Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages' release, Gaza humanitarian assistance
The hostages are two elderly women who are both Israeli nationals.
Thousands of people have died and thousands more were injured after 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.
At least 1,400 people have died and 4,629 others have been injured in Israel, according to Israeli authorities. In Gaza, 5,087 people have died and 15,273 have been wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.
Aid workers and officials fear that Israel's call for an evacuation of the northern part of Gaza is precipitating a humanitarian disaster as electricity and other supplies have been cut off in preparation for what appears to be an imminent ground offensive.
Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to call off the evacuation and agree to a cease-fire, even as the country has asserted a right to defend itself -- a right the United States endorses.
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Top US priority is 'going after Hamas,' Kirby says
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked by ABC News whether there are competing goals between Israel and America, with Israel repeatedly saying its top priority is destroying Hamas and the U.S. saying its highest priority is the hostages.
At first, Kirby said America's top priority "is to make sure Israel has the tools and the capacity and the capabilities to go after Hamas terrorists, and to make sure humanitarian assistance flows in, and to make sure we can get innocent civilians who want to leave Gaza out."
When pressed on the discrepancy with Israel’s stated top goal, Kirby said, "We agree the top priority has got to be going after Hamas."
Kirby repeatedly declined to say if there's an effort from the U.S. and other countries to urge Israel to delay the ground invasion. Kirby said he would not speak for the Israeli Defense Forces or other countries, but that the U.S. has been communicating with Israel from the start about their intentions and goals.
-ABC News' Selina Wang
UN experts urge Israel's lawyers to refuse authorizing acts that could be war crimes
United Nations experts said they're urging the lawyers advising Israeli forces "to refuse legal authorisation for acts that may amount to war crimes."
The lawyers' "advice about issues such as lawful targets of attack, the choice and use of weapons, and the means and methods of warfare is essential to the operational planning of military campaigns," the U.N. experts said in a statement Monday.
"Under international law, Israel has a right to self-defence, but its response must be proportionate and in full respect of the UN Charter and the rules that apply to the use of force in armed conflict," the experts said.
"If such lawyers approve actions that amount to massive human rights violations and war crimes, they may bear accomplice liability for those acts," the experts warned.
20 aid trucks cross into Gaza: UN
Twenty aid trucks crossed from Egypt to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on Monday, according to the United Nations.
The Rafah border crossing was shut on Oct. 10 after it was hit by Israeli warplanes on the Palestinian side three times on Oct. 9 and 10.
After nearly two weeks of humanitarian conditions worsening by the day, the crossing briefly opened on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, permitting a small amount of aid to enter Gaza. The U.N. said 34 trucks entered this weekend.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, called this only "a drop in the bucket."
"The number of trucks that usually went into Gaza every day was about 450 or so, and now we're seeing 20 or 30, and we're not seeing any fuel, which is a great concern," Dujarric said. "For the 14th consecutive day, Gaza remains under a full electricity blackout. The situation in hospital remains dire given the shortage of electricity, medicine, equipment and specialized personnel."
Images of potential Gaza ground invasion may act as catalyst for violent actors: DHS
Images of Israel's potential ground invasion into Gaza could serve as "a catalyst for various violent actors," the Department of Homeland Security warned in an intelligence assessment on Sunday.
The agency said it's "concerned about lone offenders inspired by or responding to the conflict committing simple, unsophisticated attacks that are difficult to warn of in advance."
"Some individuals continue to call for violence against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab targets in the United States across various social media platforms," the assessment said. "We continue to be concerned about threats to houses of worship and other institutions."
Domestic extremists, while a concern, have not signaled any "intent to provide facilitation or assistance to any foreign terrorist organizations in the Gulf region, including HAMAS or Hezbollah," the assessment said.
-ABC News' Luke Barr
Father of freed American hostage gives update: 'She looks very good'
Uri Raanan, the father of Natalie Raanan, 17, who was released by Hamas along with her mother, Judith Raanan, spoke to the media Friday evening, giving an update on their conditions.
"I spoke with my daughter earlier today, she sounds very good, she looks very good, she was very happy and she’s waiting to come home. Her mother has a little scratch on her hand but she told me it’s nothing, she’s okay," Uri Raanan said.
"Hopefully I’m going to see them next week, next week is Natalie’s birthday," Uri Raanan added.