Israel-Gaza updates: Hamas military chief target of strike that killed 90 people

Mohammed Deif has been the head of Hamas' military wing.

Last Updated: July 13, 2024, 3:14 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 09, 2024, 4:39 PM EDT

At least 30 people killed in Israeli airstrike on school, Palestinian officials say

At least 30 people were killed and 70 others were injured in an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza, the apparent fourth time it has done so within the last four days.

The Israel Defense Forces said they were targeting Hamas and other militants in all of the strikes and the IDF is looking into Tuesday's strike. Dozens of people were reported killed in the strikes -- including women and children.

One child told ABC News he lost his father, cousin and two uncles in Tuesday's strike. He broke down as he described what happened, saying was the only survivor.

The U.N.'s Human Rights Office said this week they were "appalled" to see a new round of evacuation orders issued throughout the strip, including to "where IDF military operations are ongoing and where civilians continue to be killed and injured." The U.N. said nowhere is safe in Gaza.

-ABC News' Matt Rivers, Victoria Beaule and Guy Davies

Jul 09, 2024, 3:08 PM EDT

50 killed in Gaza City amid IDF operations

Amid ongoing Israel Defense Forces' operations in Gaza City, 50 people were killed and another 130 were injured in the last 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

Israeli forces continue to operate in Gaza City, specifically in the Shejaiya neighborhood, the IDF confirmed in two separate releases issued Tuesday.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Diaa Ostaz

Jul 09, 2024, 3:06 PM EDT

UN experts declare famine has spread throughout Gaza Strip

United Nations experts have declared that a famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip.

Of Gaza's 36 hospitals, only 13 are "partially functioning," the UN World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said Tuesday.

Palestinian child Tareq Qamar, who was wounded in an Israeli strike that killed his mother, is carried by his aunt at Nasser hospital, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 2, 2024.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters

In northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital alone, 60 cases of severe acute malnutrition were detected last week, according to the U.N. World Health Organization.

"Fayez Ataya, who was barely six months old, died on 30 May 2024 and 13-year-old Abdulqader Al-Serhi died on 1 June 2024 at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. Nine-year-old Ahmad Abu Reida died on 3 June 2024 in the tent sheltering his displaced family in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. All three children died from malnutrition and lack of access to adequate healthcare," U.N. experts said.

"With the death of these children from starvation despite medical treatment in central Gaza, there is no doubt that famine has spread from northern Gaza into central and southern Gaza," U.N. experts said.

-ABC News' Emmanuelle Saliba and Camilla Alcini

Jul 08, 2024, 7:50 PM EDT

More flexibility from Hamas in cease-fire and hostage talks: US officials

With CIA Director Bill Burns and White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk working to advance a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Middle East, two U.S. officials familiar with the negotiations said they see more flexibility from Hamas than they did previously.

The officials assessed this is coming from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar; however, they stopped short of saying they felt a breakthrough was in the offing.

The officials also said they believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still committed to achieving a deal.

The American delegation headed by Burns arrived in Cairo earlier Monday to continue Gaza cease-fire talks, Egyptian state TV reported.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston