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.


0

Hundreds killed or injured during hostage rescue, Gaza ministry says

At least 274 people were killed in central Gaza on Saturday as the Israeli military moved into the Nuseirat camp to rescue four hostages, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday.

Another 698 people were injured as Israeli forces entered the refugee camp, the ministry said.

Some of the injured were in critical condition, the ministry said.

The death toll in Gaza climbed on Saturday to 37,084 people, the ministry said. More than 84,000 others have been injured, the ministry said.

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Kevin Shalvey


Humanitarian aid flow resumes in Gaza: US Central Command

U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) announced Saturday that it began delivery of humanitarian assistance ashore in Gaza.

"Today, a total of approximately 492 metric tons (~1.1 million pounds) of much needed humanitarian assistance was delivered to the people of Gaza," CENTCOM said in a statement.

No U.S. personnel went ashore to Gaza, according to CENTCOM.

The agency said it has so far assisted in the delivery of more than 1,573 metric tons of humanitarian aid to organizations operating on the ground in Gaza.

-ABC News' Nathan Luna


Blinken comments on hostage rescue

Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement Saturday following the rescue of four Israeli hostages, welcoming their safe return.

"The United States will not rest until every hostage is returned home," he said.

Blinken also pushed for the cease-fire announced last week by President Joe Biden.

He contended would "bring relief to both the people of Gaza and the remaining hostages and their families through an immediate ceasefire that could lead to the release of all hostages, a surge of humanitarian assistance, Gaza’s reconstruction, and an enduring end to the war."

"The only thing standing in the way of achieving this ceasefire is Hamas. It is time for them to accept the deal," he said.

A U.S. defense official provided ABC News with some more details about the operation.

The official said the recently constructed JLOTS pier, which is used for transporting humanitarian supplies, was not used in the operation.

"An area south of the facility was used to safely return the hostages to Israel. Any such claim to the contrary is false," the official said.

-ABC News' Nathan Luna


Netanyahu says Israel will 'do whatever it takes' to rescue hostages

After meeting with rescued hostages and their families, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the rescue operation "remarkable" and told reporters they will do "whatever it takes" to get the hostages back.

"We're committed to getting the release of all the hostages, and we expect Hamas to release them all — but if they don't, we'll do whatever it takes to get them all back home. Hamas is committing war crimes every day, including the holding of these hostage.s. Our soldiers are performing in the most valiant and moral way to end this war with a victory against these killers and against these kidnappers, and we shall prevail," Netanyahu said.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces said the hostages were being held in civilian populated areas, without any way to reach them but go through Gaza civilians, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters. Three male hostages were held together in an apartment and a fourth female hostage was held in another apartment just over 650 feet away, Hagari said.

At least 150 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids on Saturday, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said.

A United States official provided ABC News with more details about the rescue efforts, noting that the U.S. has been providing regular intelligence sharing and expertise on hostage recovery efforts since Oct. 7.

The official stressed there were no American boots on the ground as part of this effort.

-ABC News' Dana Savir, Bruno Nota and Molly Nagle


40 killed, dozens injured in Israeli strike on UNRWA school

At least 40 people were killed -- 14 of whom were children -- and at least 74 others were injured in the Israeli strike on an UNRWA school at the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, the Gaza Ministry of Health said Thursday.

Israeli officials have claimed that the strike was targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists "hiding inside the school," IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said during a press briefing Thursday.

The U.S. State Department said Israelis have claimed they were targeting "only one part of the building without hitting areas where civilians were sheltering," spokesperson Matt Miller said Thursday.

"At the same time, we've seen the reports on the ground. We’ve seen the videos on the ground. We've seen the claims that 14 children were killed in the strike and certainly if ... it is accurate that 14 children were killed, those aren’t terrorists. And so the government of Israel has said that they're going to release more information about this strike, including the names of those who died in it," Miller said. "We expect them to be fully transparent in making that information public."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike on the school, which the U.N. said was sheltering some 6,000 internally displaced persons, in a statement.

A spokesperson for Guterres said, "He underscores that UN premises are inviolable, including during armed conflict and must be protected by all parties at all times. The Secretary-General calls on all parties to respect and protect civilians, and ensure their essential needs are met, in accordance with international humanitarian law."

-ABC News' Sami Zayara, Jordana Miller and Shannon Crawford