Israel-Gaza updates: Netanyahu weighs plan to force civilians out of north Gaza

The plan does not say if Palestinians could eventually return to northern Gaza.

Last Updated: September 22, 2024, 4:57 PM EDT

Israel and Hezbollah are exchanging hundreds of cross-border strikes in the wake of the shocking explosions of wireless devices across Lebanon.

Sep 22, 2024, 4:57 PM EDT

IDF strikes 2nd Gaza school in 2 days

The Israel Defense Forces said it conducted a strike Sunday on a school in Gaza City, which it said was targeting Hamas militants operating inside the school.

It was the second strike on a Gaza school in two days.

The Gaza Civil Defense said six people were killed in Sunday’s strike.

The IDF claimed that "terrorists were operating from within a compound that previously served as the 'Kafr Qasem' School." It said in a statement, in part, that "numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to uninvolved civilians."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaulé

Sep 22, 2024, 8:37 AM EDT

Israel 'can't accept' Hezbollah attacks, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released two statements Sunday -- one in Hebrew and one in English -- addressing the ongoing escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

In both statements, the prime minister said Israel is committed to returning tens of thousands of evacuated citizens to the north of the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem before giving a press conference on September 4, 2024.
Abir Sultan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

"We will take whatever action is necessary to restore security and to bring our people safe back to their homes," he said.

In the statement in Hebrew, the prime minister said Israel dealt a heavy blow to Hezbollah this week, adding: "If Hezbollah did not understand the message, I promise you -- it will understand the message."

In the English statement, Netanyahu compared Hamas and Hezbollah, noting the latter's daily tempo of attacks since Oct. 8. "No country can accept the wanton rocketing of its cities," he said. "We can't accept it either."

Foreign Minister Israel Katz also released a statement addressed to other foreign ministers, saying the world must force Hezbollah to comply with a 2006 United Nations resolution that required the militant group to stay north of the Litani River in Lebanon; around 18 miles north of the Israeli border.

"We will do everything necessary to protect our citizens. If the world does not withdraw Hezbollah north of Litani in accordance with Resolution 1701 -- Israel will do so," Katz said.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Sep 22, 2024, 2:17 AM EDT

Israel strikes Lebanon after 115 Hezbollah launches, IDF says

The Israel Defense Forces is again striking "Hezbollah terrorist targets" in Lebanon as of Sunday morning amid renewed cross-border fire, the IDF said in a statement.

Smoke rises on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon on Sept. 22, 2024.
Aziz Taher/Reuters

"Over the past few hours, Hezbollah launched approximately 115 aerial threats toward civilian areas in northern Israel," the IDF said.

"The IDF defensive arrays are deployed in the area" and are "on high preparedness to thwart threats," it added.

-ABC News' Dana Savir

Sep 22, 2024, 1:40 AM EDT

4 injured by shrapnel in northern Israel, emergency service says

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said its responders treated four people who sustained shrapnel injuries in the north of the country on Sunday morning, as Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces continued intense cross-border strikes.

Among those reported injured were a 76-year-old male "in moderate condition from a shrapnel wound to the upper body," as well as a 16-year-old female "in mild condition," the MDA said in a post to X.

Israeli security forces examine a site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024.
Ariel Schalit/AP

Both were injured in the Krayot region near the northern city of Haifa, less than 20 miles from the border with Lebanon.

Several other people were "mildly injured" or "suffering from anxiety" while heading to safe areas and shelters in northern Israel, the MDA said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

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