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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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.

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Oct 08, 2023, 12:56 PM EDT

Blinken says Americans believed to be among dead and missing

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said the Biden administration is working to verify reports that U.S. citizens are among the dead and missing in Isreal following Saturday's unprecedented attacks from Hamas into Israel from Gaza.

“We have reports that several Americans were killed. We are working overtime to verify that,” Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union. "There are reports of missing Americans."

Blinken called the attack the worst since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but added that there is a "fundamental difference."

"That was a war that was state-to-state, country-to-country, army-to-army. This is a massive terrorist attack that is gunning down Israeli civilians in their towns and their homes," Blinken said. "As we've seen so graphically, they're literally dragging people across the border with Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children. You can imagine the impact this is having throughout Israel and the world should be revolted at what it's seen."

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

Oct 08, 2023, 12:34 PM EDT

At least 600 dead in Israel, says Health Ministry

At least 600 people in Israel have been killed in the surprise attacks by Hamas and at least 370 have been killed in retaliatory strikes in Gaza, Israeli and Palestinian health officials said Sunday.

At least 2,156 people have been injured in Israel, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. At least, 2,200 have been injured in Gaza, the Palestinian Health Authority said.

-ABC News' Joseph Simonetti

Oct 08, 2023, 12:15 PM EDT

Christie says dysfunction of House could delay aid to Israel

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie slammed the dysfunctionin> the U.S. House of Representatives, where a small group of Republican lawmakers last week voted along with the Democratic minority to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for leaving it without a way to pass legislation, including foreign aid to Israel.

"What I would be doing is making sure, one, that Israel has everything that it needs to be able to take whatever actions it needs to take. And this is the problem with not having a speaker right now," Christie, the former New Jersey governor, told ABC News' "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Christie, a former ABC News contributor, added, "The actions taken by some members of my party were wholly irresponsible without this going on. They're now even putting a brighter light on the irresponsibility of not having someone in place."

Christie also said his top priorities if he were president would be engaging allies in the region, such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia, to keep the conflict from spreading and to serve as a "sounding board" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help him "think through the ramifications of every step they're going to take to defend themselves and to try to do the best they can to eliminate the leadership of Hamas."

-ABC Nicholas Kerr

Oct 08, 2023, 11:35 AM EDT

Israel says at least 100 civilians, soldiers are being held hostage

For the first time since Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas militants, the Israeli government confirmed that a number of people, including civilians, have been taken hostage.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from Ashkelon in southern Israel, on Oct. 8, 2023.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israel's Government Press Office said Sunday that at least 100 Israeli citizens and soldiers are being held hostage by Hamas fighters.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in separate interviews on CNN and NBC News that there is a possibility Americans are among those killed or taken hostage and that the U.S. Department of State is investigating.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

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