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

The Israeli military is "fighting deep inside the Gaza Strip," killing "terrorists in close range combat" and "conducting coordinated strikes on terror targets from land, air and sea," the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday.

The IDF said it has "eliminated many terrorists and destroyed terror infrastructure."

On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers killed terror leader Ibrahim Biari, the IDF said.

"Striking Biari caused the collapse of adjacent buildings because of the expansive infrastructure there whose purpose was to launch terror attacks against our forces," the IDF said. "During the battle, the entire infrastructure collapsed and many terrorists were killed."

"The Hamas terrorists continue to use civilian population as protective armor. This is intentional and devastatingly barbaric," the IDF continued. "Once again, today, we call on the citizens of Northern Gaza to move Southward. … We will act forcefully in the city of Gaza and in the Northern Gaza Strip. We will continue to act against any terrorist in every part of the Gaza Strip."

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller signaled Tuesday that the U.S. might be close to securing safe passage for the approximately 400 Americans and 600 of their immediate family members trapped in Gaza, saying negotiators "have made good progress on this."

"We are making very good progress on this issue. You may have seen some reports that have moved from the region just in the last few hours about the possibility of Rafah gate opening tomorrow,” Miller said. "I'm not in the position to make any announcements as I stand here right now, but I would say that we would welcome any agreement that would permit the safe exit of American citizens, families, other foreign nationals."

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to open Wednesday to receive injured Palestinians from Gaza, according to Egypt state-linked TV channels.

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will open Wednesday to receive injured Palestinians from Gaza, according to Egypt state-linked TV channels.

The Palestinian interior ministry’s border authority said it has been informed by Egyptian authorities that 81 critically injured Palestinians will be allowed entry from Gaza Wednesday to receive treatment at Egyptian hospitals.

7:53

Humanitarian group warns of urgent need for aid in Gaza Sean Carroll, the CEO and President of Anera, discusses the desperate need for more food, water and medical supplies in Gaza.

ABCNews.com

More than 21,000 people have been injured in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

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.

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.

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