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Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: IDF says strikes on targets in Iran completed

The IDF said it had the "right and the duty to respond."

Last Updated: October 26, 2024, 4:15 PM EDT

The Israel Defense Forces began conducting what it called "precise strikes on military targets" in Iran in response to the barrage of Iranian missiles fired toward Israel earlier this month.

Some "strong" explosions were heard around Tehran, though the cause of the sounds were not immediately clear.

Oct 24, 2024, 9:14 AM EDT

Blinken says negotiations to resume on hostage release, cease-fire in Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference in Doha on Thursday that negotiators will resume talks with Hamas "in coming days" to discuss a path forward in Gaza to release the hostages and end the war.

But, he added, it's not clear whether Hamas was "prepared to engage" following the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar.

"We haven't yet really determined whether Hamas is prepared to engage, but the next step is getting the negotiators together, and I anticipate we'll know and we'll certainly learn more in the coming days," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani shake hands as they attend a press conference in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024.
Nathan Howard/AP

Blinken announced the development at a press conference with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who said his government had been in touch with Hamas officials in recent days.

"I believe that until now, there is no clarity what will be the way forward or the clear position," bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.

Blinken also announced another $135 million in aid to Gaza civilians, bringing the total contribution to $1.2 billion, he said.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Oct 24, 2024, 8:02 AM EDT

Surgeon under Israeli siege in north Gaza reports death 'in all forms'

Dr. Mohammed Obeid, a Médecins Sans Frontières surgeon working at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza said medical workers there are "hopeless" and under constant fire amidst Israel's siege.

Palestinians pray by the body of victim of Israeli bombardment of the Beit Lahia area at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 23, 2024.
-/AFP via Getty Images

"There is death in all types and forms," Obeid said. "The bombardment does not stop. The artillery does not stop. The planes do not stop. There is heavy shelling, and the hospital is [being] targeted too."

"It just looks like a movie -- it does not seem real," he added.

"We have 30 people dead inside the hospital and around 130 injured patients who need urgent medical care. Medical staff are exhausted and many are injured as well. We feel hopeless. I just don't have words."

-ABC News' Guy Davies

Oct 24, 2024, 7:43 AM EDT

Blinken in Qatar for talks on ending Gaza war

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha on Thursday as he neared the end of this week's Middle East peace push.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 24, 2024.
Nathan Howard/Reuters

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken discussed "renewed efforts to secure the release of the hostages and end the war in Gaza, as well as ongoing work to provide for security, governance and reconstruction in Gaza after the war."

Blinken and Al Thani also discussed Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and "exchanged views on achieving a diplomatic resolution along the Blue Line and making political progress in Lebanon in order to ensure its sovereignty and security."

Blinken is set to travel to the U.K. after concluding his meetings in Qatar.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Oct 24, 2024, 6:38 AM EDT

16 killed in Israeli airstrike on school-turned-shelter, officials say

Hospital officials at Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza said they received 16 dead bodies and 32 injured people after Israeli strikes on a school-turned-shelter in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

The hospital said "most" of the victims were "children and elderly people."

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement it was targeting "Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center" inside the school compound.

-ABC News' Dia Ostaaz, Guy Davies and Clark Bentson

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