Israel-Gaza updates: 22, including 18 children, reported dead in Rafah strikes
The IDF says it struck military targets of terrorist organizations in Gaza.
Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran early Friday morning local time, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The strike followed Iran's attack on Saturday, when Tehran sent a volley of more than 300 drones and missiles toward targets in Israel, according to Israeli military officials. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran's weekend attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of Gaza.
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What to know about Iran's attack on Israel
Israeli officials said the country's Iron Dome defense system endured a big test from Iran's attack on Saturday, intercepting 99% of the 300 "threats of various types" thrown at it.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari, launched 170 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more than 120 ballistic missiles and more than 30 cruise missiles in the attack.
Hagari said "99% of the threats launched towards Israeli territory were intercepted -- a very significant strategic achievement."
Hagari said the attack resulted in only one known Israeli casualty, a 7-year-old girl who was severely injured when she was struck by shrapnel apparently from an intercepted missile.
Sullivan to meet with hostage families on Monday
National security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet families of hostages at the White House on Monday, which is one day after the war reaches the six-month mark, a senior administration official said.
President Joe Biden on Friday wrote letters to the president of Egypt and the emir of Qatar on the state of the talks, and he urged them to secure commitments from Hamas to agree to and abide by a deal, the official added.
"The president made clear that everything must be done to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, now held by Hamas terrorists for nearly six months," the senior administration official said.
"They discussed the importance of fully empowering Israeli negotiators to reach a deal, which in its first phase would secure the release of women, elderly, sick and wounded hostages," the official said.
A new round of talks will take place this weekend in Cairo.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Strike on World Central Kitchen workers was 'a terrible chain of errors,' IDF says
The Israeli Defense Forces issued a new statement in English calling the Israeli military’s strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on Monday a "tragedy."
"It was a terrible chain of errors and it should never have happened," the IDF said. "The IDF takes full responsibility for this regrettable loss of life."
The IDF said earlier that the airstrike came after Israeli forces misidentified a WCK worker in the convoy as a Hamas gunman.
The IDF said WCK correctly coordinated its movements with the IDF prior to the night the workers were killed and that there was a "comprehensive plan" in place for the WCK workers’ movements on Monday.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
US 'carefully' reviewing Israel's report on WCK attack, Blinken says
U.S. officials are reviewing Israel's report on the Israel military’s attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers "very carefully" and "will be discussing its conclusions with Israeli officials and with humanitarian organizations in the days to come," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.
The Israel Defense Forces said its airstrike in Gaza that killed seven WCK aid workers on Monday came after Israeli forces misidentified a WCK worker in the convoy as a Hamas gunman.
Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "indicated" to President Joe Biden in their Thursday call "that Israel would be making further changes to its procedures to make sure that those who are providing assistance to people who so desperately need it in Gaza are protected."
"It's very important that Israel is taking full responsibility for this incident. It's also important that it appears to be taking steps to hold those responsible accountable," Blinken said. "Even more important is making sure that steps are taken going forward to ensure that something like this can never happen again."
Blinken said the U.S. would be "looking to see not just what steps are being taken, but the results that follow" from potential changes to Israeli military operations.
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia
Kirby: US must 'start seeing meaningful changes' from Israel
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby warned Friday that if the U.S. doesn’t "start seeing meaningful changes in the way Israel is prosecuting these [military] operations [in Gaza] and allowing for humanitarian assistance [in Gaza], and working toward a hostage deal and cease-fire, then we’re going to have to make changes in our Gaza policy."
In his interview with ABC News' "Good Morning America," Kirby would not say if those changes in Gaza policy would mean conditioning U.S. aid.
But Kirby said President Joe Biden was very clear on his call Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. must "see some changes."
"We’ve got to see the humanitarian situation improve in Gaza, or otherwise we will have to try to take a look at our own policy and make decisions, and change the way that we’re supporting Israel," Kirby said.
The U.S. still wants an immediate cease-fire in exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages and for getting more aid into Gaza, Kirby stressed. U.S. officials will be among the negotiators meeting this weekend in Cairo, he said.
Iran 'not the power it purports to be,' White House adviser says
Israel on Saturday demonstrated its "military superiority" against Iran while also showcasing its partnership with military allies, including the United States, John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said Monday.
Israel said Sunday about 99% of the missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its allies, a defense that Kirby called a "tremendous success."
"I think it did show, did demonstrate that Iran is not the power that it purports to be, that it doesn't have that same military superiority," Kirby said on "Good Morning America."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected on Monday to reconvene his war cabinet, a body that met on Sunday without deciding on a response to Iran's attack. And President Joe Biden and his G7 counterparts on Sunday released a statement urging Iran to cease its attacks.
"With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation," the G7 leaders' statement said. "This must be avoided."
The United States would not participate in an Israeli response, if the country decides to strike back against Iran, U.S. defense and security officials said on Sunday.
But the final decision on whether Israel strikes back will fall to Netanyahu, Kirby said Monday.
"The president was also clear, as he has been throughout, that we do not seek a wider war in the region and we don't seek conflict with Iran," he said.
-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey