Israel-Gaza live updates: One dead, four injured in explosion in Tel Aviv, officials say
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Here’s how the news is developing:
11:21 PM EDT 1 killed, 4 injured by shrapnel in Tel Aviv explosion: Officials
A man in Tel Aviv has died after being injured in an explosion resulting from what authorities believe was an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
“During searches of the scene, an unconscious man was found in one of the buildings, with penetrating injuries,” Zachi Heller, a spokesperson for Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom (MDA), confirmed to ABC News.
The man, who Heller said was 50, did not exhibit signs of life and it was determined he had died.
Information is still developing, but the Israel Defense Forces said early Friday morning that the person who died was hit by a fragment of the UAV.
Four people were treated for shrapnel injuries at the scene and four were treated by EMS for shock/anxiety. All eight were taken to the Wolfson and Ichilov hospitals, Heller said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
9:33 PM EDT 2 injured, taken to hospital following blast in Tel Aviv: Officials
Two people were injured in a blast in Tel Aviv early Friday morning local time, Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom (MDA) confirmed.
Emergency services received a report at 3:12 a.m. that an object had exploded in Tel Aviv. After arriving on the scene, medics transported a 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman in mild condition to Ichilov Hospital. The victims had “shrapnel injuries to the limbs and shoulder,” MDA spokesman Zachi Heller said. Four additional victims were treated for shock/anxiety.
Following the incident report, five fire crews arrived and extinguished the fire. They are currently conducting searches in the area.
A United States official confirmed to ABC News that the explosion had occurred near the U.S. embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, but the building was not damaged. The official said that the cause of the blast is still being assessed and that the office is advising American citizens in Tel Aviv to shelter in place.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was unaware that an unmanned aerial vehicle infiltrated Israel’s defenses. The IDF is currently reviewing the incident.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Shannon Kingston
5:13 PM EDT Poliovirus detected in sewage samples in Gaza, health ministry says
Poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples in the Gaza Strip according to testing conducted in coordination with the United Nations, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced Thursday.
Samples were taken from sewage water that “collects and flows between the tents of the displaced and in the places where residents are located as a result of the destruction of the infrastructure” in war-torn Gaza, according to the ministry.
“The presence of the virus that causes polio … represents a new health disaster,” the ministry said in a statement. “There is severe overcrowding, a scarcity of available water and its contamination with sewage water, the accumulation of tons of garbage and the occupation’s prevention of the entry of hygiene materials, which creates a suitable environment for the spread of various epidemics.”
The ministry called for “an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, the provision of usable water, the repair of sewage lines and an end to the overcrowding at displacement camps.”
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, which attacks the nervous system and can lead to irreversible paralysis, according to the World Health Organization.
Polio mainly affects children under 5, though the virus can strike at any age. It’s incurable but completely vaccine-preventable. The virus is highly contagious and can live for weeks in an infected person’s feces, which can contaminate food and water in unsanitary conditions and spread to other people. Polio remains endemic in two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the WHO.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
1:47 PM EDT At least 2 people killed in Israeli strike on 9th school in 10 days
At least two people were killed and five others were injured after Israel carried out a strike on Al-Falah School in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, the ninth school the IDF has targeted in the last 10 days, according to the Gaza Civil Defense.
1:07 PM EDT Netanyahu shuts down plan to build field hospital for Gazan children
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has scrapped Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s plans to establish a field hospital for Gazans along the border with Gaza.
Netanyahu “announced in writing that he does not approve the establishment of a hospital for Gazans on Israeli territory — therefore it will not be built,” his office said in a statement Thursday.
Gallant had announced Wednesday that he had ordered the establishment of a temporary field hospital in southern Israel along the border with Gaza to treat sick Palestinian children who are unable to leave the war-torn enclave for medical care abroad, amid the extended closure of Gaza’s Rafah crossing into Egypt. Gallant said he had told his American counterpart, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, about the plan for the field hospital during a call earlier this week, according to a readout.
The World Health Organization’s representative for Gaza and the West Bank, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, told reporters Wednesday that some 10,000 patients in Gaza still require urgent evacuation for medical treatment.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
11:17 AM EDT Palestinians held in Israeli secret detention describe torture, beatings, starvation
Human rights group Amnesty International has accused Israel of mass incommunicado detention and torture of Palestinian detainees from Gaza, citing the documented cases of 27 Palestinians who were detained for periods of up to four-and-a-half months without access to their lawyers or contact with their families.
Those detained included doctors taken into custody at hospitals for refusing to abandon their patients, mothers separated from their infants while trying to cross the so-called “safe corridor” from northern Gaza to the south, human rights defenders, U.N. workers, journalists and other civilians.
The Israeli Prison Service told the Israeli NGO HaMoked that — as of July 1 — 1,402 Palestinians were detained under a law that grants its military sweeping powers to detain anyone from Gaza they suspect of engaging in hostilities against Israel or of posing a threat to state security for indefinitely-renewable periods without having to produce evidence. This count excludes those held for an initial 45-day period without a formal order.
“The Israeli authorities must immediately repeal this law and release those arbitrarily detained under it. Torture and other ill-treatment including sexual violence are war crimes – these allegations must be independently investigated by the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor’s office,” Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
“The Israeli authorities must also grant immediate and unrestricted access to all places of detention to independent monitors – access that has been denied since 7 October,” Callamard said.
Jul 17, 2024, 4:29 PM EDT Gaza aid pier shut down, aid to flow in through Ashdod
The JLOTS temporary pier system has been shut down, with humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza will now taking place through the civilian port of Ashdod, CENTCOM told reporters.
The pier had successfully delivered close to 20 million pounds of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which USAID estimates provided food for 500,000 people for a month. The pier’s overall cost will come in “well underneath” the $230 million costs currently estimated though he couldn’t say by how much, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the deputy commanding general of CENTCOM, told reporters.
Cooper said that 1 million pounds of aid has already entered Gaza as a “proof of concept” and that there are about 5 million pounds of aid to still deliver from Cyprus.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jul 17, 2024, 3:29 PM EDT Netanyahu ally urges him to accept cease-fire deal
The leader of Israel’s Shas party, Areyeh Deri, is urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a cease-fire deal, publicly adding its voice to the choir of those calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, according to a letter from the Shas party.
“We believe that the conditions created now following the welcomed military pressure and the targeted assassinations create an appropriate time to reach a deal that preserves Israel’s vital security interests and returns the abductees home,” the letter said.
This comes amid reports in Israeli media that Mossad chief David Barnea and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant have pushed Netanyahu to accept the deal. Without Shas, the Netanyahu-coalition would crumble.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jul 17, 2024, 3:08 PM EDT Group calls on Netanyahu to release journalists, allow access to Gaza ahead of US visit
The Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release journalists held without charge and allow free, unimpeded access to Gaza ahead of his planned trip to the U.S.
“From the start of the war, Israel has continuously denied independent access to the media as Palestinian journalists struggle to survive. The loss of local journalists, an almost total ban on media from outside Gaza leaves a vacuum for propaganda, mis and disinformation. Claims and counterclaims remain extraordinarily difficult to verify independently. Facts are easily evaded and truth withers. No credible democracy engages in what is, in effect, a growing censorship regime,” Jodie Ginsburg, the CEO of CPJ, said in a statement Wednesday.
More than 100 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 and others have been arrested, often without charge, according to the CPJ.
“Journalists, like the thousands of civilians in Gaza killed, arrested or displaced continue to pay an astonishing toll,” Ginsburg said.
“An unprecedented number of journalists and media workers have been arrested, often without charge. They have been mistreated and tortured. The number of journalists reporting in Gaza is dwindling, and those who remain are doing so in treacherous conditions, but they cannot do so alone,” Ginsburg said.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Jul 17, 2024, 12:20 PM EDT Over 1,000 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza, West Bank since Oct. 7: WHO
The World Health Organization has registered more than 1,000 attacks on health care facilities in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, the agency’s top official in the region said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
There are currently no functional hospitals in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, following Israel’s recent offensive there, according to Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza.
Peeperkorn highlighted the urgency of allowing critically ill patients to leave the war-torn enclave, stating that around 10,000 patients in Gaza still require urgent evacuation –- half of whom are suffering from severe trauma, including spinal injuries and amputations.
-ABC News’ Camilla Alcini
Jul 16, 2024, 2:54 PM EDT IDF says it carried out 37,000 airstrikes on Gaza since October
The Israel Defense Forces has carried out 37,000 airstrikes on Gaza and targetted more than 25,000 terrorist infrastructures and launch sites since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the IDF said Tuesday.
The IDF also acknowledged carrying out strikes on hospitals, schools and humanitarian shelters throughout the Gaza Strip, claiming to target “terrorists who are located and based in sensitive sites,” the IDF said in a statement.
Jul 16, 2024, 2:03 PM EDT Dozens killed in Israeli strikes on UNRWA facility, safe zone
At least 23 people were killed and 73 others were injured after Israel struck a UNRWA school in a designated safe zone where displaced people are sheltering. Five UNRWA schools have been hit in the last 10 days, according to the UNRWA.
“UN facilities must be protected at all times. They must never be used for military or fighting purposes. No one is safe in Gaza, wherever they are. The people of #Gaza are children, women & men who have the right to live,” the UNRWA said Tuesday.
In another strike on a safe zone in Mawasi Khan Yunis, at least 17 people were killed and 26 others were injured.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it struck the school, alleging it struck terrorists who were operating in a UNRWA school.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jul 16, 2024, 11:52 AM EDT Israel strikes Nuseirat refugee camp for second day in a row
Israel has carried out a strike on Nuseirat refugee camp, where internally displaced Palestinians have been told to shelter, for the second day in a row, according to Gaza Civil Defense.
This is the sixth school — a designated safe zone — to be targeted by Israeli Defense Forces’ airstrikes in one week.
Israel has not confirmed whether Saturday’s strike that killed 90 Palestinians killed two Hamas officials, including military chief Mohammed Deif, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference.
“There is still no absolute certainty that the two have been eliminated, but I want to assure you that one way or another we will reach the entire top of Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said he was briefed about the type of weapons that would be used and the expected “collateral damage,” as well as confirming Israel did not believe any hostages were held in the area, before giving the go ahead for the strike.
“Why should we risk something leaking out? Suppose something leaked, Deif and his deputy would go underground in a second. We update our American friends when necessary,” Netanyahu said.
Asked about not telling the U.S. about the strike beforehand, Netanyahu said it was to avoid an information leak.
-ABC News’ Anna Burd
Jul 13, 2024, 4:14 PM EDT UN Human Rights Office condemns IDF’s strikes in Gaza humanitarian zones
The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the Israel Defense Forces’ use of weapons in populated areas of Gaza, including humanitarian zones, hours after an attack killed 90 Palestinians.
“The latest attack and casualty followed right after another massive attack on the north, which lasted for a week, resulting in further destruction and casualties,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.
The U.N. said the IDF’s use of weapons in densely populated areas “despite the overwhelming evidence that these means and methods have led to disproportionate harm to civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure, suggests a pattern of willful violation of the disregard of [International Humanitarian Law] principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.”
“The use of such weapons in an area to which IDF is ordering people to evacuate demonstrates a rampant disregard for the safety of civilians. Even if Palestinian armed group members were using the presence of civilians in these areas in an attempt to shield themselves from attack, which would violate IHL, this would not remove IDF’s obligations to comply with these fundamental IHL principles of proportionality, distinction and precaution,” the U.N. said.
Jul 13, 2024, 3:14 PM EDT Death toll from Israeli attack on Khan Younis rises to 90
The death toll from Israel’s deadly attack on Al Mawasi, west of the southern city of Khan Younis, has now risen to 90 people killed and 300 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Israel had admitted earlier that the strike was in the expanded humanitarian zone.
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, tensions are escalating after the assassinations of two Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Remains of about 80 deceased Palestinians returned after being taken by IDF
The deceased remains of an estimated 80 Palestinians — which Israeli forces took from Gazan cemeteries to identify whether hostages had been buried there — were returned by the Israel Defense Forces.
The bodies were decomposed beyond recognition, with Gazan officials saying between three and four bodies were in each bag. They will be reburied in a mass grave in Khan Younis.
A Gazan civil defense official on the ground said there is no data as to who these individuals were.
“I wished I could find him, to be at peace,” Suwa Abu Rajilah, a mother who traveled to the site to see if her son, killed in the war, was there. “To say I buried him, but I couldn’t find him.”
-ABC News’ Dia Ostaz
9 UN employees fired after investigation into ties to Oct. 7 attack
The U.N. has fired nine employees following a lengthy investigation into ties to the Oct. 7 attacks, the organization said.
The U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight Services investigated 19 staff members with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East as part of the probe.
For nine of the staffers, evidence was found that they “may have been involved in the armed attacks,” the U.N. said.
“The employment of these individuals will be terminated in the interests of the Agency,” the organization said in a statement.
There was no evidence or insufficient evidence that the other investigated staffers had been involved, they added.
At least 7 Hezbollah attacks Monday
In another active day on the northern Israeli border, Hezbollah launched at least seven attacks on Monday.
The IDF said they “successfully intercepted” the projectiles, and no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying in a statement they had launched them “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance.”
The IDF also said Monday that they had “identified a terrorist cell operating a drone in the area of Meiss El Jabal in southern Lebanon.”
“Shortly following the identification, the IAF struck and eliminated the terrorists,” they said.
Israeli officer and soldier injured in aerial attack from Lebanon: IDF
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer and a soldier were injured after an aerial attack in northern Israel’s upper Galilee region near Ayelet HaShahar early Monday morning local time, the IDF said in a statement.
The aerial targets crossed from Lebanon, the IDF said.
“Israel Fire Services are currently operating to extinguish a fire that was ignited in the area as a result of the attack,” the IDF said.
Netanyahu says Israel will strike wherever necessary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is prepared to stand against attacks from Iran and its proxies.
“Iran and its detractors seek to surround us with a choke ring of terrorism on seven fronts. Their open aggression is insatiable,” Netanyahu said during a state memorial service commemorating the death of Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky in 1940.
Netanyahu added, “We are determined to stand against them on every front, in every arena, far and near. “
Netanyahu’s comments came just days after the assassination in Iran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. He was killed in an explosion on Wednesday at a guest house in Tehran that he was staying in while attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for “revenge” against Israel.
Haniyeh’s assassination followed the death of Mohammed Deif, commander of Hamas’ military wing, in a “precise, targeted strike” in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis on July 13. Deif was allegedly one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
IDF officials also announced that they killed top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in a precision missile strike Tuesday in Beirut, Lebanon. Officials claim he had been orchestrating drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel, including one on July 27 in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers playing soccer.
“Anyone who murders our citizens, anyone who harms our country, will not be cleared of responsibility,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “He will pay a very heavy price. Our long hand strikes in the Gaza Strip, in Yemen, in Beirut, wherever necessary.”
Netanyahu said Israel’s goals are to “secure our future” and the ensure that hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel are returned home.
“We will continue to press the pedal,” Netanyahu said. “We did not let up from the pressure in all combat areas. We will take an offensive, creative, persistent initiative — until victory comes.”
(NEW YORK) — Israel’s war in Gaza has hit another grim milestone after the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the strip declared that the death toll had passed 40,000 since the start of the war on Oct. 8.
On Thursday officials in Gaza said a total of 40,005 people had been killed in the conflict.
That figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. However, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said there were more than 11,000 women and more than 16,000 children among the dead.
Israel launched its war in Gaza on Oct. 8, the day after Hamas carried out a surprise terror attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, including women and children.
The true death toll in Gaza, after more than 10 months of war, could be significantly higher than the Health Ministry’s figure because officials in Gaza estimate that an additional 10,000 people in Gaza are unaccounted for because of the war.
Casey Harrity from Wyoming, who is working in Gaza for the non-governmental organization Save the Children, agrees that the true death toll from the war is “far higher.”
Harrity, who is the NGO’s Team Lead in the strip, said Israel’s military operations over the past 10 months had “squeezed” the population of Gaza “into an incredibly small area.”
In recent days, the IDF has been dropping leaflets in the city of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, warning civilians to relocate ahead of military operations. The Israel Defense Forces’ tactic of moving civilians has been commonplace throughout much of the war, meaning many Gazans have been displaced multiple times and much of the civilian population now lives in large encampments made up of tents.
“Every available part of land is taken up by tents,” Harrity told ABC News during a videolink interview from her office in Gaza.
“The population doesn’t have toilets. They don’t have running water. They’re living in incredibly dire situations. And we’re seeing outbreaks of disease in these shelters and camps. We’re seeing truly horrifying conditions,” she said.
Harrity said she hears “bombardments, every night” in Gaza. But she said she was “lucky” to be sleeping in a building.
“The vast majority of the population is living outside. They have nowhere safe to go,” she added.
ABC News also spoke to Ghada Al-Haddad, a Palestinian in Gaza working for British-based non-profit Oxfam.
She described how people in Gaza live in constant fear and families often congregate in the same place at night because they would rather be killed together than risk mourning the death of their loved ones.
“When you go to bed, you are not sure you are going to make it to the morning,” Al-Haddad said in an interview with ABC News.
U.N. schools in Gaza were deemed to be “safe spaces” where displaced Palestinian families could shelter.
However, the United Nations Human Rights Office said “at least” 21 schools in Gaza have been targeted by the IDF since early July.
The IDF has accused Hamas of “systematically” hiding and operating from within schools.
However, Al-Haddad said it was now clear that Gaza’s schools “are no longer safe.”
Both Harrity and Al-Haddad spoke of the suffering of Gaza’s children.
Al-Haddad, from British charity Oxfam, said many children in Gaza today are so used to the brutality of war that they can now distinguish between the noise of an Israeli airstrike or an Israeli artillery shell exploding.
She said many children have to walk miles to fetch water for their families or to find wood so they can make a fire to cook.
“This war is … very severe, very brutal and it doesn’t … come to an end,” said Al-Haddad.
Casey Harrity from Save the Children said innocent bystanders are constantly caught up in the crossfire of the war.
“Children are impacted more with their small bodies. When a blast like that goes off, they’re thrown farther, they’re thrown faster, their bones bend and break,” Harrity told ABC News.
“So children really are the largest victims in this war,” she added.
The IDF has said it takes multiple measures, like the use of high-precision weaponry and intelligence, to minimize civilian casualties.
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Here’s how the news is developing:
40,000 cases of hepatitis in Gaza in outbreak: UNRWA
An outbreak of 40,000 cases of hepatitis A have been recorded in the Gaza Strip amid the collapse of the waste management system as Israel continues its offensive there, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
The outbreak is a surge in cases — which include children — compared to only 85 recorded cases of hepatitis before the war began.
Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver that usually causes a mild, short-term illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The hepatitis virus is contagious and spreads through close person-to-person contact and eating contaminated food or drink.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent infection, according to the CDC.
Biden had ‘very direct’ meeting with Netanyahu, killing of Hamas leader has ‘not helped’ cease-fire
President Joe Biden said his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “very direct.”
“I’m very concerned about it. I had a very direct meeting with the prime minister today and – very direct,” Biden said. “We have the basis for a cease-fire, he should move on it and he should move on it now.”
Biden was asked how the Israel Defense Forces operation that killed top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh might ruin negotiations for a deal.
“It’s not helped. That’s all I’m going to say right now,” Biden said.
Israel summons Turkey’s envoy over half-mast salute for slain Hamas leader
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned Turkey’s deputy ambassador for a reprimand on Friday, after the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered its flag to half mast in response to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“If the representatives of the embassy want to mourn, let them go to Turkey and mourn together with their master Erdogan, who embraces the terrorist organization Hamas and supports its acts of murder and atrocities,” Katz said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Biden speaks to Netanyahu on de-escalating tensions
President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, White House officials said. Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call.
During the call, Biden “stressed the importance of ongoing efforts to de-escalate broader tensions in the region,” according to a press release. He also “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”
“The President discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive U.S. military deployments,” the release stated.
The call between Biden and Netanyahu comes after an IDF operation that killed a top Hamas leader and also after Israel conducted retaliatory strikes targeting Hezbollah.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
Al Jazeera ‘strongly refutes’ Israeli accusations against assassinated correspondent
Al Jazeera released a statement saying it “strongly refutes” allegations made by Israel against a correspondent the IDF admitted to targeting and killing. The news outlet calling for an independent review and warned it reserves the right to pursue legal action against Israel.
The IDF has accused journalist Ismail Al Ghoul of taking part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly refutes the baseless allegations made by the Israeli occupation forces in an attempt to justify its deliberate killing of our colleague, journalist Ismail Al Ghoul, and his companion, cameraman Rami Al Rifi. Furthermore, the Israeli occupation forces had previously abducted Ismail on March 18, 2024, during their raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, detaining him for a period of time before his release, which debunks and refutes their false claim of his affiliation with any organisation,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
Al Jazeera also called for an international investigation into “crimes committed” by the IDF “against its journalists and staff since the beginning of the war on Gaza.”
“The Network condemns the accusations against its correspondent, Ismail Al Ghoul, without providing any proof, documentation or video, and highlights Israel’s long history of fabrications and false evidence used to cover up its heinous crimes, while also denying journalists from around the world access to the Gaza Strip to report on the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza,” Al Jazeera added.
Hamas leader assassinated by explosive device stashed in room
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated using an explosive device stashed in his room, according to three Middle Eastern sources who spoke with ABC News on the condition of anonymity. The details of the assassination were first reported in The New York Times.
One source told ABC the explosive device was smuggled into the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps guest house in Tehran about two months ago. It is unclear when the device was moved into the room itself.
The bomb was detonated remotely sometime before 2 a.m. local time after receiving confirmation of Haniyeh’s presence in the room.
Israel briefed U.S. officials and other Western officials on the details of the assassination afterward, according to one source. Israel had been plotting to assassinate Haniyeh for some time since Oct. 7 but was reluctant to do while he was in Qatar where he lived, according to the source.
IDF confirms they targeted Al Jazeera journalist killed in Gaza
Israel has confirmed it targeted an Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul who was killed in a direct strike near Gaza City. Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al-Refee were killed on Wednesday.
“The IDF and ISA are operating in order to eliminate terrorists who participated in the October 7th Massacre and will continue to do so,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Israel Defense Forces accused al-Ghoul of participating in the Oct. 7 attack due to his recording and publication of attacks against the IDF.
The Society to Protect Journalists has condemned the attack and said journalists are civilians who should never be attacked.
“Ismail was known for his professionalism and dedication, highlighting the suffering and atrocities in Gaza, particularly at Al-Shifa Hospital and in the northern region. He was detained and tortured by Israel while covering the Al Shifa Hospital siege, yet he continued reporting after his release,” Al Jazeera said in a statement Tuesday.
“Without Ismail, the harrowing images of these massacres would remain unseen. He was a resolute journalist who overcame hunger, illness, and the death of his brother. He tirelessly reported on Gaza’s events through Al Jazeera, fulfilling his mission for his people and homeland. May they rest in peace,” Al Jazeera said.
Hamas calls for prayers, day of rage to protest Haniyeh’s death
Hamas is calling for a day of marches of rage around the world on Friday in condemnation of the Israeli assassination of political leader Ismail Haniyeh and the ongoing killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas also called for absentee funeral prayers for Haniyeh.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in the day of rage.
Thousands gather for Shukr funeral as Hezbollah promises retaliation
Thousands of people gathered for Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr’s funeral, including the top leader of Hamas in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, appearing via video, told the crowd that a response to Shukr’s killing is coming. He said there is no discussion about the retaliation — adding that it will be big.
The main streets of Dahiya are lined with photos of Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut Tuesday evening.
In the hours leading up to Thursday’s ceremony, the growing crowd often chanted “Death to Israel,” “America is the great Satan” and “Death to America!”
“It’s not the death of the citizens. It’s not the death of the innocents. It’s the death of the hypocrisy. Of the arrogance. And of the oppression,” an unidentified man in the audience shouted at reporters.
After Nasrallah’s speech, Shukr’s yellow flag-draped casket was carried through the streets of Dahiya and to a burial site. Many people lined either side to pay their respects.
Israel has crossed a red line, must expect rage and revenge, Nasrallah says
Speaking at the funeral of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Israel has crossed a line, warning there will be rage and revenge.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Beirut to mourn Shukr.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah entered the battle believing its morality, legitimacy and importance, adding they are now in an open battle on all fronts that has entered a new phase.
Nasrallah denied responsibility for the Majdal Shams attack, which Israel and the U.S. have said came from Hezbollah. He also commented on the Israeli assassination of Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iran, hours after Shukr was targeted in a strike on Beirut warning Iran will likely respond.
Crowds mourn slain Hamas leader in Tehran funeral procession
Throngs of people flooded the streets of Tehran on Thursday for the funeral procession of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader who was assassinated early Wednesday.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led funeral prayers over the bodies of Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who was also killed.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, the Iranian capital. His remains are expected to be transferred to Qatar, where he had lived in exile since 2019, for burial on Thursday.
No country or organization has yet taken credit for the assassination, but Khamenei appeared on Tuesday to place the blame on Israel. He said it was Iran’s “duty to take revenge.”
Israel says it killed Hamas military leader last month
Israeli officials said Thursday they had killed Mohammed Deif, commander of Hamas’ military wing.
Deif was killed in “precise, targeted strike” in Khan Yunis on July 13, according to a joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Securities Authority.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the death in a post on social media, calling Deif the “Osama bin Laden of Gaza.”
Gallant said his killing was “a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war.”
Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted the airstrike on a compound in the southern Gazan city, the joint statement said. The strike also killed Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade, the military said.
“Over the years, Deif directed, planned, and carried out numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” the joint statement said.
The statement continued, “Deif operated side-by-side with Yahya Sinwar, and during the war, he commanded Hamas’ terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip by issuing commands and instructions to senior members of Hamas’ Military Wing.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said last month that at least 90 people, half of whom were children and women, were killed and 300 others were injured in the attack.
Hamas officials have not confirmed Deif’s death.
Delta suspends flights to Tel Aviv
Delta Air lines has suspended all flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tel Aviv through Friday, Aug. 2, due to ongoing conflict in the region.
“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” Delta said in a statement.
CPJ ‘dismayed’ by deaths of Al Jazeera journalists in ‘direct strike’ on vehicle near Gaza city
Al Jazeera Arabic journalists Ismail Al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami Al-Refee have been killed in whilst reporting in Gaza, the network has announced.
The journalists were reporting on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Al-Ghoul’s last post on social media was of him at the ruins of the Hamas leader’s home in Gaza.
A vehicle carrying the two journalists was targeted by what the CPJ says appears to be a “direct strike” in Al Shafi camp, west of Gaza city.
“Ismail was known for his professionalism and dedication, highlighting the suffering and atrocities in Gaza, particularly at Al-Shifa Hospital and in the northern region. He was detained and tortured by Israel while covering the Al Shifa Hospital siege, yet he continued reporting after his release,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
Without Ismail, the harrowing images of these massacres would remain unseen. He was a resolute journalist who overcame hunger, illness, and the death of his brother. He tirelessly reported on Gaza’s events through Al Jazeera, fulfilling his mission for his people and homeland. May they rest in peace,” Al Jazeera said.
United cancels Tel Aviv flights
As tensions continue to rise after Israel assassinated top Hamas and Hezbollah officials, United Airlines has canceled its daily flights to Tel Aviv.
“Beginning with this evening’s flight from Newark Liberty to Tel Aviv, we are suspending for security reasons our daily Tel Aviv service as we evaluate our next steps. We continue to closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews,” United said in a statement to ABC News.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
US raises Lebanon travel advisory to highest warning level
In the wake of recent escalations in the Middle East, the U.S. State Department has raised its advisory for Lebanon to level four: “Do Not Travel,” up from a level three: “reconsider travel.”
“Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. If you are in Lebanon, be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate. The U.S. Embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens who are already in Southern Lebanon, near the borders with Syria, and/or in refugee settlements to depart,” the updated advisory reads.
“U.S. citizens in Lebanon should be aware that consular officers from the U.S. Embassy are not always able to travel to assist them. The Department of State considers the threat to U.S. government personnel in Beirut serious enough to require them to live and work under strict security. The internal security policies of the U.S. Embassy may be adjusted at any time and without advance notice,” it said.
Even before Tuesday’s strike in Beirut, State Department officials have been advising Americans in Lebanon to put together a “crisis plan of action” and “leave before a crisis begins.” Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Reena Bitter said in a video message earlier this week that those remaining in Lebanon should be prepared to shelter in place “for a long period of time.”
While some commercial flights from Lebanon have been disrupted, an official said earlier Wednesday that the State Department assesses that the transportation situation for U.S. citizens is still tenable enough that the department is not considering launching any evacuation efforts at this time, but that those plans are constantly being augmented in case they become necessary.
Level four is the State Department’s most severe classification. Other countries at that rank include North Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Syria and South Sudan.
US officials warn Israeli assassinations are not good for cease-fire negotiations
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other officials have held back from publicly speculating whether the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh will derail cease-fire negotiations, but several U.S. officials familiar with the talks say it certainly isn’t good for the prospects of a deal.
The two assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in the last 24 hours could have a chilling effect on the mediators, and what appears to be a recommitment to wartime mentality from both Israel and Hamas.
Blinken and others have recently said that an agreement is close, but always with the important caveat that the final gaps are the hardest to bridge.
Israel has also hardened some of its positions in recent weeks and the U.S. has never had full confidence in Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s desire to achieve a cease-fire or its insight into his thinking, officials say.
At the State Department briefing Wednesday, its deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, declined to speculate whether the assassinations would impact the talks and asserted that the department did not anticipate even a temporary pause in negotiations at this point.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Hezbollah confirms Fouad Shukr was killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Hezbollah has confirmed that military commander Fouad Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsen, was killed in an Israeli strike on a building in Beirut, calling it a “heinous attack and the major crime.”
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah will speak about the attack at a funeral procession on Thursday, according to Hezbollah.
Netanyahu issues warning after Israel kills top Hamas, Hezbollah officials
In his first public statements since Israel killed top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned it would retaliate strongly “against any aggression.”
“Challenging days are ahead of us. Since the attack in the Beirut, threats have been heard from all sides. We are ready for any scenario and will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will charge a price, a very heavy price, for any aggression against us from any arena,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.
Hamas says talks with Israel ‘meaningless’ and a ‘deal was close’
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said Tuesday that the talks with Israel are “meaningless” and that they were “close” to a deal but that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want one.
“The negotiation is meaningless despite the bloodshed. We had a paper [agreement] and the deal was close. They do not want to stop being usurper. Netanyahu does not want a deal. Hence, we had dedicated all we could. Our path is not the path of surrendering,” al-Hayya said during a press conference Wednesday.
Egypt also warned that the Israeli assassinations undermine truce talks and warned against dangerous security consequences.
Egypt condemned the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut as a “dangerous escalation” by Israel that could fuel conflict in the region, according to a statement issued Wednesday.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said the assassinations “undermine the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip” and “indicate the absence of Israeli political will to calm the situation.”
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi and Ayat Al-Tawy
Hamas claims Haniyeh was assassinated by rocket that entered his room
Hamas claimed that its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a rocket that entered the room where he was staying, Khalil al-Hayya, a high ranking Hamas official said in a press conference Wednesday. He warned that Israel will pay the price for Haniyeh’s death
Al-Hayya also slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hampering cease-fire talks.
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi
Blinken calls Jordanian counterpart, discusses hostage deal and preventing escalation
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his Jordanian counterpart Wednesday to discuss “the urgency of efforts to reach a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza” and “the importance of preventing further escalation of the conflict,” according to a statement from the State Department.
The statement doesn’t specifically mention the Israeli strike in Lebanon or the killing of Hamas’ political leader, but Jordan is viewed as a key strategic partner for maintaining stability in the Middle East by U.S. officials.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
‘Time for a deal,’ families of hostages say
A group representing the families of hostages held in the war-torn Gaza Strip, who were abducted from southern Israel during the Oct. 7 attacks, released a statement on Wednesday urging “the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations.”
“This is the time for a deal,” the statement said.
The statement comes amid rising tensions in the region after Hamas’ political leader was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Tehran — and only hours after Israel targeted a top commander for Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Iran has ‘duty to take revenge,’ supreme leader says
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said his country had a “duty to take revenge” after Hamas’ political leader was killed in Tehran.
“However, following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, we believe it is our duty to take revenge,” Khamenei said Wednesday.
No country or organization has yet taken credit for the assassination, but Khamenei appeared in his statement to blame Israel, saying the “criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory.”
Global reactions rolling in following Haniyeh killing
As news of the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, begins to spread on Wednesday morning, global leaders have started to react, condemning his death and calling it a “heinous assassination.”
In a statement, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, may God have mercy on him, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and an escalatory crime that will push towards more tension and chaos in the region.”
Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned Haniyeh’s death, calling it a “heinous assassination” and reiterated the need to stop Israel from escalating regional tensions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-owned RIA news agency that the killing of Haniyeh “is an absolutely unacceptable political murder, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions.”
The Israeli Government Press Office posted a photo of Ismail Haniyeh with the word “eliminated” over the Hamas political leader’s head. The post, which had been live for more than an hour, was then removed Wednesday morning.
“Eliminated: Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas highest- ranking leader, was killed in a precise strike in Tehran, Iran,” the office said in a post on its official Facebook page.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the assassination.
Killing will strengthen Iranian-Palestinian bond, minister says
The death of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader, in Iran “will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the beloved Palestine and the resistance,” an Iranian state spokesperson said.
“The pure blood of Martyr Haniyeh will never be wasted,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media.
Iranian authorities were investigating the assassination, he said.
Kanaani praised Haniyeh for spending his life in the “honorable struggle against the usurping Zionist regime” and for seeking the “the liberation of the oppressed Palestinian nation.”
Hamas, allies react to Haniyeh killing, calling it a ‘cowardly act’
Reaction from Hamas and its allies was swift, with Musa Abu Marzouq, a member of the Hamas political office, saying in a statement, “The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, is a cowardly act and will certainly not go unanswered.”
Islamic Jihad also issued a statement, saying the death of Haniyeh will not deter them.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the state of Palestine, said he strongly condemned the assassination of Haniyeh, calling the attack “a cowardly act.”
Political leader of Hamas has been killed in Tehran, Iran says
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has been killed in Tehran along with his bodyguard, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said in a statement.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack at this stage.
Haniyeh was killed in his home in Tehran after participating in the inauguration of the new Iranian president, according to Hamas.
IDF says it targeted senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Lebanon. The IDF said the commander is responsible for Saturday’s strike that killed children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on social media that Hezbollah “crossed the red line.”
The Lebanese Red Cross said the strike hit a residential building, killing at least two and injuring 20.
The target of Israel’s strike was Fouad Shukr, also known as Al-Hajj Mohsen, according to three security sources familiar with the operation.
The United States was given advanced notice ahead of Israel’s strike, according to a U.S. official familiar with matter. The message was communicated via security channels and limited operational detail was shared, the official said. It’s not clear whether the strike successfully eliminated its target.
Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that “Israel has the right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is.”
“But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks and we will continue to do that work,” she added.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters he didn’t have “any updates on any specific activity,” but added, “We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the incident over the weekend, and the United States is going to continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along the blue line.”
“Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad, and it’s unwavering, especially as it defends itself against Iran-backed threats, including threats from Hezbollah,” Patel said.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Shannon Kingston
85 sick and injured evacuated from Gaza in largest medical evacuation in 9 months
Eighty-five sick and severely injured people, including 35 children, have been evacuated from Gaza to get care in Abu Dhabi, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
This was Gaza’s largest medical evacuation since October 2023, according to the WHO.
The evacuees’ illnesses include cancer, neurological conditions, cardiac disease and liver disease, Tedros said.
Sixty-three family members and caregivers accompanied the patients, the WHO said.
“We hope this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes. Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly,” Tedros said. “Above all, and as always, we call for a cease-fire.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
IDF says it targeted senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Lebanon. The IDF said the commander is responsible for Saturday’s strike that killed children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on social media that Hezbollah “crossed the red line.”
The target of Israel’s strike was Fouad Shukr, also known as Al-Hajj Mohsen, according to three security sources familiar with the operation.
The United States was given advanced notice ahead of Israel’s strike, according to a U.S. official familiar with matter. The message was communicated via security channels and limited operational detail was shared, the official said.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters he didn’t have “any updates on any specific activity,” but added, “We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the incident over the weekend, and the United States is going to continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along the blue line.”
“Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad, and it’s unwavering, especially as it defends itself against Iran-backed threats, including threats from Hezbollah,” Patel said.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Shannon Kingston
IDF withdraws from Khan Younis after weeklong raid killing 226
The Israel Defense Forces announced that it has “completed operational activity in the area of Khan Younis” in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, more than a week after it began bombarding the eastern part of the city — a designated humanitarian zone.
At least 226 people have been killed by Israeli forces in and around Khan Younis since the IDF raid began early on July 22, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
-ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller and Samy Zyara
One dead in Israel, one dead in Lebanon amid rising tensions
At least one person is dead in northern Israel following a rocket salvo from Lebanon this afternoon, according to Israel’s national emergency service. One person was also killed in southern Lebanon following a drone strike targeting a house in the town of Beit Lif early Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
The Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets conducted strikes in southern Lebanon earlier Tuesday.
Approximately 10 projectiles crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with the majority of the projectiles being intercepted, according to the IDF. A direct hit was identified in the area of HaGoshrim in northern Israel.
12:34 PM EDT US meetings with Netanyahu were ‘very constructive,’ Kirby says
U.S. officials’ meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., last week were “very constructive and certainly nothing that discouraged us in terms of trying to close the remaining gaps” while trying to secure the hostage deal, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.
“We still believe those gaps can be narrowed … and we can move forward. But obviously, as I said earlier, it’s going to take compromise, it’s going to take leadership,” he said.
“There’s no indication that we see, at this point in time, the weekend strike by Hezbollah into the Golan [Heights] area is going to negatively affect those discussions,” Kirby added.
Kirby also pushed back on the suggestion that Vice President Kamala Harris had a different message for Netanyahu from President Joe Biden, saying there was “no daylight” between their messages, and that reporting suggesting otherwise was “unfortunate and inaccurate.”
“There was no daylight between anything, the president, the vice president told the prime minister. Same points, same emphasis — the commitment and reaffirmation to help Israel continue to defend itself against these threats. Same reaffirmation by both the president and the vice president, that we want to see the cease-fire deal get enacted because of what it can do to improve the humanitarian situation. And of course, getting those hostages home with their families,” Kirby said.
Pressed on why Harris had her own meeting if their message was the same, Kirby defended Harris.
“The vice president couldn’t be in town for the meeting in the Oval [Office], and as she has been a full partner in all our foreign policy, but certainly in particular, the policy that this administration has pursued with respect to the Middle East, she felt it was important to also sit down with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Kirby said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
12:21 PM EDT White House condemns ‘horrific’ attack on Golan Heights
The United States “absolutely condemn this weekend’s horrific attack” that killed children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.
At least 12 people were killed, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack but Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that “every indication” points to Hezbollah as responsible for the strike.
Kirby also assigned blame to Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying “it was their rocket launched from an area that they control.”
“The United States will continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along that blue line that will, No. 1, end these terrible attacks once and for all, and No. 2, allow Israeli and Lebanese citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes,” Kirby said.
Kirby stressed that U.S. support for Israeli security remains “ironclad” against all Iran-backed threats, adding, “We believe that there is still time and space for a diplomatic solution.”
Asked if the administration was urging Israel to show restraint in any response, Kirby said that Hezbollah made the first strike on Israel back in October and that “Israel has every right to respond,” but he said he was confident that a broader conflict could be avoided.
“Nobody wants a broader war and I’m confident that we’ll be able to avoid such an outcome. I’ll let the Israelis really speak to whatever their response is going to be,” Kirby said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
4:43 PM EDT Netanyahu and Gallant to decide how to retaliate for Golan Heights attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were granted the authority Sunday to decide the manner and timing of a response to the alleged attack by Hezbollah on the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, according to the prime minister’s office.
During a meeting in Tel Aviv, members of Israel’s political-security cabinet gave Netanyahu and Gallant the authority to devise a plan to retaliate for the strike that killed 12 people, including children playing soccer, according to the statement from the prime minister’s office.
“The members of the cabinet authorized the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to decide on the manner of response against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and when,” according to the statement.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack. The Israel Defense Forces and the White House both blamed Hezbollah for the attack.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
1:41 PM EDT White House blames Hezbollah for deadly rocket attack on Golan Heights
The White House on Sunday blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike Saturday on Golan Heights that it said killed children playing soccer.
At least 12 people were killed in the weekend attack in Majdal Shams, a town in the Golan Heights, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
“We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the horrific attack yesterday in northern Israel that killed a number of children playing soccer,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “This attack was conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket, and launched from an area they control. It should be universally condemned.”
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attack in Majdal Shams. But the IDF said a Hezbollah rocket was used in the attack, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Sunday that “every indication” points to Hezbollah as responsible for the strike.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
July 28, 2024, 12:35 PM EDT Middle East Airlines delays flights following Israeli strike on Lebanon
Lebanon’s flagship air carrier, Middle East Airlines, delayed departures of several inbound flights to Beirut on Sunday, the airline announced.
The decision by Middle East Airlines came after the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that the military struck targets “deep inside” Lebonnon overnight. The IDF attack in Lebanon unfolded a day after a rocket strike killed 12 people in Majdal Shams, a town in Golan Heights.
Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket attack in Majdal Shams, but IDF officials claim it was a Hezbollah rocket that hit a sports field, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “every indication” points to Hezbollah as being responsible for the strike.
Middle East Airlines said it delayed the departures of six inbound flights to Beruit that would normally land at night. The flights are now scheduled to land during the day on Monday, the airline said.
Meanwhile, Royal Jordanian Airlines also told ABC News it is considering rescheduling a flight from Amman to Beirut to early Monday morning.