West Bank death toll nears 700 since Oct. 7, health ministry says
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that at least 39 people have been killed and 145 injured in the West Bank over the past week, amid Israel's major -- and still unfolding -- operation there.
Those casualties bring the total number of deaths in the West Bank since Oct. 7 to at least 691, with an estimated 5,700 injured.
A Palestinian man stands in a devastated street near tires set ablaze by youths in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Sept. 4, 2024.
Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News' Nasser Atta, Joe Simonetti and David Brennan
5:25 AM EDT
Israel minister vows 'heavy price' for Hamas amid cease-fire push
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called on his compatriots to "remain strong and united" as anti-government and cease-fire protests roil the nation.
"Anyone who cold-bloodedly murders six hostages is not seeking a deal," Katz said, referring to Hamas.
"Hamas must pay a heavy price for this horrific crime -- Israel will respond with full force."
Katz's tweet appeared to reference an Axios article published Wednesday suggesting growing White House doubt that Hamas wants to secure a deal, following the recent killing of six Gaza hostages -- including American-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller and David Brennan
5:07 AM EDT
Hamas says Netanyahu wants to 'thwart' deal
Hamas again accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging cease-fire and hostage release negotiations.
"We do not need new proposals. What is required now is to pressure Netanyahu and his government and oblige them to what has been agreed upon," the group said on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday night.
"We warn against falling into Netanyahu's trap and tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people," the group said.
Netanyahu's insistence on retaining military control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt frontier has been cited by Hamas -- and on Wednesday by a U.S. official -- as a key obstacle to any deal.
The prime minister's decision to keep Israeli forces there "aims to thwart reaching an agreement," the group wrote.
Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for the failure to reach an agreement, citing its recent killing of six hostages in Gaza as proof that the group does not intend to reach an accord.
-ABC News' David Brennan
6:04 PM EDT
Prisoner exchange, Philadelphi corridor sticking points in cease-fire deal: US official
There are two areas of dispute regarding hostage release and cease-fire negotiations -- the prisoner exchange and withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphi corridor -- according to a U.S. senior administration official.
The official told reporters Wednesday that "90% of this deal has been agreed to," while also pushing back on the suggestion that the Philadelphi corridor is the only remaining sticking point, noting that the prisoner exchange was the focus for most of last week's discussions.
Demonstrators raise placards and wave national flags during an anti-government protest in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Sept. 4, 2024.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
The official called the negotiations with Hamas on the prisoner exchange "pretty frustrating," and said that "until that is worked out, you're not going to have a deal."
The official noted that negotiations have been taking place off a list of hostages -- a list that is now smaller after the killing of six hostages over the weekend.
"You know, it's horrific. And Hamas is threatening to execute more hostages," the official said. "We all know who we're dealing with. We're dealing with a terrorist group."
"For each hostage, there's a certain number of Palestinian prisoners that will come out. So, you just have fewer hostages as part of the deal in phase one. It's tragic and awful, and you know, it's affecting all of us," the official added.
