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 17, 2023, 9:17 AM EDT

John Kirby discusses safety concerns for Biden's trip to Israel and Jordan

President Joe Biden departs for the Middle East on Tuesday for in-person meetings with Israeli and Arab leaders amid concerns of an expanded conflict in the Israel-Hamas war.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told "Good Morning America" that Biden's focus is on the hostage situation, to make sure humanitarian aid can flow to civilians in Gaza, and to get an update from Israeli counterparts on their plans and ground operations.

The top National Security Council spokesman discusses the president's trip on Wednesday.
3:26

John Kirby talks President Joe Biden's trip to the Middle East

The top National Security Council spokesman discusses the president's trip on Wednesday.
ABCNews.com

Asked about safety concerns, Kirby said "there’s always a concern" wherever the president goes, and those concerns would be "appropriately addressed through the necessary force protection and personnel protection measures. "

Asked if Biden's visit also includes urging Israel to avoid a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza, Kirby reiterated that the U.S. is not telling the Israeli military how to operate but that civilians should be protected.

An Israeli soldier adjusts his rifle as he stands on a tank near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, Oct. 16, 2023.
Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Kirby added that it's "vital" that the administration gets supplemental funding from Congress for Israel and Ukraine.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Oct 17, 2023, 9:06 AM EDT

3,000 tons of aid with nowhere to go as Gaza-Egypt border remains closed

The Egyptian Food Bank has nearly 3,000 tons of aid, including food, medicine and blankets, ready to cross into Gaza to help its trapped residents, its CEO said. But for now, the trucks are sitting still as the Gaza-Egypt border remains closed.

Volunteers load food and supplies onto trucks in an aid convoy for Gaza on Oct. 16, 2023 in North Sinai, Egypt.
Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images
Qatari Amiri Air Force crew load food and medical aid to their cargo plane from the Qatar Fund for Development headed to Egypt for Gaza, at Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 16, 2023.
Qatar News Agency via Reuters

Mohsen Sarhan, the CEO of the Egyptian Food Bank, told ABC News he went to the border on Tuesday morning.

"You can see people dying, like, few miles away from you," he said. "Everyone in the world knows that these people have run out of water, and they have run out of medicine and have they have run out of food. And you have all that right in front of you. And you can't give it to the people. It's a human rights crisis. And it's very frustrating."

About 2 billion people, which is a quarter of the world’s population, is impacted by war each year.
2:08

War is one of the world’s worst public health crises

About 2 billion people, which is a quarter of the world’s population, is impacted by war each year.
Reuters

-ABC News' Matt Rivers

Oct 17, 2023, 8:06 AM EDT

Hamas says its holding 200 to 250 hostages

Hamas said its holding between 200 and 250 hostages. Hamas said, "We will release detainees of different nationalities when the means of doing so are available on the ground."

Israel has said 199 hostages were taken.

The terror group behind the brazen Oct. 7 attack released a video of 21-year-old French-Israeli citizen Mia Schem, who was kidnapped from the music festival.
4:40

Hamas releases video of apparent Israeli hostage

The terror group behind the brazen Oct. 7 attack released a video of 21-year-old French-Israeli citizen Mia Schem, who was kidnapped from the music festival.
ABCNews.com

Oct 17, 2023, 6:51 AM EDT

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

Roughly 2,000 U.S. troops have been put on a heightened state of readiness for possible deployment to the Middle East, a Pentagon official said Tuesday morning.

The statement from deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh also says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has extended the deployment of the USS Ford carrier strike group, which was coming to the end of a planned six-month deployment to Europe.

The Ford CSG was sent to the eastern Mediterranean after the Hamas terror attack on Israel as a deterrent to Iran and its proxies. It will be joined by the USS Eisenhower CSG.

"No decisions have been made to deploy any forces at this time. The Secretary will continue to assess our force posture and remain in close contact with allies and partners," the statement said.

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