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."

Click here for the latest updates.

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 13, 2023, 12:24 PM EDT

IDF inside Gaza looking for hostages

Israeli special forces have been inside Gaza over the last few days trying to locate hostages, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson.

Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

"Infantry and armored forces searched and gathered in the area for findings that may help in the effort to locate the missing and thwarted terrorist infrastructure and terrorist cells found in the area, among which a cell of the terrorist organization Hamas fired anti-tank fire at Israeli territory," the IDF said. Israel's air force is continuing its attacks on Hamas in Gaza, the IDF said.

Israel said its alerted 120 families that their loved ones are held in Gaza.

Oct 13, 2023, 12:35 PM EDT

Reuters videographer killed

Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah was killed while providing a live signal in southern Lebanon, Reuters said.

Reuters' journalist Issam Abdallah holds a kitten while posing for a picture in Saaideh, Lebanon, July 4, 2023.
Emilie Madi/Reuters

"We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam’s family and colleagues," Reuters said. "Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time."

Two other Reuters journalists were injured.

Oct 13, 2023, 12:18 PM EDT

Biden speaks with families of 14 unaccounted for Americans

President Joe Biden on Friday morning spoke with family members of the 14 Americans who remain unaccounted for after the attack in Israel, according to the White House.

ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman reflects on the past week covering Israel's war with Hamas
1:54

Day 7 of the war in Israel

ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman reflects on the past week covering Israel's war with Hamas
ABCNews.com

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Oct 13, 2023, 12:09 PM EDT

Doctors Without Borders: Israeli order to evacuate northern Gaza 'outrageous'

Doctors Without Borders issued a statement Friday calling the Israeli government’s 24-hour notice to leave northern Gaza "outrageous."

"We are talking about more than a million human beings," Doctors Without Borders said in a statement. "'Unprecedented' doesn’t even cover the medical humanitarian impact of this. Gaza is being flattened, thousands of people are dying. This must stop now. We condemn Israel’s demand in the strongest possible terms."

The Israel Defense Force signals it's preparing for a ground invasion, but Hamas is telling people to stay where they are.
3:51

Israel urges more than a million Palestinians to evacuate Northern Gaza

The Israel Defense Force signals it's preparing for a ground invasion, but Hamas is telling people to stay where they are.
ABCNews.com

Over 423,000 people have been displaced in Gaza so far, according to the United Nations.

Related Topics