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Israel-Gaza live updates: Israel 'deepening the war' in Gaza: Netanyahu

Israel "will continue to fight until the complete victory over Hamas."

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: December 24, 2023, 1:13 PM EST

The temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel ended on Dec. 1, and Israel has resumed its bombardment of Gaza.

The end of the cease-fire came after Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

Click here for updates from previous days.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 1, 6:03 am

What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 30,228 people have been killed and 71,377 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 395 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

Dec 16, 2023, 4:58 PM EST

Shooting of 3 hostages was 'against the rules of engagement': IDF head

The Israel Defense Forces commander said the accidental shooting this week of three Israeli hostages in Gaza was "against the rules of engagement."

The three hostages "did everything possible so that we would understand -- they moved around shirtless so that we wouldn't suspect them of carrying explosives and they held a white cloth, but the tension overcame all of the above," Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said in a video statement Saturday.

He noted that the shooting of someone who raises a white flag and seeks to surrender "is forbidden."

"However, this shooting was carried out during combat and under pressure," Halevi added. "There may be additional cases in which hostages escape or are abandoned during combat, and we have the duty and responsibility to rescue them alive."

Halevi said he and the IDF are responsible for what happened and "will do everything to prevent such incidents from recurring in future combat."

-ABC News' Dorit Long

Dec 16, 2023, 12:26 PM EST

Hostage captured at music festival confirmed dead, Israel says

Inbar Hayman, an Israeli hostage who was captured at the Re'im music festival, was killed in Hamas captivity, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said Saturday.

Hayman, 27, ran from the festival with two friends but was caught by "terrorists riding motorcycles," the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said in a statement Saturday.

-ABC News' Dorit Long

Dec 16, 2023, 9:09 AM EST

IDF says soldier who shot hostages felt 'threatened' before they opened fire

The Israel Defense Forces released information regarding its preliminary investigation into the killing of hostages, saying that the incident took place in an area of "very intense fighting."

The three hostages came out of a building -- a few meters from the troops -- without shirts, carrying a stick with white cloth. A soldier saw them as a threat and opened fire, killing two hostages instantly, according to an IDF spokesperson.

The third was injured and ran back into the building where all three emerged from and someone cried "help" in Hebrew. At this point, the battalion commander ordered his troops to stop firing. But, despite the order, another burst was fired, killing the third hostage, according to an IDF spokesperson.

Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer Al-Talalka were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops on Dec. 15, 2023, in a battle-torn neighborhood of Gaza City.
Courtesy of the Haim Family, the Shamriz family, the Al-Talalka family via AP

The three men killed have been identified as 28-year old Yotam Haim; 26-year old Alon Shamriz; and 22-year old Samer Talalka.

The IDF said the three hostages were ‘mistakenly identified’ as a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident an "unbearable tragedy."

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