Israel-Gaza updates: IDF to begin daily 'tactical pause' along Gaza aid route

Military action will be paused on the route from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Israel said.

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.


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Israeli special forces dressed as Palestinian refugees to go undercover before hostage rescue operation: Sources

Israeli special forces were disguised as Palestinian refugees looking for a place to live when they entered the buildings where hostages were being held in the Israeli rescue operation this weekend, two Israeli security sources told ABC News.

Special forces were already in position near the buildings where the hostages were being held before they were given the "go" command by Israeli forces, the sources added.

The "go" command was given at 11 a.m. local time, sources said.

The helicopters carrying the hostages and wounded police officers landed at Sheba Medical Center in Israel starting at 12:15 p.m. local time and the last helicopter landed at 12:45 p.m. local time.

The Shin Bet, Israel's internal security forces, Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli SWAT team members participated in the rescue operation, now called "Operation Arnon" by the Israeli military. The name of the operation was given to honor the one security officer who was killed during the operation.

- ABC News’ Dana Savir


US calls for Security Council vote on Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal resolution

The U.S. is calling for the United Nations Security Council to vote on a draft resolution urging Hamas to accept the ceasefire-hostage release deal on the table, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the UN.

"Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same," the statement read. "Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal."

The Security Council vote has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday.

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford


Blinken urges Middle East to 'press Hamas to say yes' to proposal

On a tarmac in Egypt, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out his objectives for his tour through the Middle East this week, calling on countries with connections to Hamas to push them to take the cease-fire deal on the table, while also emphasizing the need to develop a "day after" plan for Gaza, calling it "a critical moment."

"My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region: If you want a cease-fire, press Hamas to say yes," Blinken said. "If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to get all the hostages home, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to put present Palestinians and Israelis alike on the path to more durable peace and security, if you want to prevent this conflict from spreading, press Hamas to say yes."

He said a cease-fire would open a path to "more durable security, calm, peace in Gaza."

"For that, it's critical that we continue to work on plans for the day after to make sure that when it comes to security in Gaza, when it comes to governance, when it comes to reconstruction, we have the plans in place to come forward," he said. "That's going to be a critical part of my conversations here in the region as we go on to Israel and then to Jordan and then to Qatar."

Blinken didn’t say when he expected Hamas to give its formal response to the proposal but said "there’s a sense of urgency among all concerned."

"Our Egyptian counterparts were in communication with Hamas as early -- as recently as a few hours ago," he said. "Ultimately, I can't put myself, none of us can put ourselves, in the minds of a Hamas or its leaders, so we don't know what the answer will be."

Blinken was adamant that Israel stood behind the proposal, stressing it was only Hamas preventing it from being implemented.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford


4 rescued hostages 'in less severe condition' physically than expected

The four hostages rescued from Gaza this weekend are physically "in less severe condition than we kind of prepared for," said Itai Pessach, head of the medical team at the Sheba Medical Center, where the hostages are being treated.

But the worry is mainly on the long-term psychological impact, as "they underwent continuous, psychological abuse," Pessach told ABC News.

The rescued hostages -- Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40 -- were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces. They were all rescued in good condition, the IDF said.

Argamani has been discharged while the three men remain at the hospital. But Argamani will still be receiving medical treatment from the Sheba team for an indefinite period, Pessach said.

"It's a very, very long process of rehabilitation. And we received captives that came back six months ago, and we're just now starting to see the initial post-traumatic response coming up," Pessach said. "They have seen a lot of war-related things that happened and all of that is part of their trauma, and we will need to care for that."

"When you see the eyes and you see, you know, they get silent for a second and you understand that there's a trigger, there's something in their minds, and you see a tear, or they ask to be left alone for a moment or something like that. This is when you really feel, under the surface there’s so much that's waiting for us," Pessach said.

-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge, Dana Savir, Omer Manor and Hugo Leenhardt


Blinken expresses frustration with Hamas response to deal, says negotiations will go on

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday weighed in on Hamas’ official response to the cease-fire proposal, stressing that a deal is the "single, most effective way" to alleviate civilian suffering and avoid escalation in the region.

“Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that is on the table," Blinken said at a news conference in Qatar with Qatari officials. "We discussed those changes with Egyptian colleagues, and today with the prime minister [of Qatar]. Some of the changes are workable, some are not."

"Here, in a nutshell is where we stand," Blinken said. "Hamas could have answered with a single word: yes. Instead, Hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes, a number of which go beyond positions it had previously taken and accepted."

Blinken said that as a result "the war Hamas started will go on," but that "in the days ahead, we’re going to continue to push on an urgent basis" to "try to close this deal."

Blinken noted that almost everyone he’s spoken with during his eight trips to the Middle East since Oct. 7 made clear they wanted to see a negotiated solution to the conflict.

"I cannot speak for Hamas or answer for Hamas and ultimately, it may not be the path Hamas wants to pursue. But Hamas cannot and will not be allowed to decide the future for this region and its people," he said.

Blinken was pressed on whether the deal was salvageable and whether more pressure needed to be applied to Israel. The secretary declined to characterize Hamas’ response as a rejection, as Israeli officials have, but expressed significant skepticism.

"At some point in a negotiation, and this has gone back and forth for a long time, you get to a point where if one side continues to change its demands, including making demands and insisting on changes for things that it already accepted, you have to question whether they’re proceeding in good faith or not," he said.

Blinken went on to say he believes the gaps are bridgeable, but "it doesn’t mean they will be bridged" because it depends "on people saying yes."

"Hamas had this for 12 days. ... People were suffering throughout those 12 days. The longer this goes on, the more people will suffer," he asserted. "It’s time for the haggling to stop."

Blinken was also adamant that Israel was not the problem.

"Look, Israel accepted the proposal as it was and as it is. Hamas didn’t. So I think it’s pretty clear what needs to happen," he said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford