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


0

'Hamas is not letting people evacuate': IDF

Early Sunday morning, Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus went live on X and stated Hamas is blocking "the evacuation of civilians."

IDF said Hamas issued warnings to residents in Gaza to ignore Israel’s evacuation notice that was issued Friday morning. When civilians did try to leave, Hamas "stopped civilians” and “convoys of Gazan civilians trying to flee," according to Conricus.

Conricus said, "Through the night, rockets were fired at Tel Aviv and southern Israel" and combat is happening "in and around" the northern part of the Gaza Strip while the IDF is continuing to attack "different military targets belonging to Hamas."

"The next stage of operations will be enhanced operations against Hamas until we dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities," said the IDF spokesperson.


Planes have left Israeli airspace and are on their 'way to Florida': DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Saturday, "We already have planes that have left Israel air space and are on its way to Florida. We are going to end up having hundreds and hundreds of Floridians that are going to be brought back to Florida in the ensuing days."

DeSantis told reporters earlier in the day the planes will land on Sunday.

"We have a lot of Floridians there," DeSantis said Friday. "The federal government really wasn't doing what they needed to do get people out, so we just did an executive order yesterday. We’re going to be sending flights from Israel, back to Florida."

-ABC News' Will McDuffie and Hannah Demissie


IDF on next steps as Gaza becomes an 'active combat zone'

In an interview with ABC News' Phil Lipof, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said they are preparing for an "intensification of our combat operations."

"The aim of our operation is to dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities to make sure that Hamas will never again have the ability to kill or abduct or threaten Israeli civilians," Conricus said.

Conricus said more than 400,000 people have evacuated Gaza to the south before it becomes an "active combat zone." Asked about the risk to civilians who remain, he conceded it will be a "difficult and dangerous" environment for them.

"Wherever applicable and wherever the situation on the ground allows us to do so, we will spare the life of civilians and we will try to apply our force in such a way that it causes minimal damage to civilians," he said.

"We will do our best not to strike civilians. They are not our enemy," he added.


Iran's Mission to the UN warns of 'far-reaching consequences' of Gaza attack

Iran's Mission to the United Nations warned Saturday of "far-reaching consequences" if Israel doesn't stop attacking Gaza.

"If the Israeli apartheid’s war crimes & genocide are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control & ricochet far-reaching consequences," Iran's Mission to the UN said on X, adding the responsibility lies with the international community.

Earlier Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also called on Israel to stop its attacks, warning that the conflict could spread, The Associated Press reported.


IDF says Hamas fighters 'are still hiding' in Israeli communities

Hamas fighters are believed to be "still hiding" in some communities in southern Israel even after the Israeli military took back control, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesman Maj. Doron Spielman.

"We are in control of the communities, but we actually assume that there are Hamas terrorists that are still hiding in these areas, including in the road where we are now," Spielman told ABC News during an interview Monday in Sderot, Israel. "In all these communities, we've seen terrorist come out of hiding. Just yesterday, they took over an ambulance."

"We're still being very, very careful," he added. "This is a war zone with active terrorists that are operating here."

Sderot is a southwestern Israeli city located near the county's border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. A police station there was stormed by Hamas fighters on Saturday as part of the militant group's wider incursion, leaving at least six Israeli police officers dead. The IDF then bombed the police station with the Hamas fighters inside, demolishing it.

Hamas fighters and other Palestinian militants are "striking strategic locations" along the border fence, allowing them to drive through in pickup trucks, Spielman said. Civilians in some of the local communities have been ordered to evacuate, while others have left voluntarily, according to Spielman.

"We do have a lot of ground troops in this area. We have a lot of tanks. We have, in addition, artillery. And we're prepared forever for anything," he said. "And if it happens, the next stage, it's going to happen here because this is the area that was the flashpoint and this is the area we're going to be presenting ourselves and finishing this battle. We, of course, have no choice but to finish."

When asked about the mounting casualties of Palestinian civilians in Gaza as a result of the IDF's retaliatory airstrikes, Spielman said: "We always try to avoid civilian casualties. However, I would say that this is war and our first priority here is to destroy Hamas."

-ABC News' Angus Hines and Ian Pannell