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Israel-Gaza live updates: 'Constructive meeting' with officials but 'gaps' remain, Israeli PM's office says
Israel alleged several UNRWA staff members were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.
More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel's founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
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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.
Biden, El-Sisi discussed 'a Palestinian state' and 'attempts to release' hostages: WH
President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Friday, according to a statement from the White House.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing war and the efforts being made "to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas," according to the release.
The White House said Biden and El-Sisi spoke about a "prolonged humanitarian pause" in fighting and intensifying efforts to further increase "life-saving humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza."
Biden thanked El-Sisi and they agreed to continue their close coordination to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza while setting conditions for sustainable peace in the Middle East, including the "establishment of a Palestinian state and equal measures of dignity and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike," the White House said.
Hamas releases video showing 3 hostages still in captivity
Hamas has released a video of three women who are still being held in captivity in Gaza.
Shown in the video are 19-year-old Karina Ariev, 19-year-old Daniel Gilboa and 30-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, according to the Hostage Families Forum.
Ariev and Gilboa were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz kibbutz and Steinbrecher was kidnapped from the Kfar Aza kibbutz.
According to a SITE Intelligence Group translation, Ariev, addressing Israeli government officials, said in the video, "In my name and the names of all the hostages and soldiers, I ask that you get us home, stop this war, and reach an agreement. Bring us back alive. Do everything you can to get us home before we are added to the list of dead hostages. Get me home before I become a corpse."
Kirby says alleged actions of some UNRWA employees do not 'impugn the entire agency'
The U.S. is expecting a "complete and thorough and transparent investigation" following allegations that 12 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday.
The State Department is temporarily pausing new funding for the UNRWA in the wake of the allegations.
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said he’s fired several staff members after Israel provided the agency "with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees" in the Oct. 7 attacks.
An investigation is underway, Lazzarini said, warning that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution."
Earlier this month, Kirby said the UNRWA couldn't be held responsible for "the depredations of Hamas" when asked about the organization having a presence in hospitals alleged to have been used as stockpiles for weapons.
On Friday, when asked about those previous comments, Kirby noted that while there was certainly cause for concern about these allegations, "that does not and nor should it impugn the entire agency and the entire all the body of work that they're doing. ... They [UNRWA workers] have helped save literally thousands of lives in Gaza."
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Biden spoke with Qatari leader on hostage negotiations
President Joe Biden spoke with Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including efforts to secure the release of all hostages taken by Hamas, according to the White House.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
UN shelter reportedly hit as fighting escalates in southern Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said Wednesday that its training center in Khan Younis where hundreds of displaced people are taking shelter "has just been hit" as fighting escalates in the southern Gaza Strip.
In a series of posts on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the director of UNRWA’s affairs in Gaza, Tom White, wrote that "two tank rounds hit building that shelters 800 people - reports now 9 dead and 75 injured." White added that people remain trapped inside as teams from UNRWA and the World Health Organization are "trying to reach the centre," but the "agreed upon route with Israeli Army [is] blocked with earth bank."
It was unclear who was responsible for the attack on the shelter as Israeli forces battle Gaza’s militant rules, Hamas. There was no immediate comment from either of the warring sides.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Morgan Winsor