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 11, 2024, 3:45 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 08, 2024, 6:00 PM EDT

US, Egypt and Qatar call on Israel and Hamas to resume cease-fire talks

In a joint statement, leaders from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to resume discussions on Gaza.

The statement -- signed by President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar -- called for both sides to meet in Doha or Cairo on Aug. 15.

"‎‏It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families," the statement read. "The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and hostages and detainees release deal."

Aug 08, 2024, 4:28 PM EDT

Palestinian death toll climbs to 39,755

At least 39,755 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Displaced Palestinians make their way as they flee the eastern part of Khan Younis following an Israeli army evacuation order, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 8, 2024.
Hatem Khaled/Reuters

On Oct. 7, about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

Aug 08, 2024, 2:24 PM EDT

IDF soldiers accused of abusing Palestinian prisoners denied release

Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers who are in custody under suspicion of aggravated abuse of a Palestinian prisoner have been denied release by a military court on Thursday, according to the IDF.

The Military Court of Appeals approved the detention of the suspects until Sunday, stating that from the evidence presented, there is "reasonable suspicion of the commission of the acts attributed to them. The military court also determined that there was a clear cause of danger from the attributed acts," the IDF said.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on Aug. 2, 2024, shows Israeli troops operating on the ground in the Gaza Strip amid the continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Images

United Nations experts have called the reported widespread torture of Palestinian detainees a "preventable crime against humanity."

"Reports of alleged torture and sexual violence in Israel’s Sde Teiman prison are grossly illegal and revolting, but they only represent the tip of the iceberg, independent human rights experts warned," U.N. experts said on Tuesday.

Around 9,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently imprisoned -- about one-third of them without charge or trial, according to the U.N.

Aug 07, 2024, 4:08 PM EDT

27 killed in Gaza, IDF says Hamas weapons workshop found in Khan Younis

At least 27 people were killed in different parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. Of those killed, 18 Palestinians were killed in eastern and central Khan Yunis.

The Israeli Defense Forces said they found a Hamas weapons manufacturing workshop in a tunnel below Khan Yunis in a statement Wednesday.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Jordana Miller