Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages' release, Gaza humanitarian assistance

The hostages are two elderly women who are both Israeli nationals.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: October 23, 2023, 4:29 PM EDT

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.

Click here for previous updates.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 22, 2023, 2:35 PM EDT

IDF soldier killed, 3 others injured inside Gaza during raid: IDF

An IDF soldier was killed and three others were injured during operational activity in the Gaza Strip in the area of kibbutz Kissufim, according to an IDF statement Sunday.

"An IDF soldier was killed, one was moderately injured, and two were lightly injured as a result of an anti-tank missile launched toward an IDF tank and an engineering vehicle," the statement said. "This occurred during a local raid carried out earlier today in the Gaza Strip, in the area of the Kibbutz Kissufim. This activity was part of the effort to dismantle terror infrastructure, clear the area of terrorists, weapons, and locate missing persons and bodies," the IDF added.

According to a Hamas statement Sunday, the IDF forces were operating only several meters inside Gaza.

Soldiers walk next to a house damaged by Hamas militants at Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel, Oct. 21, 2023.
Francisco Seco/AP

A photo hangs on a refrigerator next to bullet holes in a house at Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel, Oct. 21, 2023.
Francisco Seco/AP

Oct 22, 2023, 1:19 PM EDT

29 UN personnel killed in Gaza, UNRWA says

Twenty-nine U.N. personnel have been killed in Gaza, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency said Sunday.

"Half of these colleagues were [UNRWA] teachers," it said. "As an Agency, we are devastated."

-ABC News' Rashid Haddou

Oct 22, 2023, 12:31 PM EDT

Vatican: Pope, Biden spoke on phone

Pope Francis and President Joe Biden spoke on the phone Sunday, the Vatican press office said on its Telegram channel.

"The conversation, which lasted about 20 minutes, focused on conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace," it wrote in Italian.

-ABC News' Phoebe Natanson

Oct 22, 2023, 12:30 PM EDT

IDF says it accidentally fired at Egyptian post near border

An Israel Defense Forces tank accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian post adjacent to the border in the area of Kerem Shalom, the IDF said in a statement Sunday.

The incident is being investigated and the details are under review, the IDF added.

"During the ongoing clashes in the Gaza Strip today, Sunday, an Egyptian border watchtower was accidentally hit by fragments of a shell from an Israeli tank, resulting in minor injuries to some border watchmen. The Israeli side has immediately expressed regret over the unintentional incident. An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway," an Egyptian military spokesperson said in a statement.

An Egyptian security forces source said five military personnel and eight civilians were injured.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota and Ayat Al-Tawy

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