Israel-Gaza updates: 17 more hostages released, including 4-year-old American girl, officials say
Fourteen Israeli and three foreign hostages were released Sunday, the IDF 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.
Cease-fire, hostage release will not happen before Friday: Senior Israeli official
The cease-fire and negotiated release of hostages from Hamas will not start until Friday, a senior Israeli official told ABC News.
The official said there is no danger of the deal falling apart before that day.
Earlier, Israeli National Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said the cease-fire was expected to begin Thursday at 10 a.m. and no hostages would be released before Friday.
Israeli cabinet has list of hostages expected to be released
The Israeli cabinet now has the list of hostages expected to be released, according to an Israeli official.
Hamas and Israel agreed to a cease-fire lasting for at least four days to allow the release of at least 50 hostages -- women and children -- captured by Hamas from Israel on Oct. 7, in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians -- women and teenagers -- currently being held in Israeli prisons.
It is expected that the cease-fire and the prisoner swap will begin Thursday morning.
Families of the hostages held by Hamas will only be notified after the hostages are in Israeli hands, the Israeli official said.
Israeli Supreme Court rejects appeal against hostage deal
Israel's Supreme Court rejected the only appeal submitted thus far against the hostage deal, clearing the way for the deal to go through.
Israeli law requires a 24-hour waiting period after the vote before the agreement can be put into action.
It is expected that the cease-fire and the prisoner swap will begin Thursday morning.
Families of American hostages speak out
The families of American hostages said they are "thrilled" 50 hostages are expected to be released, but added, "We are not going to rest until every single hostage is returned"
The families also said they "request an immediate update on whether our family members are alive and well."
The families thanked President Joe Biden for his work on the hostage deal, adding, "We call on all world leaders to continue prioritizing this goal."
The whereabouts of nine U.S. citizens and one U.S. permanent resident are unknown, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. He said it's unclear whether they were among the hundreds of people who were taken hostage by Hamas.
"We don't know for certain that all 10 are still alive and we’ve been honest about that -- what we know and what we don't know," Sullivan told ABC News' "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "We know that among those 10, three are women and children -- two women one child. And we believe that those three will be among the 50 who are released."
"Until we actually see them come out, be in the arms of their loved ones, get home safely, we cannot be fully confident," he added.
Doctor in Egypt says some of evacuated Gaza premature babies are in 'critical' condition
A doctor at Al-Arish Hospital in Egypt shared an update on the condition of the premature babies evacuated from Gaza earlier this week, saying about 10% of them are in "critical" condition.
"When the babies arrived at our hospital … they were facing a lot of bad conditions during transfer, taking their medical history, not accompanying families for them, so you are dealing with … very critical conditions for them," Dr. Ahmed Mahdy told ABC News Wednesday.
Sixteen premature babies were brought to Al-Arish Hospital in Egypt near the border after Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza ran out of fuel to run their incubators and came under attack by IDF forces. Dr. Mahdy said they all had low weight when they arrived at Al-Arish, ranging from 1-2.3 kilograms (2.2 lbs – 5 lbs).
Dr. Mahdy said some of the babies "are very critical," estimating about 10% of them are in that condition. The other infants are "less critical."
One of the struggles doctors at Al-Arish Hospital have run into is that there aren't families or mothers with most of the babies to ask about their history or the mother's history during her pregnancy. Out of 16 babies, only three mothers are accompanying four babies. Still, the doctors persevere to treat the infants.
"They may be at risk, but we are doing our best for them," Dr. Mahdy said. "We are giving them the medications they need, the feeding. You know, the babies need feeding, feeding assessment and feeding progress."