Israel-Gaza updates: Nasser Hospital no longer 'functional,' WHO chief says

Israel Defense Forces turned the hospital into military barracks.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: February 19, 2024, 4:03 AM EST

More than four months 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 the warring sides 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.

Click here for updates from previous days.

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.

Feb 12, 2024, 1:00 PM EST

Hostage families commend rescue but say 'time is running out' for remaining hostages

Two hostages, Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were among those kidnapped in Israel on Oct. 7, were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Rescued Israeli-Argentinian hostage Louis Har is reunited with his family at the Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 12, 2024.
Israel Defense Forces/AFP via Getty Images

Rescued Israeli-Argentinian hostage Fernando Simon Marman is reunited with his family at the Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 12, 2024.
Israel Defense Forces via Reuters

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Monday, "We will continue to make every effort in every way to create the conditions for the return of the abductees, including … the possibility of a deal."

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement, "We commend the IDF soldiers who demonstrated strength and bravery to secure the release of the two hostages, and wish them all to return home safely and speedily. Time is running out for the remaining hostages held captive by Hamas. Their lives are at risk with each passing moment. The Israeli government must exhaust every option on the table to release them. The lives of 134 hostages still hang in the balance."

Relatives and supporters lift placards bearing portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants, during a rally calling for their release in Tel Aviv on Feb. 8, 2024.
Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

Feb 12, 2024, 11:21 AM EST

IDF soldiers killed in Khan Younis

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an operation in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Editor's Note: This post has been updated to say the two IDF soldiers were killed in a mission in Khan Younis, not during Monday's hostage rescue mission in Rafah.

Feb 12, 2024, 9:09 AM EST

Israel knew location of 2 rescued hostages in Gaza for weeks, source says

The location of two hostages rescued early Monday from the Gaza Strip was known for weeks, but the special operation was delayed several times due to fears it would cost the hostages their lives, an Israeli source told ABC News.

It took Israeli forces about 40 minutes from the time they entered the building in Rafah in southern Gaza, where the two hostages were being held, to placing them on a helicopter that flew them out of the area, according to the Israeli source.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor

Feb 12, 2024, 9:00 AM EST

Netanyahu vows 'continued military pressure, until total victory'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday hailed the military's announcement that two Israeli hostages were rescued from the war-torn Gaza Strip.

"Fernando and Louis, welcome home," Netanyahu said in a statement. "I salute our brave fighters for the daring action that led to their release. Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages."

"We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home," he added.

The two hostages -- Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 -- were among those kidnapped in southwestern Israel and taken across the border to Gaza amid the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. They were rescued during a special operation in Rafah in southern Gaza early Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Rescued Israeli-Argentinian hostage Fernando Simon Marman is reunited with his family at the Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 12, 2024.
Israel Defense Forces/AFP via Getty Images

Rescued Israeli-Argentinian hostage Louis Har is reunited with his family at the Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 12, 2024.
Israel Defense Forces/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor

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