”

Musk endorsed former President Trump earlier this summer as the 45th president seeks to again win the Oval Office. The Tesla founder joined Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening as Trump made a historic return to the town following an assassination attempt that left him bloodied and injured on July 13 during a rally. 

“I think it’s the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms… They want to take away your right to vote effectively,” Musk told the crowd on Saturday. 

ELON MUSK’S PRO-TRUMP SUPER PAC LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO INCREASE CANVASSERS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES

Musk repeatedly encouraged the crowds to get everyone in their social circles and beyond to register and vote come Election Day. 

TRUMP CHATS WITH MUSK IN LENGTHY, OVERARCHING INTERVIEW AS HARRIS CONTINUES SNUBBING MEDIA

“And honestly, you want to just be a pest. Just be a pest to everyone. You know, people on the street everywhere,” he said. 

“Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk added, referring to how Trump shouted “fight, fight, fight” to the crowds after he was shot in the ear in July. 

MUSK ENERGIZES TRUMP SUPPORTERS AT BUTLER RALLY, 3 MONTHS AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON FORMER PRESIDENT

His comments follow closely with the mission of his America PAC, which says it works to promote “free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society.” Musk launched the super PAC’s website last month to bolster canvassing efforts in key battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, as well as in individual competitive districts across the country. 

The PAC was officially formed earlier in the summer, with Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from late last month showing the America PAC has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. Musk said in July he planned to commit about $45 million a month to the super PAC. 

ELON MUSK CALLS 2024 A ‘MUST-WIN SITUATION’ FOR FREE SPEECH, TOUTS TRUMP’S CHARACTER AFTER BEING ‘UNDER FIRE’

Social media commenters took note of the canvassing efforts through the America PAC, underscoring the high hourly pay, which is a more than a 300% increase compared to the federal hourly minimum wage of $7.25. 

Turning Point Action and America PAC joined forces in Wisconsin, Politico reported last week, to help bolster the Republican Party’s get-out-the-vote ground game. 

“We’ve always known bodies in the field equals ballots in the box,” Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point, told Politico. “This partnership will be a major lift to our efforts to ensure our ballot chasers are able to maximize their impact in Wisconsin.”

Musk, who has described himself as a “historically moderate Democrat,” hosted Trump for a two-hour conversation streamed on X in August that included the 45th president speaking at length about immigration woes, spiraling inflation issues, the assassination attempt against his life, and policies he would implement if he wins on Nov. 5.

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

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sought to distance Vice President Kamala Harris from laws he himself signed that granted benefits to illegal immigrants in Minnesota on Sunday.

Walz made the comments during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News Sunday with host Shannon Bream. Bream pressed Walz on his military history and his record on abortion in addition to questioning him on legislation he signed in Minnesota that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and receive state-funded tuition assistance, among other benefits.

“Are those not magnets to draw people here, many times on dangerous journeys for themselves? And why should your taxpayers in Minnesota or across the states pay for those programs?” Bream asked.

“Well, that’s not the vice president’s position,” Walz admitted, before going on to defend his leadership in Minnesota. 

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“But I will say this, Minnesota ranks as a top five business state. We rank as a top three state for children living, and we’re a top state for health care access,” he said. “Look, the Vice President has made it clear that she has policies that make a difference. Her border policies are the most strongest, the fairest we’ve seen.”

Bream also challenged Walz to clarify his ticket’s position on abortion access. The exchange ultimately led to Walz flatly accusing former President Trump of lying when he said he would not sign a national abortion ban into law.

Bream began by pointing out that Minnesota’s abortion law imposes no limits on abortion procedures through all nine months of pregnancy, something that goes far beyond the provisions of Roe v. Wade, which Harris and Walz said they support.

“You signed the bill that makes it legal through all nine months. Is that a position you think Democrats should advocate for nationally?” Bream asked.

“The vice president and I have been clear the restoration of Roe versus Wade is what we’re asking for,” Walz responded.

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“But that law goes far beyond Roe v. Wade,” Bream pressed. “Let’s agree, in what you signed there’s not a single limit through nine months of pregnancy. Roe had a trimester framework that did have limits through the pregnancy. The Minnesota law does not have that.”

“This doesn’t change anything. It puts the decision back on to the woman, to the physicians,” Walz responded. “And we know that this is simply something to be brought up – to be very clear Donald Trump’s asking for a nationwide abortion ban.”

“[Trump] has said repeatedly that he will not sign a national abortion ban. Are you calling that a flat out lie?” Bream asked.

“Yes, of course, and Senator Vance has in the past said so too,” Walz said.

Bream concluded the interview by giving Walz a chance to respond to criticism of his frequent “misstatements,” such as his claims about military service and his assertion that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre.

“Look, I speak passionately. I had an entire career, decades before I was in public office. They know, and I’m very proud of my 24 years in service and my record. I have never disparaged someone else in this, but I know that’s not what Donald Trump does. They disparage everyone,” Walz said.

“I will own up when I misspeak. I will own up when I make a mistake. Let’s be very clear. On that debate stage the other night, I asked one very simple question and Senator Vance would not acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” he finished.

Users on social media took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris after the Democratic nominee took to X to pledge millions of dollars in aid for Lebanon at the same time residents of North Carolina struggle to recover from Hurricane Helene.

“This has to be fake. Even Kamala Harris, the gold standard of stupid, isn’t stupid enough to post this,” actor James Woods said on X Saturday. “Certainly not while North Carolinians are pulling the bodies of their neighbors from the wreckage. It’s simply inconceivable.”

The post came in response to Harris pledging Saturday to send $157 million of “additional assistance” to Lebanon, which, she argued, is “facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.”

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“I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,” the vice president said, adding that the money would go to “essential needs,” including “food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict.”

Users on social media were quick to slam Harris for the post, arguing that many North Carolina residents are struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene and that the money would be better spent on those relief efforts.

“Could this be any more tone deaf? We have Americans suffering and in danger right now after the hurricane and this is what Kamala has to announce. America First!” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said on X.

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“To be clear – Kamala Harris’ campaign-suicidal post this evening focusing on LEBANON while major disaster rescues and recovery are underway is an admission she is losing Michigan right now.,” journalist Eric Daugherty said in a post.

“Kamala is touting giving money to the people of Lebanon-while stiff-arming the humanitarian crisis in North Carolina,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on X. “This is Kamala’s Katrina.”

The controversial tweet comes as the Biden administration has continued to face backlash for its handling of Helene, with former President Trump calling the federal response to the disaster the “most incompetently managed ‘storm,’ at the federal level, ever seen before.”

“Kamala and Sleepy Joe are universally being given POOR GRADES for the way that they are handling the Hurricane, especially in North Carolina,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The White House and Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

A photojournalist lit himself on fire outside the White House on Saturday in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza and America’s support for the regime.

The man, Samuel Mena Jr., lit his left arm on fire and was seen screaming in pain and shouting that the media was spreading “misinformation.” Law enforcement officers quickly surrounded Mena and restrained him, putting out the fire.

One bystander could be seen pouring a bottle of water on Mena’s arm after the flames were extinguished.

A blog posted to Mena’s website shortly before the incident suggested he only intended to burn his arm.

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“To the 10 thousand children in Gaza that have lost a limb in this conflict, I give my left arm to you. I pray my voice was able to raise up yours, and that your smiles never disappear,” Mena wrote.

The blog also says Mena first tried to end the “genocide” in Gaza by making a documentary. He later gave up on the effort, however, convinced that it wouldn’t make a difference.

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Mena’s social media profiles say he worked for the local CBS affiliate AZFamily and graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

Authorities transported Mena to the hospital soon after the incident and confirmed that his injuries were not life-threatening.

“The District of Columbia has a long and proud history of peaceful first amendment activities and the Metropolitan Police Department handles hundreds of protests, demonstrations and other events every year,” first responders said in a statement.

“We will continue to support those who choose to protest peaceful and safely, and we will continue to hold accountable those who commit criminal acts while in our city,” the added.

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The incident comes months after a member of the U.S. Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in February. Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell, 25, also carried out the act in protest against Israel’s campaign in Gaza, saying in a recorded video that he would “no longer be complicit in genocide.”