You tonight. No peace on Christmas in Gaza, the aftermath of one of the deadliest stretches of the war. The heavy toll at a refugee camp. Dozens reported dead with 17 israeli soldiers killed since Friday. Prime Minister Netanyahu's message to the troops as families of hostages send a loud message to him, interrupting his speech. And Bethlehem gone quiet, a Christmas season like few others in one of the holiest places on earth. With drones and missiles overhead, Ukraine spends another holiday season fighting for survival. Why? Celebrating Christmas today is their latest act of defiance. Snow emergency blanketing the plains and putting some one and a half million people under blizzard warnings. And paradise lost. As tourists return to Lahaina and its hotels, the dilemma for the displaced who still do not have a home to go to. Consumer confidence is up. Inflation is falling. Gas prices are down. Concerns remain inside the economic outlook for next year. Plus, cracking the code, the young women creating a tech future for themselves and others.

This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening. I'm Sam Brock, in for Lester on this Christmas holiday. We begin with the desperation in the Middle east that's seen no break from the brutal fighting and loss of life that has defined the Israel Hamas conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting israeli soldiers in Gaza mere hours after devastating strikes. The palestinian health officials say claimed hundreds of lives, including at least 70 people at a refugee camp. Now some of those killed are only there in the first place after fleeing fighting from other parts of Gaza, desperate for safe refuge for Israelis. It's all coming at a high cost. At least 17 israeli soldiers have died since Friday, and still no progress on negotiations to bring home hostages or stop the fighting. Josh Letterman leads us off tonight from Tel Aviv.

Under pressure to wrap up the war. A defiant Prime Minister Netanyahu tonight saying not a chance. Slipping into Gaza for a secret wartime visit, telling israeli troops there we don't stop this war continues to the end. The visit came just hours after one of the deadliest strikes in the war. The Hamas run palestinian health ministry says 250 people were killed over 24 hours, including at least 70 in a strike on a central Gaza refugee camp and potentially many more. This man, Ibrahim, says his wife and four children were among them, still buried under rubble. The world watches us as we die and are slaughtered, he says. Israel's military says it's reviewing the incident. Israeli families are also in mourning. 17 troops have been killed in battle since Friday, the IDF says, and thousands more families wondering whether loved ones will come home.

Hi, Josh.

Like Rafi and Shaili Lipa, whose 20 year old son Itamar has been fighting in Gaza for seven weeks.

I wake up many times at night, go to the phone, check if there are any news from Gaza. This is our reality.

Even the doorbell rings, we jump.

There's also more than a hundred hostages believed still in Gaza, and patience with Netanyahu is wearing thin. The prime minister heckled during a speech in israeli parliament tonight by hostage families who held up a sign in Hebrew reading what if it was your daughter on this Christmas holiday, there was little joy in Bethlehem in the occupied West.

Bank.

The usual festive move replaced by somber prayer at the Church of the Nativity. Pope Francis, in his Christmas Day message at the Vatican, lamented the appalling harvest of innocent lives and pleaded for it to end.

And Josh joins me now from Tel Aviv. And, Josh, there is yet another worrisome sign tonight of how this war in the Middle east could escalate. Yes.

Sam Iran's president Raisi is vowing retribution against Israel after iranian media reported an israeli airstrike killed a well known revolutionary guard leader in Syria. Israel isn't commenting.

Sam another perilous reminder of the fragility here. Josh thank you so much. Ukraine is spending another Christmas fending off russian drone and missile attacks. And for the first time in centuries, much of Ukraine is celebrating Christmas today instead of in January. This part of the growing cultural rift with Russia. Molly Hunter brings us the latest.

For the second Christmas, Ukrainians are spending the holiday hunkered down as russian drone strikes continue to menace the capital. Russian strikes are raining down on cities across the country. Fadir Schmoder in Odessa said, I woke up my daughter and we went to the corridor. The window flew right over there. The house burnt down completely. The fierce winter conditions already entrenched as Russia hits critical infrastructure like last Christmas. Millions across the country struggle to meet basic needs, and troops on the icy battlefield remain stalled. The attention in western capitals, President Volody Demer Zelensky commanded in 2022, has given way to budget concerns and political infighting. In 2023, Zelensky swept into Washington earlier this month in a bid to secure a pledge for more aid, but returned home empty handed. Despite President Biden's support, Congress has kicked any vote on an estimated $64 billion in aid into the new year, and Republicans have tied it to domestic immigration policies.

Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must prove him wrong.

Ukraine is running low on western weapons and soldiers in the new year. Western officials, former us intelligence officers and regional analysts expect that Ukraine will likely ramp up its drone strikes and sabotage missions as russian troops hold positions in the south and east. But Zelensky remains defiant.

Molo. Mazam. Zabarshan. Moloma. Shazam. Ramo. Devnesvo, Christova.

And remarkably, ukrainian resilience still shines through at Christmas. For people here, there's no other option but to keep fighting. Molly Hunter, NBC News, back at home now.

And a snow emergency is making for a dangerous white Christmas in the great plains, like this giant pile up on I 80 that is in Nebraska. Earlier today, the national weather service says one and a half million people are under blizzard warnings from Kansas to Colorado and most of South Dakota. Christmas looks a lot different in Hawaii this year, nearly five months after wildfires caused one of the worst disasters in modern history, tourism is bouncing back. But for residents of Lahaina, serious challenges remain. Dana Griffin has their story.

Overlooking the burn scar of the historic town of Lahaina sit symbols of those who perished here, 100 crosses built from wood salvaged from the ruins.

When families come, it brings them a little bit of comfort and not just sorrow.

Shawnee Sweitzer and her husband Matt made a pledge to maintain this memorial, adding wreaths and garland for Christmas. And while the holiday has brought another wave of tourism to Maui, the west side of the island is still struggling.

We were living a nightmare. And now, four months later, it sometimes feels worse.

More hotels will soon begin to relocate evacuees to accommodate upcoming tourist bookings, frustrating fire victims left in limbo, rallying just before Christmas for long term housing. My family have had to move around five times, live out of suitcases and not know when or where the next move will be to get more families housed. Hawaii's governor has threatened to ban vacation rentals if more owners don't volunteer for a program that would pay them and offer tax breaks to house displaced fire victims.

I'm sure we will face litigation, but I will do it if we don't get 3000 units for our people who have been living in hotels because it's.

Not civilized, rebuilding will take years now that the EPA has completed the Hazmat cleanup. This 3d photo map, created by a hawaiian company and powered by AI, is being used by officials to see precise details of the disaster zone.

For example, a road needs to be rebuilt or a community. They can actually plan that reconstruction inside of the model before they go out and do it in real time.

But this Christmas, the community is clear. They will not turn their backs on each other.

That's what Christmas is all about, loving your neighbor.

Dana Griffin, NBC News.

So much strength there well, in 60 seconds, with consumer confidence on the rise and prices actually coming down, there remains one particularly big risk for the economy in the year ahead. That's next. We're back with good news for the economy. 2023 is ending on a high note as markets soar and prices fall. But with the new year just days away, a lot still remains uncertain. Christine Romans explains.

Instead of the lump of coal, many Americans expected some Christmas cheer. Prices actually fell in November from October. That hasn't happened in three years. And the persistent gloom about the economy that gripped many Americans this year may have broken at least a bit. Consumer confidence now the highest in months. When we ask consumers, what do you think about interest rates for next year? They believe that they will be lower. The mortgage rate is falling, and certainly for anyone looking to buy a home, that's really great news. And then finally, we believe that consumers are much happier about the fact that inflation is not as intense as it used to be. That survey found consumers expectations for a recession in the next twelve months, the lowest it's been all year. What's your letter grade for the US economy as we head into 2024?

Oh, it's a solid b. I would even give it a b plus.

On Main street, mortgage rates have been falling after topping 8% in October, now well below seven. Prices have been falling on some critical holiday spending items, airfares, car rentals, gasoline, toys, tvs and sporting goods. President Biden touting that wages are now growing faster than inflation. On Wall street, all three major indexes are up dramatically for the year. Still, the national mood has been fragile. Home affordability is the worst in a generation. And inflation, though improving, has left a deep scar on Americans psyche.

People don't have short memories. They remember losing their jobs in 2020. They remember how hard it was to find new ground in the new year.

The challenges for many will be student loan payments and those holiday credit card bills coming due. And the biggest risk, the unexpected, that could affect the economy in ways we don't foresee. Christine Romans, NBC News, New York.

And we are back in just a moment with what one group is doing to crack the code and bring more young latinas into the tech industry. We're back now with a closer look at the tech industry and a new push to bring more latinas into the workforce that has the biggest tech companies taking notice. Morgan Radford has more.

For these high school and middle school students in Austin, Texas, the gears are turning. So these are robots that you all. Yes, yes. All thanks to a nonprofit called Latinitas, which teaches tech skills like coding and engineering through camps and after school clubs like this one, hoping to close the ethnic and gender gap in technology. Do you all see a lot of latinas in tech? Do you think people expect to see latinas in tech? No. Why not? Because they see more guys instead of girls, especially like Latinas. Even though hispanic workers make up 17% of all employees, just 8% are working in STEM fields, and only 3% of those workers are hispanic women. We're hearing from students who didn't know that these careers were possible. Students like Camila Gorines, who attended their co Chica camp just three years ago. Now she's studying computer science in college and earning a living with a job in information technology. Somebody has told me that I couldn't make it in this field, and I remember telling my mom about it. Okay, so let me just back this up. You wanted to do computer science?

Yes.

And someone told you that I wasn't able to do it because for who I am as a person and also for being a woman. And then what did you think when you met other latinas who were doing coding, who were doing robotics, seeing women like me? Latinitas, it was so inspiring. It made me just want to keep doing computer science and keep cracking the code to create a tech future for everyone. Morgan Radford, NBC News, Austin.

When we come back, a special holiday message from Lester and the folks who make nightly news possible, night in and night out.

Happy holidays and good evening, everyone. You're getting the pre recorded version of me as I am off for a few days celebrating the holidays with family. But every Christmas season, I do like to take a moment to thank you for your loyalty to our broadcast. We set out every day, from our first editorial conference calls in the morning to the moment I say goodnight, focused on bringing you a newscast built on facts, balance, and informed analysis with humanity at its core. In a moment, you'll meet members of our dedicated team who bring this program to you every night. But I want to acknowledge none of us is immune from feeling sadness over some of the darker headlines of the day. The stories we brought you from the war in particular, have been tough to process. You know, during the worst days of the pandemic, I started signing off the program with the words, take care of yourself and each other. It just felt like the right sentiment as people were being sickened and dying around us. But I've hung on to that sign off as a reminder that times are never easy, and a little self care and care for those around is never a bad idea.

The holidays, traditionally, are a time to reflect, recharge, and renew. I truly hope you and your families can find the space and time to do just that. We'll be here waiting for you on the other side. But for now, I've got some people I'd like you to meet.

Sa.

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