Israel-Gaza updates: Netanyahu says war to continue 'on all fronts'
Netanyahu said Israel will "continue the war on all fronts and in all sectors."
ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: January 21, 2024, 5:07 PM EST
More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between Israel and Hamas since Israel's founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
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.
Jan 20, 2024, 12:54 PM EST
Relatives of hostages protest outside Israeli PM's home
Several relatives of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza protested outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home on Saturday, demanding the government take more steps to free the captives.
People protest holding posters as supporters and family members of hostages camp outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Caesarea, Israel, Jan. 20, 2024.
Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters
Some protesters camped out in front of his home, in the coastal town of Caesarea.
Supporters and family members of hostages camp outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Caesarea, Israel, Jan. 20, 2024.
Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters
More than 130 hostages are still held in captivity, according to Israeli officials.
Jan 20, 2024, 12:01 PM EST
Fatal shooting of Palestinian-American teen in West Bank under investigation
The fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Palestinian-American in the West Bank on Friday remains under investigation, as mourners gathered Saturday for the teen's funeral.
Tawfiq Ajaq was killed near the city of Ramallah, according to the Defense for Children International - Palestine advocacy group.
Israeli police said they received a report Friday regarding a "firearm discharge, ostensibly involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier and a civilian." Police did not identify who fired the shot but described the shooting as taking place over people "purportedly engaged in rock-throwing activities" along a main highway.
Israeli police said its internal affairs department is investigating the incident.
An initial assessment by the Defense for Children International - Palestine also found that it was unclear who fired the shot that struck the teen.
Mourners react during the funeral of American-Palestinian Tawfiq Ajjaq, 17, who, according to Palestinian officials, was killed by the Israeli security forces, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Jan. 20, 2024.
Mohamad Torokman/Reuters
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen civilian in the West Bank on Friday.
Asked about the incident at a briefing on Friday, U.S. National Security spokesman John Kirby said White House officials "don't have perfect context about exactly what happened here" but are "seriously concerned about it."
"We're going to be in constant touch with counterparts in the region to get more information," he said.
The teen's funeral was held Saturday in the West Bank. His friends said his family had returned to their home village in the Israeli-occupied territory from Harvey, Louisiana, about a year ago, according to Reuters.
Jan 19, 2024, 3:18 PM EST
Biden speaks with Netanyahu in 1st known call in 27 days
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday, according to the White House.
This was the first known call between the two leaders since Dec. 23, 2023.
A Palestinian woman reacts at the grave of her son killed in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 18, 2024.
Staff/Reuters
Biden and Netanyahu spoke about a two-state solution, among other things, one day after Netanyahu expressed opposition to a Palestinian state.
"The president still believes in the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday. "He recognizes that it's going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to take a lot of leadership, there in the region, particularly, on both sides of the issue. And the United States stands firmly committed to eventually seeing that outcome."
An Israeli tank moves to a position in front of damaged buildings in the Gaza strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas, Jan. 19, 2024.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
"We're not going to agree on everything," Kirby said. He later added that Netanyahu’s comments will not change Biden’s "strong conviction" that “the best long-term solution for regional security, particularly the security of the Israeli people, is a free, independent Palestinian state that they can live in peace and security with -- and this is an important caveat -- with Israel's security also guaranteed."
People hold orange balloons as they attend a ceremony to mark the first birthday of Israeli toddler Kfir Bibas, who is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 18 2024.
Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Though Biden will continue to press for a two-state solution, "this isn't about trying to twist somebody's arm or force a change in their thinking," Kirby said.
Kirby said Netanyahu’s comments did not trigger the two leaders’ Friday call.
"This was a call that we've been, actually, trying to land on the schedule for quite a bit of time," he said.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Jan 19, 2024, 11:42 AM EST
Teen boy shares story of being held hostage by Palestine Islamic Jihad
Yagil Yaacov, now 13, was 12 years old when he was kidnapped at knifepoint from his room at the Nir Oz kibbutz on Oct. 7.
He told his captors -- allegedly members of the Palestine Islamic Jihad -- “Don’t take me, I’m too young,” according to his mother, Renana.
Yagil’s brother was also kidnapped and the two were separated. Yagil told ABC News in an exclusive interview that he was first taken to a safe house, and then to another home where he stayed for 30 days.
Yagil said during his time as a hostage he listened to some radio and learned a little Arabic to determine what was happening around him.
He was eventually reunited with his stepmother and brother.
