Israel-Gaza updates: Blinken, Abbas meet on restoring 'calm' in West Bank, State Department says

The top U.S. diplomat made an unannounced stop in the West Bank on Sunday.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: November 5, 2023, 5:13 PM EST

Thousands of people have died and thousands more have been injured since 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.

Click here for updates from previous days.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 1, 2024, 6:03 am

What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 30,228 people have been killed and 71,377 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 395 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

Oct 31, 2023, 4:03 PM EDT

White House: 'It's obvious to us' that Israel is 'trying to minimize' civilian casualties in Gaza

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby would not discuss the Israeli strike that hit Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp on Tuesday, but he did say broadly that the U.S. believes Israel is "trying to minimize" civilian casualties in Gaza.

"It's obvious to us that they are, that they are trying to minimize,” Kirby said.

Palestinians conduct search and rescue works at the site of air strikes in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Oct. 31, 2023.
Abed Sabah/Reuters

He said that assessment is based on the "daily conversation we are having with our counterparts about their goals, the strategies, and their plans."

"We’re not going to react to every event in real time, but will certainly recognize that civilians have been hurt, civilians have been killed, to the tune of many thousands, that infrastructure has been damaged by these airstrikes," Kirby said. "We’re not accepting of any single civilian death in Gaza. They’re all tragedies. And we continue to work … with the Israelis about the need to respect human life and to try to limit civilian casualties."

Following repeated warnings from President Joe Biden and his administration for Israel to follow the "rules of war," ABC News asked Kirby if a strike like this on a refugee camp would mean they violated that, but Kirby would not speculate on the explosion, saying he had no information on what occurred.

The Hamas-run Gaza Interior Ministry claims Israeli aircraft dropped six bombs on the residential area while an IDF spokesperson say they "are looking into the incident."
3:25
Massive blast in Jabaliyah refugee camp in GazaThe Hamas-run Gaza Interior Ministry claims Israeli aircraft dropped six bombs on the residential area while an IDF spokesperson say they "are looking into the incident."
ABCNews.com

The Israeli Defense Forces has taken responsibility for the strike at the Jabaliya refugee camp, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said the blast killed a Hamas official and claimed the official was one of the leaders of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez

Oct 31, 2023, 2:42 PM EDT

Austin: Iran had 'big part' in Hamas attack

At Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked several times about Iran's role in Hamas' Oct. 7 ambush on Israel.

Austin said that while Iran helped enable the attack, he has not seen evidence that Tehran played a direct role.

But Austin added that Iran has "funded, resourced, enabled, trained Hamas operatives," which "means that they have a big part in this."

-ABC News' Matt Seyler

Oct 31, 2023, 2:38 PM EDT

66 aid trucks arrived in Gaza in last 24 hours

Another 66 aid trucks with food, water and medicine arrived in Gaza over the last 24 hours -- the "highest single-day delivery so far" -- and "dozens of more trucks are expected to clear today," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

But "it’s a trickle compared to what needs to get in," Kirby said, "and we’re gonna keep working that, very, very hard.”

Aid workers are struggling with a lack of basic necessities and limited cell and internet service.
4:59
People in Gaza dealing with limited resources Aid workers are struggling with a lack of basic necessities and limited cell and internet service.
ABCNews.com

Kirby said the U.S. is continuing to push for safe passage for civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services, including water and fuel.

Kirby also said President Joe Biden is set to speak with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday "to discuss further cooperation with Arab partners to address the worsening humanitarian situation."

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez

Oct 31, 2023, 2:19 PM EDT

IDF confirms strike on Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza

A massive blast has been reported at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Defense Forces took responsibility for the strike claiming it killed a Hamas official but did not acknowledge the civilian deaths and casualties.
0:40
IDF strikes Jabalia refugee camp in GazaThe Israeli Defense Forces took responsibility for the strike claiming it killed a Hamas official but did not acknowledge the civilian deaths and casualties.
ABCNews.com

The Hamas-run Gaza Interior Ministry claims Israeli aircraft dropped six bombs on the residential area.

The Israeli Defense Forces took responsibility for the strike, saying the blast killed a Hamas official who the IDF claimed was one of the leaders of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of air strikes on houses in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Oct. 31, 2023.
Abed Sabah/Reuters

The "elimination [of Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari] was carried out as part of a wide-scale strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure belonging to the Central Jabalia Battalion, which had taken control over civilian buildings in Gaza City," the IDF said. "The strike damaged Hamas’ command and control in the area, as well as its ability to direct military activity against IDF soldiers operating throughout the Gaza Strip."

The IDF did not acknowledge the civilian deaths and casualties but repeated the warning that residents of Gaza should move south for safety.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Oct. 31, 2023.
Anas al-Shareef/Reuters

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