Israel-Gaza updates: Blinken tells Israel onus is on Hamas to accept cease-fire

The 26-year-old was kidnapped from the Nova music festival.

ByNadine El-Bawab and Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: June 1, 2024, 4:39 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
May 28, 2024, 5:07 PM EDT

21 killed as explosions continue in Rafah following Sunday's deadly strike

At least 21 people were killed in an attack near the International Medical Corps American hospital as explosions continue in Rafah on Monday night and Tuesday, according to Palestinians on the ground and local authorities.

Of the 21 people killed, 14 of them were female, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Tuesday. Their ages have not yet been released.

These bombings were not in the exact same location as the strike on May 26 that killed 50 people and injured at least 249 others.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz

May 28, 2024, 4:42 PM EDT

Nikki Haley signs artillery shells in Israel: 'Finish them! America loves Israel!'

Former U.S. presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley visited the northern Israeli border on Tuesday, meeting with Israeli soldiers and Israelis.

During her visit, Haley visited an Israel Defense Forces post with soldiers serving on the northern border.

Former U.S. presidential candidate Nikki Haley signs artillery shells near the northern border of Israel on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
Courtesy Nikki Haley

Haley stopped and signed artillery shells, writing, "Finish them! America loves Israel!" on some of them.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

May 28, 2024, 3:51 PM EDT

1 million Palestinians have now fled Rafah: UNRWA

One million Palestinians have been forced to flee Rafah over the last three weeks in search of safety, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Heavy bombardment continued in Gaza overnight, including in Tal Al Sultan, where the U.N. main offices in Gaza are located, according to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

Palestinians flee the area of Tal al-Sultan in Rafah with their belongings following renewed Israeli strikes in the city in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024.
Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

Most of the UNRWA staff could not make it to work as they are packing up and moving. The UNRWA is also running out of medical supplies and basic human medicines, according to Lazzarini.

Just over 200 trucks with humanitarian supplies were picked up in southern Gaza in the last three weeks as needs continue to increase exponentially, Lazzarini said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

May 28, 2024, 3:46 PM EDT

UN secretary-general condemns Rafah strike, says ICJ ruling is 'binding'

The United Nations secretary-general has condemned the deadly strike on Rafah "in the strongest terms," saying Antonio Guterres is "heartbroken by the images of the killed and injured," his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement Tuesday.

"The Secretary-General reiterates his demand for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. He recalls the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding and must be complied with," Dujarric said.

"The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now compounded by the unconscionable prospect of a man-made famine," Dujarric said.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

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