Sunday shows preview: War in Gaza passes 2-month mark; Iowa caucuses inch closer

The war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas passing the two-month mark will likely be the focus of this week’s Sunday news shows.

Over 17,000 people have been killed In Gaza due to Israel’s retaliatory operations in response to Hamas’ surprise attack in early October that killed 1,200 Israelis, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. The U.S. on Friday prevented the passage of a United Nations (U.N.) Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire by using its veto power. The resolution would have required Israel to stop its war against Hamas.

The U.N. secretary-general, António Guterres, on Wednesday invoked Article 99 of the United Nations Charter on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, an action that has the aim of raising alarm to the Security Council on a matter that risks international peace and security. He also decried the current humanitarian situation in Gaza on Friday, calling it a “spiraling humanitarian nightmare.”

“The people of Gaza are being told to move like human pinballs – ricocheting between ever-smaller slivers of the south, without any of the basics for survival,” Guterres said Friday, according to the U.N. “But nowhere in Gaza is safe.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will appear on both ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union,” this week, where he is likely to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

On Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked a bill to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine due to a lack of border provisions. Due to a 49-51 vote by senators, the 60-vote threshold was not reached which would enable the proposal to come up for consideration. 

The bill also included aid for the Indo-Pacific region, alongside funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the border, and fighting fentanyl trafficking. 

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who led unsuccessful border discussions in the past month alongside Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), will make an appearance on “Face the Nation” Sunday. The Democrats and Murphy have walked away from the table on the issue.

Murphy will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Congressional members on both sides of the aisle expressed their frustration with the situation they are in.

“Why hold up Ukraine aid if they can’t even present a border package that can pass the Senate?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor earlier Wednesday. 

“We are asking ourselves this question: Has border been nothing more than an excuse for the hard right to kill funding for Ukraine, and too many other Republican senators who are not part of the hard right are going along?” he said. “I hope that’s not true.” 

The January Iowa caucuses are coming ever closer, which Sunday shows will also likely focus on. On Wednesday, four candidates battled it out on stage at the fourth Republican primary debate. However, the current frontrunner of the Republican pack, former President Trump, didn’t make an appearance. He did, however, offer his two cents on the candidates’ performances at the debate on Truth Social.

“So many people are asking what I thought of history’s lowest rated ‘presidential’ debate, & how would I rate the players. It’s so easy to be a critic, but who on this subject would be better than me,” he posted early Saturday morning on Truth Social.

Trump took shots at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), former Gov. Nikki Haley, (R-S.C.) and former Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), and declared entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy the winner of the debate in his post.

“Vivek WINS because he thinks l’m great,” the former president added.

Former House Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), now the CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), is making an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Features” Sunday. TMTG owns Truth Social, the platform Trump appears to prefer the most to use.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget; Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and James Lankford, R-Okla.; Save the Children president and CEO Janti Soeripto.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Blinken; Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio.); former Vice President Al Gore; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

“Fox News Sunday” — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.); Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.); Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.); Trump Media & Technology Group CEO and former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.).