Israel-Gaza updates: Israeli forces preparing for 'wide range of offensive plans'

Fighting is ongoing after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: October 17, 2023, 4:16 PM EDT

At least 1,400 people have died and 3,400 others have been injured in Israel after the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented incursion from air, land and sea on Oct. 7, Israeli authorities said.

In Gaza, 3,000 people have been killed and another 12,500 were injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Tensions are high with the prospect of ground war and evacuation orders for Gaza after the Israel Defense Forces called for "all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes" and "move south for their protection" early Friday, saying residents should move "and settle in the area south of the Gaza River." The announcement was made, according to the IDF, because it plans to "operate significantly in Gaza City in the coming days" and wanted "to avoid harming civilians."

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Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 16, 2023, 2:47 pm

Timeline: The Hamas attack and response

On the morning of Oct. 7, sirens echoed across Israel as Hamas terrorists began a full-fledged surprise attack from the air, sea and ground. Hundreds of armed Hamas fighters stormed into Israel from Gaza, charging into cities and gunning down citizens.

Friends and family mourn Dor Reder, who was killed following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, at his funeral in Beit Kama, southern Israel, Oct. 16, 2023.
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Israeli forces responded by sending wave after wave of bombs into Gaza, killing thousands, trapping civilians and raising fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Click here for the full timeline

Oct 12, 2023, 11:58 AM EDT

Austin: US not placing conditions on military aid to Israel

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Brussels Thursday that the U.S. is not placing conditions on its military aid to Israel.

Austin said Israel is "a professional military led by professional leadership" and "we would hope and expect that they would do the right things in the prosecution of their campaign."

An IDF Soldier covers his nose while walking past Hamas militants and Israeli civilians who were killed days earlier in an attack by Hamas militants on this kibbutz near the border with Gaza, on Oct. 10, 2023 in Kfar Aza, Israel.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Austin said U.S. intelligence had no indication or warning that Hamas was planning such an attack.

Echoing other administration officials, Austin said, "We've not seen any indication that Iran was involved in the planning or the execution of this attack," though he added the U.S. will continue to focus on whether that is truly the case.

Israeli soldiers inspect shrapnel damage on a wall after a rocket strike on October 12, 2023 in sderot, Israel.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

Austin said that the U.S. will "work urgently to get Israel what it needs to defend itself," including munitions and Iron Dome interceptors, and said helping Israel won’t affect the U.S. flow of military aid to Ukraine.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Oct 12, 2023, 11:33 AM EDT

El Al to fly on Shabbat for 1st time in more than 40 years

Israeli airline El Al said it'll fly on Shabbat -- which is from Friday night to Saturday night -- this weekend for the first time since 1982.

The flights from New York and Bangkok will bring soldiers to Israel.

An El Al Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet lands at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 23, 2017.
Amir Cohen/Reuters, FILE

Oct 12, 2023, 11:18 AM EDT

Hamas suspect detained on festival grounds

A suspected Hamas terrorist appeared with a knife Thursday at the grounds of the music festival in southern Israel where hundreds of concertgoers were killed by Hamas this weekend.

Israeli soldiers immediately took down the suspect and took him into custody.

Israeli soldiers surround a Palestinian who ran at them with a knife at the site of a music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip, Oct. 12, 2023.
Erik Marmor/AP

Oct 12, 2023, 11:03 AM EDT

American survivor shares her story with Blinken

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday visited an Israel donation center, where he was greeted by applause and cries of “God bless America.”

Blinken dropped off his own contribution to benefit survivors who have lost everything.

He then spoke to Lior Gelbaum, a 24-year-old American-Israeli dual citizen, who was attending the music festival that was attacked by Hamas.

Through tears, she told Blinken that many of her friends were killed or taken hostage.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with people as he visits a donation center for victims of the Hamas terror attacks, Oct. 12, 2023, in Tel Aviv.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

"Thank you for being here. It’s really important," she said. "And if there is any way to help -- first priority, first priority is our friends and family that are still in Gaza."

"We're thinking of them and trying to do everything we can. We want to bring them home," Blinken responded. "I admire your strength."

Another volunteer told Blinken he had just come from the fourth funeral of a friend who lost a child. The volunteer said all of the mourners had expressed that after concluding their mourning period, they would rebuild the country.

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

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