Israel-Gaza live updates: Sirens sound in Tel Aviv as Hamas fires rocket from Gaza

"Whoever harms us -- we will harm them," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Last Updated: August 25, 2024, 5:00 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, cease-fire discussions are occurring in the Middle East, with officials hoping to bring an end to the conflict.

The United States and its allies continue to plead for a cease-fire deal, with discussions set for this week.

Aug 24, 2024, 1:23 PM EDT

Cease-fire talks continue in Egypt

Hamas officials will go to Egypt on Saturday as mediators present the latest developments in cease-fire negotiations.

President Joe Biden spoke with officials from Qatar and Egypt -- which have been mediating negotiations -- on Friday, the White House said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi office said he pressed Biden that all sides should be committed to "overcoming obstacles and showing flexibility to hammer out an agreement."

-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Michelle Stoddart

Aug 23, 2024, 3:14 PM EDT

10-month-old paralyzed in Gaza due to polio

A 10-month-old baby in Gaza is now paralyzed in Gaza due to polio, in the first case in over 25 years, according to the World Health Organization.

"Delaying a humanitarian pause will increase the risk of spread among children," Philippe Lazzarini, the commisioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said in a statement on X Friday.

"To have an impact, vaccines must end up in the mouthes of every child under the age of 10," Lazzarini said.

Aug 23, 2024, 4:26 AM EDT

UN agencies to begin vaccinating children against polio in Gaza in coming weeks

U.N. agencies announced Friday that they will soon begin vaccinating children against poliovirus in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

UNRWA, the largest humanitarian agency operating in Gaza, said in a social media post that it will vaccinate children in both its primary health care centers and mobile clinics “starting at the end of the month.”

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and UNICEF “are working to implement two rounds of polio vaccination in the coming weeks to halt transmission,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros said in a social media post.

This comes a week after Gaza confirmed its first case of polio in 25 years -- a 10-month-old unvaccinated baby in the central city of Deir al-Balah, who Tedros said has “developed paralysis in the lower left leg” and “is currently in a stable condition.”

“Genomic sequencing confirmed the virus is linked to the variant poliovirus type 2 detected in environmental samples collected in June from Gaza's wastewater,” the WHO chief added.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

Aug 22, 2024, 2:16 PM EDT

Netanyahu doubles down on cease-fire sticking point

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on his position demanding an Israeli presence at the Egypt-Gaza border, despite criticism from Israeli officials that it is not necessary. Hamas is demanding a total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Israel Defense Forces Chief Herzi Halevi and Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have both said IDF presence in the Philadelphi corridor is not necessary for security; they believe Hamas' capabilities have been destroyed.

"Netanyahu insists on the principle that Israel will control the Philadelphia axis, with the aim of preventing the rearming of Hamas, which would allow it the ability to repeat the atrocities of the Oct. 7," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.