Israel-Gaza updates: Blinken tells Israel onus is on Hamas to accept cease-fire
The 26-year-old was kidnapped from the Nova music festival.
As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, 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.
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At least 35 killed, including civilians, in airstrike on Rafah: Gaza Ministry of Health
A deadly airstrike has killed at least 35 people inside western Rafah, near the UNRWA logistics base in Tal Al-Sultan, according to officials at the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
Numerous individuals remain stuck in a fire that resulted from the airstrike and in the tents destroyed by the bombardment.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the airstrike to ABC News in a statement on Sunday and acknowledged that civilians were harmed as a result of the strike.
"A short while ago, an IDF aircraft struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating. The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas' use of the area," the IDF said.
"The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed," the IDF continued, adding, "The incident is under review."
-ABC News' William Gretsky
IDF claims 2 top Hamas officials killed in Rafah airstrike
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed two top Hamas officials were killed in the deadly airstrike in western Rafah Sunday night.
The IDF said Hamas' Chief of Staff in the Judea and Samaria wing, Yassin Rabia, and an additional senior Hamas official, Khaled Nagar, were both killed.
"Hamas' Judea and Samaria wing is responsible for the planning, funding, and carrying out of terror attacks throughout Judea and Samaria and within Israel," the IDF said in a statement Sunday.
The IDF claimed Rabia was responsible for "numerous murderous terror attacks, including in 2001 and 2002, in which IDF soldiers were killed."
The IDF also claimed Nagar "directed shooting attacks and other terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, and transferred funds intended for Hamas' terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip."
"Previously, Khaled Nagar carried out several deadly terror attacks between 2001-2003 which led to the deaths of several Israeli civilians and the injury and death of several Israeli soldiers," the IDF claimed.
The airstrike in Rafah on Sunday also resulted in the deaths of at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.