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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Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
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 16, 2023, 3:19 PM EDT

DC protesters call for cease-fire in Gaza

A large group of protesters are rallying outside the White House calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza protest in front of the White House in Washington, Oct. 16, 2023.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
U.S. Secret Service arrest a protester during a rally in support of Palestinians outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16, 2023.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

More than 30 people have been arrested, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

The organizers of the rally said protesters came from all over the country to "protest for peace." Two demonstrators said they felt President Joe Biden's handling of the crisis has been "shameful" and "catastrophic."

The president has emphasized that Hamas does not represent all Palestinian people, who are also suffering, but some protesters told ABC News they didn't think Biden's language was strong enough.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

Oct 16, 2023, 2:35 PM EDT

Blinken and Netanyahu sheltered in a bunker for 5 minutes

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sheltered in a bunker for five minutes with the war cabinet and the rest of their meeting participants after rocket sirens went off in Tel Aviv on Monday, according to State Department spokesperson Matt Miller.

The meeting has since been moved and participants are going to an Israel Defense Forces command center to continue their discussions, Miller said.

Blinken returned to Israel on Monday to meet with Netanyahu. Miller said earlier that Blinken discussed in their meeting his "firm support" of Israel's right to defend itself and efforts to provide humanitarian aid and free hostages.

More than 2,600 people, including civilians and hundreds of children, have been killed and nearly 9,000 injured in Israel and Gaza since the war broke out on Saturday.
2:06

How to help victims of the Israel-Gaza conflict

More than 2,600 people, including civilians and hundreds of children, have been killed and nearly 9,000 injured in Israel and Gaza since the war broke out on Saturday.
ABCNews.com

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford

Oct 16, 2023, 2:05 PM EDT

2,000 US military personnel available for possible deployment to Middle East

The Pentagon has placed about 2,000 American troops on a heightened state of readiness to possibly deploy to the Middle East if they're needed, a U.S. official confirmed. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.

If these units are deployed, their purpose would be to serve as a deterrent.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Oct 16, 2023, 1:49 PM EDT

Hostages suffering from amputated limbs, severe injuries from rape: Israeli forum

The Israeli hostages in Gaza include an elderly women with Parkinson's disease, a 60-year-old man with multiple sclerosis and children with autism, according to the Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Other hostages are suffering from amputated limbs and severe injuries from rape, the group said.

The hostages are "enduring extreme conditions as time runs critically short," the group said.

The humanitarian organization is in the process of gaining access to hostages and helping secure their release.
4:26

Red Cross makes contact with Hamas leadership

The humanitarian organization is in the process of gaining access to hostages and helping secure their release.
ABCNews.com

The International Committee of the Red Cross said its met with Hamas leadership and is pushing Hamas for immediate release of the hostages.

The Red Cross is also asking Hamas to allow access to the hostages to provide care and to permit hostages to communicate with their families.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

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