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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Hamas releases audio from Israeli hostage Noa Argamani

Hamas has released a video containing audio from hostage Noa Argamani with images of her drawings over the audio.

Alongside her voice, in which she pleads to be saved, drawings are shown, which the family believes to be scribbles that Argamani has drawn.

Agramani was seen in a widely shared video being abducted from the Nova music festival on a motorbike.

The 26-year-old was last heard from in a video released by Hamas in January.

The Hostage Families Forum, which said the family approved release of the video, said in a statement, "125 men and women have been held hostage by Hamas for 238 days. The Israeli government must hear the call and act decisively, without the need for any propaganda video from Hamas, to swiftly reach a deal to bring the hostages home!"

-ABC News' Anna Burd


Israeli forces operating in central Rafah, IDF says

The Israeli army is now operating in central Rafah, the IDF said Friday.

"The operation continues to gradually evolve, with forces focusing on uprooting Hamas terror infrastructure on the Philadelphi route as well as special forces that are conducted intelligence-based targeted-raids from the outskirts of Central Rafah," the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF said it found dozens of Hamas tunnels and rocket launchers. Israel also said it "eliminated hundreds of terrorists along the Philadelphi route and the outskirts of the Urban areas of Rafah."


Benny Gantz's party proposes vote to dissolve Israeli parliament

Israeli war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz's centrist party has proposed holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the Knesset, but it is unclear whether he has enough support to bring about early elections.

The chairman of the Israel Beytenu party, Avigdor Lieberman (from the opposition), is holding a political dialogue with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, aiming to create a political union that could serve as a "governing alternative" to the Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

-ABC News' Will Gretsky


Hamas says they will agree to cease-fire deal when Israel agrees to stop war in Gaza

Hamas released a new statement about the proposed cease-fire deal, saying if Israel agreed to "stop its war and aggression" in Gaza, they would "reach a complete agreement that includes a comprehensive exchange deal," Hamas said in the statement.

"Today, we informed the mediators of our clear position that if the occupation stops its war and aggression against our people in Gaza, our readiness to reach a complete agreement that includes a comprehensive exchange deal," Hamas added.

Israel had said it submitted a cease-fire proposal to Hamas earlier this week and was awaiting the group's review of the deal. Israel officials then said that they expect the war in Gaza to last until the end of this year.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz


Israel says 'conditions for ending the war have not changed'

Although President Joe Biden on Friday outlined a multi-phase cease-fire proposal he said came from Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement Saturday that "Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel."

"Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent cease-fire is put in place," the statement said. "The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent cease-fire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter."

Biden said Friday that Israelis should feel comfortable with a cease-fire because Hamas’s capabilities have deteriorated and can no longer repeat the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Hamas in a statement reiterated its requirements for a deal. Hamas said it "affirms its position of readiness to deal positively and constructively with any proposal based on a permanent cease-fire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, the return of the displaced to all their places of residence, and the completion of a serious prisoner exchange deal."