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Israel-Gaza live updates: Israeli officials on reports of Russian airport protesters
Gaza's internet was 'gradually' returning on Sunday, a telecom provider said.
Thousands of people have died and thousands more have been injured since the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and total siege of the neighboring Gaza Strip, leaving the region on the verge of all-out war.
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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.
Israel pressure on Hamas to 'continue to rise' amid ground operation
ABC News' Ian Pannell speaks to Mark Regev, the advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Nentayahu and a former ambassador, on Israel's expanded ground operation in Gaza. Regev said the land operation could be long, with many challenges.
"We are continuing to beef up the pressure on Hamas," said Regev. "It will continue to rise in the coming days and weeks until we achieve our goal which is the total dismantlement of the Hamas military machine and the end of their political structure in Gaza."
Israel says 'forces are still on the ground and are continuing the war'
In a press briefing on Saturday, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that "the forces are still on the ground and are continuing the war" and the Israel Defense Forces "will continue to make a concerted effort in order to maintain the security of our forces, using strong fire from the air, this is combat."
Meanwhile, several Hamas commanders have been killed overnight as part of the expanded offensive as aid trucks make their way into Gaza carrying food and water.
Hagari confirmed there have been 311 Israel Defense Forces fatalities since Oct.7 and added that the IDF have suffered no casualties in the overnight operations.
There are reports that communication networks have been cut in Gaza and WHO Chief Tedros Ghebreyesus who said the communications blackout is making it “impossible to reach the injured” and WHO staff, according to a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
IDF says more Hamas militants killed in overnight attacks
The Israel Defense Forces said they hit 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and killed the head of Hamas’ Ariel Array – Asem Abu Rakaba.
In a Saturday morning post, the IDF said that based on intelligence it had and intelligence from the Israel Securities Authority, IDF fighter jets struck and killed Abu Rakaba.
He was responsible for Hamas' UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and aerial defense, the IDF and Israel Securities Authority said in a joint release. He took part in planning the massacre in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, the IDF said. He directed the terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders and was responsible for the drone attacks on IDF posts, according to the military.
The IDF said it also hit tunnels and underground infrastructure. Several Hamas terrorists were killed in the attacks, according to the IDF.
-ABC News’ Clark Bentson
Grand Central Terminal closes amid sit-down calling for cease-fire in Gaza
Protesters with a Jewish peace activist group are calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza in a large, ongoing demonstration Friday at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
Metro-North said Grand Central is closed due to the protest.
According to organizer Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City, a far-left Jewish group, thousands of members and allies are taking part in the sit-in, which comes after Israel announced it is expanding its ground activity in Gaza.
Freeing hostages in Gaza is still a priority amid expanding war, Sullivan says
Securing the release of the hostages being held in Gaza is still a priority as Israel expands its ground assault in the territory in an effort to defeat Hamas, the White House's national security adviser said Sunday.
"We are continuing to see if there are ways to make that happen. We are prepared to support humanitarian pauses so that hostages can get out safely. And we will keep working at that every day because the president has no higher priority than the safe return of American citizens and wants to support the return of citizens of other countries and Israelis, as well," Jake Sullivan told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
"Now, how exactly that happens ... I cannot predict that. All I can tell you is every effort is being undertaken right now to do that," Sullivan said.
But he noted "there are ongoing efforts which I can't get into detail on television, including regional partners, including the Israelis."
-ABC News' Tal Axelrod