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 1, 2023, 10:48 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.

Click here for updates from previous days.

Mar 01, 2024, 6:03 AM EST

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.

Dec 01, 2023, 10:48 AM EST

Blinken on New York Times report: 'There will be accountability looking at what led up to Oct. 7'

As Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Israel on Friday, he was asked about a report by The New York Times alleging Israel knew about Hamas' attack plan a year in advance.

An Israeli soldier touches the picture of her friend, who died during the October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, on the day of a tribute at the site of the Nova festival in Re'im, southern Israel, Nov. 28, 2023.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

"There's going to be plenty of opportunity for a full accounting of … looking back to see what happened [and] who knew what, when -- Israel has been very clear about that," Blinken said.

"Right now, the focus is on making sure that [Israel] can do everything possible to ensure that it doesn't happen again, make sure that civilians are protected, and that humanitarian assistance gets in, and as I said, to also look at what happens once this conflict is over -- what happens in Gaza, what happens more broadly getting us on a path to lasting security," Blinken continued. "So we're focused on on all of that. I think there'll be time, and I know this will happen -- there will be accountability, looking at what led up to Oct. 7."

-ABC News' Nate Luna

Dec 01, 2023, 9:55 AM EST

'Children lying on the floor with limbs missing' in Gaza: UNICEF

As fighting between Israel and Hamas resumes, Israel's "relentless bombardment" in Gaza on Friday has been "utterly terrifying" -- and has had an immediate impact “on the faces of children," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told ABC News.

"I feel I was starting to see childhood return when you chat to them -- that’s been replaced by fear again," Elder said. "There’s a trauma which returns very quickly."

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Hatem Ali/AP

Elder described seeing "children lying on the floor with limbs missing." He said some children who had already been injured were being moved around hospitals to make room for other casualties to come in.

He said sanitation "has broken down" and Gaza’s hospitals are now "on life support."

“Disease threatens just as many children" as the bombings, he said.

PHOTO: Palestinian vendors sell their products in an open-air market near the ruins of houses and buildings amid a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Nov. 30, 2023.
Palestinian vendors sell their products in an open-air market near the ruins of houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes during the conflict, amid a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Nov. 30, 2023.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Over the last seven days, aid has been reaching Gaza, he said, but, "seven days was never ever enough.”

Elder said he’s "terrified" that if the fighting continues for even another couple of weeks, “many, many more thousands of people" could be killed.

ABC News' Phil Lipof spoke with UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder about the aid getting into Gaza and what people on the ground need the most.
ABC News' Phil Lipof spoke with UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder about the aid getting into Gaza and what people on the ground need the most.

-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge, Zoe Magee, Angus Hines and Nicky De Blois

Dec 01, 2023, 9:40 AM EST

Israel, Hamas trade blame for reigniting the war

As a truce ended between Israel and Hamas on Friday, both sides traded blame for reigniting the war.

Israel accused Hamas of violating the cease-fire by firing rockets toward Israeli territory just after 7 a.m. local time, as negotiations failed to further extend the truce. The Israeli military has since resumed combat in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, with ground, air and naval forces striking more than 200 "terror targets" in the north and south thus far, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Meanwhile, Hamas accused Israel of "persistently rejecting" all its offers to release more hostages in Gaza amid negotiations to extend the cease-fire agreement on Thursday night. Hamas alleged that it had offered to hand over more Israeli detainees, including the elderly, as well as the bodies of those who have died in captivity, which the militant group claimed was a result of previous Israeli bombings.

"However, the [Israeli] occupation, driven by a predetermined decision to resume criminal aggression, remained unresponsive," Hamas said in a statement.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

Dec 01, 2023, 8:51 AM EST

Israeli kibbutz confirms deaths of 3 Hamas-held hostages in Gaza

An Israeli kibbutz confirmed Friday the death of three of its residents who were taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack.

Kibbutz Nir Oz announced that 85-year-old resident Aryeh Zalmanovich has died in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. Zalmanovich was one of the founders of the kibbutz, which is located in southern Israel near the border with Gaza.

“Father of two sons and grandfather of five grandchildren. Aryeh was a man of the land all his life who was engaged in agriculture and field crops,” the kibbutz said in a statement. “A man of books and has a wide knowledge of history and knowledge of the country.”

Gaza's militant rulers, Hamas, released a video in mid-November that appeared to show Zalmanovich looking ill. The group claimed he had later died.

Kibbutz Nir Oz also announced that 54-year-old resident Ronen Engel has died in Hamas captivity in Gaza. The kibbutz described Engel as a "photographer, MDA volunteer and motorcycle enthusiast." His wife and two daughters were also kidnapped to Gaza on Oct. 7 and released this week, according to the kibbutz.

A third resident of kibbutz Nir Oz, 56-year-old resident Maya Goren, was also confirmed to have died in Hamas captivity in Gaza. Her husband was among those killed on Oct. 7, according to the kibbutz.

"Maya was a hardworking and dedicated kindergarten teacher, and gave loving care to the kibbutz children for many years," the kibbutz said in a statement.

-ABC News' Yael Benaya and Morgan Winsor

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