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.

Click here for updates from previous days.

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 21, 2024, 12:41 PM EST

Netanyahu says war to continue 'on all fronts,' rejects Hamas' 'terms of surrender'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will "continue the war on all fronts and in all sectors."

"We do not give immunity to any terrorist -- not in Gaza, not in Lebanon, not in Syria and not anywhere," Netanyahu said in the statement Sunday, written in Hebrew.

The prime minster added, "Whoever tries to hurt us -- we hurt him."

Netanyahu said he's working to secure the return of all the hostages "around the clock," and added: "But to be clear: I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas."

Netanyahu also said he had a conversation with President Joe Biden over the weekend, in which he emphasized "determination to complete all war objectives, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," according to the prime minister's statement.

"That is why I insist that after we achieve complete victory, after we eliminate Hamas -- there will be no factor in Gaza that finances terrorism, educator of terrorism or courier of terrorism," Netanyahu said.

"Gaza must be demilitarized, under full security control of the State of Israel," he said. "I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan."

Netanyahu added he will continue to "firmly" stand by his insistence to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state for as long as he is prime minister.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Jan 21, 2024, 5:39 AM EST

More than 25,000 killed in Gaza, health ministry says

More than 25,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the Gaza Ministry of Health said Sunday.

Citizens inspect a car that was destroyed by Israeli air strikes on Jan. 21, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

At least 62,681 people have been injured since the war began, said the ministry, which operates under the Hamas Authority.

A ministry spokesperson said at least 178 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last day.

-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Edward Szekeres

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.

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