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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Latest headlines:
- Blinken meets with Iraqi prime minister
- Blinken visits West Bank, meets with Palestinian Authority leader Abbas
- Blinken in Jordan reaffirms need for 'increased, sustained' humanitarian aid for Gaza
- ABC News' Ian Pannell embeds with IDF in Gaza
- Doctors Without Borders says conflict has reached ‘new low’ after ambulance strike
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.
Israeli bulldozers, tanks continue push into Gaza
The Israeli military has continued its "expanded ground operation" into Gaza, with bulldozers clearing paths and troops appearing to take up positions.
Military officials released video appearing to show tanks and bulldozers pushing through the rubble of destroyed buildings.
The footage, which could not be independently verified, also appeared to show ground troops patrolling in the dark.
Hamas compounds included in strikes on about 300 Gaza targets, IDF says
The Israeli military struck about 300 targets, including Hamas compounds, during the last day, the Israel Defense Forces officials said Tuesday.
"Numerous Hamas terrorists have been eliminated," IDF said. "The IAF struck terrorist targets and infrastructure."
The strikes hit Hamas compounds inside underground tunnels, as well as posts for launching anti-tank missiles and rockets, IDF said.
Israel shared a short video on social media appearing to show explosions at sites throughout Gaza.
The military also said it had hit "Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure including weapons, posts and sites in Lebanon." The video and claims could not be independently verified.
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
Half of Gaza population pushed south in 3 weeks: UNRWA
One million people were pushed from the north of the Gaza Strip towards the south in the last three weeks, according to Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
This represents half of the population of Gaza, according to Lazzarini.
"I have said many times, and I will say it again, no place is safe in Gaza," he said during a briefing Monday.
Over 670,000 displaced people are currently in overcrowded UNRWA schools and buildings, according to Lazzarini.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
IDF says its 'encirclement of the city of Gaza has been completed'
The Israeli military's "encirclement of the city of Gaza has been completed," according to Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
Israeli soldiers are now "attacking positions, command centers, firing posts, firing infrastructure and eliminating terrorists in face-to-face combat," he said Thursday.