Israel-Gaza updates: IDF says it exposed Hamas tunnel under Shifa Hospital

Israel Defense Forces troops exposed a 180-foot tunnel 32 feet deep underneath the Shifa Hospital, the IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) said in a joint statement Sunday.

"A deep staircase leads to the entrance of the tunnel shaft, which consists of various defense means including a blast-proof door and a firing hole," the statement continues. "This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organization to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas. The tunnel shaft was uncovered in the area of the hospital underneath a shed alongside a vehicle containing numerous weapons including RPGs, explosives and Kalashnikov rifles.

"IDF and ISA forces are continuing to uncover the route of the tunnel," the statement adds.

The IDF said it expects to find more tunnels and underground facilities, and that the operation is ongoing and will take some time. About 300 people remain in the hospital, according to the IDF.

-ABC News' Yael Benaya

The World Health Organization confirmed earlier claims by the Palestinian Health Ministry that 31 "very sick" babies were safely transported from Al-Shifa Hospital to another hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday.

The premature infants were evacuated to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah, WHO officials said.

The babies were "clinging to life," the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement, and their "condition was rapidly deteriorating."

The babies are expected to be transferred to another hospital in Egypt, said Dr. Ashraf al Qwadwa, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Health Ministry. He said nine premature babies have died since the start of a fuel crisis in Gaza prompted by the ongoing conflict.

Six health workers at the Al Shifa Hospital and 10 family members of staff there were also evacuated on Sunday along with the babies, according to the WHO statement, adding that further missions are planned to "urgently transport" the remaining patients and health staff out of the hospital.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta

A British-owned cargo ship operated by a Japanese company was hijacked by Houthi militants near Yemen in the southern Red Sea, officials said Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement describing the hijacking as a "very grave incident of global consequence."

"The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis," the IDF said. "It is not an Israeli ship."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called the incident an "Iranian attack on an international ship," adding the vessel was "hijacked on [an] Iranian whim by the Houthi militia in Yemen."

Netanyahu's office confirmed that no Israelis were on the ship, saying the 25-person crew was of different nationalities, including Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos and Mexicans.

The Houthi militant group is expected to hold a news conference, a spokesperson for the group said.

A spokesman for Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi military, Yahya Sarea, had said earlier Sunday the group would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag, according to the group's Telegram channel.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta, Jordana Miller and Dana Savir

Negotiations to free the more than 200 hostages believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza have "reached a very sensitive stage" as some of the key areas of disagreement have "narrowed," a top White House official told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

Jon Finer, deputy national security adviser to the White House, suggested that a breakthrough in the negotiations could be imminent.

7:26

Some ‘gaps’ have ‘narrowed’ in Israel-Hamas talks: Jon Finer

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz interviews White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer on “This Week.”

ABCNews.com

"These talks have clearly reached a very sensitive stage," Finer told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. "We’re following this minute by minute, hour by hour, and have been over a number of weeks. And this is an incredibly high priority for all of us in this administration up to and including, certainly, the president."

Amid new reporting by The Washington Post that an agreement is on the verge of being struck for dozens of captives to be released in exchange for a pause in the fighting, Finer said progress was being made but cautioned that the work was not done.

-ABC News' Tal Axelrod