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 12, 2024, 3:46 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 12, 2024, 3:46 PM EDT

Unclear if JLOTS pier can be reattached to get final aid shipments into Gaza, Pentagon says

The U.S. military’s JLOTS pier is back in port in Ashdod, Israel, because it couldn’t be reattached to the beach in Gaza earlier this week, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.

It’s unclear if the pier can be reattached to get the final aid shipments from Cyprus into Gaza, Singh said.

"A re-anchoring date has not yet been set at this time," she said.

The U.S. is considering alternatives for getting that aid into Gaza, including using Ashdod to receive the aid and then transferring it into Gaza via land routes, Singh said.

Humanitarian aid waits for distribution at the offloading area of the JLOTS pier in Gaza.
COGAT/X

She called the JLOTS pier "a success" because it provided assistance into Gaza to people who needed it.

The pier "will soon cease operations," according to the Pentagon.

"We always said this was a temporary operation. It was always going to have an end date," Singh said.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Jul 12, 2024, 12:55 PM EDT

IDF says it found 'Hamas combat compound' and 'war room' in UNRWA headquarters

The Israel Defense Forces said its soldiers found a "Hamas combat compound" and a "war room" inside a Gaza headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Separately on Friday, U.N. delegates offered support for UNRWA ahead of a pledging conference for the agency.

"The support for UNRWA during this urgent and difficult time is of vital importance," Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud said Friday at the U.N. in New York. "This agency is the lifeline for Palestine refugees in all areas of operation for the agency, and there is no other agency or body related to the United Nations or humanitarian agencies that's able to perform the functions that UNWRA is performing, especially with regard to education, health and providing for the living and in the areas of operation, including the occupied Palestinian territory."

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Jul 11, 2024, 2:15 PM EDT

Israeli defense minister calls for 'objective state commission of inquiry'

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is calling for the establishment of "an objective state commission of inquiry" to delve deeper into the conditions that led to the building of Hamas' power and to the Oct. 7 attack.

Gallant said the commission should "check all of us. … to inspect me, inspect the prime minister, the [Israel Defense Forces] chief of staff and the [Israeli security service]."

Gallant’s request comes as the IDF released a report Thursday of its investigation into the Israel military’s failed response to the Oct. 7 massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri.

-ABC News' Dana Savir and Ellie Kaufman

Jul 11, 2024, 1:19 PM EDT

'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