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

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

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:

Oct 23, 2023, 4:56 PM EDT
2 Israeli hostages released by Hamas, Israeli Hostage Center says
Oct 23, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
20 aid trucks cross into Gaza: UN
Oct 23, 2023, 1:25 PM EDT
Israeli forces preparing for air, ground, sea operations
Oct 23, 2023, 9:21 AM EDT
Gaza death toll tops 5,000
Oct 23, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT
Hundreds of Gaza targets struck overnight, Israel says

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Oct 22, 2023, 5:55 PM EDT

Israel forces struck 2 Hezbollah terrorist cells near Lebanon border, IDF says

The Israel Defense Forces struck two Hezbollah terrorist cells near the Israel-Lebanon border in Lebanese territory, the IDF announced on Sunday.

One cell, which the IDF said planned to launch anti-tank missiles, was adjacent to the area of Mattat, a small community in northern Israel. The other cell was located in Har Dov, in southeastern Lebanon, and also planned to launch rockets, according to the IDF.

Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a series of talks with Western leaders on Sunday, in which he discussed Israel’s determination to eliminate the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, his office announced.

"Israel's victory over Hamas is the victory of the entire world," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Netanyahu spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, his office said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 22, 2023, 5:10 PM EDT

Biden administration requests delay in Israel's Gaza ground incursion

The Biden administration is asking Israel to delay the looming ground incursion into Gaza to allow time for the release of more hostages and for humanitarian aid to get to civilians in Gaza, an administration official told ABC News Sunday.

The administration continues to impress upon the Israelis their concerns and the full array of consequences for a speedy ground incursion.

Two American hostages, 59-year-old Judith Raanan, and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie Raanan, were released by Hamas on Friday.

President Joe Biden received a briefing from his national security team Sunday morning on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the president later spoke to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The leaders discussed ongoing efforts to release all the remaining hostages and to provide a way out for U.S. citizens and others in Gaza, White House officials said.

The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that 212 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

Oct 22, 2023, 3:58 PM EDT

Aid in Gaza has yet to be distributed: UNRWA spokeswoman

The much-needed aid on 17 trucks that crossed into Gaza from Egypt earlier Sunday has yet to be distributed, according to a U.N. Relief and Works Agency spokeswoman.

A volunteer from the Egyptian Red Crescent looks on as a convoy of lorries carrying humanitarian aid crosses to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 22, 2023.
Mohammed Assad/AFP via Getty Images

Egyptian volunteers gather next to a truck carrying humanitarian aid as it drives through the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, Oct. 22, 2023.
Stringer/Reuters

It’s unclear what's causing the delay, and multiple United Nations agencies -- the World Food Programme, UNRWA and UNICEF -- told ABC News they're also trying to figure out what has led to the holdup.

Trucks carrying aid wait to exit, on the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 21, 2023.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Brandon Baur and Matt Rivers

Oct 22, 2023, 2:35 PM EDT

IDF soldier killed, 3 others injured inside Gaza during raid: IDF

An IDF soldier was killed and three others were injured during operational activity in the Gaza Strip in the area of kibbutz Kissufim, according to an IDF statement Sunday.

"An IDF soldier was killed, one was moderately injured, and two were lightly injured as a result of an anti-tank missile launched toward an IDF tank and an engineering vehicle," the statement said. "This occurred during a local raid carried out earlier today in the Gaza Strip, in the area of the Kibbutz Kissufim. This activity was part of the effort to dismantle terror infrastructure, clear the area of terrorists, weapons, and locate missing persons and bodies," the IDF added.

According to a Hamas statement Sunday, the IDF forces were operating only several meters inside Gaza.