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up richard engle. thank you. >>> as the violence escalates, many palestinians are facing forced evictions with some being detained in the conflict. one of those people is this man, a palestinian poet and writer who has spoken out against the violence. you can see here grabbed by israeli soldiers. he says he was forced out of his home in the neighborhood of east jerusalem. >> many palestinians have been arrested by israeli forces who they say have vn confiscating weapons. of the u.n. says 10,000 palestinians have left their homes. joining us is that poet and writer facing eviction, mohamed el-kurd. i want to get your reaction to richard engle's reporting. i know he is in tel aviv. you are in east jerusalem. you are about 45 minutes away. what are you seeing and hearing on the ground today? >> well, i think, first of all, thank you for having me. it's important to contextualize what is happening. i think a lot of the time the reports miss the mark by all this violence is happening, all this violence and

israeli police fires stun grenades agaza here's nbc's richard engle >> reporter: here in gaza afaneet thr livee al aqsa mosque a fragile cease-fire being put to the ultimate test in gaza here's nbc's richard engle >> reporter: here in gaza after the cease-fire, people are trying to put their lives back together, but there has been a tremendous amount of damage. the mayor told us that around 100 miles of basic infrastructure, roads, water pipes have all been destroyed. plus office buildings, apartment buildings, around 100,000 people in gaza left their homes because of the fighting and now they are trying to go back to see what is left in their apartments many were taking shelter in schools because they thought that was the only place where they would be safe it's hard to know what people accomplished here because of this round of fighting hamas is stronger politically. it is able to say that it won this battle against israel, even though this is what is left in gaza it's saying that it fought until the last rocket. it fired 4,000 plus rockets at israel but that's on the emotional sid

joining me live in tel aviv, nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engle. last night you gave a remarkable firsthand report with bombs going off as a backdrop. richard, before i ask you any questions, i want to play that for our viewers. >> reporter: this has been happening day and now night. it's just after midnight. hamas said that it might attack now. the sirens are going off. you can see over there the iron dome. bursts into the sky into those trying to take out a missile. and it is just beginning. it is only a few minutes into this. i just heard what sounds like an impact and you can see the star burst now of the dome. >> that is remarkable footage, richard. i'm glad you're safe. richard, i think we need to clarify something. president biden spoke to netanyahu and abbass. that is the head of the palestinian authority in the occupied west bank. they are not in charge in gaza and the rocket fire is coming from gaza. this has developed into an israel/hamas war of sorts. so what's the benefit of talking to mohammed abbas? >> reporter: there is probably ver

richard engle is covering that story. richard?> reporter: there were so many victims in this attack they have decided to bury them all in a single mass grave here on a hilltop outside of kabul. the reason these people were targeted is because they were young girls and going to school. they were daring to get an education. according to health officials, more than 50 girls were killed in this attack. schools in this country are overcrowded so they run on weekends, they run in shifts. the shift that was targeted specifically was the third shift, only for girls. they had just finished their classes. they were coming outside of the school, walking home, when the major blast, the first of three, exploded. it was a car bomb and it exploded right in the middle of the crowds. the reason is because the taliban and isis and other islamic militant groups don't want girls in this country to be educated. they don't want them to go to school. and now that international troops are leaving, those militant groups, isis and the taliban, are trying t

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle live in tel aviv for us tonight richard, what is theund there >> this is a very dangerous time for both israelis and palestinians for palestinians living in gaza, they are afraid that there will be a ground invasion, that they will be facing israeli tanks in addition to the air strikes and artillery fire and tank fire they have already been seeing from outside gaza fired in and when israel has gone in in the past to gaza, it has faced very tough street-to-street fighting and left many palestinians dead. on the israeli front, they're worried about society breaking apart. we're seeing palestinians rising up not just in gaza, but also in the west bank and inside israel itself with palestinians who have israeli citizenship joining this fight and hamas taking credit for bringing these different palestinian groups together so it is a very difficult and dangerous situation for both the israelis and the palestinians. >> you mentioned the possibility of a ground war. how concerned should we be that this takes that next big step? >> reporter: it

joining us once again is richard engle. thank you for coming back.s how quickly things turn around here. do you have any more insight as to how this played out. the inner most senior levels of the security establishment that served with the prime minister, can you tell us about the outcome of it and how the vote may have gone down? >> so we're just getting the details, this just happened in the last couple minutes. one thing i know is that the idf chief of staff, and the ahead of the shinbet, that we have struck the central targets and we feel like we completed our missions. and that we're bringing more quiet to the coming years. i, the way the security cabinet votes usually go there is secret so they don't necessarily end us a break down of the votes. so i imagine that if you have a strong message from both the idf and the head of the sheinbet that it would be if not unanimous than close to it. >> richard, the reality now on the ground as you were talking on the ground appears to be a decision from the israeli security cabinet. they indicated they w

richard engle has more from kabul. >> reporter: on a remote hill above kabul, flanked by the high hindu, they dug into the dry ground for the victims of a cowardly attack. islamic radicals bombed a girls school just as students were heading home. they were laid to rest in a single mass grave. so many victims, health officials say more than 50 school girls that were the reas targeted is because they were girls trying to go to school. the mourners held tarps to shade the bodies. as they prayed for the fallen. many of them under 15. when i asked a group of mourner what is they think will happen now as american troops leave they all predict civil war and an emboldened taliban. this is a medical student. >> americans should not liver here. they're good for afghanistan. the government kapt control the situation. >> reporter: families came to look in horror as the blood stained books, shoes and clothing they dropped as they ran from the explosion. the taliban denied responsibility for the attack and issued a statement saying they have nothing to fear when they soon take over. the militants bel

nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent richard engle is in tel aviv for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. the conflict is continuing down a dangerous path. thousands of military preparing for a possible invasion along the gaza strip and no significant diplomatic breakthroughs for a cease-fire. the israeli military pounded the gaza strip yet again overnight. in a punishing campaign to stop hamas f al jazeera has broadcast from gaza city's radio tower until being informed everyone had one hour to evacuate. the owner pleaded for more time. he didn't get it. journalists and staff scrambled to gather what they could and leave. one hour later -- israel leveled the building. everyone made it out, but archives and transmission equipment went down in the crumble. the a.p. said it was shocked and horrified and that the world would know less about what's happening in gaza, which many now believe was exactly israel's intention. al jazeera said an attempt to silence reporting in gaza. israel says hamas used the building for rocket research and developme

. >> richard engle in gaza for us this morning, thank you. >>> meanwhile, the biden administration is watching the situation in the middle east hoping the cease-fire will stick. nbc has been tracking all the overnight developments monica, good mor >> good morning. president biden cautiously optimistic about the fragile peace, defending his, quote, quiet relentless strategy with those in the region saying he trusts israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu while pledging humanitarian aid to gaza while some in the leftist party more supportive of gaza. >> there is no shift in my commitment, the commitment to the security of israel, period no shift, not at all but i'll tell you what there is a shift in the shift is that we have to -- we still need a two-state solution until the region says unequivocally they acknowledge the right of israel tont jewish, there will be no peaced center here as the president hosted south korean president moon jae-in on friday. but it was a key day domestically with the white house offering its counter proposal on an infrastructure bill to republicans, slashi

richard engle will join us live from jerusalem. >>> on capitol hill, the house will vote on a securityt night passed a bill to create an independent commission to investigate the riot. the measure passing with 35 republicans breaking from their party. but the bill faces a roadblock in the senate with mitch mcconnell and several republicans opposing it. >> we have people scaling the capitol, hitting the capitol polih

richard engle is in tel aviv for us to talk about this. you said hamas and the israeli government were looking for an exit ramp. why can't they find it? >> reporter: well, i think still that both sides do seem to want to find a way that they can declare victory. they both have a lot of interest in doing that. israel so far has not invaded the gaza strip and it could have done that. it's holding off. it's launching air strikes and causing a lot of damage inside gaza as it's degrading the hamas military infrastructure and destroying a lot of other buildings. if israel were to roll in with its tanks, it would face intense ground assaults, its soldiers could get kidnapped. there are booby traps. there are a lot of reasons they don't want to do that. hamas doesn't want to see the region totally destroyed. totally obliterated. they are gaining support. that's the problem here. these problems once they start tend to gain momentum. palestinians in gaza for the last several years have felt hopeless. they're imprisoned in the territory. the infrastr

. >>> today on "velshi" nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engle on the ground right now amid a decision to go maskless. >>> then the man of the hour is here to answer our questions. congressman bennie thompson, the house homeland security chairman who struck a deal with his republican counterpart for a commission to investigate the capitol riot. it's a major breakthrough but how bipartisan, fair and honest will it be as the gop continues to push the

in kabul here's nbc's richard engle. >> there's one thing about girls in kabul the taliban may not bechool in kabul this morning. boys and girls together, eager to learn but it's a dangerous, stressful time for the girls, because once again, they have targets on their backs, just for being in school over the weekend, islamic extremists bombed the school in kabul killing more than 60 girls. they left a trail of bloody books, shoes and clothing as they ran from the blast. at the school, the students may be smiling, but they're deeply worried. >> that attack must have been frightening because they were trying to target girls just like you. but you're not stopping. you're still here in school. >> yes, we are strong. we are strong girls. and we will continue like that >> she is 12 years old and has big plans for her future. >> i will be a businesswoman and maybe a doctor >> but they all told me they expect the taliban may return as u.s. troops leave. >> because afghanistan needs american troops. afghanistan will be destroyed. >> on a hilltop outside of kabul this weekend, they came in the

richard engle will join us live from jerusalem. >>> on capitol hill, the house will vote on a security bill. it comes after the house last night passed a bill to create an independent commission to investigate the riot. the measure passing with 35 republicans breaking from their party. but the bill faces a roadblock in the senate with mitch mcconnell and several republicans opposing it. >> we have people scaling the capitol, hitting the capitol police with lead pipes across the head, and we can't get bipartisanship. what else has to happen in this country? >> good morning. i am joined by chief foreign correspondent richard engel and ben rhodes, former deputy national security adviser for former president obama. richard, i want to start with you in the region. what are you hearing from both sides about the prospects of a cease-fire? how realistic is this that it's imminent, richard? >> reporter: well, just in the last hour or so, the violence has intensified quite significantly. hamas has fired dozens of rockets that landed in several israeli cities. and at the same time, there have bee

richard e engle from kabul has more. >> reporter: there is great uncertainty in the city.could the taliban even return to power? >> reporter: tess praise beauty par who are in kabul, all they're talking about is the taliban, and will they take over as u.s. troops leave, and make this simple act a crime? under the taliban, wearing makeup or doing your hair was a sinful vice, punishable by public flogs. the owner and all the customers here say they would rather leave afghanistan, and everything they have than live under the taliban. women have made huge strides until 20 years of protection former president george w. bush had more. >> he said he was going to pull troops out of afghanistan. >> yeah. >> did you think that was the right decision? >> i'm extremely concerned about the plight of women and girls in that country. >> reporter: it's not just afghan women at risk. these men hiding their faces, all worked as interpreters for the u.s. military. they went on combat missions with u.s. troops that killed taliban fighters or put them in jail. what about here in kabul, do you