Israel-Gaza updates: Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK

The area is densely populated with tents, the sources said.

ByNadine El-Bawab and Jon Haworth
Last Updated: May 26, 2024, 4:33 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
May 18, 2024, 11:34 PM EDT

GOP Rep. Stefanik to visit Knesset, denounce Biden over weapons pause

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York will be giving remarks in the Israeli Knesset on Sunday, according to her office. Stefanik will be the highest-ranking member of the House to visit Israel following the Oct. 7 attack.

Stefanik plans to slam President Joe Biden for recently halting some military aid to Israel, according to excerpts of her speech reviewed by ABC News.

"I have been clear at home, and I will be clear here: There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel," Stefanik will say during the address.

Biden announced the U.S. would withhold certain bomb deliveries to Israel over fear they could be used in Rafah, but the Biden administration informed Congress it's moving forward with more than $1 billion in new arms agreements with Israel.

PHOTO: Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., call on the Senate to take up the Israel Security Assistance Support Act during a news conference on May 16, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., call on the Senate to take up the Israel Security Assistance Support Act during a news conference on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on May 16, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The congresswoman will address the rise in antisemitism in the U.S., House Republicans' support for Israel and even mention her close ally, former President Donald Trump.

"I have been a leading proponent and partner to President Trump in his historic support for Israeli independence and security," Stefanik will say.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

May 17, 2024, 8:19 PM EDT

3 US medical workers remain in Gaza despite warning from US government

Three U.S. medical professionals remain in Gaza despite warnings from the U.S. State Department that the American government may not be able to get them out later.

Tamer Hassan, a registered nurse, Dr. Jomana Al-Hinti and Dr. Adam Hamawy were the only ones out of a group of 20 American medical professionals who stayed behind to help treat patients.

"They understand that the U.S. embassy may not be able to facilitate their departure in the same manner as we have just effected today," a person with knowledge of the situation told ABC News.

A Palestinian woman receives medical care at the European hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 17, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
AFP via Getty Images

Hamawy released a statement Saturday explaining why he stayed behind.

"We worry that the European Hospital we currently are in will suffer a similar fate of Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, where humanitarian workers, patients, and civilians were massacred," he said.

"To my wife, daughters and son, I know it hurts that I am not coming home this weekend, and I am sorry. But I know that you are proud that I am upholding my oath to never leave anyone behind," he added.

The doctors who left Gaza "made their way to safety with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem," a State Department spokesman said.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty, Nadine Shubailat and Zoe Magee

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