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."

Click here for the latest updates.


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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IDF: On Saturday we failed

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it's responsible for Israel's security and said they failed on Saturday.

The IDF said they'll investigate how the security failure happened, but right now, they're in a time of war.


Gaza hospitals risk 'turning into morgues'

Fabrizio Carboni, regional director for Near and Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said hospitals are losing power as Gaza loses power, risking the lives of the elderly on oxygen and newborns in incubators.

"Kidney dialysis stops, and X-rays can’t be taken," Carboni said. "Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues."


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."

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.

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


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.


Human Rights Watch says IDF used white phosphorus munitions over Gaza

Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying it violated international humanitarian law by putting civilians at unnecessary risk.

In a report released Thursday, Human Rights Watch said it based its determination on a video it said it has verified, as well as two eyewitness accounts.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement to ABC News that claims they used white phosphorus in Gaza are "unequivocally false."

ABC News geolocated a video showing a jellyfish-shaped plume of white smoke over the port of Gaza. The video was posted on Wednesday by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA and matches images posted on social media and by other news outlets on the day.

Two experts -- Amael Kotlarski, the weapons team manager for the defense intelligence firm Janes, and Amnesty International weapons investigator Brian Castner -- told ABC News that images suggested munitions deployed over the port of Gaza on Wednesday appeared to contain white phosphorus.

"We have verified that Israeli artillery forces striking Gaza are equipped with M825 and M825A1155mm white phosphorus projectiles," Castner told ABC News, pointing to photographs by an Anadolu Agency photographer taken on Monday and showing Israeli troops handling shells labeled "M825A1."

Kotlarski said visual evidence alone was not sufficient to confirm that these specific shells were used in the Gaza port strikes.

There are "perfectly legal" military uses for white phosphorus munitions, Kotlarski said, including to create a smoke screen to conceal movements, to mark targets for artillery or air strikes, or to illuminate a battlefield. However, its use in urban areas is "problematic due to the higher risk of collateral damage," Kotlarski said, including the munitions' potential to cause severe burns.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton said Friday the U.S. had not independently verified allegations Israel used white phosphorous "so that is not something I would want to speculate about or weigh in on at this time."

-ABC News' Christopher Looft, Ben Gittleson and Jordana Miller