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."
Click here for the latest updates.
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.
Click here for the full timeline
Schumer says Senate will not wait for House to act on aid package for Israel
The Senate will start working on a compressive aid package for Israel despite dysfunction in the House of Representatives, which remains without a speaker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday.
"We’re not waiting for the House. We believe if the Senate acts in a strong bipartisan way, it may indeed improve the chances that the House, even with its current dysfunction, will act," Schumer told reporters in Tel Aviv.
Schumer led a bipartisan delegation of senators to Israel to meet with high-ranking government officials following the Oct. 7 deadly terror attacks by Hamas. On Sunday, Schumer and other members of the delegation were rushed into a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv to wait out a rocket attack, according to a social media post from the New York senator.
-ABC News' Davone Morales
Israel to 'launch a massive attack on Hamas' in 'next few days,' Naftali Bennett says
ABC foreign correspondent James Longman spoke with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said Israel has taken "a big hit, there's no way around that."
"But we're at war right now," he said. "We're between the first phase where we took the huge hit and the second phase where we're hitting back."
"Over the next few days, we're going to launch a massive attack on Hamas. It's going to be tough, it's going to be long," Bennett continued, later adding: "Israel is ready to fight."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during an during an emergency cabinet meeting, "Hamas thought we would be demolished. It is we who will demolish Hamas," Reuters reported.
Watch Bennett's interview here:
US 'working around the clock' to help Americans leave Gaza: Sullivan
As time dwindles ahead of an anticipated Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, the U.S. is calling on fleeing citizens to head toward the southern border crossing to Egypt.
"We have been working around the clock. We have an entire dedicated team that is working on nothing but this: helping American citizens who are in Gaza be able to get safe passage through the border crossing to Egypt," Jake Sullivan told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Sunday morning urged U.S. citizens trapped in the Gaza Strip to move to southern Gaza along the main highway, the Salah al-Din Street.
Israeli military spokesman gives update, warns Hezbollah
"We are currently striking Hamas in its entirety," Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told ABC News "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday.
"We did not ask for this war, but we will win it," he said.
Lerner also had a message for Hezbollah.
"I would highly recommend that Hezbollah watch very closely what is happening to Hamas and the organization in Gaza as we speak," he said. "They should be very cautious of crossing that threshold, because we are determined to defend the state of Israel."
Israeli forces have been engaging in skirmishes with the Lebanese militant group along Israel's northern border with Lebanon in the days since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7.
Watch the interview here:
-ABC News' Tal Axelrod
Blinken says US condemns Hamas' attack on Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement condemning Hamas' attack on Israel, saying the U.S. will "remain in close contact with our Israel partners."
"The United States unequivocally condemns the appalling attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israel, including civilians and civilian communities. There is never any justification for terrorism. We stand in solidarity with the government and people of Israel, and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks," Blinken said in a statement.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford