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
Demonstrators gather outside White House
Demonstrators in support of the Palestinian people have gathered in the rain outside the White House Saturday.
The demonstrators are calling for action, including a ceasefire from Israel, the opening of a humanitarian coordinator and unwavering support for Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
Flights bringing Floridians home from Israel to depart Saturday: DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters in Iowa Saturday that flights transporting Floridians home from Israel will leave Saturday and land throughout the day 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
Israel to strike Gaza City 'very soon'
Israel will "broadly attack Gaza City very soon," Israel Defense Forces Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a national broadcast address Saturday.
35,000 sheltering at Gaza's main hospital
About 35,000 people are sheltering at Shifa Hospital, Gaza City's main hospital, ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive, according to a hospital official.
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