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: November 29, 2023, 11:59 AM 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.
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 29, 2023, 11:59 AM EST
UN calls for 'irreversible' move toward 2-state solution
Tatiana Valovaya, director-general of the United Nations at Geneva, is calling for an "irreversible" move toward a two-state solution.
"We must be united in demanding an end to the occupation and the blockade of Gaza," Valovaya said. "It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states."
Nov 29, 2023, 11:39 AM EST
Hamas claims 3 hostages, including 10-month-old, were killed by previous Israeli strikes on Gaza
Hamas' military wing al-Qassam Brigades alleged Wednesday that three hostages have died as a result of the Israeli military's previous bombings in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement posted on a Telegram channel associated with the al-Qassam Brigades, the slain hostages were identified as Shiri Silverman Bibas, Kfir Bibas and Ariel Bibas. It was unclear when the trio had allegedly died and ABC News was unable to verify the claim.
Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother Yarden was taken hostage with his wife Shiri and 2 children Kfir and Ariel holds with her friend Tal Ulus pictures of them during an interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 13, 2023.
Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Several members of the Bibas family, including 32-year-old Shiri, her 4-year-old son Ariel and her 10-month-old son Kfir, were kidnapped from their kibbutz in southern Israel during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7 and taken hostage to Gaza, according to relatives and Israeli authorities.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement Wednesday that it is investigating the reports of their deaths.
"IDF representatives spoke with the Bibas family following the recent reports and are with them at this difficult time. The IDF is assessing the accuracy of the information," the IDF said. "Hamas is wholly responsible for the security of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas must be held accountable."
In a statement obtained by ABC News, the Bibas family said Wednesday that they are "updated on the latest Hamas publication."
"We are waiting for the news to be confirmed or hopefully refuted soon by military officials," the family added. "We thank the people of Israel for the warm embrace but ask to maintain our privacy at this complex time."
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Anna Brund, Jordana Miller, Dana Savir and Morgan Winsor
Nov 29, 2023, 11:31 AM EST
Returned hostages not in immediate danger: Israel hospital director
Itai Pessach, director of Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital at Sheba Medical Center, praised the newly released hostages who arrived at the hospital Tuesday, calling them "extraordinary women" who "endured the hardships of their captivity in a remarkable fashion."
Hostages who were abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack on Israel, are handed over by Hamas militants to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 28, 2023.
Al-qassam Brigades via Reuters
"Some of them had complex underlying illnesses and some suffered injuries when they were abducted or during their time in captivity," Pessach said. "They will need further medical treatment and attention, but there's no immediate danger to any of them."
Twelve hostages were released on Tuesday in the most recent prisoner swap: 10 Israelis and two foreign nationals from Thailand. Nine of the Israelis were women. One was a 17-year-old girl, Maya, and her dog, Bella.
A hostage who was abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack on Israel holds a dog while she and others are handed over by Hamas militants to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 28, 2023.
Al-qassam Brigades via Reuters
Pessach called Maya "a very brave young woman. "
"Bella also was examined last night by the veterinarian service of the Sheba Medical Center, and she's also fine, and she would stay with Maya for as long as she needs while they are still here," Pessach said.
Nov 29, 2023, 9:17 AM EST
Israel receives list of hostages to be released Wednesday, notifies families
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that it has received the list of hostages due to be released by militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The families of the hostages on Wednesday's list have all been notified, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said.
The truce between Gaza's militant rulers, Hamas, and Israel is set to expire on Thursday morning, but the possibility of extending it further is reportedly under negotiation.