hundreds of thousands of civilians rush to evacuate gaza as the world watches israel for

signs of military movement on the ground. with a keyboarder now open, we'll have a live report with the latest from the region. not everyone can evacuate, including medical workers racing to help the wounded. we go inside hospitals on both sides of the war, overwhelmed with their shared mission to save lives. then to a story of survival. the montana man making an incredible recovery after a bear attack that left him without his lower jaw. we'll follow his recovery and how he is keeping an optimistic outlook. and a lone star showdown at a fever pitch, with the world series on the line. see how the first gym of the alcs unfolds in houston. millions of americans caught the incredible ring of fire eclipse last week. see just how far people went to spot the sunny spectacle. it's monday, october 16th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> glad you're with us. i'm frances rivera. this morning, the world waits with baited breath as israel could launch an invasion of gaza at any moment.

one thing that could be postponing the promised military action, the evacuation of civilians. just one hour ago, egypt was set to open its rafah border crossing to let foreign citizens out of gaza, including hundreds of americans. >> let's go to claudio lavanga who is following the developments for us. claudio, good morning. do we know how the evacuations are going? >> reporter: good morning. there were reports that the rafah crossing in the south could have opened about an hour ago, as you mentioned. but at least so far there is no indication that has happened. now we got a statement from the gaza media office saying that they have no confirmation from egyptian authorities that that was going to happen at all, and attributed this information to what they call enmedia. we spoke to the office of the prime minister in israel who said there is no sign of a ceasefire that will allow foreign nationals to get out of rafah crossing and humanitarian

aid to come in into gaza as it was reported. there was a report that there was going to be a five-hour crossing, but that doesn't seem to be the case for now. that could be only wishful thinking or a mirage. what we know is actually happening is 600,000 palestinians, according to the israeli military have already made a move from the north of gaza to the south as tracked by israel a few days ago. that is about half of the 1.1 million palestinians expected to travel from the north to the south. there are some people, as you mentioned, that cannot evacuate, even if they want to. these are the patients in hospitals across gaza. now four hospitals we know in the north of gaza have been rendered unusable, out of service by the air strikes, having sustained damage there. and israel has instructed 21 other hospitals in the north to evacuate, prompting a u.n. humanitarian rights lawyer to call it a violation of

humanitarian rights law. but even those who move from the north to the south, of course you know, you expect, you predict that is not a safe journey. the palestinians have accused the israeli military to target convoys of vehicles of people traveling on what they call were safe routes, or then safe routes by israel, killing people. now the idf has not commented, saying that they respect international law and they try to limit or protect human lives. back to you guys. >> that's the most important thing, all hoping to get out of harm's way as quickly as possible. claudio, thank you. the war between israel and hamas is causing tensions to rise all around the world. the fbi has issued a new warning about a rise in threats across the united states. nbc's jesse kirsch has this report. >> reporter: american authorities are on alert. >> there is no question we're seeing an increase in reported

threats, and we've got to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors. >> reporter: the fbi warning comes as people continue demonstrating in solidarity with israelis and palestinians worldwide. demonstrating on both sides in austin, texas. nbc's priscilla thompson was there. >> reporter: hundreds gathered at the texas state capitol today rallying in support of israel. and right afterward, even large palestinian. >> reporter: across the country we've heard calls for peace, but also chants like this. >> [ bleep ] the jews! >> reporter: sydney's opera house in a pro palestinian crowd, some called for genocidal tactics the nazis used as they murdered 6 million jews. in california, someone waved a nazi swastika flag.

the attack marked the deadliest attack on jews since the holocaust. reportedly, incidents in the u.s. have spiked almost 300% year-over-year. >> we know that jewish individuals and institutions regularly are targeted and victimized by people who collectively blame the jews. >> reporter: among the adl's concerns, some demonstrators denouncing zionism defined by the adl as the self-determination and statehood for the jewish people in their ancestral homeland. >> it's precondition to genocide. it's conditioning people to see jews as subjects and inhuman. >> we cannot accept a state like the state of israel that impose as religious and ethnic apartheid. >> reporter: a debate and a war that have no end in sight. jesse kirsch, nbc news. republicans are set to take

control of the louisiana governorship for first time in nearly a decade. state attorney general jeff landry was named the victor in an all party contest on saturday. earning over 51% of the vote in the 16-candidate race. that was enough to avoid a runoff election. landry, who won the endorsement of several republicans, including former president trump will exceed term limit democratic governor john bel edw edwards. police are investigating the stabbing death of a 6-year-old outside of chicago as a possible hate crime. michigan authorities say a landlord, joseph czuba in plainfield township killed the boy and seriously wounded his mother because they were muslim palestinian americans in a supposed protest against the hamas attack on israel. our chicago station reports the child suffered 26 stab wounds, allegedly at the hands of the 71-year-old man. his mother is expected to survive the attack. czuba has been charged with hate crimes and first-degree murder.

now to denver, where police say a party turned deadly. three people were killed and three others hurt by gunshots. officers arrived around 1:30 a.m. saturday to an industrial storefront. they said a party had been going on and shots were fired from at least two weapons, but police have not shared any details about possible suspects or motives. doctors at the university of utah have given a new lease on life to a montana man after an encounter with a wild animal left in need of major surgeries. shara park from our salt lake city affiliate has more. >> reporter: with a gentle wave, rudy norlander walked into today's press conference at university hospital with the support of his two daughters and his surgeon. >> hello. >> reporter: it's been five weeks since norlander was attacked as what he described as a ten-foot mega bear in big sky, montana. he was helping a group of hunters locate an injured deer. >> he said he was glad it was him and not somebody else. >> reporter: during the attack, the beer tore off his lower jag,

bit his arms and legs, put a scratch on his chest and collapsed his lung. he has had three surgery, including a complete jaw reconstruction that took ten hours to repair the damage. >> we did a virtual planning section that allowed us to create a custom plate that was used to reconstructhis jaw and also create they're called cutting guides so we could customize a flap from his fibula bone. >> reporter: norlander is out from that major surgery, and he quickly. >> we're working on getting rudy eating. maybe if you're really lucky, you'll have a root beer float. >> norlander says while it's difficult to talk, what's kept him motived is his family and a desire to return home. >> he said my job proves that most people are good, and i can't wait to get become to it. and he also says i will win round two. >> norlander saw his two grandchildren, who live in

california for the first time since the attack. his granddaughter described the emotional reunion. >> i started crying because i was so happy. >> reporter: while there are still months of therapy and minor surgeries ahead, nor lander is optimistic about making a full recovery. he says he is hopeful his journey will inspire others. >> even if there seems to be no hope, keep on fighting. >> and our thanks to shara park for that story. the central plains might be in for a wintry sight this morning. frost and freeze alerts are impacting millions of americans from nebraska to texas. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking that weather. good morning. >> great to see you. we're looking at 20s and 30s this morning, and we're going to be chilly as we head throughout the afternoon as well. this morning we're looking at frost and freeze alerts where you see the light pink, that is a frost advisory throughout the plains. we're looking at temperatures below freezing in some spots. one north platte, just 27 degrees. 39 in only half.

43 in kansas city. oklahoma city just 45 degrees this morning. you need the coats. you need the sweaters as you head out today. from the rockies east, really chilly today. below normal, even 5 to 15 degrees below what is typical for this time of year. cincinnati today just 55. that's 11 degrees below normal. chilly in tallahassee, just 69 degrees. a chilly day today. chilly once again tomorrow. temperatures well below normal. charleston, we're looking at 10 degrees below normal for this time of year, around 57. we're going rebound later on this week. we're looking at plenty of sunshine, where it is chilly, and into starting off with some patchy areas of dense fog an increase in fog during the day. temperatures in the 70s for a , but lots of sunshine throughout the southern plains into parts of the southeast. all right, guys. that's a look at your monday

forecast. >> thank you, michelle. earl seller back in 60 seconds with the tale of two hospitals. a look at the ce trao save lives in both gaza and israel. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season. my skin has been so much smoother so much more hydrated. it's olay! with olay hyaluronic body wash 95% of women had visibly-better skin. and my skin is so much more moisturized. see the difference with olay. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervive nerve relief from the world's number one nerve care company. nervive contains ala to relieve nerve aches, and b-complex vitamins to fortify healthy nerves. try nervive. and, try nervive pain relieving roll-on. hey guys, check it out: it's mrs. stevens. they say she can make things appear out of thin air. hey! you guys want to come in?

my mom made dinner. make your table legendary, with country crock. hospitals and the people running them are overwhelmed in israel and gaza. nbc's lester holt goes inside two institutions struggling to fulfill their mission to heal amid unthinkable circumstances. >> reporter: dr. sarah alsaka, a surgeon at gaza's largest medical facility, has been updating the world since israel's response to hamas' deadly terror attack began. using social media to show the bombs exploding nearby and the hallways overflowing with refugees. >> i have seen a lot of situations, but this enormous amount of injuries, no, i haven't ever experienced something like that before.

>> was full of medical equipment. >> reporter: neither has orthopedic surgeon henri lebowski. >> we evacuate the rooms on this side. >> reporter: barely seven miles away at a hospital on the israeli side, shows me now empty hospital floors after two hamas rocket strikes. >> and although it's a very strong building, the windows would not stand. >> reporter: when it's busy, the pediatric department, the beds, the cribs empty, all the children moved downstairs because the risk of being hit by another missile is simply too high. there is no empty space where dr. al saka works. every inch of the hospital now a trauma center. the wounded laid out on the floor. children bearing the brunt of an escalating war. as the casualties of a relentless bombing campaign keep

pouring in, it all makes for a surreal split screen. doctors on both sides, lives in their hands, but the future not. >> we're willing to start to evacuate the hospital, to evacuate our patients because we have to be prepared for another wave of victims. >> reporter: most of the hospital's patients now in floors underground for safety. the missiles come from this direction? >> yeah, yeah, you can see them. the missiles will come from this direction. we have one because missiles can hit this windows, as happened in the other department. >> reporter: the scene at this hospital in israel a far cry from the one at al shifa in gaza. two hospital, one war, bound by the same duty. >> we're looking at gaza in that direction. there are doctors just like you who are trying to save patients

just like yours. how do you feel about your colleagues? >> i -- i embrace them. we're physicians. we want to save life. we want to make everyone better. >> and our thanks to lester for that report. still to come, a lone star showdown with a spot in the world series at stake. the rangers and astros tee off in houston. nethand with their season on the li, e liberty try to get on the board in the wnba finals. ( ♪ ♪ ) scared of a little blood? dr. garcia? whoa! crest reality checkup. bleeding gums are serious, jamie. i must be brushing too hard... no, it's actually a sign of bacterial infection. one that can spread to other parts of the body. check this out... unlike other toothpastes, crest gum detoxify's antibacterial fluoride

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the one-two pitch. it is hit hard, deep right field. and leoni tavares takeser have liner deep! >> we're back to break down the biggest stories in sports, starting with gym one of the alcs. lioti tavares hit his home first run to extend the rangers lead against their in-state rivals.

jordan montgomery would strike out six astros batters and the rangers close it out to win with. both will be back tonight for game two. the rangers talk about how they're undefeated in the postseason. all but one of those are on the road. get a little worried, got to say. >> given how they started before the postseason and look at them now, on fire. now to a scary moment on sunday night football were where damien harris was taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering a neck injury. a sign of relief, he gave a thumb's up while on the stretcher. back in the game, trading the lead until the final play. tyrod taylor's pass was out of reach with the bills escaping in the win 14-9. scary moments again. bills definitely know what it feels like in those moments. the good news is the sideline reporter is saying he can feel his extremities. playing to keep their season alive in front of a wnba finals record quote. jonquel jones led the liberty

with 27 points and helped clamp down on the aces. the liberty held las vegas to 10 points in the third quarter, busting a back and forth game wide open and taking home the 87-73 win. game four of this best of five series is back in brooklyn on wednesday. and the aces will have a chance to clinch the title then. all right. still to come, why you can't even get the blues when you're in the carolinas. what you need know about the reba mcintyre corn maze, right after this. but this is a not flash. ♪ i got a good feeling ♪ there's big news for women going through menopause. veozah - a prescription treatment for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms - the medical name for hot flashes and night sweats. with hormone-free veozah, you can have fewer hot flashes, and more not flashes. veozah is proven to reduce the number and severity of hot flashes, day and night. for some women, it can start working in as early as one week. don't use veozah if you have cirrhosis,

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million speeding ticket. he got what's known as a speeder ticket for going 90 in a 55. the city of savannah says this was just a place holder amount before his court date. and country superstar reba mcintyre is being honored using corn in north carolina. this reba-themed corn maze was just unveiled east of charlotte. stargazers and eclipse watchers got the show of their life over the weekend. we'll show you more. stay with us. they say she can make things appear out of thin air. hey! you guys want to come in? my mom made dinner. make your table legendary, with country crock. ma, ma, ma— ( clears throat ) for fast sore throat relief, try vicks vapocool drops. with two times more menthol per drop, and powerful vicks vapors to vaporize sore throat pain. vicks vapocool drops. vaporize sore throat pain. ♪ on your period, sudden gushes happen.

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>> reporter: across the u.s. -- >> look! >> reporter: a stunning image that north korea has witnessed only five times this millennium. >> it doesn't look real. i didn't think i would cry. >> reporter: the annual lar solar eclipse, or ring of fire happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, creating a fiery orange ring around the moon's shadow. >> it's literally this perfect ring. and it's glowing. it's radiant. i feel like i'll be dreaming about this for weeks to come. >> i was thinking of a song, ring of fire. >> reporter: defending on clear skies and location -- >> ma, this is a perfect ring of fire. it's so crisp. >> reporter: you got to see images like these from cloudy skies in idaho to valley of the gods, utah and the aquarium in corpus christi, texas. >> one it's usually 375 years between eclipses. so it's rare that a person gets to experience it in their

lifetime in their specific location. nowhere else in the solar system do you get these types of eclipses. >> reporter: people driving hundreds of miles to get the best view. >> we drove like nine hours. and we had to take a day off of work. but we decided that was worth it. >> reporter: in los angeles, even a partial eclipse through in a crowd, many arriving hours early to get the best seats in town at the griffith observatory. >> it's a mob, a happy mob that is actually engaged with the cosmos. >> reporter: no matter the age -- >> it's a really cool sight to see. >> reporter: viewers were over the moon. >> it looks amazing. >> reporter: it's 9:24 a.m. in los angeles. maximum eclipse making the sky slightly darker. if you have the right equipment or glasses, the view is pretty spectacular. because the sun is never fully covered, observers must wear proper high aye protection. what did you think? >> this is phenomenal. we were in a total eclipse in 2017 in wyoming. and it's one of the best things we've ever done.

we're nothing knot going to miss. >> reporter: if you nice mist this, no worries. the total eclipse like we last saw in 2017 will occur again in just six months. in the u.s., ideal viewing locations will span from texas to maine. >> this is just a precursor to the big one coming in april, i think. a little training for her. >> reporter: excitement already building for an experience out of this world. dana griffin, nbc news, los angeles. >> six months our time. >> too cloudy here. my mom drove to visit one. beautiful pictures. we have to rely on those images, the lucky few who saw it. so >>

fleeing a war zone. thousands of palestinians are said to be given the chance to leave gaza. and new aiom