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28 Dec 2023
Heather Chen


NextImg:Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, hostage negotiations, Gaza humanitarian crisis
Live Updates

Humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza as Israel-Hamas war rages

By Heather Chen, CNN

Updated 12:32 a.m. ET, December 28, 2023
9 Posts
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26 min ago

Death toll rises as Israeli military targets southern Gaza. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

Nearly 200 Palestinians were killed and more than 300 others injured following Israeli military strikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the strip said Wednesday.

At least 20 people were killed following airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) near Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday, the health ministry said. The death toll across Gaza now stands at 21,110 since October 7, according to the ministry. CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures.

The rising toll comes after Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi said Tuesday that the war against Hamas "will continue for many more months” and that the IDF is concentrating its efforts "in the southern Gaza Strip — Khan Younis, the central camps, and further." 

That signal, following similar recent comments from Israeli leaders, has alarmed the international community.

Here's the latest:

  • French concerns: In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his "deepest concern" at the "very heavy civilian toll and the absolute humanitarian emergency facing the civilian population of Gaza." Macron also stressed "the need to work towards a lasting ceasefire, with the help of all regional and international partners," an Elysée Palace readout said. 
  • US diplomacy: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel and make additional stops in the Middle East next week to discuss the next steps in the Israel-Hamas war, an Israeli official told CNN. His expected trip comes after senior Biden administration officials and a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday regarding the next phase of the war. CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.
  • Regional talks: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan said they oppose any efforts to displace Palestinians following a meeting in Cairo Wednesday. The leaders also called for an urgent ceasefire to allow in critically needed humanitarian aid, according to a statement from Egypt's presidency.
  • Aid hurdles: A resolution passed by the UN Security Council last week that called for increased aid to Gaza has "yet to have an impact," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. The IDF has claimed there are "logistical limitations" to getting aid into Gaza, and urged "the international community to find additional solutions," as global bodies warn of the spiraling humanitarian crisis.
  • Children stripped: An edited video circulating on social media appears to show Palestinian men and at least two children detained and stripped by the IDF in a stadium in northern Gaza. Clips in the video show what appear to be two young boys in one frame, stripped down to their underwear, walking and holding both their hands up as the IDF directs them. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
  • Cross-border fire: The situation on Israel's northern border with Lebanon demands change, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz said at a briefing Wednesday. He warned that time is running out to reach a diplomatic solution as fighting continues between Israel and Hezbollah in the area. It comes as fears are rising of a widened Middle East war.
  • Iranian claim: Hamas on Wednesday denied a claim by an elite wing of Iran's military that its October 7 attack on Israel was carried out in revenge for the assassination of a top Iranian commander nearly four years ago. Iranian officials have previously denied any direct involvement in the attack on Israel, saying that despite Tehran's financial backing and support for Hamas and other proxy groups in the region, it does not direct any of their actions.
24 min ago

UN Security Council resolution on aid "yet to have an impact" in Gaza, WHO chief says

From CNN's Michael Rios

A resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council last week that called for increased aid to Gaza has "yet to have an impact," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. 

The UN resolution approved last Friday calls for humanitarian pauses between Israel and Hamas, increased aid to Gaza and the creation of conditions that will allow for a sustainable end to fighting, ending days of closed-door negotiations.

But it was yet to become reality in the war-torn strip, Tedros said.

"UN Security Council members must urgently turn their recent resolution — to create pauses in hostilities and humanitarian corridors — into reality in Gaza. Actions, not words, are what Gaza's people need today," Tedros said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Day after day, the needs of Gaza’s war-ravaged people grow. Peril, ill-health, hunger, thirst, lack of shelter — these should not be the norm for millions of people. But sadly, they are."

WHO warnings: Tedros' remarks come after WHO teams carried out "high-risk" missions to deliver supplies to two hospitals in Gaza.

In the north, UN teams brought medical items and fuel to the Al-Shifa Hospital, where a reported 50,000 people are seeking shelter, to keep essential health services running at the hospital, WHO said.

Teams in the south visited Al-Amal hospital, where WHO staff said they found it impossible to walk inside "without stepping over patients and those seeking refuge."

While transiting through Gaza, teams also witnessed "tens of thousands of people fleeing heavy strikes in the Khan Younis and Middle Area — on foot, riding on donkeys or in cars."

WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn said the agency was concerned the new displacement of people would strain medical facilities in the south even further. 

"This forced mass movement of people will also lead to more overcrowding, increased risk of infectious diseases and make it even harder to deliver humanitarian aid," Peeperkorn said.

Tedros echoed his concerns. 

"Today I repeat my call on the international community to take urgent steps to alleviate the grave peril facing the population of Gaza and jeopardizing the ability of humanitarian workers to help people with terrible injuries, acute hunger, and at severe risk of disease," he said.
3 hr 9 min ago

Hamas denies Iranian claim that October 7 attack was revenge for commander's assassination

From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Wednesday denied a claim by an elite wing of Iran's military that its October 7 attack on Israel was carried out in revenge for the assassination of a top Iranian commander nearly four years ago.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Ramadan Sharif on Wednesday claimed the Hamas attack against Israel was a response to the 2020 killing of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas denies the validity of what was stated by the spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, regarding the Al-Aqsa Flood operation and its motives," Hamas said in a statement. "All Palestinian resistance actions came in response to the presence of the occupation and its continued aggression against our people and our sanctities."

Hamas' October 7 attack saw militants rampage through parts of southern Israel on a murder and kidnapping spree that killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage, including women, elderly, and children.

Iranian officials have previously denied any direct involvement in the attack, saying that despite Tehran's financial backing and support for Hamas and other proxy groups in the region, it does not direct any of their actions.

Some context: The IRGC spokesperson's claim Wednesday comes after IRNA reported that another Iranian commander, Seyyed Razi Mousavi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday. The Israeli military declined to comment on the report when asked by CNN.

Sharif on Wednesday echoed threats from Iranian officials of revenge against Israel.

Iran will respond appropriately to the "Israeli regime for the assassination of a senior military adviser in Syria," and will take revenge for "the terrorist attack in different times and places," he said, according to IRNA. 

2 hr 17 min ago

French president expresses "deepest concern" to Netanyahu on civilian death toll in Gaza

From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deepest concern” at the “very heavy civilian toll and the absolute humanitarian emergency facing the civilian population of Gaza."

According to an Elysée Palace readout of the Wednesday call, Macron told Netanyahu of “Israel's imperative to protect civilians” and “the urgency of delivering the necessary aid to the people of Gaza,” per the French Presidency. 

Macron also stressed “the need to work towards a lasting ceasefire, with the help of all regional and international partners,” the palace said. 

France will be working with Jordan “in the coming days” to carry out humanitarian operations in Gaza, Macron said. 

The French president also told Netanyahu that the release of all hostages in the strip, including three French nationals, was a priority for France. Netanyahu updated him on “Israel’s effort to bring about the release of the hostages” and asked Macron to “continue working for their release,” according to the Israeli government's readout of the call.

Macron stressed the “importance of Israel taking all necessary steps to put an end to the violence committed by certain settlers against Palestinian civilians, as well as to any new settlement projects in the West Bank, which threatened the two-state solution,” the French readout said. 

The French statement also called a two-state solution “the only viable solution to ensure Israel's long-term security and meet the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians.”

Macron reaffirmed France's commitment to Israel's security and “recalled the steps taken within the framework of the European Union to establish sanctions against Hamas, as well as the measures taken with international partners against terrorist groups threatening peace and stability in the region.”

4 hr 38 min ago

Blinken expected to travel to Israel next week, Israeli official says

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel and make additional stops in the Middle East next week to discuss the next steps in the Israel-Hamas war, an Israeli official told CNN. 

CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment. 

Some background: Blinken's expected trip comes after senior Biden administration officials and a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met regarding the next phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Tuesday evening. 

Ron Dermer, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a former ambassador to the United States, departed the White House after more than four hours following a meeting with Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

A White House official told CNN the discussions included:

  • The transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets.
  • Steps to improve the humanitarian situation and minimize harm to civilians.
  • Securing the release of the remaining hostages.
  • Planning for post-conflict Gaza.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting to this post.

4 hr 39 min ago

Video appears to show at least 2 children stripped and detained by IDF in Gaza

From CNN's Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Dahman and Mitch McCluskey

An edited video circulating on social media appears to show Palestinian men and at least two children detained and stripped by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a stadium in northern Gaza.

Clips in the video show what appear to be two young boys in one frame, stripped down to their underwear, walking and holding both their hands up as the IDF directs them in the stadium.

In another clip, two figures who appear to be the same young boys stripped of their clothing are seen with their hands above their heads, as they are lined up in single file lines with other males who appear to be teens and adults.

CNN is unable to verify when the video was shot. A CNN geolocation of the video shows it was filmed in Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, where NGO Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has said it received reports of detentions.

CNN reached out to the IDF late Tuesday night for comment on the video and the children detained but has not yet heard back.

Hundreds of Palestinian men and boys have been detained by Israeli forces in recent weeks. In the past, the IDF has said it has stripped detainees to ensure they were not carrying explosives.

Throughout the video, men can be seen stripped down to their underwear. In some clips, the detainees are sitting on the floor with their hands tied to their backs, some blindfolded, and standing in single file lines as soldiers overlook and inspect them.

Clips of the video also show women and other children detained. In one shot, three fully clothed women are seen blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs as they sit on the grass in front of a soccer goal in the stadium. An Israeli flag is seen hanging on the soccer goal.

Read more about the video.

2 hr 13 min ago

Leaders of Egypt and Jordan say they reject any efforts to displace Palestinians

From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman and Eyad Kourdi

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan said they oppose any efforts to displace Palestinians following a meeting in Cairo Wednesday.

The leaders convened at Al-Ittihadiya Palace to discuss the situation in Gaza, according to a statement from Egypt's presidency, which added they also called for an urgent ceasefire to allow in critically needed humanitarian aid.

They also called for a “fair and comprehensive solution” to the conflict, which they said should include the creation of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement said.

“The two leaders affirmed their complete rejection of all attempts to end the Palestinian cause or to displace the Palestinians outside their lands or internally displace them, stressing that the only solution that the international community must push towards its implementation is an immediate ceasefire and the entry into force of relief aid,” the statement said.

The meeting came just days after Egypt floated a new peace plan, which was rejected by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, according to Reuters, citing Egyptian security sources.

In November, Egypt and Qatar played a pivotal role in establishing a temporary ceasefire deal that led to the release of Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. 

4 hr 6 min ago

At least 20 killed near hospital in Khan Younis as Israeli forces focus efforts in southern Gaza

From CNN’s Eyad Kourdi, Ibrahim Dahmin and Pauline Lockwood

Dozens of people were killed following Israeli strikes near Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.

At least 20 people were killed in the airstrikes, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza reported.

CNN has requested comment from the IDF.

Over the past 24 hours, 195 people were killed and 325 others were injured, the ministry reported, adding that 21,110 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since October 7.

CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the Gaza ministry due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the ongoing conflict.

The reports come after IDF chief Herzi Halevi said Tuesday the war against Hamas "will continue for many more months,” and the Israeli military is concentrating its efforts “in the southern Gaza Strip – Khan Younis, the central camps, and further.”

2 hr 14 min ago

IDF tells international community to "find additional solutions" to distribute aid in Gaza

From CNN's Pauline Lockwood

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed there are "logistical limitations" to getting aid into Gaza, and has urged "the international community to find additional solutions," as global bodies warn of the spiraling humanitarian crisis in the region.

"Our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza. We’re sending aid into Gaza, to the people of Gaza. We are not the bottleneck," IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari insisted in a video statement on Wednesday.
"On the contrary. We check more aid trucks than can enter Gaza," Hagari said. "There are logistical limitations and challenges posed by the ability of international organizations to distribute aid. Which is why we urge the international community to find additional solutions, for the distribution of aid, alongside establishing field hospitals and temporary shelters, for Gazans."

World Health Organization officials visited several hospitals across Gaza on Monday, detailing "harrowing accounts" of suffering shared by health workers and patients as the conflict widens.

Food and health crises have also engulfed the enclave, with humanitarian workers struggling to get enough resources to displaced Gazans.

Hagari reiterated in his video statement that "defeating Hamas is the only option," after Israeli officials warned the war will continue for several months.

"We will continue our important mission, to defeat Hamas, and rescue our hostages. We are committed to freeing our hostage from Hamas and freeing Gaza from Hamas, for a better future for the region," Hagari said. 

Tensions between Israel and UN: The IDF spokesperson's comments come after Israel announced that it will stop automatically granting visas to United Nations workers, adding that the country will instead process applications on a case-by-case basis.

Characterizing the announcement as “an update on the deeply problematic involvement of the United Nations in this conflict,” Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy noted that the UN had failed to condemn Hamas for hijacking aid and for waging war out of hospitals.

  • Nearly 200 Palestinians were killed following Israeli strikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours as fatalities in the strip surpassed 21,000 since October 7, the Hamas-controlled health ministry said Wednesday.
  • The rising death toll comes after Israel's military chief said the war against Hamas "will continue for many more months," echoing comments from Israeli leaders that the conflict is far from ending despite diplomatic efforts. 
  • Those signals have alarmed the international community, as global bodies warn of the spiraling humanitarian crisis and the World Health Organization chief said a UN Security Council resolution passed last week that called for increased aid to Gaza has "yet to have an impact."
  • Meanwhile, an edited video circulating on social media appears to show Palestinian men and at least two children detained and stripped by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.
  • Here's how to help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza.

Nearly 200 Palestinians were killed and more than 300 others injured following Israeli military strikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the strip said Wednesday.

At least 20 people were killed following airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) near Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday, the health ministry said. The death toll across Gaza now stands at 21,110 since October 7, according to the ministry. CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures.

The rising toll comes after Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi said Tuesday that the war against Hamas "will continue for many more months” and that the IDF is concentrating its efforts "in the southern Gaza Strip — Khan Younis, the central camps, and further." 

That signal, following similar recent comments from Israeli leaders, has alarmed the international community.

Here's the latest:

  • French concerns: In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his "deepest concern" at the "very heavy civilian toll and the absolute humanitarian emergency facing the civilian population of Gaza." Macron also stressed "the need to work towards a lasting ceasefire, with the help of all regional and international partners," an Elysée Palace readout said. 
  • US diplomacy: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel and make additional stops in the Middle East next week to discuss the next steps in the Israel-Hamas war, an Israeli official told CNN. His expected trip comes after senior Biden administration officials and a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday regarding the next phase of the war. CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.
  • Regional talks: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan said they oppose any efforts to displace Palestinians following a meeting in Cairo Wednesday. The leaders also called for an urgent ceasefire to allow in critically needed humanitarian aid, according to a statement from Egypt's presidency.
  • Aid hurdles: A resolution passed by the UN Security Council last week that called for increased aid to Gaza has "yet to have an impact," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. The IDF has claimed there are "logistical limitations" to getting aid into Gaza, and urged "the international community to find additional solutions," as global bodies warn of the spiraling humanitarian crisis.
  • Children stripped: An edited video circulating on social media appears to show Palestinian men and at least two children detained and stripped by the IDF in a stadium in northern Gaza. Clips in the video show what appear to be two young boys in one frame, stripped down to their underwear, walking and holding both their hands up as the IDF directs them. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
  • Cross-border fire: The situation on Israel's northern border with Lebanon demands change, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz said at a briefing Wednesday. He warned that time is running out to reach a diplomatic solution as fighting continues between Israel and Hezbollah in the area. It comes as fears are rising of a widened Middle East war.
  • Iranian claim: Hamas on Wednesday denied a claim by an elite wing of Iran's military that its October 7 attack on Israel was carried out in revenge for the assassination of a top Iranian commander nearly four years ago. Iranian officials have previously denied any direct involvement in the attack on Israel, saying that despite Tehran's financial backing and support for Hamas and other proxy groups in the region, it does not direct any of their actions.

A resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council last week that called for increased aid to Gaza has "yet to have an impact," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. 

The UN resolution approved last Friday calls for humanitarian pauses between Israel and Hamas, increased aid to Gaza and the creation of conditions that will allow for a sustainable end to fighting, ending days of closed-door negotiations.

But it was yet to become reality in the war-torn strip, Tedros said.

"UN Security Council members must urgently turn their recent resolution — to create pauses in hostilities and humanitarian corridors — into reality in Gaza. Actions, not words, are what Gaza's people need today," Tedros said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Day after day, the needs of Gaza’s war-ravaged people grow. Peril, ill-health, hunger, thirst, lack of shelter — these should not be the norm for millions of people. But sadly, they are."

WHO warnings: Tedros' remarks come after WHO teams carried out "high-risk" missions to deliver supplies to two hospitals in Gaza.

In the north, UN teams brought medical items and fuel to the Al-Shifa Hospital, where a reported 50,000 people are seeking shelter, to keep essential health services running at the hospital, WHO said.

Teams in the south visited Al-Amal hospital, where WHO staff said they found it impossible to walk inside "without stepping over patients and those seeking refuge."

While transiting through Gaza, teams also witnessed "tens of thousands of people fleeing heavy strikes in the Khan Younis and Middle Area — on foot, riding on donkeys or in cars."

WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn said the agency was concerned the new displacement of people would strain medical facilities in the south even further. 

"This forced mass movement of people will also lead to more overcrowding, increased risk of infectious diseases and make it even harder to deliver humanitarian aid," Peeperkorn said.

Tedros echoed his concerns. 

"Today I repeat my call on the international community to take urgent steps to alleviate the grave peril facing the population of Gaza and jeopardizing the ability of humanitarian workers to help people with terrible injuries, acute hunger, and at severe risk of disease," he said.

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Wednesday denied a claim by an elite wing of Iran's military that its October 7 attack on Israel was carried out in revenge for the assassination of a top Iranian commander nearly four years ago.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Ramadan Sharif on Wednesday claimed the Hamas attack against Israel was a response to the 2020 killing of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas denies the validity of what was stated by the spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, regarding the Al-Aqsa Flood operation and its motives," Hamas said in a statement. "All Palestinian resistance actions came in response to the presence of the occupation and its continued aggression against our people and our sanctities."

Hamas' October 7 attack saw militants rampage through parts of southern Israel on a murder and kidnapping spree that killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage, including women, elderly, and children.

Iranian officials have previously denied any direct involvement in the attack, saying that despite Tehran's financial backing and support for Hamas and other proxy groups in the region, it does not direct any of their actions.

Some context: The IRGC spokesperson's claim Wednesday comes after IRNA reported that another Iranian commander, Seyyed Razi Mousavi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday. The Israeli military declined to comment on the report when asked by CNN.

Sharif on Wednesday echoed threats from Iranian officials of revenge against Israel.

Iran will respond appropriately to the "Israeli regime for the assassination of a senior military adviser in Syria," and will take revenge for "the terrorist attack in different times and places," he said, according to IRNA. 

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deepest concern” at the “very heavy civilian toll and the absolute humanitarian emergency facing the civilian population of Gaza."

According to an Elysée Palace readout of the Wednesday call, Macron told Netanyahu of “Israel's imperative to protect civilians” and “the urgency of delivering the necessary aid to the people of Gaza,” per the French Presidency. 

Macron also stressed “the need to work towards a lasting ceasefire, with the help of all regional and international partners,” the palace said. 

France will be working with Jordan “in the coming days” to carry out humanitarian operations in Gaza, Macron said. 

The French president also told Netanyahu that the release of all hostages in the strip, including three French nationals, was a priority for France. Netanyahu updated him on “Israel’s effort to bring about the release of the hostages” and asked Macron to “continue working for their release,” according to the Israeli government's readout of the call.

Macron stressed the “importance of Israel taking all necessary steps to put an end to the violence committed by certain settlers against Palestinian civilians, as well as to any new settlement projects in the West Bank, which threatened the two-state solution,” the French readout said. 

The French statement also called a two-state solution “the only viable solution to ensure Israel's long-term security and meet the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians.”

Macron reaffirmed France's commitment to Israel's security and “recalled the steps taken within the framework of the European Union to establish sanctions against Hamas, as well as the measures taken with international partners against terrorist groups threatening peace and stability in the region.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel and make additional stops in the Middle East next week to discuss the next steps in the Israel-Hamas war, an Israeli official told CNN. 

CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment. 

Some background: Blinken's expected trip comes after senior Biden administration officials and a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met regarding the next phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Tuesday evening. 

Ron Dermer, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a former ambassador to the United States, departed the White House after more than four hours following a meeting with Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

A White House official told CNN the discussions included:

  • The transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets.
  • Steps to improve the humanitarian situation and minimize harm to civilians.
  • Securing the release of the remaining hostages.
  • Planning for post-conflict Gaza.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting to this post.

An edited video circulating on social media appears to show Palestinian men and at least two children detained and stripped by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a stadium in northern Gaza.

Clips in the video show what appear to be two young boys in one frame, stripped down to their underwear, walking and holding both their hands up as the IDF directs them in the stadium.

In another clip, two figures who appear to be the same young boys stripped of their clothing are seen with their hands above their heads, as they are lined up in single file lines with other males who appear to be teens and adults.

CNN is unable to verify when the video was shot. A CNN geolocation of the video shows it was filmed in Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, where NGO Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has said it received reports of detentions.

CNN reached out to the IDF late Tuesday night for comment on the video and the children detained but has not yet heard back.

Hundreds of Palestinian men and boys have been detained by Israeli forces in recent weeks. In the past, the IDF has said it has stripped detainees to ensure they were not carrying explosives.

Throughout the video, men can be seen stripped down to their underwear. In some clips, the detainees are sitting on the floor with their hands tied to their backs, some blindfolded, and standing in single file lines as soldiers overlook and inspect them.

Clips of the video also show women and other children detained. In one shot, three fully clothed women are seen blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs as they sit on the grass in front of a soccer goal in the stadium. An Israeli flag is seen hanging on the soccer goal.

Read more about the video.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan said they oppose any efforts to displace Palestinians following a meeting in Cairo Wednesday.

The leaders convened at Al-Ittihadiya Palace to discuss the situation in Gaza, according to a statement from Egypt's presidency, which added they also called for an urgent ceasefire to allow in critically needed humanitarian aid.

They also called for a “fair and comprehensive solution” to the conflict, which they said should include the creation of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement said.

“The two leaders affirmed their complete rejection of all attempts to end the Palestinian cause or to displace the Palestinians outside their lands or internally displace them, stressing that the only solution that the international community must push towards its implementation is an immediate ceasefire and the entry into force of relief aid,” the statement said.

The meeting came just days after Egypt floated a new peace plan, which was rejected by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, according to Reuters, citing Egyptian security sources.

In November, Egypt and Qatar played a pivotal role in establishing a temporary ceasefire deal that led to the release of Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. 

Dozens of people were killed following Israeli strikes near Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.

At least 20 people were killed in the airstrikes, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza reported.

CNN has requested comment from the IDF.

Over the past 24 hours, 195 people were killed and 325 others were injured, the ministry reported, adding that 21,110 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since October 7.

CNN is unable to independently confirm the figures provided by the Gaza ministry due to restricted access to the region and the difficulty in verifying accurate numbers amid the ongoing conflict.

The reports come after IDF chief Herzi Halevi said Tuesday the war against Hamas "will continue for many more months,” and the Israeli military is concentrating its efforts “in the southern Gaza Strip – Khan Younis, the central camps, and further.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed there are "logistical limitations" to getting aid into Gaza, and has urged "the international community to find additional solutions," as global bodies warn of the spiraling humanitarian crisis in the region.

"Our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza. We’re sending aid into Gaza, to the people of Gaza. We are not the bottleneck," IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari insisted in a video statement on Wednesday.
"On the contrary. We check more aid trucks than can enter Gaza," Hagari said. "There are logistical limitations and challenges posed by the ability of international organizations to distribute aid. Which is why we urge the international community to find additional solutions, for the distribution of aid, alongside establishing field hospitals and temporary shelters, for Gazans."

World Health Organization officials visited several hospitals across Gaza on Monday, detailing "harrowing accounts" of suffering shared by health workers and patients as the conflict widens.

Food and health crises have also engulfed the enclave, with humanitarian workers struggling to get enough resources to displaced Gazans.

Hagari reiterated in his video statement that "defeating Hamas is the only option," after Israeli officials warned the war will continue for several months.

"We will continue our important mission, to defeat Hamas, and rescue our hostages. We are committed to freeing our hostage from Hamas and freeing Gaza from Hamas, for a better future for the region," Hagari said. 

Tensions between Israel and UN: The IDF spokesperson's comments come after Israel announced that it will stop automatically granting visas to United Nations workers, adding that the country will instead process applications on a case-by-case basis.

Characterizing the announcement as “an update on the deeply problematic involvement of the United Nations in this conflict,” Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy noted that the UN had failed to condemn Hamas for hijacking aid and for waging war out of hospitals.