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.

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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.

Feb 16, 2024, 2:12 PM EST

Biden says his 'expectation' is Israel will not move forward with Rafah invasion

President Joe Biden said it is his "expectation" that Israel will not move forward with "any massive land invasion" in Rafah in southern Gaza as the Israelis work to get a temporary cease-fire in place to release the remaining hostages.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of a house, which was struck by an Israeli airstrike during an operation to rescue two hostages in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 13, 2024.
Fatima Shbair/AP

Biden was asked if Israel had presented a credible evacuation plan for the displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah. But the president’s response focused on continued efforts around a hostage deal, saying he's made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their conversations in recent days that the U.S. feels strongly that a temporary cease-fire must happen.

"I'm still hopeful that that can be done,” Biden said. “And in the meantime, I don't anticipate -- I'm hoping that the Israelis will not make any massive land invasion in the meantime. So, it's my expectation that's not going to happen. There has to be a cease-fire temporarily to get those hostages.”

Relatives and supporters hold placards bearing portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel, during a rally calling for their release, in Tel Aviv, Jan. 27, 2024.
Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

"This is not just Israelis -- it's American hostages, as well,” Biden said. “My hope and expectation is that we'll get this hostage deal, we’ll bring the Americans home and the deal has been negotiated now, and we're gonna see where it takes us.”

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Feb 16, 2024, 10:49 AM EST

2 killed in shooting attack in southern Israel

Two people were killed in a terror shooting attack at a bus stop near Re’em Masmiya Junction in southern Israel, according to Israel’s emergency medical services.

Four people were hurt. Two of the injured victims are in serious condition and two are in moderate condition, officials said.

PHOTO: Israeli police search a vehicle the site of a shooting attack at the Masmiya-Re'em junction near Kiryat Malakhi in southern Israel, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Police say a man opened fire at a bus stop, killing and wounding several people.
Israeli police search a vehicle the site of a shooting attack at the Masmiya-Re'em junction near Kiryat Malakhi in southern Israel, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Police say a man opened fire at a bus stop, killing and wounding several people before he was shot and killed by a civilian.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Feb 15, 2024, 9:08 PM EST

Biden again tells Netanyahu he opposes a Rafah military operation that doesn’t consider civilians’ safety

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday -- their second call in less than one week -- and again said the U.S. believes any planned military operation in Rafah that does not credibly consider civilians’ safety "should not proceed," according to the White House.

Biden told Netanyahu the same thing during a call on Sunday.

The two leaders also spoke about ongoing negotiations to secure another hostage deal and the "urgency" of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, the White House said.

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow

Feb 15, 2024, 5:04 PM EST

Hostage center confirms another death from Kibbutz Nir Oz

Yair Yaakov, a 59-year-old hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz, has been killed, according to the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum headquarters.

He was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his children -- Or, 17, and Yagil, 13, -- and his partner Meirav Tal. His partner and children were released in the prisoner exchange deal.

His body is still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, according to the forum.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

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