Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages' release, Gaza humanitarian assistance

The hostages are two elderly women who are both Israeli nationals.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: October 23, 2023, 4:29 PM EDT

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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 21, 2023, 11:07 AM EDT

Death toll in Gaza rises to 4,385: Palestinian officials

As the Hamas-Israel war continues, the Palestinian death toll has risen to 4,385 deaths -- including 1,756 children and 967 women -- in addition to 13,561 injuries since the start of escalation on Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said fuel being left out of the aid that went into Gaza has dangerous repercussions on the health services. According to the ministry, the convoy that delivered aid to Gaza on Saturday only has 3% of the daily needs.

People react as Palestinian civil defense members and others search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis on the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 19, 2023.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Oct. 20, 2023.
Francisco Seco/AP

According to the ministry, seven hospitals and 25 health-care centers are now out of service due to running out of fuel. Bed occupancy in the hospitals have reached more than 150%, which led to tents to absorb the huge number of injuries.

Oct 21, 2023, 10:03 AM EDT

Blinken applauds international community for passage of aid convoy into Gaza

A 20-truck convoy of humanitarian assistance has been delivered to the people in Gaza after the Rafah border crossing was opened Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the international community for facilitating the safe passage of the convoy.

"With this convoy, the international community is beginning to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has left residents of Gaza without access to sufficient food, water, medical care, and safe shelter," Blinken said in a statement.

The border was closed again after 20 aid trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt.
1:03
Rafah border crossing opens briefly, allowing some aid into GazaThe border was closed again after 20 aid trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt.
Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images

"We urge all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza. We have been clear: Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance. Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts," Blinken said in a statement.

Oct 21, 2023, 6:14 AM EDT

No fuel included in Saturday's aid convoy to Gaza, IDF says

The humanitarian aid that was delivered into the Gaza Strip via Egypt on Saturday morning contained food and medicine but no fuel, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota

Oct 21, 2023, 6:11 AM EDT

Palestinian Civil Defense says member injured in Israeli airstrike near Rafah border

The Palestinian Civil Defense said one of its members was injured by an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, only about a mile from the Rafah border crossing where humanitarian aid convoys were arriving from Egypt.

The Palestinian Civil Defense is tasked with emergency and rescue services under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta

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