Israel-Gaza updates: Israel says ground operation underway in southern Gaza

The IDF said it's carried out 10,000 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Last Updated: December 3, 2023, 2:46 PM EST

The temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel ended early Friday, and Israel has resumed its bombardment of Gaza.

The end of the cease-fire came after Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

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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.

Nov 27, 2023, 2:44 PM EST

Pause allowed record amounts of aid to reach Gaza: Kirby

The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas "has allowed for a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby noted.

A Palestinian boy stands amidst the rubble of a building following Israeli strikes in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 22, 2023.
Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

Two-hundred trucks were dispatched to Gaza on Sunday -- the biggest convoy of aid since Oct. 7, Kirby said. Over 2,000 trucks have now entered Gaza, he said.

With two more days now added to the cease-fire, there's "the chance for dozens more trucks, and tens of thousands of more gallons of fuel, that can get into Gaza to people in need," Kirby said. "We're going to take advantage of every hour of every day that there's a pause to try to help the people of Gaza."

Palestinians sit next to a fire, amid a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Nov. 27, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

Nov 27, 2023, 2:34 PM EST

Biden: 'We will not stop until all of the hostages … are released'

President Joe Biden touted the extension of the humanitarian pause in Gaza, saying in a new statement that he has "remained deeply engaged over the last few days to ensure that this deal -- brokered and sustained through extensive U.S. mediation and diplomacy -- can continue to deliver results."

Sharon Hertzman hugging a relative as they reunite at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, Nov. 25, 2023.
Haim Zach/AP

Fifty-eight hostages -- 40 Israelis and 18 foreign citizens -- have been released so far, including 4-year-old American-Israeli Abigail Idan. Abigail was released on Sunday, two days after her 4th birthday.

Abigail Edan who returned last night to Israel, sits with her aunt Liron at the Schneider Children's Medical Center, Nov. 27, 2023.
Schneider Children's Medical Center/AP

Biden said he "spoke with Abigail’s family following her release, and we are working closely with our Israeli partners to ensure she gets the care and support she needs as she begins to recover from this unspeakable trauma."

Biden also noted, "We are taking full advantage of the pause in fighting to increase the amount of humanitarian aid moving into Gaza, and we will continue our efforts to build a future of peace and dignity for the Palestinian people."

Palestinian children sit by the fire next to the rubble of a house hit in an Israeli strike during the conflict, amid a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 27, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters

The president thanked leaders from Israel, Qatar and Egypt for their continued work, and vowed, "We will not stop until all of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists are released."

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Nov 27, 2023, 1:30 PM EST

Hamas benefitting from cease-fire is a 'real risk': Kirby

While the cease-fire extension is expected to bring the release of additional hostages, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged there's a "real risk" that Hamas could benefit the longer the cease-fire continues.

PHOTO: An Israeli soldier stands next to military vehicles near the Israel-Gaza border during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel
An Israeli soldier stands next to military vehicles near the Israel-Gaza border on its Israeli side during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in southern Israel, November 26, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

"Without getting into intelligence issues," Kirby said, "any pause in the fighting could benefit your enemy in terms of time to refit, to rest your fighters, to rearm them, reequip them."

Kirby said the cease-fire is a "calculated risk" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to take to get hostages out, and that military operations will resume against Hamas leadership.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Nov 27, 2023, 1:21 PM EST

8 to 9 Americans still believed to be held: Kirby

The U.S. believes there are eight or nine Americans still being held in Gaza, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, adding that the U.S. does not have "solid information on each and every one of them."

A group of Israelis celebrate as a helicopter carrying hostages released from the Gaza Strip lands at the helipad of the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, Nov. 26, 2023.
Leo Correa/AP

Asked if Americans were expected to be released in the coming days, Kirby said the administration "certainly hope[s] so," but did not say more.

"I mean, we're going to watch this very, very closely. We're certainly hoping that another batch of hostages gets released today as part of the fourth and final day of the original agreement. We’re going to be watching closely to see if any Americans are in that group," Kirby said.

PHOTO: Oria Brodutch jumps onto his father Avihai Brodutch shortly after they were reunited at Schneider Children's Medical Center after being held hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, November 26, 2023.
Oria Brodutch jumps onto his father Avihai Brodutch shortly after they were reunited at Schneider Children's Medical Center following his arrival in Israel after being held hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, November 26, 2023.
Schneider Children's Medical Cen via Reuters

"We don't really know until you get into the end game who's going to be actually on that list and then, even then, you got to watch closely [to see] if who's on the list is folks that actually come out," he said.

Kirby was asked specifically about the two American women who were expected to be part of the first round of releases, and he reiterated his hope they would be released Monday.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

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