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, 9:03 AM EDT

As more aid trucks roll in, Cindy McCain says Gaza situation 'catastrophic'

Another small convoy of humanitarian aid trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt Sunday, as the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme told ABC News' "This Week" that the situation in the Palestinian territory has grown "catastrophic."

Live images from the Rafah crossing Sunday showed the trucks moving into Gaza. U.N. World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said 17 aid trucks rolled across the border Sunday.

Aid convoy trucks wait at the Rafah border crossing for clearance to enter Gaza on Oct. 19, 2023 in North Sinai, Egypt.
Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images

It remains unclear exactly what type of aid crossed the border, but the word "petroleum" was written on the sides of five of the trucks.

"The situation is catastrophic in Gaza right now," McCain said on "This Week." "There has been no food, no water, no electricity. You've heard all the stories. Yesterday, we were able to get 20 trucks to cross. And by that 20 trucks total, three of which were WFP."

ABC News’ Jon Karl interviews Executive Director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain on “This Week.”
2:50
Current aid to Gaza is ‘not enough’: Cindy McCainABC News’ Jon Karl interviews Executive Director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain on “This Week.”
ABCNews.com

McCain said the first shipment enabled the WFP to feed about 200,000 people during dinner Saturday.

"But that's not enough. That's a drop. We need -- we need secure and sustainable access in there, in that region, so that we can feed. This is a catastrophe happening and we just simply have to get these trucks in."

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy

Oct 22, 2023, 5:13 AM EDT

IDF says it has notified families of 212 hostages being held in Gaza

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Sunday that the military has notified the families of 212 hostages that their loved ones are being held by the Hamas militant group in the neighboring Gaza Strip.

That number has continued to increase as the IDF investigates the situation and gathers more information on Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The whereabouts of another 100 people remain unknown, according to Hagari.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota and Morgan Winsor

Oct 22, 2023, 3:58 AM EDT

UN says only '4%' of daily aid needed in Gaza entered through Rafah border crossing

The volume of goods that entered Gaza after the Rafah border crossing opened on Saturday equated to "about 4%" of what is needed, according to the United Nations on Sunday.

U.N. officials said that at least "100 trucks per day" are needed to bring an adequate amount of aid into Gaza.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated about 1.4 million people in Gaza are displaced with over 560,000 people staying in "emergency shelters in increasingly dire conditions," according to a press release.

Oct 22, 2023, 3:43 AM EDT

US citizen killed in action in Israel, State Department says

An Israeli-American dual citizen serving as a reservist was killed by Hezbollah missiles near Israel’s border with Lebanon on Friday, according to the U.S. Department of State.

"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Israel on October 20. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement late Saturday. "We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the family's privacy during this difficult time, we have no further comment."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford and Morgan Winsor

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