Israel-Gaza updates: Gaza sees deadliest day since conflict began

At least 700 people died in Gaza on Tuesday, OCHA said.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: October 25, 2023, 4:40 PM EDT

Thousands of people have died and thousands more have been injured since the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and total siege of the neighboring Gaza Strip, leaving the region on the verge of all-out war.

Click here for updates from previous days.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 1, 6:03 am

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.

Oct 25, 2023, 4:40 PM EDT

WHO calls for release of hostages, proof of life, proof of medical care

The World Health Organization said there's "an urgent need" for Hamas to "provide signs of life, proof of provision of health care and the immediate release" of the hostages.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he met with families of some hostages on Wednesday.

"Many of the hostages, including children, women and the elderly, have pre-existing health conditions requiring urgent and sustained care and treatment," he said in a statement. "The mental health trauma that the abducted, and the families, are facing is acute and psychosocial support is of great importance."

Nearly three weeks after the attack by Hamas, families aren’t giving up hope that their relatives will be released from captivity.
9:05

3 different families detail their ordeal of having relatives taking hostage by Hamas

Nearly three weeks after the attack by Hamas, families aren’t giving up hope that their relatives will be released from captivity.
ABCNews.com

Oct 25, 2023, 4:36 PM EDT

Israeli official: 'Definitions of defeating Hamas' must be more 'realistic'

Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, the former head of the Israel National Security Council, told ABC News the "definitions of defeating Hamas … have to be a little more measurable and realistic."

Eiland, who has been working inside Israel’s military headquarters, said there’s no way to completely destroy Hamas, but he said what Israel can do "is destroy the military capabilities and other governmental functions of Hamas."

Hamas is an Islamic political and militant organization that controls the Gaza Strip.
1:06

What is Hamas?

Hamas is an Islamic political and militant organization that controls the Gaza Strip.
Getty

"But even to achieve this limited goal we will have to maintain the military effort," he said.

Eiland said Israel cannot allow Hamas "the ability now or in the future to rebuild their rocket arsenal."

-ABC News' Matt Gutman

Oct 25, 2023, 3:44 PM EDT

House to vote on resolution defending Israel

The House on Wednesday is debating a resolution to show support for Israel and condemn Hamas.

PHOTO: Mourners gather around the graves of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, during their funeral in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, Oct. 23, 2023.
Mourners gather around the graves of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, during their funeral in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, Oct. 23, 2023. Yam and her father were killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 at their house in Kibbutz Kfar Azza near the border with the Gaza Strip. The rest of the family are believed to be held hostage in Gaza.
Ariel Schalit/AP

The resolution introduced by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Mike McCaul is entitled "Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists."

It's expected to pass with large bipartisan support.

More than 2,600 people, including civilians and hundreds of children, have been killed and nearly 9,000 injured in Israel and Gaza since the war broke out on Saturday.
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How to help victims of the Israel-Gaza conflict

More than 2,600 people, including civilians and hundreds of children, have been killed and nearly 9,000 injured in Israel and Gaza since the war broke out on Saturday.
ABCNews.com

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Oct 25, 2023, 3:39 PM EDT

Israeli forces said they've hit underground tunnels

Missiles fired by Israeli forces have struck underground tunnels in Gaza, targeting Hamas terrorists, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said. It's unclear what the result of the hit was.

Hamas has previously claimed to have built 500 kilometers -- more than 300 miles -- of tunnels under Gaza. The tunnel system is designed to conceal and cover Hamas militants and allow them to execute surprise attacks, according to experts.

The IDF spokesman said Israel's current attacks in Gaza are improving their situation for the next stage of the long war ahead.

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