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 16, 2023, 2:41 AM 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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Latest headlines:

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.

Click here for the full timeline

Oct 16, 2023, 2:39 AM EDT

US committed to Israel 'as it defends itself,' Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday reaffirmed the U.S.'s commitment to Israel "as it defends itself."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the media before leaving Cairo, Sunday Oct. 15, 2023, en route to Jordan.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

"The United States is also actively working to ensure the people of Gaza can get out of harm's way and the assistance they need -- food, water, medicine -- can get in," he said on social media. "Hamas does not care if Palestinians suffer."

The secretary is expected on Monday to travel to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Over the past few days, I've traveled to Israel, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt," Blinken said. "What I've heard from every partner is a shared view to prevent the conflict from spreading, to safeguard innocent lives, and to get assistance to those in Gaza who need it."

-ABC News' Lauren Minore

Oct 15, 2023, 11:32 PM EDT

Rafah crossing on Egypt's border to open at 9 a.m. Monday

The U.S. State Department has said it believes the Rafah crossing, which is located on the border of Gaza and Egypt, will be open on Monday morning.

Quoting media reports, the State Department said the crossing will open at 9 a.m. local time.

As many as a million people are displaced inside Gaza with nowhere to hide from the bombing.
As many as a million people are displaced inside Gaza with nowhere to hide from the bombing.

"We anticipate that the situation at the Rafah crossing will remain fluid and unpredictable and it is unclear whether, or for how long, travelers will be permitted to transit the crossing," the State Department wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "If you assess it to be safe, you may wish to move closer to the Rafah border crossing – there may be very little notice if the crossing opens and it may only open for a limited time."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

Oct 15, 2023, 7:35 PM EDT

IDF says it hit Hezbollah ‘military infrastructure’

Israel Defense Forces attacked “military infrastructure” that belongs to “the terrorist organization Hezbollah” in Lebanon, the IDF said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) early Monday morning local time.

“IDF forces attacked the military infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon a short time ago; this was in response to the shooting that was carried out yesterday at Israeli territory,” the post read.

Hezbollah has taken responsibility for several attacks on Israeli Defense Forces while IDF fighter jets bomb Hezbollah locations in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has taken responsibility for several attacks on Israeli Defense Forces while IDF fighter jets bomb Hezbollah locations in southern Lebanon.

The IDF did not share details on when the attacks occurred.

Israeli forces have been engaging in skirmishes with the Lebanese militant group along Israel's northern border with Lebanon in the days since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Oct 15, 2023, 9:10 PM EDT

Border crossing from Gaza into Egypt to open Monday 'for a few hours': Source

An agreement has been reached to open the border crossing out of Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Monday for the entry of foreigners and dual nationals into Egypt as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a security source told ABC News.

The Rafah border crossing is the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The crossing will be opened for a few hours on Monday and then closed again in the late afternoon, the source said. The exact times of the opening and closing were not specified.
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People with Egyptian flags cheer next to a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians by Egyptian NGOs, as they wait for an agreement on the Rafah border crossing to enter Gaza. Al-Arish in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, Oct. 15, 2023
People with Egyptian flags cheer next to a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians by Egyptian NGOs, as they wait for an agreement on the Rafah border crossing to enter Gaza. In the city of Al-Arish in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, October 15, 2023 REUTERS/Stringer
Stringer/Reuters

The evacuation may include Egyptian nationals stranded in Gaza, the source said.

Israel will deploy crews from the Red Cross to inspect aid shipments flowing into the Palestinian side through the border, the source added.

Military forces in the North Sinai cities of Al-Arish and Sheikh Ziweid moved closer to the border late on Sunday in preparation for the opening, the source said.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy

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