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Israel-Gaza live updates: 'Constructive meeting' with officials but 'gaps' remain, Israeli PM's office says
Israel alleged several UNRWA staff members were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.
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 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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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.
Hamas releases video showing 3 hostages still in captivity
Hamas has released a video of three women who are still being held in captivity in Gaza.
Shown in the video are 19-year-old Karina Ariev, 19-year-old Daniel Gilboa and 30-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, according to the Hostage Families Forum.
Ariev and Gilboa were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz kibbutz and Steinbrecher was kidnapped from the Kfar Aza kibbutz.
According to a SITE Intelligence Group translation, Ariev, addressing Israeli government officials, said in the video, "In my name and the names of all the hostages and soldiers, I ask that you get us home, stop this war, and reach an agreement. Bring us back alive. Do everything you can to get us home before we are added to the list of dead hostages. Get me home before I become a corpse."
Kirby says alleged actions of some UNRWA employees do not 'impugn the entire agency'
The U.S. is expecting a "complete and thorough and transparent investigation" following allegations that 12 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday.
The State Department is temporarily pausing new funding for the UNRWA in the wake of the allegations.
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said he’s fired several staff members after Israel provided the agency "with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees" in the Oct. 7 attacks.
An investigation is underway, Lazzarini said, warning that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution."
Earlier this month, Kirby said the UNRWA couldn't be held responsible for "the depredations of Hamas" when asked about the organization having a presence in hospitals alleged to have been used as stockpiles for weapons.
On Friday, when asked about those previous comments, Kirby noted that while there was certainly cause for concern about these allegations, "that does not and nor should it impugn the entire agency and the entire all the body of work that they're doing. ... They [UNRWA workers] have helped save literally thousands of lives in Gaza."
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Biden spoke with Qatari leader on hostage negotiations
President Joe Biden spoke with Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including efforts to secure the release of all hostages taken by Hamas, according to the White House.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
UN's top court orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza but no cease-fire
The United Nations' top court on Friday demanded that Israel try to contain death and damage in its military offensive in the neighboring Gaza Strip but stopped short of ordering a cease-fire.
With a panel of 17 judges in The Hague, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent committing genocide against Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinian residents amid the ongoing war with Hamas, the militant group that rules the tiny, coastal territory.
Friday's ruling is part of a preliminary decision in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza -- charges which Israel vehemently denies. South Africa had asked the court to order Israel to halt its military operation in the war-torn enclave while the case is being reviewed.
A State Department official said [in a statement] the ruling is "consistent with our view that Israel has the right to take action to ensure" the attacks of Oct. 7 aren't repeated. The official added that the U.S. has "consistently made clear that Israel must take all take all possible steps to minimize civilian harm, increase the flow of humanitarian assistance, and address dehumanizing rhetoric."
"We continue to believe that allegations of genocide are unfounded and note the court did not make a finding about genocide or call for a cease-fire in its ruling and that it called for the unconditional, immediate release of all hostages being held by Hamas,” the State Department official said. "We will continue to monitor this proceeding as it moves forward."
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the ruling a "victory for international law, for human rights, and above all, for justice."
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said in response to the ruling that Israel does not need to be "lectured on morality in order to distinguish between terrorists and the civilian population in Gaza." Former Israeli Defense Minister and current Knesset cabinet member Benny Gantz added that "those who should stand trial are those who murdered and kidnapped children, women and the elderly."
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Morgan Winsor
