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 13, 2023, 6:29 PM EDT

UNICEF calls for immediate humanitarian pause in Gaza

UNICEF on Friday urged Israel to rescind its call for a mass evacuation of northern Gaza, saying there needs to be an immediate humanitarian pause to "scale and sustain lifesaving services for children."

"The situation is catastrophic, with unrelenting bombing and a massive increase in the displacement of children and families. There are no safe places," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "An immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access are the top priorities to allow much needed aid to children and families in Gaza."

PHOTO: A Palestinian child watches as smoke billows on the horizon after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Oct. 13, 2023.
A Palestinian child watches as smoke billows on the horizon after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Oct. 13, 2023. Israel has called for the immediate relocation of 1.1 million people in Gaza amid its massive bombardment in retaliation for Hamas's attacks, with the United Nations warning of "devastating" consequences.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

"There are rules of war," the statement continued. "Children in Gaza need lifesaving support and every minute counts.”

UNICEF said the situation is becoming "increasingly difficult and dangerous" and humanitarians have been warned to leave Gaza City, but that it will stay to provide support for children in need.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

Oct 13, 2023, 5:45 PM EDT

Lufthansa suspending flights to and from Beirut

Lufthansa is suspending flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon, "due to the current situation in the Middle East," the airline said in a statement on Friday.

Lufthansa and Eurowings flights to the region will be suspended through Oct. 16.

Oct 13, 2023, 4:26 PM EDT

Members of Congress urge US airlines to resume Israel flights

At least 32 members of Congress wrote a letter to the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines urging them "to resume flights as soon as possible to Tel Aviv and keep your operations flexible to assist with bringing Americans home and moving innocent civilians out of harm's way."

While U.S.-based airlines have stopped flights to and from Tel Aviv, they have been working with the U.S. government to bolster their operations in Europe to help get fleeing Americans home after they land in European cities.

The lawmakers wrote that certain "barriers" to resuming operations "may seem too complex or too difficult, but as long as there are Americans in need and a way to operate safely -- we must try."

ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman reflects on the past week covering Israel's war with Hamas
1:54
Day 7 of the war in IsraelABC News foreign correspondent James Longman reflects on the past week covering Israel's war with Hamas
ABCNews.com

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

Oct 13, 2023, 4:17 PM EDT

Asked what worries him about ground invasion, Biden says, 'Death'

When a reporter on Friday asked President Joe Biden what worries him about a potential Israeli ground invasion into Gaza, Biden responded, "Death."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned earlier Friday that Israel’s call for more than 1 million people to evacuate northern Gaza "is extremely dangerous, and in some cases, simply not possible."

Palestinians with their belongings flee northern Gaza City following the Israeli army's warning to leave their homes before an expected ground offensive, in Gaza City on Oct. 13, 2023.
Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

He warned that "hospitals in the south of Gaza are already at capacity and will not be able to accept thousands of new patients from the north."

"The health system is on the brink of collapse; morgues are overflowing," Guterres said at the UN headquarters in New York. "The entire territory faces a water crisis, its infrastructure has been damaged, and there is no electricity to power pumps and desalinization plants."

Israeli forces have postponed the demand to evacuate Gaza's Al Awda Hospital until 6 a.m. local time.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Mary Bruce

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