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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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.
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The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that the bodies of 1,500 Palestinian militants have been found along the Israeli-Gaza border.
All of the militants were killed while fighting with Israeli soldiers in recent days, according to the IDF.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
The United States is still working to determine how many Americans remain unaccounted for after Saturday's attack on Israel by Hamas and whether any are among those being held hostage in the neighboring Gaza Strip, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
In an interview Tuesday with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America," Kirby said the number of unaccounted Americans in Israel "keeps changing" as families contact the U.S. Department of State.
"We're trying to get a handle on where they are and how they are," he added. "Sadly, we have to accept the possibility -- the grim possibility -- that some of those unaccounted for Americans could be among those being held hostage by Hamas."
So far, U.S. officials have confirmed that at least 11 Americans were among those killed in Israel over the weekend when Hamas fighters stormed into the country from Gaza. U.S. officials are "preparing for the very distinct possibility that there'll be more" American deaths," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, there's currently no specific information on whether any Americans were among those taken hostage, according to Kirby. Israeli authorities have estimated that Hamas is currently holding "between 100 to 150" hostages in Gaza, including Americans.
"We're working at this really, really hard, talking to the Israelis every single day -- almost every hour -- to try to get more information about the Americans that are unaccounted for," Kirby said, "but we just don't know where they are."
U.S. officials have reached out to their Israeli counterparts to offer assistance in the form of intelligence and hostage recovery expertise, according to Kirby.
"It remains to be seen if there's Americans in that group, what more can be done," he said. "If there's Americans being held hostage, we'll do everything possible to get them home to their families where they belong."
When asked whether the U.S. would be prepared to pay ransom, Kirby said: "I don't want to get too far ahead of where we are."
"We don't even know if there are Americans in this population of hostages," he added.
Top US official talks Israel’s war with Hamas
An Israeli airstrike hit near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for the second time in two days, Palestinian authorities said.
"The occupation aircrafts re-bombed the gate of the Rafah crossing between the Palestinian and Egyptian sides after it was repaired yesterday, preventing the departure and arrival of passengers," Iyad Al-Bozom, spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, said in a statement.
Operations at the frontier were disrupted on Monday after an Israeli airstrike hit near the border on the Gaza side. Officials on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday asked crews on the Palestinian side to immediately evacuate the crossing following threats to hit it, according to Al-Bozom.
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that Tehran was not involved in Hamas' recent incursion on Israel but hailed the attack.
"We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime," said Khamenei, who was seen wearing a Palestinian scarf in his first televised speech since Saturday's attack.
"The Zionist regime's own actions are to blame for this disaster," he added.
Iran, which does not recognize Israel, has acknowledged giving financial and moral support to Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
