Israel-Gaza updates: US is 'strengthening' military force in Middle East

Israel alleges the Khan Younis area is being used by Hamas terrorists.

ByNadine El-Bawab, Julia Reinstein, and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: August 6, 2024, 12:01 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, tensions are escalating after the assassinations of two Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Aug 06, 2024, 12:01 PM EDT

'Hezbollah is obligated to respond' to Israel, Nasrallah says

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to respond to the Israeli assassination of senior official Fouad Shukr, and predicted a response from Iran after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last week.

PHOTO: Supporters listen to the speech of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah via a video display, during a commemorative ceremony marking the first week since the killing of Hezbollah's top commander Fuad Shukr, in Beirut, Lebanon Aug. 6, 2024.
Supporters listen to the speech of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah via a video display on screen, during a commemorative ceremony marking the first week since the killing of Hezbollah's top commander Fuad Shukr, in Beirut, Lebanon Aug. 6, 2024.
Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters

"After the assassination of Commander Sayyed Fouad Shukr, Hezbollah is obligated to respond, and the enemy is waiting, anticipating, and calculating that every shout at him is a response. This Israeli weeklong waiting in anticipation -- for a Hezb response -- is part of the punishment, part of the response," Nasrallah said in a speech Tuesday.

Aug 06, 2024, 11:46 AM EDT

Multiple IDF troops injured in Rafah, humanitarian road closed

Several Israeli troops were injured and a humanitarian road was shut down after anti-tank missiles were fired toward them during operations in Rafah.

Injured troops have been evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.

The Kerem Shalom Crossing and the other entry routes for humanitarian aid are operating, according to the IDF.

Aug 06, 2024, 11:32 AM EDT

Lebanon aims to prevent Hezbollah response to avoid wider war, says foreign minister

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the country is working to ensure that Hezbollah's response to Israel does not trigger a total war, saying, "It would not benefit any of the countries involved."

"Only those who want to incite conflict would gain from such a situation. We, as officials, do not want any war. Therefore, if a response is necessary, it should not be collective or so severe that it escalates into a broader conflict," Bou Habib said.

Aug 06, 2024, 11:07 AM EDT

At least 8 Palestinians killed during Israeli military raids in occupied West Bank

At least eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during military raids in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian health authorities said.

Five were killed in the city of Jenin, two in the nearby village of Khafer Dan and one in the city of Bethlehem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank.

Palestinians inspect the destruction following an Israeli raid in Jenin city in the occupied West Bank on Aug. 6, 2024.
Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images

Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said at least 15 people were injured during the raid in Jenin on Tuesday. A spokesperson for PRCS told ABC News that the organization’s medical teams were stopped by Israeli troops from reaching the wounded.

ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Camilla Alcini