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 09, 2023, 4:27 PM EDT

At least 11 Americans killed, more may be among those held by Hamas

At least 11 Americans are among those killed in Israel, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at the military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 9, 2023. Bar Sade was killed after Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns.
Erik Marmor/AP

He added, "While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas."

"American citizens still remain unaccounted for, and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts," Biden said. "My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days. The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable."

An Israeli firefighter hands a drink to a young child next to a site struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

"I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts," Biden said.

Oct 09, 2023, 4:21 PM EDT

Latest on travel to and from Israel

All major U.S. airlines and a number of foreign carriers have suspended service to and from Israel.

Delta said it has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of October. American Airlines has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 13. United Airlines said its flights to and from Tel Aviv "will remain suspended until conditions allow them to resume."

Many other airlines, including Israeli flag carrier El Al, continue to operate flights.

Rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defence missile system in the early hours of Oct. 8, 2023.
Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration urged U.S. airlines and pilots to use caution when flying in Israeli airspace.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin for the airspace of Israel on Sunday, recommending air operators "ensure that a robust risk assessment is in place together with a high level of contingency planning for their operations and to be ready for short notice instructions from the Israeli authorities."

PHOTO: Israelis inspect the rubble of a building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Oct. 8, 2023.
Israelis inspect the rubble of a building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Oct. 8, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing hundreds and taking captives.
Oded Balilty/AP

-ABC News' Amanda Maile

Oct 09, 2023, 3:36 PM EDT

Netanyahu: Israel will set up emergency government

In the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said, "I call on the opposition leaders to immediately establish a national emergency government without preconditions."

"The people are united, and now the leadership needs to unite," he said, translated from Hebrew.

An Israeli man looks out from a window of a building that was hit following rockets from Gaza that were launched towards Israel in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Netanyahu said Israeli's strikes on Hamas "have only begun."

"We have eliminated many hundreds of terrorists and we will not stop there," he said.

Israeli soldiers take positions in their armored vehicles near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on Oct. 9, 2023.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

The prime minister said he's in constant contact with President Joe Biden and thanked the U.S. leader for his words and action.

He said "an American aircraft carrier, one of the largest in the world, is on its way to our region."

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Oct 09, 2023, 2:49 PM EDT

Father of missing 19-year-old American pleads for action

Itay Chen, a 19-year-old American citizen and Israel Defense Forces soldier, was at his IDF base at the Gaza border before he went missing over the weekend, according to his father, Ruby Chen.

"We got a message from him Saturday morning, 6:30 a.m., saying that there is bombing," Ruby Chen told ABC News. "That was the last time that we had any communication with him. Since then, he has been defined officially by the IDF as missing in action."

"My son, a U.S. citizen, is most likely in Gaza as we speak," he said.

Ruby Chen, the father of a U.S. citizen who is an IDF soldier, pleads for his son’s return after being classified missing in action.
7:08

Father of missing Israeli soldier pleads for his return

Ruby Chen, the father of a U.S. citizen who is an IDF soldier, pleads for his son’s return after being classified missing in action.
ABCNews.com

The terrified father is pleading for action.

"There are multiple U.S.-Israeli citizens that are in the same situation as we are," he said. "What we are asking from President Biden, in addition to condemning, is being more vicious in his request from the Hamas to abide to international law when it comes to [prisoners of war]. That means that they need to identify each POW that they have. It means that they need to provide and take care of their health and they need to allow the U.N. … to come and visit those prisoners of war."

"Please help me," he said.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

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