Israel-Gaza updates: Blinken, Abbas meet on restoring 'calm' in West Bank, State Department says

The top U.S. diplomat made an unannounced stop in the West Bank on Sunday.

Thousands of people have died and thousands more have been injured since the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and total siege of the neighboring Gaza Strip, leaving the region on the verge of all-out war.

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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.


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Ground operations 'continued and expanded' overnight: IDF

Israel Defense Forces announced that their ground operations "continued and expanded" in Gaza overnight.

"An IAF aircraft—guided by ground forces—struck a Hamas post and the 20+ terrorist operatives in it," the IDF said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). "Soldiers spotted armed terrorists and an anti-tank missile launching post near the Al-Azhar University and guided an IAF fighter jet to strike them."

Meanwhile, the IDF said that they had eliminated "multiple terrorists barricaded within civilian buildings and terrorist tunnels" who attempted to attack the forces.


24 trucks bring in aid: Red Cross

The Red Cross announced Sunday night that its teams in Gaza received 24 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent through the Rafah crossing.

The trucks contained food supplies and medical necessities, the Red Cross said.

That brings the total number of aid trucks to 118, according to the Red Cross.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky


IDF spokesperson says Hamas tactical commanders killed in ground operation

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Sunday that the military ground operation has led to the death of "many terrorists," including tactical commanders.

The IDF is pursuing Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, and Hagari said they will go after him "until we get to him."

Meanwhile, rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Sunday, Hagari said, with Israeli troops returning fire. Hagari said the IDF struck "Hezbollah terror infrastructure."

In the north of the country, the IDF also attacked what Hadari said were three terrorist cells that had been shooting toward Israel's troops.

On Sunday night, local time, rockets were fired at Kiryat Shmona and the Upper Galilee, Hadari said, noting the IDF returned fire.

In his Sunday briefing, Hadari again encouraged Gaza's civilian population to move south of Wadi Gaza for "their personal safety," and where conditions will "allow access to medicines, food and water."

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky


Israeli officials release statement after reports of protesters storming Russian airport

Israeli officials released a statement Sunday following reports, including from The Associated Press, that hundreds of people stormed the Makhachkala main airport and landing field in southern Russia to protest the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv. The AP cited Russian news agencies and social media.

"The State of Israel takes seriously attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews everywhere," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a joint statement Sunday.

"The Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Headquarters (NSH) are monitoring the development of events in southern Russia in the Dagestan province," it continued. "Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis."

"Israel's ambassador to Russia, Alex Ben-Zvi, is working with the authorities in Russia to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews there," the joint statement read.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said, "The measures are in effect until the situation normalizes. Law enforcement agencies are working on the spot," adding that "the planes that were supposed to land in Makhachkala were redirected to alternate airfields."

In a statement, Sergei Melikov, the head of Dagestan, said the actions of the crowd were a gross violation of the law. "There is no courage in waiting in a crowd for unarmed people who have not done anything forbidden," Melikov said. "There is no determination to break into the airport territory. There is no honor in swearing at strangers, reaching into their pockets and trying to check their passport. There are no good intentions in attacking women with children who were undergoing treatment abroad."

"What happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive an appropriate assessment from law enforcement agencies! And this will definitely be done,” he added.

More than 20 people were injured at the Makhachkala airport, the Ministry of Health of Dagestan said early Monday local time. Two people of the 10 in hospitals were in serious condition, the Ministry said. More than 10 people received medical aid at the airport.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota, Natalia Shumskaia and Will Gretsky


18-year-old Chicagoan taken by Hamas returns home following release

Natalie Raanan, one of two American women released by Hamas on Oct. 20, has returned home to Chicago, the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest announced Monday.

"I am relieved to see Natalie back home in Chicago. Her family members have been anxiously waiting for her return, and today I am sharing their happiness," Yinam Cohen, consul general of Israel to the Midwest, said in a statement.

"While we're celebrating Natalie's return, we remember the 239 hostages, among them babies, children, women, and the elderly, who are still held by Hamas in Gaza. This week, family members of those still held hostage by Hamas will be in Chicago to share their stories and call for their immediate release," Cohen's statement continued.

Raanan, 18, and her mother, Judith Tai Raanan, 59, were kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. They were held for nearly two weeks before they were released. Two Israeli women were released last week. More than 200 people are still being held hostage by Hamas.

-ABC News' Matt Foster and Danielle Jennings