Israel-Gaza updates: Gantz rejects Netanyahu's request, resigns

He said Netanyahu is "preventing us from progressing towards a true victory."

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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Biden, Macron welcome rescue of hostages

President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the rescue of the hostages at a press briefing Saturday.

Biden welcomed the safe return of four hostages from Gaza, pledging that the United States will not stop working until all hostages are home.

"I want to echo President Macron’s comments welcoming the safe rescue of four hostages that were returned to their families in Israel. We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached. That is essential to happen,” Biden said.

President Macron spoke before President Biden, also celebrating the news.

“In Gaza, we want to attain the immediate liberation of hostages and we can only welcome the liberation of four hostages by the Israeli army. We want to achieve the immediate ceasefire and open up the prospect of a political solution which is the only one that can bring about a fair and lasting peace and meet the security of concerns of both people,” Macron said.

“And that is why we are supporting the comprehensive proposal of the United States of America,” he added, calling on Israel to do more to assist humanitarian aid to Rafah, calling the situation “unacceptable.”

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Michelle Stoddart


Central Gaza death toll rises to 150

At least 150 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombing targeting Nuseirat, in central Gaza, Saturday, according the Ministry of Health.

One video verified by ABC News shows about a dozen bodies lying on the street, covered in blood and surrounded by rubble.

Others show people fleeing Nuseirat market as smoke fills the background, and people arriving at the hospital in droves, carrying wounded people and children.


Gaza hospital receives 55 dead bodies amid Israeli raid on central Gaza

Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital says it received 55 bodies Saturday amid the Israeli raid on central Gaza, calling on people to come to donate blood, according to a spokesperson.

The hospital is overcrowded and cannot accommodate any more injured people, it said.

“We call on the international community and UN organizations to intervene to stop this brutal aggression,” the hospital said in a statement.

-ABC News’s Victoria Beaule


47 killed in Central Gaza amid Israeli raid

At least 47 Palestinians have been killed and dozens others were wounded in Central Gaza Saturday amid ongoing Israeli raids in Nuseirat, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them.

"The occupation forces penetrating into the Central Governorate are committing a massacre against citizens in the Nuseirat camp, as a result of which many martyrs and wounded were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital," the Health Ministry said.

At least 36,801 Palestinians have been killed and 83,680 have been wounded since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Videos obtained by ABC News from the hospital show dozens of people being brought in and lining the floors of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara and Nasser Atta


4 hostages confirmed dead

Israeli forces confirmed the deaths of four more hostages: Haim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper and Nadav Popplewell.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the four hostages were "killed together" a "few months ago" while "IDF forces were operating" in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Hagari said Israeli forces are "examining the circumstances" of their deaths.

Cooper, 85, was an economist and a poet, and a father of four and grandfather of 11, according to Kibbutz Nir Oz. His wife, Nurit Cooper, was also kidnapped and later released, the kibbutz said.

Metzger, 80, was a father of three and grandfather of seven. His wife, Tamar Metzger, was also abducted to Gaza and later released, the kibbutz said.

Popplewell, 51, was kidnapped with his mother, who has been released, the Hostages Families Forum said.

Peri, 80, was abducted while protecting his wife, the Hostages Families Forum said. He leaves behind his wife, five children and 13 grandchildren.

Peri's family said he "heroically survived in the Hamas tunnels, under inhumane conditions, for around 4 months," and he "survived with the hope and faith that the state of Israel will fulfill its moral duty to bring him home."

"The government of Israel and its Prime Minister have no right to leave the hostages in captivity, dismantling Israel’s foundational principle of mutual responsibility," Peri's family said. "We call upon the government of Israel to strive for an immediate deal, save those still alive, and bring those who are not, to a proper burial."

"The heartbreak that comes with this painful news should shake every citizen in the State of Israel and lead every leader to profound soul-searching," the Hostages Families Forum said in a statement Monday. "The Israeli government must send out a negotiating delegation this evening and return all 124 hostages, both living and murdered. ... We reiterate our demand to the Israeli government: approve the Netanyahu deal immediately!"