Israel-Gaza updates: IDF says it's 'dismantled' Hamas' military framework
The IDF gave an assessment Sunday of the first three months of the war.
ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: January 7, 2024, 2:35 PM EST
More than a month after a temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel ended, Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza.
The end of the cease-fire came after Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 1, 6:03 am
What we know about the conflict
The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 30,228 people have been killed and 71,377 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 395 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.
Jan 04, 2024, 4:48 PM EST
3 missing Israeli citizens recognized as hostages: IDF
Three Israeli citizens previously considered missing are now recognized as hostages, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Thursday.
"This decision was made following the completion of search and investigation operations in Israel and after examining all plausible scenarios and the information we have," he said during a briefing.
That brings the total number of Israeli hostages held in Gaza to 136, including 23 believed to be dead, officials said.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
Jan 04, 2024, 2:13 PM EST
Secretary Blinken to make another trip to Middle East
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be making a marathon trip to the Middle East -- his fourth visit to the region since the Oct. 7 attack, the State Department announced Thursday.
The trip, running from Jan. 4 to 11, will technically be his fifth visit to Israel since the war began; he stopped there twice on his trip in October.
"Throughout his trip, the Secretary will underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza; securing the release of all remaining hostages; our shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services; and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from Gaza," State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller said in a statement.
Members of Unit 669 of the Israeli Air Force prepare an Israeli soldier for evacuation at a beach in the Gaza Strip, Jan. 4, 2024
Israeli Defense Forces/AFP via Getty Image
The last part of the agenda Miller lays out -- "ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from Gaza" -- runs counter to the rhetoric put forth in recent days by Israeli Minister of National Security Ben Gvir and other far-right politicians, comments the Biden administration have already denounced.
"We don't expect every conversation on this trip to be easy. There are obviously tough issues facing the region and difficult choices ahead," Miller said in a briefing Thursday afternoon, adding that the U.S. intends to "tackle them head on."
As of now, Blinken is scheduled to spend time in eight countries: Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt. He will also be stopping in the West Bank.
"The secretary believes we need to try to make progress on getting humanitarian access in," Miller said. "The secretary believes we need to make progress on minimizing harm to Palestinian civilians. He believes we need to make progress on continuing to try to keep the conflict from escalating, which is why he is returning to the region."
Israeli soldiers operate in a location given as Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Jan. 4, 2024.
Israel Defense Forces via Reuters
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
Jan 04, 2024, 12:15 PM EST
Houthi leader calls for protests against Israel’s war in Gaza
The leader of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebel group has called for mass protests to take place on Friday against Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
"Let the dear Yemeni people make their voice and word heard to the whole world, in their steadfastness in their faith, moral and humanitarian stance in supporting the oppressed Palestinian people, against whom the Jewish Zionists are committing crimes of genocide, completely destroying their cities and homes in Gaza, and are creative in practicing the most heinous crimes against them, such as burying the living and crushing them," Houthi leader Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi said in a statement on Thursday.
Houthi rebels, who have been at war with Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2014 and currently control a large part of the country, have carried out attacks on ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza, a territory ruled by Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky and Morgan Winsor
Jan 04, 2024, 11:05 AM EST
Israeli defense minister warns of 'short window' for diplomacy with Hezbollah
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Thursday that diplomatic solutions with Hezbollah are running out.
Gallant made the remark at the Israeli Ministry of Defense heaquarters in Tel Aviv during a meeting with Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden. The two discussed the situation in northern Israel and along the border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group has voiced support for Palestinians amid Israel"s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
"There is only one possible result -- a new reality in the northern arena, which will enable the secure return of our citizens," Gallant said. "Yet we find ourselves at a junction -- there is a short window of time for diplomatic understandings, which we prefer. We will not tolerate the threats posed by the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, and we will ensure the security of our citizens."
