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."
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.
IDF fighter jets strike over 200 'terror targets' in Gaza overnight
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday morning that its fighter jets had struck more than 200 "terror targets" in the Gaza Strip overnight.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Gaza, Oct. 10, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
All targets were located in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Yunis, which the IDF said are both used as "terror hubs" for Gaza's militant rulers Hamas and that "a large number of terror attacks against Israel are directed there."
A view shows houses and buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City, Oct. 10, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Among the targets struck were a Hamas weapons storage site and a Hamas operational command center, both located inside a mosque, according to the IDF.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
Oct 09, 2023, 9:38 PM EDT
FBI 'aggressively' investigating any reports of impacted Americans in Israel
The FBI said it is working "aggressively" to investigate reports of Americans who have been impacted by the Hamas attacks on Israel.
"We are closely coordinating with our counterparts in the region as well as other international partners," the FBI said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.
The statement continued: "Through our Legal Attache' office in Israel, FBI personnel are working with our partners on the ground to locate and identify any impacted Americans. Reports of deceased, injured or missing Americans are being treated with the utmost urgency and aggressively investigated. The FBI's Victim Services Division is coordinating with the Department of State to assist, as necessary, with family engagement."
Oct 09, 2023, 8:57 PM EDT
IDF says it will fight war 'as long as it takes'
The Israel Defense Forces will fight this war "as long as it takes," spokesperson Lt. Col. Res. Jonathan Conricus told ABC News in an interview on Monday.
"The goal that we have been given so far by the Israeli government is to make sure that Hamas doesn't have any military capabilities that they can use to threaten or murder Israeli citizens. That means to eradicate their ability to terrorize Israelis," Conricus said.
"That's what we've been tasked to do so far -- that may change, expand, and include political things as well as in their ability to govern, but as of now, what we're focusing on with the aerial strikes that are ongoing and the preparations of the other troops around the Gaza Strip is to strip Hamas of all of their military capabilities," he added.
A fireball erupts from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Oct. 9, 2023.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
The IDF is looking at "difficult and hard passes ahead," but Saturday's attack by Hamas fighters was a "watershed moment" that has fundamentally changed how the IDF responds, according to Conricus.
"Bottom line, what was true and perhaps worked for years before, won't cut the situation now and we are moving forward," he said.
In addition, 300,000 IDF reservists who were called up are "now in southern Israel," according to Conricus.
"We have mobilized our troops before -- the second Lebanon war comes to mind," he added. "But this is definitely very, very significant."
-ABC News' Matt Gutman, Ellie Kaufman and Becky Perlow
Oct 09, 2023, 6:42 PM EDT
US, France, Germany, Italy, UK release joint statement condemning Hamas
The White House released a statement shortly after President Biden spoke with key allies about the latest developments in Israel.
The leaders expressed their "steadfast and united support to the State of Israel, and our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism."
"We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned," the statement read.
The leaders said they will support Israel's right to defend itself.
"We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage," they said.
A medic runs as he carries an injured Palestinian child to ambulance in this screengrab taken from a video, in Gaza, Oct. 9, 2023.
Stringer/Reuters
At the same time, the leaders said they "recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike."
"But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed," the statement read.
