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.
Click here for the full timeline
Situation in Gaza 'about as bad as it can get': Sari Bashi
The situation in Gaza is "about as bad as it can get," Sari Bashi, program director of Human Rights Watch, told ABC News Live Sunday.
"People are being forced to drink brackish, untreated water because the price of bottled water has gone up beyond what most people can afford," Bashi said. "Food is short, there is no electricity. Even emergency generators that hospitals have are running low on fuel, and supplies are dwindling."
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US congressional delegation to Israel rushed to bomb shelter
While on a bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, Senate Majority Leader Chuck 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 Schumer.
"It shows you what Israelis have to go through," Schumer said in his post on X, which included a photo showing him and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, a Romney staff and several others huddled in the small bomb shelter.
US citizens in Gaza urged to move south
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.
U.S. citizens who can do so safely were advised by the embassy to flee to the south of the Gaza Valley toward the city of Khan Younis as U.S. officials work on potential options for getting them out of Gaza.
As of Sunday morning, the only exit to the south of Gaza, the Rafah crossing at the Egyptian border, remained closed to all seeking to flee Gaza, officials said.
But Tala Herzallah, a Palestinian woman trapped in Gaza, told ABC News Sunday that Israel Defense Forces are continuing to bomb both Khan Younis and Rafah, saying homes were hit in the areas Saturday night.
"They’re telling us to move there, and then they are bombing the houses there without warning people," Herzallah said.
The military conflict between Israel and Hamas is ongoing, making identifying departure options for U.S. citizens complex, the U.S. Embassy said.
Embassy officials encouraged U.S. citizens to complete a crisis intake form to provide contact information "should we need to reach out to you on short notice."
-ABC News' Clark Bentson
Hamas attempts to slow Gaza evacuation, Israeli military says
A Gaza resident said Hamas fighters were attempting to slow the evacuation of northern Gaza, using measures that included stealing car keys, Israel's military said.
"They are preventing people from leaving," the Gaza resident told an Israeli military officer in a phone call, the audio of which was somewhat garbled and which was recorded, translated and released by the Israeli Defense Forces. The audio appeared to be a clip of a longer conversation.
The man, whom IDF identified only as a resident of Jabalya, in northern Gaza, said Hamas has been "taking the ID card and the car keys" of some locals. Israel has ordered some 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate immediately ahead of an expected ground invasion.
"You mean the movement? Hamas?" a person identified as an IDF officer said in the recording. "Who is stopping you? Hamas?"
"Yes, yes," the Gaza resident replied.
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