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.
Latest headlines:
- Biden cites pain of Muslims in Gaza in Eid al-Adha holiday statement
- IDF to begin daily 'tactical pause' along Gaza aid route
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- 8 IDF soldiers killed in southern Gaza 'incident'
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
IDF counter-terror operation leaves 3 dead, 2 detained, officials say
Israeli forces returned to Jenin, in the West Bank, on Thursday to conduct what they called a "13-hour counter-terror operation" that left three killed, two detained and multiple injured, according to the local Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
The youngest person killed was 19 and the oldest 70, according to the PRCS report.
Bulldozers were filmed in central Jenin, where UNRWA said there was heavy damage, as well as in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, where the Israeli forces say they conducted a "pressure cooker" procedure on a house where they say two senior terrorists were staying.
Two suspects were killed, according to the IDF statement. The PRCS reports three killed and multiple people injured by shrapnel and beating.
The IDF reported two died in the operation.
-ABC News' Camilla Alcini