Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages' release, Gaza humanitarian assistance
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.
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Latest headlines:
Rafah crossing hitting roadblocks, US still 'hopeful': Source
The U.S. is still "hopeful" that the Rafah gate will be opened on Friday, but a source familiar with negotiations told ABC News that efforts are now hitting multiple roadblocks.
Efforts to repair the damage to the crossing caused by Israeli strikes are taking longer than anticipated, according to the source.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
US believes Gaza hospital death toll lower than initial estimates
U.S. intelligence agencies believe the death toll from the al-Ahli Hospital explosion is between 100 and 300 people, and likely on the lower end of that range, although the estimates are preliminary, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The estimate was included in an unclassified U.S. intelligence assessment on Wednesday evening, the official said.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health initially said at least 500 people had died in the explosion at the hospital, but later updated their estimate to 471.
The Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, also said 314 others were injured, including 28 who remain in critical condition.
The New York Times first reported the existence of Wednesday evening’s intelligence estimate.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Cindy Smith
Navy ship shoots down cruise missiles potentially heading to targets in Israel
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.
Rafah gate negotiations ongoing, no promise Americans can leave Gaza if it's opened: State Department
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