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 20, 2023, 1:51 PM EDT

'They may die,' lawyer says of American families trapped in Gaza

A lawyer who has been in touch with multiple American families trapped in the Gaza Strip said the U.S. Department of State has offered them no plan, timeline or departure option.

A Palestinian civil defense member stands in the crack of a collapsed building hit by Israeli airstrikes while searching for victims and survivors, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 19, 2023.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

"They continue to be mislead with bad information," Sammy Nabulsi told ABC News in a remote interview on Friday.

One of those families is waiting to cross into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing, which remains closed despite State Department officials indicating that it would open and Americans would be able to leave Gaza, Nabulsi said. In recent days, the family has run out of drinking water and the house they’re staying in was almost hit by an Israeli airstrike, according to Nabulsi, who noted that "the intensity of bombing and airstrikes in the area has increased."

"My biggest fear is that if this continues ... they may die," he said. "That’s frankly where we’re headed at the moment."

Palestinians gather around residential buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in Zahra City in southern Gaza City, Oct. 19, 2023.
Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters

-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud, James Longman, Zoe Magee and Morgan Winsor

Oct 20, 2023, 1:12 PM EDT

Biden: Aid trucks will enter Gaza in next 24-48 hours

President Joe Biden said Friday he believes the first 20 humanitarian aid trucks will enter Gaza "in the next 24 to 48 hours."

"I got a commitment from the Israelis and the president of Egypt that the crossing will be opened," he said.

Palestinians, who fled their houses amid Israeli strikes, take shelter in a tent camp at a United Nations-run center in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 19, 2023.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Oct 20, 2023, 12:51 PM EDT

Northern Israeli city evacuated amid Hezbollah fight

The northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona was the latest town along the northern border to be evacuated, allowing Israeli forces to "expand its operational freedom to act against the Hezbollah terrorist organization," an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said.

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have engaged in artillery exchanges since the outbreak of the latest war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has voiced strong support for Hamas, sparking fears that the war could spread into Lebanon.

The Iran-backed, Shiite Muslim political party and militant group has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S.
0:52

What is Hezbollah?

The Iran-backed, Shiite Muslim political party and militant group has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S.
ABCNews.com

The IDF said one of its drones "struck a terrorist in Lebanese territory" on Thursday night and that Israeli forces also struck "several military assets belonging to" Hezbollah.

Oct 20, 2023, 12:02 PM EDT

'This cannot continue,' prominent Palestinian activist says of Israel-Hamas war

With Israel and the Hamas militant group on the verge of an all-out war, "the only way out of this is an immediate cease-fire," according to veteran Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti.

Mustafa Barghouti, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, joins ABC News' James Longman to break down the destruction brought to Gaza.
3:34

As bombings continue, Gazans are caught in crossfire between Israel, Hamas

Mustafa Barghouti, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, joins ABC News' James Longman to break down the destruction brought to Gaza.
ABCNews.com

"How many more thousands of children should die before they are satisfied?" Barghouti said, referring to Israel's total siege and blockade of the neighboring Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 3,785 people, including women and children, in Hamas-ruled Gaza since Oct. 7, and now people are running out of food and water, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

In addition to an immediate cease-fire on both sides, Barghouti called for an exchange of all prisoners and the free passage of humanitarian aid for all those in Gaza "who badly need it."

"This cannot continue," he added. "Palestinians are also human beings and cannot be treated in such a manner."

-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud, James Longman and Morgan Winsor

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