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
Fighting ongoing near Lebanon border
Fighting is ongoing in northern Israel near the Lebanon border, where huge plumes of smoke are visible.
The Israel Defense Forces said there was an explosion Friday at the security fence adjacent to Hanita, Israel, which is along the border. The IDF said it's responding with artillery fire toward Lebanon.
"Additionally, an alert was activated concerning the infiltration of terrorists into the community," the IDF said, and Israeli "soldiers are currently searching the area."
Hamas using roofs of residential buildings to launch drones: IDF
The Israel Defense Forces said Hamas is using roofs of residential buildings in Gaza to launch its hostile unmanned aerial vehicles.
Israeli planes have targeted dozens of these launch sites, the IDF said.
"This is further proof Hamas deliberately uses civilian building for military purposes," the IDF said. "The IDF will continue to operate in order to destroy Hamas' hostile UAV capabilities."
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
Sec. Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority President Abbas
During his meeting in Jordan with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed the need to cool tension across the West Bank and prevent the conflict from becoming broader, the State Department said.
“The Secretary extended his condolences to the families of Palestinian civilian victims of this conflict, and reiterated that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people's legitimate right to dignity, freedom, justice, and self-determination,” a readout from department spokesperson Matt Miller said.
"The Secretary thanked President Abbas and his team for their work to further calm the situation for the benefit of Palestinians, Israelis, and the tens of thousands of Americans who also call the West Bank home. Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to cooperation with the Palestinian leadership and people on efforts to ensure security for all," Miller continued.
Hostages suffering from amputated limbs, severe injuries from rape: Israeli forum
The Israeli hostages in Gaza include an elderly women with Parkinson's disease, a 60-year-old man with multiple sclerosis and children with autism, according to the Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Other hostages are suffering from amputated limbs and severe injuries from rape, the group said.
The hostages are "enduring extreme conditions as time runs critically short," the group said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its met with Hamas leadership and is pushing Hamas for immediate release of the hostages.
The Red Cross is also asking Hamas to allow access to the hostages to provide care and to permit hostages to communicate with their families.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky