Israel-Gaza updates: Israeli forces preparing for 'wide range of offensive plans'
Fighting is ongoing after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
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:
- At least 500 killed in explosion at Gaza hospital: Gaza Health Ministry
- IDF preparing to implement 'wide range of offensive plans'
- 3,000 tons of aid with nowhere to go as Gaza-Egypt border remains closed
- Biden to visit Israel
- Hostages suffering from amputated limbs, severe injuries from rape: Israeli forum
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.
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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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.
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.
Israeli strikes kill at least 71, Gaza officials say
Overnight Israeli air raids killed at least 71 people and injured at least 50 others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The strikes included attacks on Rafah, near a border crossing controlled by Egypt, and three homes that were bombed in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, official said.
The Israel Defense Forces says it hit Hamas targets.
Khan Younis is an area where the Israeli army has been urging people from northern Gaza to flee to. The border crossing in Rafah has seen thousands of people gather, waiting to cross into Egypt.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
IDF says it’s attacked Hamas tunnels, warehouses
Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday morning it had "attacked over 200 military terrorist infrastructures of" Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip.
The IDF said it hit targets including a bank used by Hamas to "finance terrorism in the Gaza Strip." Also attacked were underground tunnels, warehouses that IDF said contained weapons and “operational headquarters in the center of Gaza City."
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
'Acute security threats' preventing US from aiding Americans at Rafah crossing
As Americans inside Gaza wait for the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza to open, a senior State Department official said that Egypt has informed the U.S. that “there are acute security threats" preventing U.S. officials and others from aiding Americans inside Gaza.
The official added that the State Department has placed a team on the Egypt side of the border "as close to the border as conditions permit."
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Monday that Israel has not allowed the opening of the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza side.
Shoukry said, since the crisis broke out, Egypt "has been seeking to keep the crossing operational and in a way that allows the entry of humanitarian aid."
"Until now, unfortunately, the Israeli government has not taken a position to allow the opening of the crossing from the Gaza side for the entry of aid or the exit of nationals of [other] countries," Shoukry said. "We are ready and Egyptian authorities on the border are ready to get aid in and get nationals of third countries out."
He added that Egypt aims to keep normal operation of the border "for the entry of Palestinians with medical needs or the normal movement between the Strip and Egypt."
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford