Israel-Gaza updates: IDF says 3,500 'terror targets' hammered in 10 days
"Civil order is breaking down in Gaza," a UNRWA official said.
The temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel ended on Dec. 1, and Israel has resumed its bombardment of Gaza.
The end of the cease-fire came after Hamas freed over 100 of the more than 200 people its militants took hostage during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
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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.
'About 8' Americans remain hostage: Kirby
With the temporary Israel-Hamas cease-fire now over, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC News' "This Week" that the U.S. is "working at this literally by the hour … if we can get these discussions back going" to get a new pause in place.
Kirby said the Israel-Hamas agreement "fell apart because Hamas was unwilling and refused to come with additional [hostage] lists of women and children -- which we know they are holding -- and put them on the list so that Israel can evaluate that and we can get them exchanged."
Kirby said the U.S. thinks "about eight" Americans remain hostage.
He added, "We don’t have perfect visibility on where they all are, we certainly don’t have perfect visibility on their physical or mental condition."
When asked Sunday about The New York Times report alleging Israel knew about Hamas' attack plan a year in advance, Kirby said the U.S. had no knowledge of the Hamas planning document.
He added, "The focus has got to be on making sure Israel has what it needs to go after Hamas leadership."
Netanyahu says Gaza must be demilitarized through 'sheer force'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address Tuesday that Gaza must be demilitarized and that he is not ready to accept an international force being responsible for Gaza post-war.
"Gaza must be demilitarized and the only country that can do this and ensure it lasts is Israel," Netanyahu said. "I’m not ready to close my eyes and accept any other arrangement."
The prime minister said half of Hamas' battalions have already been "destroyed."
Netanyahu also said a tactic of sheer force made sense for bringing home the remaining hostages.
"The only way to bring home the rest of the hostages is through massive military force in Gaza and that’s what we are doing," he said.
He also criticized those calling for a short war, saying, "I say to our friends who call for a short war, the only way for the war to end quickly is by applying sheer force. So I say stand with us. Stand with Israel. Stand with civilization."