Israel-Gaza updates: IDF 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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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 15, 2023, 5:58 PM EDT

14 UN humanitarian workers killed in Gaza, officials say

Fourteen staff members from the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees have been killed in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, United Nations Relief and Works Agency Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said during remarks from the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Most of the UNRWA's 13,000 staff members in the Gaza Strip have now been displaced or are "out of their homes," Lazzarini added.

Unless supplies are brought into Gaza, UNRWA and other international aid workers will not be able to continue humanitarian operations, Lazzarini said.

"As I speak with you, Gaza is running out of water and electricity," Lazzarini said.

At least 400,000 people who have been displaced in Gaza are currently sheltering in UNRWA schools and buildings, most of which have not been equipped as emergency shelters, Lazzarini said.

-ABC News' Ely Brown

Doctors Without Borders spokesperson Gabriel Naumann says “We need to have the siege fully lifted so people can have access to food and electricity."
4:29

Biggest concerns for Doctors Without Borders during Israel-Hamas war

Doctors Without Borders spokesperson Gabriel Naumann says “We need to have the siege fully lifted so people can have access to food and electricity."
ABCNews.com

Oct 15, 2023, 5:46 PM EDT

US will soon be able to move thousands of Americans out of Israel by sea, sources say

The U.S. will soon have the capability to move thousands of American citizens and their families out of Israel by sea, two sources familiar with the planning told ABC News.

Those fleeing by sea will be taken to Cyprus aboard a cruise ship-like vessel set to depart from the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Monday, the sources said.

Boarding is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the U.S. State Department. Boarding will proceed in order of arrival as capacity permits.

Flight departures out of Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport will also continue "on a rolling basis" on Monday and Tuesday, according to the State Department.

"Please go to Ben Gurion International Airport, Terminal 3, if you wish to depart Israel," the State Department instructed travelers in an advisory on Sunday. "U.S. Embassy personnel will be present to direct you and provide specific flight information. Be prepared to wait."

-ABC News' Mary Alice Parks and Shannon Crawford

Citizens will be evacuated by boat to Cyprus beginning Monday, in addition to charter flights.
1:32

US Embassy scrambles to bring Americans home from Israel

Citizens will be evacuated by boat to Cyprus beginning Monday, in addition to charter flights.
ABCNews.com

Oct 15, 2023, 5:34 PM EDT

30 Americans now confirmed dead in Israel

The number of U.S. citizens killed in the Hamas attack on Israel rose to 30 on Sunday, according to the U.S. State Department.

At least 13 American nationals are still missing, a State Department spokesperson said.

The death toll for Americans killed in Israel rose from 29 on Saturday.

"At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 30 U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," the State Department spokesperson said. "At this time, we are also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted for. State Department personnel have been in contact with their families.

"The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

Oct 15, 2023, 5:14 PM EDT

Gaza running out of body bags, says UNRWA chief

With deaths mounting from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, the head of the U.N. Relief and Work Agency said Sunday that Gaza is running out of body bags.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, called a news conference Sunday to "raise the alarm" that as of Sunday he and his colleague are "no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance" in Gaza.

"In fact, Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity," Lazarrini said.

He said Gaza has no electricity and is running out of water fast.

He added that an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding under our eyes" in Gaza.

"Thousands of people have been killed, including children and women.  Gaza is now even running out of body bags," said Lazarrini.

The government media office in Gaza said is now considering digging mass graves, according to Reuters.

Lazarrini said 14 staff members of his agency are among the dead.

"They were teachers, engineers, guards and psychologists, an engineer and a gynecologist," Lazzarini said. "Most of our 13,000 UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip are now displaced or out of their homes."

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