A man holds the body of a small child as he and others mourn while collecting the bodies of friends and relatives killed in an airstrike on January 13, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel's founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 28, 2:24 PM 'Constructive meeting' with officials but 'gaps' remain, Israeli PM's office says
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office released a statement on Sunday's talks between CIA Director Bill Burns, the prime minister of Qatar and intelligence officials from Israel and Egypt.
The meeting was "constructive" but "significant gaps" remain, the statement said, adding that more meetings are expected this coming week.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
Jan 28, 4:40 AM UN chief appeals for continued UNRWA funding
The secretary-general of the United Nations appealed on Sunday for continuing funding for the U.N. aid agency responsible for Gaza.
Nine countries, including the United States, paused their funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees after Israel accused 12 of its employees of being involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Mark Regev, an Israeli spokesman, told ABC News in a phone interview Sunday that Israel gathered intelligence about the alleged connection to terrorism through videos released by Hamas and others during the Oct. 7 attack and claimed there's "clear unrefutable evidence that U.N. paid staff were involved in crimes against humanity."
About 2 million people in Gaza depend on the agency for daily survival, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Sunday.
According to Guterres, "Of the 12 people implicated, nine were immediately identified and terminated by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini; one is confirmed dead, and the identity of the two others is being clarified."
"The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences," he said in the statement.
He added, "But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."
-ABC News' Matt Gutman, Edward Szekeres and Kevin Shalvey
Jan 27, 5:13 PM 9 nations suspend contributions to UNRWA due to Oct. 7 allegations
The number of nations pausing funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has risen to 9 -- an unprecedented number for a UN agency. This withdrawal of funding comes amid allegations from Israeli officials that some of the agency's staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
On Saturday, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the U.S., Australia and Canada in pausing funding to UNRWA.
"UNRWA lifesaving assistance is about to end following countries decisions to cut their funding to the Agency. Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a few individuals and as the war continues, needs are deepening & famine looms," the commissioner general of UNRWA said in a statement.
"Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment. This stains all of us," the statement said.
-ABC News' Matt Gutman, Dana Savir, Guy Davies
Jan 27, 5:34 PM Netanyahu says war to continue despite ICJ ruling
A ruling on Friday from the International Court of Justice stopped short of ordering a ceasefire but ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and do more to help civilians.
In response to the ruling, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war aimed at eliminating Hamas would continue.
-ABC News' Edward Szekeres
Jan 26, 11:19 PM Biden, El-Sisi discussed 'a Palestinian state' and 'attempts to release' hostages: WH
President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Friday, according to a statement from the White House.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing war and the efforts being made "to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas," according to the release.
The White House said Biden and El-Sisi spoke about a "prolonged humanitarian pause" in fighting and intensifying efforts to further increase "life-saving humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza."
Biden thanked El-Sisi and they agreed to continue their close coordination to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza while setting conditions for sustainable peace in the Middle East, including the "establishment of a Palestinian state and equal measures of dignity and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike," the White House said.
Jan 26, 3:24 PM Hamas releases video showing 3 hostages still in captivity
Hamas has released a video of three women who are still being held in captivity in Gaza.
Shown in the video are 19-year-old Karina Ariev, 19-year-old Daniel Gilboa and 30-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, according to the Hostage Families Forum.
Ariev and Gilboa were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz kibbutz and Steinbrecher was kidnapped from the Kfar Aza kibbutz.
According to a SITE Intelligence Group translation, Ariev, addressing Israeli government officials, said in the video, "In my name and the names of all the hostages and soldiers, I ask that you get us home, stop this war, and reach an agreement. Bring us back alive. Do everything you can to get us home before we are added to the list of dead hostages. Get me home before I become a corpse."
Jan 26, 3:11 PM Kirby says alleged actions of some UNRWA employees do not 'impugn the entire agency'
The U.S. is expecting a "complete and thorough and transparent investigation" following allegations that 12 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday.
The State Department is temporarily pausing new funding for the UNRWA in the wake of the allegations.
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said he’s fired several staff members after Israel provided the agency "with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees" in the Oct. 7 attacks.
An investigation is underway, Lazzarini said, warning that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution."
Earlier this month, Kirby said the UNRWA couldn't be held responsible for "the depredations of Hamas" when asked about the organization having a presence in hospitals alleged to have been used as stockpiles for weapons.
On Friday, when asked about those previous comments, Kirby noted that while there was certainly cause for concern about these allegations, "that does not and nor should it impugn the entire agency and the entire all the body of work that they're doing. ... They [UNRWA workers] have helped save literally thousands of lives in Gaza."
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Jan 26, 1:17 PM Biden spoke with Qatari leader on hostage negotiations
President Joe Biden spoke with Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including efforts to secure the release of all hostages taken by Hamas, according to the White House.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Jan 26, 12:30 PM UN's top court orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza but no cease-fire
The United Nations' top court on Friday demanded that Israel try to contain death and damage in