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.

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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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.

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


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'Approximately 1.1 million' people in Gaza told to evacuate within 24 hours

United Nations team leaders in Gaza were informed by their liaison officers in the Israeli military that "the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours," a U.N. spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

"This amounts to approximately 1.1 million people," the spokesperson added.

"The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," the spokesperson said.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara and Ellie Kaufman


Israelis hold candlelight vigil in Tel Aviv

Israelis in Tel Aviv held a candlelight vigil on Thursday for the victims of the Oct. 7 surprise terrorist attack by Hamas.

Ran Oren, who donated candles for the vigil, which was held around a fountain in central Tel Aviv, told Reuters that each candle donated represented each victim of the attack. He said the vigil was held in order to "light this dark moment."

Dozens of onlookers could be seen gathered around the makeshift vigil, some of them lighting candles along the fountain.

The vigil was first reported by Reuters.


Hospitals, health system are at 'breaking point' in Gaza: WHO

Hospitals and the health system in the Gaza Strip are at a "breaking point," the UN World Health Organization said in a release Thursday.

"Hospitals have only a few hours of electricity each day as they are forced to ration depleting fuel reserves and rely on generators to sustain the most critical functions," the WHO said in the release. "Even these functions will have to cease in a few days, when fuel stocks are due to run out."

WHO said it documented 34 attacks on health care in Gaza since Saturday, Oct. 7. These attacks have resulted in "the death of 11 health workers on duty, 16 injuries and damages to 19 health facilities and 20 ambulances," the release said.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman


Israeli officials say images of dead babies taken in Kfar Aza

Israeli authorities released images Thursday of babies they said were killed and burned by Hamas. The images were shown to Secretary of State Antony Blinken by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government during his visit to Israel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry told ABC News the photos were taken by ZAKA, the organization that removed the bodies, in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz near the Gaza border where Israeli military officials said more than 100 people were killed by Hamas fighters.

Two Hamas officials, who did not provide their names, claimed in a video statement released Thursday that fighters were instructed to not target civilians and had tried to avoid harming them.

“Sadly the Hamas PR machine is now trying to claim that they did not target children and women specifically and that it was not their intention which is a blatant lie and a fake campaign to try and distance themselves from the massacre they carried out," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. "That is why sadly we have to tweet pictures of babies they killed."


At least 30 Israeli police officers killed in fighting

At least 30 Israeli police officers have been killed in the fighting, mainly in Sderot, where Hamas gunmen took control of the police station.

Meanwhile, fighting is still ongoing in six places, including Sderot -- which sits just two miles from the border with Gaza -- even after the police headquarters standoff ended and a rocket injured four people on Sunday morning.

On Saturday, graphic video showed dozens of dead bodies, bullet ridden homes and vehicles following an assault by armed militants.

Israel has also opened a hotline for family members who can come forward to give DNA samples to help identify those who have died.