Israel-Gaza updates: 17 more hostages released, including 4-year-old American girl, officials say
Fourteen Israeli and three foreign hostages were released Sunday, the IDF said.
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.
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What we know about the conflict
The Israel-Hamas war is now approaching two months.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 16,248 people have been killed and 42,000 have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to figures released by Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health and the Hamas government media office.
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 257 Palestinians in the territory since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel’s President Herzog to meet with Elon Musk Monday
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is set to meet with Elon Musk on Monday afternoon, his office said Sunday.
"Against the background of the ongoing war with Hamas, President Isaac Herzog will tomorrow (Monday), meet with businessman Elon Musk, who is visiting Israel," the president's office said in a statement Sunday evening.
"[R]epresentatives of the families of hostages held by Hamas, who will speak about the horrors of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, and of the ongoing pain and uncertainty for those held captive," the statement continued. "In their meeting, the President will emphasize the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online."
The meeting will be closed to the media.
The Tesla boss also owns social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
1st photo released of 4-year-old hostage Abigail Idan after her return home
The family of 4-year-old hostage Abigail Idan has released the first photo of the little girl following her return home from Gaza.
Abigail, an American-Israeli citizen, had been held hostage by Hamas since Oct. 7. She was released on Sunday, two days after her 4th birthday.
Abigail Idan’s aunt, Ella Mor, said in a video Sunday, "She just landed in the hospital and she’s being checked and taken care of."
"I'm so happy that she's here," Mor told ABC News. "The people of Israel are amazing … everybody's so happy like she's their own little girl."
Abigail Idan's family members express 'relief and gratitude' in statement
Liz Hirsh Naftali and Noa Naftali, the great aunt and cousin, respectively, of 4-year-old Abigail Idan, issued a statement Sunday following Abigail's release by Hamas.
"We hoped and prayed today would come. There are no words to express our relief and gratitude that Abigail is safe and coming home," they said.
"Thank you to President Biden and his dedicated team; thank you to the Qatari government and other informal actors who are involved in securing Abigail's release and reuniting other hostages with their loved ones," they continued. "Today's release proves that it’s possible. We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing. We will continue to stand with the families of all the hostages still held captive, and we remain committed as ever to securing their safe and swift return."
-ABC News' Desiree Adib and Arielle Schwartz
Hamas says it would be willing to extend truce
"The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas is seeking to extend the truce after the end of the four-day period, by seriously considering increasing the number of released detainees as stated in the humanitarian truce agreement," Hamas said in a statement Sunday.
The AFP news agency reported that a source close to Hamas said the group also informed mediators of its willingness to extend the current truce.
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy
28 premature babies to be transported from Gaza to Egypt
Dozens of premature babies are expected to be transported from the war-torn Gaza Strip into neighboring Egypt on Monday to receive emergency medical treatment.
The babies arrived on Gaza's side of the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing on Monday afternoon. Egyptian television footage showed Egyptian doctors moving the babies from Palestinian ambulances into mobile incubators. The infants will then be taken via Egyptian ambulances to nearby hospitals in the North Sinai province of northeastern Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its ambulance teams had transferred 28 premature babies to Egyptian medics at the Rafah border crossing on Monday afternoon. The process was done in coordination with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
At least 12 of the babies who are said to be in deteriorating condition will be airlifted to Egypt's capital, Cairo, according to Egyptian media.
Rick Brennan, regional emergency director for the WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement, "We are cautiously optimistic that they will do well but we have to watch them very, very closely. They can still develop further complications. ... They are not out of the woods yet by any means. So they will need that intensive care for some time to come."
Three babies were in stable condition and didn't need to be transferred to Egypt for more treatment, according to the World Health Organization.
Earlier Monday, Egyptian TV footage showed medics with incubators at the Rafah border crossing as they prepared to receive the tiny patients. Egypt's heath minister was also seen on site inspecting the preparations.
The babies were evacuated on Sunday from Gaza's largest medical complex, Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, and brought to Emirati Hospital in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza close to the border with Egypt.
Like many hospitals in Gaza, Al-Shifa has been struggling to function with a lack of electricity as well as limited fuel and medical supplies amid Israel's continued bombardment of the territory. In recent days, Israeli ground troops have been carrying out a raid at Al-Shifa Hospital, searching for evidence that Gaza's militant rulers, Hamas, were using the complex as a command center. The WHO described Al-Shifa Hospital as a "death zone" and urged a full evacuation after leading an assessment mission there on Sunday.
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Guy Davies and Morgan Winsor
