Israel-Gaza updates: Blinken, Abbas meet on restoring 'calm' in West Bank, State Department says

The top U.S. diplomat made an unannounced stop in the West Bank on Sunday.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: November 5, 2023, 5:13 PM EST

Thousands of people have died and thousands more have been injured since the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and total siege of the neighboring Gaza Strip, leaving the region on the verge of all-out war.

Click here for updates from previous days.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 1, 2024, 6:03 am

What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 30,228 people have been killed and 71,377 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 395 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

Oct 31, 2023, 11:03 AM EDT

Rising antisemitism since Hamas attack part of 'preexisting' trend, DHS chief says

A rise in antisemitism since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel is part of a "preexisting increase ... in the United States and around the world," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told a Senate committee on Tuesday.

"Hamas terrorists horrifically attacked thousands of innocent men, women and children in Israel on Oct. 7, brutally murdering, wounding, and taking hostages of all ages," Mayorkas said. "In the days and weeks since, we have responded to an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab-American communities and institutions across our country."

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Oct 31, 2023, 7:42 AM EDT

Israeli bulldozers, tanks continue push into Gaza

The Israeli military has continued its "expanded ground operation" into Gaza, with bulldozers clearing paths and troops appearing to take up positions.

An Israel Defense Forces armoured vehicle waits as armoured bulldozers clear path in a location given as Gaza in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on Oct. 29, 2023.
Israeli Defence Forces via Reuters

Military officials released video appearing to show tanks and bulldozers pushing through the rubble of destroyed buildings.

The footage, which could not be independently verified, also appeared to show ground troops patrolling in the dark.

Oct 31, 2023, 6:21 AM EDT

Hamas compounds included in strikes on about 300 Gaza targets, IDF says

The Israeli military struck about 300 targets, including Hamas compounds, during the last day, the Israel Defense Forces officials said Tuesday.

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023.
Ariel Schalit/AP

"Numerous Hamas terrorists have been eliminated," IDF said. "The IAF struck terrorist targets and infrastructure."

The strikes hit Hamas compounds inside underground tunnels, as well as posts for launching anti-tank missiles and rockets, IDF said.

Israel shared a short video on social media appearing to show explosions at sites throughout Gaza.

Men remove the metal mesh that covered the window of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 31, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas movement.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

The military also said it had hit "Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure including weapons, posts and sites in Lebanon." The video and claims could not be independently verified.

Oct 31, 2023, 12:03 AM EDT

18-year-old Chicagoan taken by Hamas returns home following release

Natalie Raanan, one of two American women released by Hamas on Oct. 20, has returned home to Chicago, the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest announced Monday.

"I am relieved to see Natalie back home in Chicago. Her family members have been anxiously waiting for her return, and today I am sharing their happiness," Yinam Cohen, consul general of Israel to the Midwest, said in a statement.

American-Israeli teen Natalie Raanan, who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, has landed back in Chicago, but more than 200 others are still being held in Gaza.
3:47
Woman taken hostage by Hamas back on US soilAmerican-Israeli teen Natalie Raanan, who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, has landed back in Chicago, but more than 200 others are still being held in Gaza.
ABCNews.com

"While we're celebrating Natalie's return, we remember the 239 hostages, among them babies, children, women, and the elderly, who are still held by Hamas in Gaza. This week, family members of those still held hostage by Hamas will be in Chicago to share their stories and call for their immediate release," Cohen's statement continued.

Raanan, 18, and her mother, Judith Tai Raanan, 59, were kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. They were held for nearly two weeks before they were released. Two Israeli women were released last week. More than 200 people are still being held hostage by Hamas.

-ABC News' Matt Foster and Danielle Jennings

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