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."
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 16, 2023, 2:47 PM EDT
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.
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
Oct 10, 2023, 5:52 AM EDT
Hamas holding 'between 100 and 150' hostages, Israeli's UN ambassador says
Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said "between 100 and 150" hostages are currently being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
"We estimate a number that is between 100 and 150. I think it’s an unprecedented number," Erdan told CNN during an interview late Monday. "It includes Americans. We don't know the exact number."
A view of the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Oct. 10, 2023.
Hatem Moussa/AP
Oct 10, 2023, 5:18 AM EDT
IDF says Hamas fighters 'are still hiding' in Israeli communities
Hamas fighters are believed to be "still hiding" in some communities in southern Israel even after the Israeli military took back control, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesman Maj. Doron Spielman.
"We are in control of the communities, but we actually assume that there are Hamas terrorists that are still hiding in these areas, including in the road where we are now," Spielman told ABC News during an interview Monday in Sderot, Israel. "In all these communities, we've seen terrorist come out of hiding. Just yesterday, they took over an ambulance."
"We're still being very, very careful," he added. "This is a war zone with active terrorists that are operating here."
An Israeli soldier holds a rescued dog as he takes position near a bomb shelter in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, Oct. 10, 2023.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Sderot is a southwestern Israeli city located near the county's border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. A police station there was stormed by Hamas fighters on Saturday as part of the militant group's wider incursion, leaving at least six Israeli police officers dead. The IDF then bombed the police station with the Hamas fighters inside, demolishing it.
Hamas fighters and other Palestinian militants are "striking strategic locations" along the border fence, allowing them to drive through in pickup trucks, Spielman said. Civilians in some of the local communities have been ordered to evacuate, while others have left voluntarily, according to Spielman.
Israeli soldiers stand next to the bodies of Israelis killed by Hamas militants in kibbutz Kfar Azza on Oct. 10, 2023.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
"We do have a lot of ground troops in this area. We have a lot of tanks. We have, in addition, artillery. And we're prepared forever for anything," he said. "And if it happens, the next stage, it's going to happen here because this is the area that was the flashpoint and this is the area we're going to be presenting ourselves and finishing this battle. We, of course, have no choice but to finish."
When asked about the mounting casualties of Palestinian civilians in Gaza as a result of the IDF's retaliatory airstrikes, Spielman said: "We always try to avoid civilian casualties. However, I would say that this is war and our first priority here is to destroy Hamas."
-ABC News' Angus Hines and Ian Pannell
Oct 10, 2023, 3:19 AM EDT
IDF fighter jets strike over 200 'terror targets' in Gaza overnight
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday morning that its fighter jets had struck more than 200 "terror targets" in the Gaza Strip overnight.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Gaza, Oct. 10, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
All targets were located in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Yunis, which the IDF said are both used as "terror hubs" for Gaza's militant rulers Hamas and that "a large number of terror attacks against Israel are directed there."
A view shows houses and buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City, Oct. 10, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Among the targets struck were a Hamas weapons storage site and a Hamas operational command center, both located inside a mosque, according to the IDF.
