Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: Hostage's father makes plea to Biden and Trump

The White House has been in touch with Edan Alexander’s family and called the release of the video featuring a message from him a "cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own," White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement Saturday

"The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately — and would have ended months ago — if Hamas agreed to release the hostages," he said.

"It has refused to do so, but as the President said last week, we have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza. This deal is on the table now," he added.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Hamas released a video on Telegram Saturday featuring American hostage Edan Alexander speaking to the camera.

Alexander was taken hostage on Oct. 7th while serving in the IDF and stationed in southern Israel near Gaza.

In the heavily edited propaganda video, Alexander addresses Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Hebrew, and President-elect Donald Trump in English, before an ending message to his family.

"Every day that passes, the pain increases inside me. I miss you very much, every day I pray to see you soon," Alexander said in Hebrew.

It is unclear when the video was filmed, however, Alexander says in the video that he was held for "more than 420 days."

Alexander's family released a statement Saturday, calling for a deal to bring all of the hostages home.

"As time runs out, we urge both current and incoming U.S. administrations to exhaust every possible option and leverage every form of pressure—the hostages' lives hang by a thread," they said in a statement.

Alexander's mother spoke with the press Saturday evening at a rally for the release of hostages in Tel Aviv. She said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called her an hour after the video was released saying he was working for a deal that would release all the hostages.

"Suddenly to see him alive, and speaking... When he cried, I just want to hold him [...] I want him to know that we are doing everything we can to bring him home," she said.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaulé

A video reviewed by ABC News shows the aftermath of an airstrike on a vehicle that was targeted by the Israeli military while travelling on Salah al-Din road near Khan Younis on Saturday.

The airstrike killed five people, including World Central Kitchen workers, according to the organization, which said in a statement they are pausing operations in Gaza at this time.

A few onions and potatoes, together with personal belongings, can be seen in the back of the vehicle.

The IDF said in a statement that it struck a vehicle with a terrorist who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

"World Central Kitchen had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack," the food aid organization said.

WCK added, "Our hearts are with our colleagues and their families in this unimaginable moment."

-ABC News’ Matthew Holroyd

The Israel Defense Forces has announced carrying out four more airstrikes Saturday in Lebanon, where a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is tentatively in place.

In all four attacks, the IDF says they hit Hezbollah-affiliated targets where they believed operatives were near to, or handling, weapons. It does not appear that Hezbollah has fired any weapons since the start of the ceasefire, nor has the IDF accused them of doing so.

This makes five total IDF strikes in Lebanon on Saturday alone. The IDF announced conducting one on Friday, and one on Thursday.

The Lebanon Ministry of Health said in a statement that a 7-year-old child was among three injured in an Israeli strike on a car earlier Saturday, and an additional person was injured in a separate strike.

The IDF said it is “deployed in the southern Lebanon area, operating against any threat to the State of Israel and enforcing any violation of the ceasefire agreement understandings.”

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule