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.


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


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US will soon be able to move thousands of Americans out of Israel by sea, sources say

The U.S. will soon have the capability to move thousands of American citizens and their families out of Israel by sea, two sources familiar with the planning told ABC News.

Those fleeing by sea will be taken to Cyprus aboard a cruise ship-like vessel set to depart from the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Monday, the sources said.

Boarding is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the U.S. State Department. Boarding will proceed in order of arrival as capacity permits.

Flight departures out of Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport will also continue "on a rolling basis" on Monday and Tuesday, according to the State Department.

"Please go to Ben Gurion International Airport, Terminal 3, if you wish to depart Israel," the State Department instructed travelers in an advisory on Sunday. "U.S. Embassy personnel will be present to direct you and provide specific flight information. Be prepared to wait."

-ABC News' Mary Alice Parks and Shannon Crawford


30 Americans now confirmed dead in Israel

The number of U.S. citizens killed in the Hamas attack on Israel rose to 30 on Sunday, according to the U.S. State Department.

At least 13 American nationals are still missing, a State Department spokesperson said.

The death toll for Americans killed in Israel rose from 29 on Saturday.

"At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 30 U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," the State Department spokesperson said. "At this time, we are also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted for. State Department personnel have been in contact with their families.

"The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts."

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford


Gaza running out of body bags, says UNRWA chief

With deaths mounting from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, the head of the U.N. Relief and Work Agency said Sunday that Gaza is running out of body bags.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, called a news conference Sunday to "raise the alarm" that as of Sunday he and his colleague are "no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance" in Gaza.

"In fact, Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity," Lazarrini said.

He said Gaza has no electricity and is running out of water fast.

He added that an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding under our eyes" in Gaza.

"Thousands of people have been killed, including children and women.  Gaza is now even running out of body bags," said Lazarrini.

The government media office in Gaza said is now considering digging mass graves, according to Reuters.

Lazarrini said 14 staff members of his agency are among the dead.

"They were teachers, engineers, guards and psychologists, an engineer and a gynecologist," Lazzarini said. "Most of our 13,000 UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip are now displaced or out of their homes."


Number of hostages held by Hamas rises

The number of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza is now believed to be 155, Israel Defense Forces said Sunday.

The number of hostages rose from 126 earlier Sunday, the IDF said. An undetermined number of Americans are believed to be among the hostages, according to U.S. officials.


Gaza evacuation: 'Those who want to save their life, please go south'

In his first on-camera comments about Israel’s evacuation request for northern Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged Gaza residents to head south. He noted that Hamas will use them as "camouflage," “therefore we need to separate them."

"Those who want to save their life, please go south. We are going to destroy Hamas infrastructures, Hamas headquarters, Hamas military," he said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who appeared at the press conference with Gallant, dodged ABC News' question about how Israel could end the Hamas terror threat without inevitably risking civilian lives. Austin called Israel's military "professional" and "disciplined."

Austin described how ISIS had also embedded themselves in civilian populations and how the anti-ISIS coalition "protected civilians and created corridors for humanitarian movement even in the midst of a pretty significant fight. So again, this is a professional force. It is well led, and I have every expectation that it will be disciplined."

Austin added, "I would tell you that in countering ISIS, I felt as if we were staring evil in the eye, it was truly evil. And what we've seen from Hamas, it takes that evil to another level."

-ABC News' Matt Seyler and Luis Martinez