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.
'Progress' made in cease-fire talks, national security adviser says
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday "there is progress" in negotiations on a cease-fire and hostage deal, adding that discussions are "more positive" now than they were in the past.
"We see progress, we see the possibility of reaching an agreement," he told reporters. "Obviously, can't guarantee that, because there's a lot of details to be hammered through. Our team is in the region as we speak, working through many of those details."
Smoke rises over Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas seen from a position near Israel's southern Border, July 9, 2024.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
He said President Joe Biden will have more to say later in the day.
"We think that the remaining issues can be resolved, should be resolved, and we're going to keep driving until we actually get a deal," Sullivan added.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Jul 11, 2024, 12:10 PM EDT
JLOTS pier heading back to Israel, 'will soon cease operations'
The U.S. military tried to reattach the temporary JLOTS pier to the Gaza coast Wednesday, but were thwarted by weather and other issues, according to a statement from Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
The pier is heading back to Ashdod, Israel, where it "will remain until further notice," he said in a statement.
IDF didn't enter Kibbutz Be'eri for nearly 7 hours, report finds
The Israel Defense Forces released its report Thursday of its investigation into the IDF's failed response to Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri.
Over 100 people were killed at Kibbutz Be'eri and many were taken hostage.
A destroyed house is seen in Kibbutz Be'eri, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from the nearby Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, when they killed and captured many Israelis.
Ariel Schalit/AP
The IDF admitted that its troops didn’t enter the kibbutz for nearly seven hours following the attack.
Hamas terrorists invaded the kibbutz around 6:30 or 6:45 a.m. and had control of the kibbutz from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m, the IDF said. The IDF said its forces stayed at the gate until 1:30 p.m. Only at 1:30 p.m. did the Israeli military intervene, the IDF said.
The IDF said there were "several instances where security forces gathered at the entrance to the kibbutz without immediately engaging in combat."
Rocket shells are left on the grass outside a house where civilians and soldiers were killed by Hamas militants days earlier, Oct. 11, 2023 in Be'eri, Israel.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Before the IDF arrived, civilians in the kibbutz responded to the attack on their own.
The IDF said "after fully exhausting negotiation efforts" with Hamas terrorists who were holding hostages at house in the kibbutz, its forces fired at the house. The IDF said no civilians were injured when the Israeli forces fired on the house, "except for an isolated incident outside the building where two civilians were injured by shrapnel."
The IDF admitted to making severe mistakes and said it "failed to protect" the residents.
In the wake of the report, Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi told officers that "we must all learn from the heroism of the people of Be'eri, the civilian rapid response team, and other civilians who defended their families and the kibbutz members."
-ABC News' Dana Savir and Ellie Kaufman
Jul 11, 2024, 9:37 AM EDT
Survivors of Kibbutz Be’eri massacre hear results of IDF investigation
The survivors of Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri heard for the first time Thursday the results of an Israel Defense Forces investigation into the failed response to the attack. Over 100 people were killed at Kibbutz Be’eri and many were taken hostage.
An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, Oct. 11, 2023.
Baz Ratner/AP
The kibbutz members said in a statement that while the IDF's probe was "thorough," they still don’t have "satisfactory" answers to "some critical questions."
They said their questions include: "Why did not the many military forces who gathered at the gate enter the kibbutz for many hours, when the kibbutz was burning and its residents were crying for help? What caused the intelligence failure that enabled the Hamas invasion plan, and how was the border fence breached without an immediate response from the IDF?"
The kibbutz members said, "most importantly," they demand the return of the hostages.
