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 22, 2023, 3:58 AM EDT

UN says only '4%' of daily aid needed in Gaza entered through Rafah border crossing

The volume of goods that entered Gaza after the Rafah border crossing opened on Saturday equated to "about 4%" of what is needed, according to the United Nations on Sunday.

U.N. officials said that at least "100 trucks per day" are needed to bring an adequate amount of aid into Gaza.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated about 1.4 million people in Gaza are displaced with over 560,000 people staying in "emergency shelters in increasingly dire conditions," according to a press release.

Oct 22, 2023, 3:43 AM EDT

US citizen killed in action in Israel, State Department says

An Israeli-American dual citizen serving as a reservist was killed by Hezbollah missiles near Israel’s border with Lebanon on Friday, according to the U.S. Department of State.

"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Israel on October 20. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement late Saturday. "We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the family's privacy during this difficult time, we have no further comment."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford and Morgan Winsor

Oct 22, 2023, 2:56 AM EDT

Israel to evacuate 14 communities near Lebanese border, ministry says

The residents of 14 Israeli communities near the border with Lebanon will be evacuated, state officials said Sunday.

A view shows illumination flares in the sky by Israel's border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, as seen from its Israeli side Oct. 21, 2023.
Lisi Niesner/Reuters

"The IDF notified the relevant municipalities a short while ago," Israel's Ministry of Defense said in a statement posted on social media.

The ministry had last week announced the evacuation of 28 towns near the border, an area where Hezbollah militants have been firing rockets toward Israel.

ABC News’ Mola Lenghi reports from Lebanon on the militant group Hezbollah and its history and role in the Middle East, and whether a new conflict with Israel could break out amid the war in Gaza.
5:54
How Hezbollah could threaten Israel’s northern borderABC News’ Mola Lenghi reports from Lebanon on the militant group Hezbollah and its history and role in the Middle East, and whether a new conflict with Israel could break out amid the war in Gaza.
ABCNews.com

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved the evacuations announced on Sunday, the ministry's statement said.

Oct 21, 2023, 11:14 PM EDT

US moves carrier to Middle East following attacks on US forces

The Pentagon announced Saturday evening that it will send an aircraft carrier and air defense systems to defend U.S. military troops in response to a growing number of attacks on U.S. facilities, presumably by Iranian-backed groups as tensions mount as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues.

The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower is now headed to the Middle East instead of to the eastern Mediterranean. Also, more air defense systems are headed to the Middle East – a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) missile battery that can intercept long-distance missiles, as well as more Patriot battalions to the Middle East to protect U.S. military forces, and also more U.S. troops stateside have been placed on a higher state of readiness to deploy if needed.

In this June 13, 2016, file photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.
U.S. Navy via Getty Images, FILE

"Following detailed discussions with President Biden on recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The new U.S. military moves are a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict and Iranian proxy attacks on U.S. forces throughout the Middle East.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

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