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.

Click here for updates from previous days.

Latest headlines:

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 02, 2024, 2:11 PM EST

Top Hamas leader killed in Beirut strike, official says

A top Hamas leader and at least five others were killed in a strike in Beirut on Tuesday, a Hamas official said.

PHOTO: Firefighters try to extinguish the fire inside an apartment following an explosion in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 2, 2024. The TV station of Lebanon's Hezbollah group says top Hamas official Saleh Arouri was killed Tuesday.
Firefighters try to extinguish the fire inside an apartment following a massive explosion in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. The TV station of Lebanon's Hezbollah group says top Hamas official Saleh Arouri was killed Tuesday in an explosion in a southern Beirut suburb.
Hussein Malla/AP

The leader, identified by the official as Saleh Arouri, was second in command in Hamas and the head of Hamas in the West Bank.

PHOTO: This photo released by the Hamas Media Office shows deputy Saleh Arouri upon his arrival in in Gaza City from Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018.
This photo released by the Hamas Media Office shows deputy Saleh Arouri upon his arrival in in Gaza City from Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018. The TV station of Lebanon's Hezbollah group says top Hamas official Saleh Arouri was killed Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in an explosion in a southern Beirut suburb.
Mohammad Austaz/Hamas Media Office via AP, FILE

Lebanese Security Services said six people were killed in the strike, which Hamas blamed on Israel.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson declined to comment on the incident, but told ABC News that Israel "is on high alert and prepared for any scenario."

"I want to be clear we are focused on the fight against Hamas," the spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, added.

PHOTO: Emergency services pictured at the site of an explosion in the southern district of Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 2, 2024.
Emergency services pictured at the site of an explosion in the southern district of Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 2, 2024. According to Lebanese state media four people were killed in the explosion including Hamas deputy head, Saleh al Arouri.
Abbas Salman/EPA via Shutterstock

Jan 02, 2024, 11:54 AM EST

Hamas says they have sent their conditions for a truce to Egypt, Qatar

The head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said Tuesday the militant group has sent its conditions for a truce to Egypt and Qatar.

In a statement, Haniyeh said the position "is based on a comprehensive cessation of aggression against our people."

Jan 02, 2024, 11:53 AM EST

Maersk halts all transit through Red Sea

Maersk, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, has decided to pause all transit through the Red Sea "until further notice," the company said Tuesday morning.

The company made the announcement in the wake of an attack on its vessel Maersk Hangzhou by small boats carrying Houthi militants on Sunday.

Container vessel Maersk Hangzhou sails in the Wielingen channel, Westerschelde, Netherlands, July 15, 2018.
Rene Van Quekelberghe via Reuters, FILE

U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire and sank three of the four small boats, killing the crews, U.S. officials said. The fourth boat fled the area.

Sunday's incident was the second time in 24 hours that the Hangzhou had issued a distress call, U.S. Navy officials said.

Houthi leaders have said they will not stop the Red Sea attacks until Israel ceases its assault in Gaza.

Jan 01, 2024, 1:30 PM EST

Some Israeli communities near Gaza can return soon: Defense minister

Some communities in southern Israel near the Gaza border will be able to return soon, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said Monday.

"In accordance with the recommendations given by the IDF and the defense establishment, we will soon be able to return [displaced] communities home, in areas within a range of four to seven kilometers north of the Gaza Strip," Gallant said during an operational situation assessment held in Kibbutz Dorot.

Smoke billows over central Gaza following Israeli strikes, Jan. 1, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

Gallant said the "gradual return" will start with communities within seven kilometers, before moving on to the remaining communities.

Earlier Monday, Gallant toured the kibbutz and discussed the security measures required for the return of its residents.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

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