Israeli forces strike another school in Gaza, killing 2
Two people were killed and 15 others were injured after Israeli forces conducted a strike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City on Wednesday.
This is the second strike conducted on a school in Gaza this week. Israeli forces repeatedly claim Hamas uses and operates out of schools inside Gaza.
Palestinian women reacts after a school run by the United Nations was hit by an Israeli strike in the Rimal neighbourhood of central Gaza City on Aug. 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant Hamas movement.
Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
12:56 PM EDT
1 killed in Lebanon as tensions continue to rise
One man was killed in an Israeli strike on Sidon in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. Hezbollah also announced the death of another of its members on Wednesday.
Hezbollah also released statements taking responsibility for 10 attacks on northern Israel.
Lebanese firefighters put out a fire in a car after an Israeli strike in the southern city of Sidon on Aug. 21, 2024.
Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images
About 50 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon toward northern Israel, a number of which struck the town of Katzrin, where about 8,000 people live, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
One person was injured and is in moderate condition, according to Israeli emergency services.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Ghazi Balkiz
Aug 20, 2024, 6:31 PM EDT
1 dead, 19 injured in strikes on Lebanon's Beqaa Valley
One person was killed and 19 others have been injured from Israeli strikes on the Beqaa Valley, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Tuesday.
Separately, Hezbollah officials announced that four of their fighters were killed Tuesday.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Aug 20, 2024, 4:47 PM EDT
'Time is of the essence,' Blinken says of cease-fire talks
Before wrapping up his trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to members of the media on a tarmac in Qatar, emphasizing the urgency behind the latest push for a hostage release and cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
"Our message is simple, it's clear, and it's urgent. We need to get the cease-fire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now," he said.
Relatives of hostages taken by Hamas militants to the Gaza Strip and their supporters gather to honor the memories of six men whose bodies were returned and to call for a deal to release the remaining captives, in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
Ariel Schalit/AP
"Time is of the essence, because with every passing day, the well-being and lives of the hostages are in jeopardy. Time is of the essence, because every single day, women, children, men in Gaza are suffering," he said. "And time is of the essence because with every passing day, there's the danger of escalation in the region."
Blinken said Qatar and Egypt remain "in direct contact with Hamas working to bring it along" with the bridging proposal, but he again made clear that even if that were to happen, all sides would still need to complete "detailed implementation agreements that go along with putting the cease-fire into effect."