Israel-Gaza live updates: 3 killed, 16 injured in shooting in Jerusalem, police say

The cease-fire between Hamas and Israel has been extended again, the IDF and a Qatari official announced early Thursday morning local time.

Dozens of the more than 200 people taken hostage during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel and held in the war-torn Gaza Strip for nearly two months have been released over the last few days during the truce. During the cease-fire, Hamas has freed 102 of the hostages in exchange for 210 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons.

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Latest Developments

Nov 30, 5:00 AM

3 killed, 16 injured in shooting in Jerusalem, police say

At least three people were killed and 16 others were injured in a shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Thursday morning, Israeli authorities said.

The deadly incident unfolded around 7:40 a.m. local time when a pair of heavily armed assailants drove up to the bus stop, got out of their vehicle and opened fire on civilians. Both gunmen were killed by two off-duty Israeli soldiers and a civilian who were nearby, according to the Israel Police.

Israeli police identified the two suspects as brothers in their 30s from the Sur Baker neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Both Israeli police and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the gunmen as “terrorists,” but it was unknown if they were affiliated with any group. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

A religious Jew reacts at the scene of a deadly shooting in Jerusalem as a vehicle allegedly used by two gunmen is removed on Nov. 30, 2023.

“The quick reaction of two fighters and a civilian who eliminated the terrorists prevented an even more serious attack. I salute them,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “The government headed by me will continue expanding the distribution of weapons to citizens. This is a measure that proves itself time and time again in the war against murderous terrorism.”

The shooting, which Israeli police said remains under investigation, occurred amid surging violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank while Israel is at war with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the neighboring Gaza Strip.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Joe Simonetti and Morgan Winsor

 Nov 30, 12:34 AM

Cease-fire between Israel and Hamas extended

The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has been extended, the Israel Defense Forces announced early Thursday morning.

In a post on X, the IDF said that due to the work of the mediators, who are continuing to work on deals to get the hostages released, the cease-fire would “continue.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson also confirmed the news, saying in a statement, “The Palestinian and Israeli sides have reached an agreement to extend the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip by an additional day (today, Thursday) under the same previous terms, which are a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid,” Majid Al-Ansari’s statement read.

In a statement to state news agency QNA, the spokesman affirmed mediators continue to “intensify efforts with the aim of reaching a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.”

 Nov 29, 6:28 PM

American-Israeli hostage ‘safe’ in Egypt, Biden says

President Joe Biden said Liat Beinin Atzili, an American-Israeli dual national who was one of 16 hostages released from Gaza on Wednesday, is “safe” in Egypt and that he has spoken to her parents.

“I’ve got some very good news to report. Liat Beinin is safe in Egypt. She’s crossed the border,” Biden told reporters as he was boarding Air Force One in Pueblo, Colorado.

Liat Beinin is seen in an undated photo.

“I talked with her mother and father and they’re very appreciative and things are moving well,” Biden said. “She’ll soon be home with her three children. That’s all I have to say for right now.”

The president did not respond when asked for an update on other Americans who might be released.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

 Nov 29, 6:27 PM

16 hostages released Wednesday including American-Israeli woman

Sixteen hostages were released from Gaza on Wednesday.

Ten hostages were released in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners, according to the Qatari foreign minister, just before the truce was set to expire.

Among the 10 hostages exchanged for the Palestinian prisoners was 49-year-old Liat Beinin Atzili, an American-Israeli dual national.

People react as they hear the news of the release of 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 24, 2023.

The other released Israeli hostages were: 13-year-old Gali Tarshanksy, 17-year-old Ofir Engel, 54-year-old Raaya Rotem, 57-year-old Raz Ben Ami, 36-year-old Yarden Roman, 16-year-old Amit Shani, 18-year-old Itay Regev, 40-year-old Stela Yanai and 18-year-old Liam Or.

In addition, two Russian-Israeli citizens and four Thai citizens were also handed over to the Red Cross outside the framework of the agreement, the Qatari foreign minister said.

Hostages who were abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas militants to the International Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 29, 2023.

Hostages who were abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas militants to the International Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 29, 2023.

Thai nationals’ travel in a bus as they leave the Shamir Hospital in Ramle, Israel, Nov. 29, 2023, on their way back to Thailand, after being released from Hamas custody.

According to officials, 145 people remain hostages.

 Nov 29, 4:17 PM

US envoy to UN hopeful truce can be extended: ‘All in the hands of Hamas’

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, said the U.S. is “hopeful” that the truce between Israel and Hamas — set to expire Wednesday night — will be extended.

Israeli soldiers deployed on the southern border with the Gaza Strip gather for a briefing next to battle tanks, Nov. 29, 2023.

Another extension “is all in the hands of Hamas,” she said. “The Israelis have said if they continue to release 10 hostages a day, they will extend by a day. So it truly is … it is in their hands. But I do think there is a potential for that, and we’re actively working to extend the deal.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters accompany a newly released hostage before handing them over to the Red Cross in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 28, 2023.

“We will not rest until all hostages are free,” she continued. “And if Hamas chooses to continue to release hostages, then Israel is prepared to continue the pause in the fighting.”

 Nov 29, 3:44 PM

Palestinian dad awaits daughter’s release: ‘I’m looking forward to hugging her again’

Dania Hanatsheh’s name is on a list of 30 Palestinian women, girls and teenage boys expected to be released Wednesday as part of another exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The family said Hanatsheh, 21, was arrested on Nov. 21 when Israeli soldiers raided their home in the West Bank.

Palestinians prisoners (wearing grey jumpers) cheer among supporters after being released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank early on Nov. 26, 2023.

The Israeli Justice Department said Hantsheh is accused of “supporting terrorism.”

Hantsheh’s father, Saqer, believes his daughter was arrested because of her social media posts.

“I am proud of my daughter,” he told ABC News. “When she posted asking people to stand with Gaza, I support her with that because it’s her right to do that.”

He said he’s looking forward to “hugging my daughter again.”

But his happiness is tinged with sadness for the suffering in Gaza.

“The prisoners are getting released, but the price of this is the blood of women and kids in Gaza,” he said.

Palestinian girls sit on a couch at the remains of their house hit in Israeli strikes during the conflict, amid the temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 29, 2023.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge

 Nov 29, 3:39 PM

Families of American hostages demand increased transparency

Eight relatives of American hostages spoke to reporters in Washington, D.C., before they address the House Foreign Affairs Committee Wednesday afternoon and meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday.

Israeli freed hostage Yocheved Lifshitz (L) takes part in a protest with her family members outside the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Nov. 28, 2023.

Ronen Neutra, the father of 19-year-old hostage Omer Neutra, said he wants more pressure for soldiers and men held hostage to be released. Omer Neutra is a Long Island native and Israel Defense Forces soldier. His mother, Orna Neutra, said he was pulled from his IDF tank by Hamas and taken into Gaza.

Ruby Chen, father of missing IDF soldier Itay Chen, said having no knowledge of his son’s condition is a living hell.

Liz Naftali, relative of 4-year-old Israeli-American hostage Abigail Edan who was released this week, said the families’ approach to their meeting with Sullivan is not going to be advising the administration on how to conduct hostage negotiations, but instead to consult with them.

Released Israeli hostages Tal Goldstein Almog, 9, left, and his brother Gal, 11 are seen as they return to Israel in an IAF helicopter, after being held hostage by militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 27, 2023.

“Abigail coming home is proof that it works — proof that if we hope, we pray, and we do all the work, these hostages come home,” she said. “But we still have a lot of work to do. And we hope that you all will leave here and continue to be partners in this incredibly challenging work.”

Abigail Edan who returned last night to Israel, sits with her aunt Liron at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center, Nov. 27, 2023.

-ABC News’ Noah Minnie and Elizabeth Landers

 Nov 29, 1:48 PM

2 Russian-Israeli hostages released by Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces said two Israeli-Russian hostages were released by Hamas on Wednesday and are on their way to Israel. The hostages, 50-year-old Yelena Trupanob and her mother, 73-year-old Irena Tati, were released in addition to the list of abductees scheduled to be released Wednesday, the IDF said.

Yelena Trupanob.

Irena Tati.

The mother and daughter, who had emigrated from Russia to Israel, were kidnapped from their home at the Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Trupanob’s husband was killed and her son, 28, and his girlfriend, 29, are still being held hostage, the IDF said.

Hamas officials said on Wednesday that they’ve released two female Russian hostages.

“They were handed over to the Red Cross a short while ago as a prelude to handing them over to representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry,” Hamas said in a statement via Telegram.

 Nov 29, 12:25 PM

‘All my dreams were shattered,’ bride in Gaza says

A young couple from southern Gaza planned to marry on Oct. 8 — but the Israel-Hamas war changed all that.

Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip, Nov. 28, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli soldiers walk past Palestinians fleeing the north along the Salaheddine road in the Zeitoun district on the southern outskirts of Gaza City, Nov. 28, 2023.

The house they were going to live in was destroyed by Israeli bombs.

The couple — not yet married — spoke to ABC News as they sifted through the rubble, trying to salvage whatever they could.

“How do I feel? Sad. I wanted to be like any bride, to have a house,” Heba Abu Taima told ABC News. “Everything was beautiful before the 7th of October. After the 7th of October, everything ended.”

Heba Abu Taima, right, and her fiance, Saif Abu Taima, had planned to marry on Oct. 8. The couple returned to their home in Bani Suheila in southern Gaza on Nov. 29, 2023, to find it bombed during the Israeli campaign.

“All my dreams were shattered,” she continued. “Everything in the house is gone, the house in which we planned to have a sweet and happy life is gone.”

“I dreamed of beautiful things, for example, children,” said her fiancé, Saif Abu Taima. “I used to say, ‘Boy,’ and she used to say, ‘No, girl.’ And we also used to go out and [I’d] tell her, ‘We will live a beautiful life and achieve our beautiful dream.'”

Saif Abu Taima had planned to marry his fiancee on Oct. 8 before the Hamas attacks the next day. The couple returned to their home in Bani Suheila in southern Gaza on Nov. 29, 2023, to find it bombed during the Israeli campaign.

She added, “We desperately want to live in safety like other countries. To have a good life, to live freely and in peace.”

-ABC News’ Sami Zayara

 Nov 29, 11:59 AM

UN calls for ‘irreversible’ move toward 2-state solution

Tatiana Valovaya, director-general of the United Nations at Geneva, is calling for an “irreversible” move toward a two-state solution.

“We must be united in demanding an end to the occupation and the blockade of Gaza,” Valovaya said. “It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.”

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