Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages, Gaza aid

The hostages are two elderly women who are both Israeli nationals.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: October 23, 2023, 4:29 PM EDT

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.

Click here for previous updates.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 21, 2023, 2:00 PM EDT

Hamas claims all of Israel's targets in Gaza are civilian

In a statement Saturday, Hamas claimed all of Israel's targets in Gaza were civilian in addition to its blockage of electricity, water, fuel and medicine.

"The Israeli targets across Gaza were all civilian including children, women, civil defense rescue teams, hospitals, ambulances, media and press offices, bakeries, mosques, churches and the public infrastructure," Hamas said in a statement.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Oct. 19, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Palestinians walk by the buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment on al-Zahra, on the outskirts of Gaza City, Oct. 20, 2023.
Ali Mahmoud/AP

Hamas said that four hospitals are now out of service and 25 others have been damaged due to Israeli bombing. It also claimed that Israel has told the Red Crescent Society to evacuate Al-Quds Hospital which Hamas claims is currently hosting about 12,000 displaced people.

Hamas also said the aid convoy delivered through the Rafah crossing will not meet the needs of the people in Gaza, calling for more aid to be sent and for safe passage of injured civilians to be allowed.

"We call for the urgent entry of fuel for the hospitals and health centers as they are almost running out of fuel for their generators, and to avoid turning these hospitals into mass graves," Hamas said.

Oct 21, 2023, 1:15 PM EDT

King of Jordan calls 'relentless bombing' of Gaza a 'war crime'

World leaders gathered in Egypt for the Cairo Summit for Peace, as part of efforts to end the war in Gaza. Jordan's King Abdullah II condemned Israel's "bombing campaign" of Gaza, calling it a war crime.

"The relentless bombing campaign underway in Gaza as we speak, is cruel and unconscionable on every level. It is collective punishment of a besieged and helpless people. It is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It is a war crime," King Abdullah II said.

ABC’s Ines De La Cuetara reports on Palestinians' views on Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas as they deal with fraught tensions with East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
7:05

‘Everybody’s a human being. They have the right to live in peace.’

ABC’s Ines De La Cuetara reports on Palestinians' views on Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas as they deal with fraught tensions with East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
ABCNews.com

King Abdullah called for an end to the war and the protection of civilians lives. He also called for an end to the displacement of Palestinians and for the continuous passage of humanitarian aid.

"Anywhere else, attacking civilian infrastructure and deliberately starving an entire population of food, water, electricity, and basic necessities would be condemned," he said.

Oct 21, 2023, 11:07 AM EDT

Death toll in Gaza rises to 4,385: Palestinian officials

As the Hamas-Israel war continues, the Palestinian death toll has risen to 4,385 deaths -- including 1,756 children and 967 women -- in addition to 13,561 injuries since the start of escalation on Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said fuel being left out of the aid that went into Gaza has dangerous repercussions on the health services. According to the ministry, the convoy that delivered aid to Gaza on Saturday only has 3% of the daily needs.

People react as Palestinian civil defense members and others search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis on the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 19, 2023.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Oct. 20, 2023.
Francisco Seco/AP

According to the ministry, seven hospitals and 25 health-care centers are now out of service due to running out of fuel. Bed occupancy in the hospitals have reached more than 150%, which led to tents to absorb the huge number of injuries.

Oct 21, 2023, 10:03 AM EDT

Blinken applauds international community for passage of aid convoy into Gaza

A 20-truck convoy of humanitarian assistance has been delivered to the people in Gaza after the Rafah border crossing was opened Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the international community for facilitating the safe passage of the convoy.

"With this convoy, the international community is beginning to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has left residents of Gaza without access to sufficient food, water, medical care, and safe shelter," Blinken said in a statement.

The border was closed again after 20 aid trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt.
1:03

Rafah border crossing opens briefly, allowing some aid into Gaza

The border was closed again after 20 aid trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt.
Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images

"We urge all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza. We have been clear: Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance. Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts," Blinken said in a statement.

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