Israel-Gaza updates: IDF says it expects war to last all of 2024

The Israeli army said it destroyed a key hideout for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: December 31, 2023, 4:50 PM EST

The temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel ended on Dec. 1, and Israel has resumed its bombardment of Gaza.

The end of the cease-fire came after Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

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Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Mar 1, 6:03 am

What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 30,228 people have been killed and 71,377 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 395 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

Dec 26, 2023, 9:53 PM EST

Blinken, Sullivan meet with Israeli minister over hostages, humanitarian situation in Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer Tuesday night, where they discussed freeing hostages still held in Gaza.

During the meeting, they covered four key points, officials familiar with the meeting told ABC News, including the transition to a different phase of the war to maximize Israel's focus on precision targeting of high value Hamas targets. They also worked on practical steps to improve the humanitarian situation and minimize harm to civilians. Planning for after the war ends was also covered, with discussions about governance and security in Gaza, a political horizon for the Palestinian people and continued work on normalization and integration.

The meeting came on the same day President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. According to a read-out of the call, the two leaders spoke about the efforts to see hostages released and ongoing efforts to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller and Jay O'Brien

Dec 26, 2023, 4:24 PM EST

Gaza faces another telecommunications blackout: PRCS

Gaza is facing another telecommunications blackout, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

“This presents a significant challenge for emergency medical teams in reaching the wounded and injured,” the organization warned.

Palestinians search the rubble of a building following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 26, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

Dec 26, 2023, 4:27 PM EST

Israel’s war cabinet meets about possible hostage deals: Source

Israel’s war cabinet is meeting to discuss operational issues of the war as well as the hostages, according to an Israeli political source.

There are several hostage deals being discussed, the Israeli source said, including a proposal from Egyptians that would involve a cease-fire in exchange for the release of more hostages and lead to a broader agreement involving a permanent cease-fire, along with an overhaul of leadership in Gaza, according to an Egyptian source.

The families of Israelis abducted by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack and currently held in the Gaza Strip wait for the war cabinet ministers at the entrance to then Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Dec. 25, 2023.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

Dec 26, 2023, 3:00 PM EST

Israeli forces expand into central Gaza

Israeli forces have “expanded operations into central Gaza," Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.

In Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Israelis "are fighting with new methods" and “constantly adjusting our tactics based on the needs of the military operations,” Hagari said.

Israeli soldiers aboard military vehicles at an area near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, Dec. 25, 2023.
Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

And in northern Gaza, Israeli forces have "attacked an array of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon," he said.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller

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