Israel-Gaza updates: Gantz rejects Netanyahu's request, resigns

He said Netanyahu is "preventing us from progressing towards a true victory."

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.


US calls for Security Council vote on Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal resolution

The U.S. is calling for the United Nations Security Council to vote on a draft resolution urging Hamas to accept the ceasefire-hostage release deal on the table, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the UN.

"Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same," the statement read. "Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal."

The Security Council vote has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday.

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford


United States doubling down on efforts for Israel to reach a cease-fire

The United States is doubling down efforts to reach a cease-fire deal as pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar this week to discuss a cease-fire agreement that secures the release of all hostages, according to the State Department’s announcement Friday.

While Blinken traveling to the region should not be seen as a marker of further progress in reaching a deal, he will be putting pressure on the respective countries’ officials when he’s there.

A U.S. official told ABC News the intelligence that the U.S. provided to Israel in the latest hostage rescue operation was related to "support with locating individuals."

Currently, there are five American hostages the U.S. believes are still living and three that the U.S. has confirmed are deceased.

The White House is not commenting on the resignation of Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz on Sunday, as they don’t comment on domestic Israeli politics.

-ABC News' Selina Weng


Gantz resigns from emergency government in blow to Netanyahu

Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced Sunday that he was resigning from the emergency government because of what he has described as a lack of a plan from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the "day after" in Gaza.

During a televised news conference, Gantz announced he was resigning from the coalition government, taking with him his State Party and the seats it held in the Knesset. Netanyahu's coalition government will still retain a majority, but the move by Gantz is considered a major blow to the prime minister.

"Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing towards a true victory," Gantz said. "For this reason, we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart, yet wholeheartedly."

He also called on Netanyahu to set a date for elections.

Gantz was set to make the announcement on Saturday but called it off amid the news of an Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza that led to the rescue of four Israeli hostages.

Gantz is a member of Israel’s three-member war Cabinet, which includes Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

On Saturday, Netanyahu appealed to Gantz on X, saying, "This is the time for unity and not for division. We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us. I call on Benny Gantz -- do not leave the emergency government. Don't give up on unity."

Following Gantz's resignation, Netanyahu released a statement on X, saying, "Israel is in an existential war on several fronts."

"Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign -- this is the time to join forces," Netanyahu said. "Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and the achievement of all the goals of the war, primarily the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas."

Netanyahu added, "My door will remain open to any Zionist party that is ready to get under the stretcher and assist in bringing victory over our enemies and ensuring the safety of our citizens."

In May, Gantz issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, saying he would resign if the prime minister did not approve a post-war plan by June 8, saying at the time, "While the Israeli soldiers show supreme bravery on the front, some of the men who sent them into battle behave with cowardice and irresponsibility."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller



Hamas military wing claims 3 hostages, including American, killed in raid

The Hamas military wing claimed in a statement Sunday that three hostages, including an American citizen, were killed in Saturday's rescue operation in central Gaza that was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF told ABC News on Sunday it had no knowledge of hostage deaths occurring during Saturday's raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp, in which four hostages were rescued.

In its statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades accused the Israeli government of being untruthful about the circumstances of the raid.

"In exchange for them, your own army killed three of your own captives in the same attack; one of them holds an American citizenship," the Al-Qassam Brigades statement said. "Time is running out. Your government is lying."

A White House National Security Council spokesperson said Sunday they have "seen nothing to corroborate" the claims that three other hostages, including an American, were killed during the raid.

"We have seen nothing to corroborate these claims. We are of course continuing to assess the claims," the spokesperson told ABC News.

At least 274 people were killed when the Israeli military moved into the Nuseirat camp to rescue hostages, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday. Israel's military said no more than 100 civilians were killed in the operation.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaulé, Jordana Miller and Michelle Stoddart


Israeli government says it wasn’t told Biden would mention permanent cease-fire

An Israeli government official said the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office wasn’t informed that President Joe Biden’s Friday remarks would include a permanent end to the fighting.

“If you listen to what Biden said, you come to the impression that we agree to a permanent cease-fire without, or, without our conditions being met, and that's not the case,” the official said.

The official said the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was informed 30 minutes before that Biden was giving a speech. The official said Netanyahu was told that the speech would focus on the hostages, with no mention of implementing a permanent cease-fire.

A senior U.S. official said the Biden administration "engaged with the Israelis at multiple levels before the president delivered the speech." The official said the U.S. specifically engaged with the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Israeli war cabinet.

The official also pointed to when Biden said in his speech that it was a proposal that the Israelis agreed to. The official noted that Netanyahu himself said that it was an Israeli proposal.

An Israeli official and two other Israeli sources who are familiar with the matter told ABC News that what Biden presented is indeed the outline of the Israeli proposal. The sources said the proposal was approved by all war cabinet members, including Netanyahu, and sent to the mediators earlier in the week.

The sources added that there are “interpretation gaps,” referring to the way the outline was presented by Biden.

Biden presented on Friday what he said was an Israeli proposal to draw the war in Gaza to a close.

Biden said the deal had been transmitted to Israel and Hamas, through Qatar.

The president said the first phase would last for six weeks and include a "full and complete cease-fire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza [and] release of a number of hostages." Palestinians would also be able to return to their homes and 600 trucks of humanitarian aid would be delivered to Gaza every day.

The second phase would include a release of all remaining living hostages and the temporary cease-fire would become a permanent cease-fire with Israel withdrawing all forces from Gaza "as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments," Biden said.

In phase three, there would be a major reconstruction of Gaza.

-ABC News’ Britt Clennett, Dana Savir and Michelle Stoddart