The hostages are two elderly women who are both Israeli nationals.
Thousands of people have died and thousands more were injured after 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.
At least 1,400 people have died and 4,629 others have been injured in Israel, according to Israeli authorities. In Gaza, 5,087 people have died and 15,273 have been wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.
Aid workers and officials fear that Israel's call for an evacuation of the northern part of Gaza is precipitating a humanitarian disaster as electricity and other supplies have been cut off in preparation for what appears to be an imminent ground offensive.
Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to call off the evacuation and agree to a cease-fire, even as the country has asserted a right to defend itself -- a right the United States endorses.
Click here for previous updates.
The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer in the Red Sea, shot down multiple missiles launched by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, officials said.
"We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea potentially to targets in Israel," a Pentagon spokesman said.
There are some signs of progress toward moving aid into Gaza, but negotiations to open the Rafah border crossing remain ongoing, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Thursday.
Miller also did not guarantee that moving aid to Gaza would necessarily mean Americans who want to leave could leave.
"If Rafah gate is open to allow humanitarian aid to go in, we will be trying to get out to the American citizens who are in Gaza who want to leave," he said.
Miller also noted there's a concern that Hamas would seize the humanitarian aid.
"There is not an Israeli military force in Gaza, there's not a U.N. peacekeeping force in Gaza. The people with guns inside Gaza are Hamas, and so Hamas may try to divert this assistance and keep it from getting to the civilians who it is intended for," Miller said. "We think that's a legitimate concern."
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
Starting Thursday, eligible Israeli citizens and nationals can begin applying for visa-free travel for short-term visits to the U.S. through Customs and Border Protection's Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
Israel's designation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program was announced last month and will allow eligible travelers to come to the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days without first obtaining a visa, DHS said.
The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will open on Friday to allow aid to enter into Gaza, according to Egyptian state-run media.
Among the organizations waiting to bring aid into Gaza are the International Committee of the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
