Geoff Bennett:
Meantime, families of Israeli hostages marched to the Knesset in Jerusalem today to mark 500 days since their loved ones were taken in the October 7 Hamas attacks. Some 70 Israeli hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Of those, around half are believed to be dead.
And more than 48,000 Palestinians have now been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its air and ground war there. That’s according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
In Rome, doctors are now treating Pope Francis for what they say is a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection three days after the pontiff was admitted to the hospital with bronchitis. In a statement, the Vatican said the infection presents a complex clinical picture that will require an appropriate treatment hospital stay. They did not say how long that could be.
All weekend, well-wishers laid flowers outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is being treated. The 88-year-old has a long history of health problems, though the Vatican says he remains in good spirits.
And on this Presidents’ Day, a rare artifact from the nation’s first commander in chief is being put up for sale. The letter from George Washington to a subordinate is dated May 7, 1777, when he was leader of the Continental
Army. Written across both sides of a single piece of paper, Washington addresses a recent British raid on a military supply depot in Danbury, Connecticut. He writes that the attack could actually help inspire the American people to arms. The asking price for this piece of history, $150,000.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: European leaders are left scrambling after the U.S. proposes talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine; Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines; and an Oscar-nominated documentary exposes the horrifying abuse of Native children in Canadian residential schools.
