Netanyahu said he's spoken to Trump three times since the election.
The Israel Defense Forces continued its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza -- particularly in the north of the strip -- and in Lebanon, with Israeli attacks on targets nationwide including in the capital Beirut.
Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after the former launched what it called "precise strikes on military targets" in several locations in Iran following Tehran's Oct. 1 missile barrage.
The Israel Defense Forces conducted a raid at the Shuhaybar School in northern Gaza's Al-Shati refugee camp on Thursday killing at least 30 people. The school houses displaced people.
The IDF has not yet commented on the raid.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
Five United Nations peacekeepers were injured on Thursday after a convoy headed for south Lebanon was badly damaged by an Israeli strike.
"Five peacekeepers were lightly injured and treated by the Lebanese Red Cross on the spot. They will continue to their posts. The Lebanese Army also confirmed three of its soldiers at the nearby checkpoint were injured. We remind all actors of their obligation to avoid actions putting peacekeepers or civilians in danger. Differences should be resolved at the negotiating table, not through violence," UNIFIL said in a statement.
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday denied reports that its troops are forcing Palestinians out of their homes in north Gaza with the intention of permanently blocking their return.
"The statement attributed to the IDF in the past 24 hours, claiming that residents of northern Gaza will not be allowed to return to their homes, is incorrect and does not reflect the IDF's objectives," it said in a statement to ABC News.
"Contrary to reports, the IDF will continue to allow humanitarian aid into northern Gaza and is also permitting aid to enter the Jabalia area," they added.
The IDF statement was in response to a Wednesday report by The Guardian newspaper -- attributed to an IDF briefing seen in Israel's Kan News -- that IDF Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen told Israeli reporters that since troops had been forced to enter some areas of northern Gaza twice, such as Jabalia camp, "there is no intention of allowing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes."
Cohen is alleged to have added that no humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter northern areas because there are "no more civilians left."
An Israeli admission of intentional permanent displacement of Palestinians and the use of food as a weapon would be highly significant. Palestinian officials and NGOs have accused the IDF of both measures throughout the war in Gaza.
"The IDF is operating in the Jabalia area to target Hamas infrastructure in the region, engaging in intense combat during which many terrorists are being eliminated, and Hamas's military infrastructure, both above and below ground, is being destroyed," the IDF said in its Thursday statement.
-ABC News' Guy Davies
At least 40 people have been killed in a fresh round of Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials.
The Israel Defense Forces has described its airstrikes as "limited and localized," claiming that all targets are linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Overnight strikes also caused several large explosions in the capital Beirut, including one which erupted close to the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Lebanese officials say the death toll from Israel's military operations has surpassed 3,000. Bombardments have been especially intense in Hezbollah-controlled southern and eastern Lebanon, and in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiya, which is also known as a stronghold for the group.
Lebanon's National News agency reported that at least 44,000 homes across the country have been destroyed since mid-September. Several videos have emerged of Israeli forces using explosives to demolish several villages and towns in the south of the country close to the Israeli border.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
