US aircraft carrier strike group arrives in Middle East

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported 75 Israeli airstrikes across Syria overnight Saturday into Sunday, bringing its total tally since the fall of former president Bashar Assad to around 453.

The renewed strikes come despite an appeal by Ahmed al-Sharaa -- the leader of victorious rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who is also known by his "nom de guerre" Abu Mohammed al-Jolani -- for calm.

Sharaa said HTS and the Syrian transitional government have no interest in being dragged into a new conflict, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its attacks inside Syria. Israel's justification for its strikes, Sharaa said, are now "weak."

At least seven people, including a child, were killed and 30 others were injured in an Israeli strike on the Al-Majda Al Wasilah School complex in Gaza City.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting Hamas militants in the school.

Later in the day 11 people were killed in a strike on the Deir al-Balah municipality building, in the "humanitarian area," which has been targeted previously. The death toll is according to the Gaza Civil Defense.

The mayor of Deir al-Balah, Dr. Diab Al-Jarou, was killed in the strike, according to the Hamas Government Media Office. He is the fourth central Gaza mayor to be killed in Israeli strikes, after the mayors of Al Zahra, Al Maghazi, and Nuseirat, according to the government media office.

The IDF claims the mayor was simultaneously a member of Hamas' military wing and that the strike was targeting him.

At least 55 people were killed in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of people killed in the war to 44,930, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

The leader of HTS, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, known previously by his “nom de guerre” Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, gave an exclusive interview to Syria TV where he weighed in on the future for Syria, and addressed issues concerning Israel, Iran, and Russia. He did not mention the United States.

Addressing the future for Syria, he says the focus must now be on creating a state "based on law and institutions".

He says that Syria's priority is reconstruction and not being dragged into new conflicts. He calls on the international community to intervene in the situation with Israel, saying Israel's arguments for its military actions against Syria are now "weak.”

He says Iran used Syria in a way that endangered the country: "We were able to end the Iranian presence in Syria, but we do not hold enmity towards the Iranian people. Our problem was with the policies that harmed our country."

Finally, he stressed that Syria does not want to "provoke" Russia and that Syria is open to discussing a relationship with Russia that serves both countries.

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule

During a press conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also confirmed for the first time that the U.S. has made direct contact with the group that overthrew the Assad regime -- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terror organization.

“So first, yes, we've been in contact with HTS and with other parties. We have impressed upon everyone we've been in contact with the importance of helping find Austin Tice and bringing him home. And we've also shared the principles that I just laid out for ongoing support, principles, again, that have now been adopted by countries throughout the region and well beyond,” Blinken said.

Tice, an American freelance journalist, was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012.

Previously, the administration has only said it was confident it was getting its messages across to HTS via its partners.

Although HTS is classified as a terror organization and U.S. officials aren’t signaling that’s going to change, the law doesn’t limit contact -- only support.

-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston