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
Gaza, Egypt border not open yet for foreign evacuees
The Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt is not yet open to foreigners, including Americans, looking to evacuate. But if Americans who want to evacuate can move closer to the border crossing they should do so, because "there may be very little notice if the crossing opens and it may only open for a limited time," a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said.
We will continue to be in touch with private U.S. citizens to determine what assistance we may be able to provide," the spokesperson said.
A senior State Department official said the department is "in touch with a number of the roughly" 500 to 600 Palestinian-Americans "who have expressed interest in receiving information about leaving."
Hamas says 9 hostages killed in airstrikes
Hamas said nine hostages in Gaza have been killed by Israeli airstrikes over the last day.
Hamas commando forces leader killed, Israel says
The Israeli army and Israeli intelligence said they've targeted and killed Hamas commando forces leader Ali Qadi.
US did not ask Israel to hold off on a ground invasion: Official
The United States did not ask Israel to hold off or delay a ground invasion of Gaza, ABC News has learned.
“U.S. officials have not asked Israel to slow down. But discussions did include the importance of taking into account the safety of civilians during any operations,” according to a U.S. official.
The official said the Israelis took it under advisement.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
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