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 2, 2023, 4:38 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.
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 02, 2023, 4:38 PM EST
Sec. Austin calls on Congress to pass Israel, Ukraine aid
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called on Congress to pass aid to Israel and Ukraine during a keynote speech Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California.
He said support for Israel's security is "non-negotiable."
"We still urgently need bipartisan support in Congress to pass the supplemental to rush security assistance to our partners in Ukraine, in Israel and elsewhere," he said.
Austin said peace is "not self-executing" and that America should remain involved and in leadership.
"From Russia to China, from Hamas to Iran, our rivals and foes want to divide and weaken the United States -- and to split us off from our allies and partners," he said. "So at this hinge in history, America must not waver."
-ABC News' Kelly Livingston
Dec 02, 2023, 3:08 PM EST
Kamala Harris meets with Arab leaders to discuss Israel-Gaza at COP28
While in Dubai for the COP28 meetings, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Arab leaders -- United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Jordan's King Abdullah, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani -- to discuss what Gaza will look like once the fighting stops.
"We all want this conflict to end as soon as possible, and to ensure Israel's security, and ensure security for the Palestinian people, we must accelerate efforts to build an enduring peace," Harris said.
A handout picture provided by the UAE Presidential Court shows President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris during the COP28 climate summit in Dubai on December 2, 2023.
Ryan Carter/UAE Presidential Court/AFP via Getty Images
In addition to the five principles in President Joe Biden's Washington Post op-ed, the Vice President laid out three new focus points she discussed to ensure the success of long-lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which will also require "regional consensus and support" to accomplish.
"One, reconstruction. The international community must dedicate significant resources to support short- and long-term recovery in Gaza," Harris said.
"Second, security. The Palestinian Authority security forces must be strengthened to eventually assume security responsibilities in Gaza. Until then, there must be security arrangements that are acceptable to Israel, the people of Gaza, the Palestinian Authority, and the international partners," Harris said.
A Palestinian child reacts, while people gather to get their share of charity food offered by volunteers, amid food shortages, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Dec. 2, 2023.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
"Third, governance. The Palestinian Authority must be revitalized, driven by the will of the Palestinian people, which will allow them to benefit from the rule of law and a transparent responsive government," Harris said.
Harris refused to go into details but remains hopeful for another pause. Harris also said that Israel must limit as many civilian casualties as possible.
"As Israel defends itself, it matters how. The United States is unequivocal; international humanitarian law must be respected. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating," Harris said.
-ABC News' Tia Humphries
Dec 02, 2023, 11:15 AM EST
Israel to put 'security arrangements' along fringes of Gaza Strip: Netanyahu adviser
Israel plans to put in place "security arrangements" along the fringes of the Gaza strip to ensure that Hamas could not threaten the country again, Mark Regev, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's adviser, told reporters Saturday.
"Call it what you want," Regev told ABC News in an interview after the briefing. "Israel will have to have a security envelope."
Residents of the Qatari-funded Hamad Town residential complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, carry some of their belongings as they flee their homes after an Israeli strike, on Dec. 2, 2023.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 2, 2023, shows an explosion and smoke billowing over the Palestinian territory during an Israeli strike as battles resumed between Israel and Hamas militants.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Regev told reporters that Israel does not plan to take territory from Gaza or occupy the strip, but he spoke about establishing "security zones."
"There will have to be security arrangements on the ground to prevent future attacks," Regev told the briefing.
-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge and Angus Hines
Dec 02, 2023, 9:51 AM EST
Israel recalls its negotiation team from Qatar
After reaching an "impasse" in negotiations with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel's negotiation team to return from Doha, Qatar, Israeli officials said.
"The terrorist organization Hamas did not fulfil its part of the agreement, which included the release of all children and women according to a list that was forwarded to Hamas and approved by it. The head of the Mossad thanks the head of the CIA, the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence and the Prime Minister of Qatar for their partnership in the tremendous mediation efforts that led to the release of 84 children and women from the Gaza Strip in addition to 24 foreign citizens," according to a statement issued on behalf of Israel's Intelligence and Special Tasks Agency.
