(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war approaches the seven-month mark, renewed negotiations are underway to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, as Israeli forces continue to prepare for an apparent invasion of the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in a phone call over the weekend, discussing increasing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and plans for a possible military operation in Rafah, according to the White House.
Here’s how the news is developing:
May 01, 6:49 PM
Hamas says it will not negotiate if Israel carries out Rafah operation
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said in a statement that cease-fire negotiations with Israel will cease if it moves forward with its operation into Rafah.
“The Israeli enemy is trying to blackmail everyone with the Battle of Rafah,” he said in a statement.
Hamdan told Lebanese TV late Wednesday that a cease-fire deal had not been reached and Hamas was still “studying the swap deal proposal.”
“We have substantial notes on the proposal,” Hamdan told Lebanese TV.
“We are studying the proposal and we will respond to it in a way that serves our goals.”
-ABC News’ Dia Ostaz, Ellie Kaufman and Ghazi Balkiz
May 01, 3:37 PM
Gaza humanitarian pier construction over half complete, Pentagon says
The humanitarian pier being constructed off the coast of Gaza by U.S. soldiers is over 50% complete, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Wednesday.
The pier, known as JLOTS, is on track to meet the early May time frame for delivery, she said.
“The floating pier has been completely constructed and set up. The causeway is in progress,” she said.
Construction of a floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea off the Gaza Strip continues April 29, 2024.
Singh said the United Nations will be responsible for distributing the aid once the pier is open, and that the drivers of the delivery trucks will be from a third party and not U.S. forces.
When asked how security will be handled to prevent strikes on aid workers, Singh said the Israel Defense Forces “has shown that they are taking steps to mitigate that from happening again.”
-ABC News’ Nathan Luna
May 01, 3:09 PM
Jordan claims Israeli settlers attacked aid convoys en route to Gaza
Jordan’s foreign ministry alleged Israeli settlers attacked two of its humanitarian aid convoys that were en route to Gaza Wednesday.
Hussein Al-Shebli, the secretary general for the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, said in a statement that his organization sent a convoy of 97 trucks to two locations: the Beit Hanoun border crossing and Karam Abu Salem.
Al-Shebli claimed there were attempts “by many of the settlers and from the Israeli side, from Israeli citizens,” to prevent the arrival of the convoy at the crossings.
“The aid trucks were attacked, by trying to break them and the cutting of their air pipes,” he said in a statement.
Ultimately, the trucks were able to arrive at the crossings, according to Al-Shebli.
Israeli officials have not immediately commented on the allegations.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
May 01, 1:45 PM
Hamas expected to respond to Israel cease-fire deal proposal ‘within hours’: Source
Hamas is expected to submit a response to Israel’s current hostage and cease-fire deal proposal “within hours,” a senior Egyptian official told ABC News Wednesday.
The official said efforts to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas are proceeding in a “positive atmosphere.”
“Negotiations are continuing with all sides to resolve a number of sticking points,” the official added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept the terms of the cease-fire deal.
“Israel has made very important compromises in the proposal that is on the table, demonstrating its desire and willingness to get this agreement and get it done,” he said while at the Port of Ashdod.
“There is no time for delay. There’s no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They should take it,” he added.
-ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy and Shannon Crawford
May 01, 1:42 PM
Israel opens Erez Crossing for first time since Oct. 7
The Israel Defense Forces opened the Erez Crossing Wednesday for the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas started on Oct. 7.
The Israeli government announced it would reopen the crossing last month after President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in an Israeli airstrike.
The IDF said that 30 trucks of humanitarian aid “including food and medical supplies for the northern part of the Gaza Strip, arrived from Jordan and entered Gaza.”
-ABC News’ Bruno Nota
May 01, 1:03 PM
Blinken visits Gaza border crossing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a previously unannounced visit Wednesday to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, becoming the first cabinet-level U.S. official to visit the border of Gaza since the Oct. 7 attacks.
Blinken attended a closed briefing on humanitarian assistance and deconfliction while he was at the site, which was shuttered for more than two months after the attacks.
Blinken was able to look into Gaza from the top of the massive concrete wall, according to pool reporters.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 01, 11:48 AM
Blinken pushes ‘clear position on Rafah’ during meeting with Netanyahu
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for 2 1/2 hours to discuss numerous topics about the ongoing conflict, according to the State Department.
Blinken discussed “the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict,” and “reiterated the United States’ clear position on Rafah,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“The secretary discussed ongoing efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal and emphasized that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire,” Miller added.
Blinken also discussed improving aid delivery into Gaza and “reiterated the importance of accelerating and sustaining that improvement,” according to Miller.
Prior to meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken spoke with the families of hostages that had gathered outside his hotel in Tel Aviv.
-ABC News’ Joseph Simonetti
Apr 30, 6:29 PM
World Central Kitchen resumes services in Gaza, serves 200k meals
The World Central Kitchen resumed aid services in Gaza for the first time since seven of its members were killed earlier this month in an Israeli airstrike.
The non-governmental organization said it served 200,000 meals to displaced Palestinians on Monday. The World Central Kitchen said it has provided nearly 43 million meals in Gaza to date.
Approximately “276 WCK trucks are ready to enter through Rafah with enough food for 8 million meals. We’re also sending trucks north,” the NGO said in a statement.
Chef José Andrés, the founder and chief feeding officer of World Central Kitchen, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post, published Tuesday, discussing his decision to resume operations and stressed that more aid is needed.
“We cannot stand by while so many people are so desperate for the essentials of life. Food is a universal human right, and we will not cease until those basic human rights are respected,” Andrés wrote.
Apr 30, 3:18 PM
UN chief says ‘incremental progress’ made toward averting Gaza famine
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres provided an update on the hunger situation in Gaza and said there has been ” incremental progress recently” in preventing a famine.
However, Guterres warned there is still more work needed, “including the promised opening of the two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod, Port and Jordan are still obstacles including a lack of security for aid convoys.”
“Humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel and people in need must not be targets,” he added.
Guterres said that civilians were dying from hunger and disease every day and pressed for a successful negotiation for a cease-fire.
“I strongly encourage the government of Israel and Hamas leadership to reach now an agreement. Without that I fear the war with all its consequences, both in Gaza and across the region, will worsen exponentially,” he said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 30, 12:57 PM
Jordanian king warns of ‘catastrophic effects’ of a Rafah operation
The Jordanian government released a readout of the meeting between King Abdullah II and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Abdullah “warned of the danger of any military operation in Rafah, stressing that the catastrophic effects of the war in Gaza could spread to areas in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the entire region,” according to the readout.
The king also called for more aid to Gaza “through all available means,” the readout said.
“The King said supporting UNRWA is crucial to enable it to cover the basic needs of nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, as well as other Palestinian refugees in its areas of operation,” the readout said.
The U.S. and some other countries pulled funding for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, after Israel said several staffers took part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Apr 30, 12:43 PM
Israel will not send delegation to Cairo until Hamas responds to offer: Source
Israel will not send a delegation to Cairo for negotiations on a cease-fire deal until Hamas provides an answer to the proposal Israel has offered them, an Israeli source told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Apr 30, 12:40 PM
White House stays mum on Netanyahu’s remarks on Rafah plans
White House national security spokesman John Kirby declined to comment about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest comments about a possible operation into Rafah during a news conference Tuesday.
“Our position on Rafah is absolutely the same. We don’t want to see a major ground operation in Rafah. Certainly, we don’t want to see operations that haven’t factored in the safety and security of those 1.5 million folks trying to seek refuge down there,” Kirby said.
He also declined to say if Netanyahu has shared his plans to enter Rafah with or without a deal directly with the United States.
“They understand our concerns, and those concerns have not changed,” he said, adding that they have not seen a credible plan yet from Israel to take civilian safety into consideration though conversations continue.
Kirby reiterated that the new cease-fire deal is on the table, which would give a six-week pause in fighting and help get the hostages home.
Kirby downplayed expectations, but stressed “time is of the essence.”
“I wouldn’t say we’re overly confident. I would say we’re being very pragmatic about this,” he said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Apr 30, 11:25 AM
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘no other choice’ but to conduct Rafah operation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an operation in Rafah will proceed in comments Tuesday.
“We will enter Rafah because we have no other choice,” Netanyahu said in comments translated from Hebrew. “We will destroy the Hamas battalions there, we will complete all the objectives of the war, including the repatriation of all our hostages.”
No timeline has been given for a military operation in Rafah, where over 1 million refugees have gathered in the wake of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The prime minister also criticized the International Criminal Court, saying it “has no authority over the state of Israel.” The ICC is currently investigating Israel’s actions in Gaza, as well as the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that launched the Israeli response.
“The possibility that it will issue arrest warrants for war crimes against IDF commanders and state leaders, this possibility is a scandal on a historical scale,” Netanyahu said.
He added, “I want to make one thing clear: no decision, neither in The Hague nor anywhere else, will harm our determination to achieve all the goals of the war.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Apr 29, 6:18 PM
Hamas delegation leaves Cairo, will return with response to Israeli proposal: Egyptian official
The Hamas delegation has left Cairo and will return again with a written response to Israel’s proposal for a truce and hostage-release deal, a senior Egyptian government official told ABC News.
Apr 29, 4:20 PM
White House won’t get info specifics on cease-fire deal
The White House was careful not to get into specifics on the “extraordinarily generous” cease-fire proposal Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to earlier this morning, refusing to give specifics as they continued to call on Hamas to accept the proposal.
“I’m not going to characterize the proposal. I’m not going to get into any of the specifics. What we believe is that now is the time for Hamas to take this deal. It is on the table. It is time to, it is way past time to get these hostages home. It is way past time to get to a ceasefire and we need to make sure we continue to get that humanitarian aid,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre noted that Israel “has a lot on their plate,” but expressed a desire for an in-person meeting to take place, in addition to the two virtual meetings the U.S. and Israel have had in recent weeks.
“We would like to have an in-person meeting. That is certainly what we would like to do, but in the meantime, we’ve had two important virtual meetings and in the readout, yesterday, we mentioned that the potential Rafah operations did come up between the two leaders in their conversation,” she said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also spoke to President Joe Biden Monday about ongoing Gaza talks and Egyptian efforts to reach a cease-fire and hostage deal in a phone call, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
The call discussed the risks of an Israeli incursion into Rafah, including the “catastrophic” impact on the worsening humanitarian crisis, and implications for the security and stability of the region, the statement added.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Ayat Al-Tawy
Apr 29, 3:53 PM
Israel leaders concerned about possible ICC arrest warrants: Source
Israeli leaders are expressing concern over possible arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against key officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli official, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told ABC News.
It is believed that such potential warrants might be related to charges on the scope of humanitarian aid Israel allowed into Gaza, according to the official.
The ICC can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide under its powers.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Apr 29, 12:20 PM
21 killed, 6 injured after strike in Gaza
At least 21 people were killed in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike Monday, the Al Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah told ABC News. Six people were injured from the strike, the hospital added.
The updated death toll in Gaza is 34,488 killed and 77,643 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
ABC News has reached out to the Israeli army for comment on the strike.
-ABC News’ Dia Ostaz
Apr 29, 8:36 AM
Blinken calls for cease-fire in first stop on Middle East trip
U.S. Secretary of Antony Blinken, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, notably called for a cease-fire as “the most effective way to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza” during a session with his counterparts of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“The most effective way to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to alleviate the suffering of children, women and men and to create space for a more just and durable solution is to get a cease-fire and hostages home, but also not waiting on a cease-fire to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of civilians of Gaza,” Blinken said.
“President Biden is insistent that Israel take specific concrete measurable steps to better address humanitarian suffering, civilian harm and the safety of aid workers in Gaza, including in his most recent call with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he added, referring to a Sunday call with the Israeli leader.
Blinken said the U.S. was “focused on addressing the greatest threat to regional stability and regional security — Iran.”
Apr 28, 6:00 PM
United States Central Command and Royal Jordanian Air Force airdrop aid into Gaza
U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Northern Gaza on Sunday.
The combined joint operation included Jordanian provided food and four U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft.
The U.S. C-130’s dropped over 25,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza. Additionally, more than 13,080 meal equivalents of Jordanian food supplies were also delivered.
To date the U.S. has dropped nearly 1,110 tons of humanitarian assistance.
Apr 28, 5:22 PM
American hostage’s niece opens up about ‘surreal’ new video
Hanna Siegel, niece of American hostage Keith Siegel, appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday morning and talked about the “surreal” feeling of seeing a recently released video purporting to show her uncle and talked about the possibility of a deal that would free him and other people thought to still be held by Hamas in Gaza.
“We’ve always believed that he was alive. We have to believe he’s alive — and his wife, my aunt, who was held for 52 days, [was] released in the deal that took place in November, she was with him,” Siegel said. “When she came out, she told us he was alive, but this is the first time that we’re seeing him, hearing him. It’s surreal.”
When asked about a potential hostage deal and temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Siegel said that she does think an agreement “can be reached” and pointed to an earlier deal that secured the release of her aunt and others during a brief pause in the war late last year.
Siegel also said that she believes the new release of purported hostage videos shows that Hamas is signaling they are ready to make a deal.
But she said that she is concerned that it might not be in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “political interest to close a deal,” though Netanyahu has said his goal is freeing the captives in Gaza as well as dismantling Hamas.
Siegel said that the Biden administration should “think about what they can do directly to bring our American citizens home.”
She also said she has felt the “commitment from the Biden administration to get him back,” referring to her uncle.
She became emotional talking about how her family missed her uncle during their Passover celebration and had a picture of him to pay tribute.
“I think there’s so much swirling in the political realm that it’s easy to forget that these are human beings. Keith is a grandfather, he’s a husband, he’s a brother, he’s an uncle,” she said.
She was asked whether her family is worried if a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, to further target Hamas fighters, could threaten her uncle’s safety. She responded that she and her family are “very concerned.”
Apr 28, 5:10 PM
Hamas to send a delegation to Cairo for hostage and cease-fire negotiations
Hamas will send a delegation to Cairo, Egypt, on Monday to participate in hostage and cease-fire deal negotiations, ABC News has confirmed.
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official also told the Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the organization has no significant problems with the proposed deal.
“The atmosphere is positive unless there are new obstacles from the Israeli side,” the Hamas official said.
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