Israel-Gaza updates: Israel strikes 'deep inside' Lebanon after deadly attack

Hezbollah denied involvement in Saturday's strike, which Israel said killed 12.

Last Updated: July 28, 2024, 4:44 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Jul 25, 2024, 7:45 PM EDT

Harris to Netanyahu: 'It is time to get this deal done'

Vice President Kamala Harris said she had a "frank and constructive" meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and told him "it is time" to get the hostage deal across the finish line.

"There has been hopeful movement and the talks to secure an agreement on this deal. And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done," Harris told reporters following her meeting.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Vice President's ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, July 25, 2024.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Harris also spoke directly to individuals calling for a cease-fire in her remarks, telling them, "I see you and I hear you. Let's get the deal done so we can get a cease-fire to end the war. Let's bring the hostages home, and let's provide much needed-relief to the Palestinian people."

In the meeting, she said she also raised with Netanyahu her "serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians."

"What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating," she said. "The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third, or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Jul 25, 2024, 6:05 PM EDT

Families of American hostages call Biden-Netanyahu meeting 'productive and honest'

The families of American hostages being held by Hamas said they had a "productive and honest" discussion with President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday afternoon.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, told reporters they came away "more optimistic" about the possibility of negotiators reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal and said they "got absolute commitment from the Biden administration and from Prime Minister Netanyahu that they understand the urgency of this moment."

The families also brushed off concerns that Biden not seeking a second term could hurt the chances of a deal coming together.

"I actually think it allows the president to be laser focused on the things that are true priorities to him, and saving human beings, cherished human beings, 115 of them, eight of whom are U.S. citizens, is one paramount issue for him," Rachel Goldberg, the mother of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, said.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez and Molly Nagle

Jul 25, 2024, 2:40 PM EDT

Body of hostage killed on Oct. 7 recovered

The body of Ravid Katz, a hostage killed on Oct. 7 and taken to Gaza, has been recovered, Kibbutz Nir Oz announced in a press release.

Katz, 51, was a father of three, including a baby girl, an educator and a "loving man who believed in peace," the release from his kibbutz said.

Ravid Katz, an Israeli hostage who was kidnapped in the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, is pictured in this undated handout photo.
The Hostages Families Forum via Reuters

Jul 24, 2024, 5:34 PM EDT

Bodies of 3 Israeli hostages killed on Oct. 7 recovered from Gaza: Officials

The bodies of three hostages have been recovered from Gaza during a military operation, according to local officials and kibbutzim.

Oren Goldin, a member of the Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak's emergency squad, was taken hostage and killed on Oct. 7, the kibbutz said.

"For almost ten months we called and wished for the day when his body would be brought to Israel and we could bury him in the home he loved so much, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak," the kibbutz said in a statement. "Oren left behind a large and loving family."

The body was Maya Goren was also recovered and brought back to Kibbutz Nir Oz on Wednesday, the kibbutz said. She was also kidnapped and killed on Oct. 7, the kibbutz said.

"Maya will return to the land of the kibbutz she loved and will be buried next to her husband Avner Goren, who was also murdered and abandoned on the Black Shabbat," the kibbutz said in a statement.

The body of Tomer Ahimas, who was killed at Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7, was also recovered on Wednesday, according to the Lehavim Local Council.

"Tomer, our beloved friend, son of the community, fell in a heroic battle in Kibbutz Nirim on October 7," Elad Erzi, the head of the council, said in a statement. "For over nine months his body was held captive by Hamas, and this evening he was rescued by the IDF."

The three hostages were previously confirmed dead by the Israeli government.

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