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
Blinken: 'Our focus now is on helping to create safe zones' in Gaza
At a press conference with the Qatari prime minister, Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed efforts to implement safe zones in Gaza and provide other humanitarian assistance, but did not shed additional light on efforts to evacuate Americans and other foreign nationals ahead of a potential Israeli ground incursion.
"When it comes to providing for civilians in Gaza, both ensuring that they can be out of harm's way and that they can have access to the support that they need -- the humanitarian assistance the food, the medicine, water -- our focus now is on helping to create safe zones. And we're doing that with leading international organizations, and we're doing that engaged with Israel," Blinken said.
But Blinken said that those efforts to help Palestinians were still being actively hindered by Hamas.
"Hamas continues to use innocent civilians as human shields," he said.
"We know the humanitarian situation is urgent. We're actively engaged with partners, including Qatar, to get aid to the those who need it," he said.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
Convoy of fleeing civilians struck in Gaza, 70 killed
Seventy people were killed and 200 were injured in an Israeli strike on a convoy of civilians heading from northern Gaza to central Gaza, according to the Palestinian government press office.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
1st US charter flight left Israel, headed to Europe
The first U.S. charter flight to evacuate Americans from Israel has departed the country and is now en route to Europe, John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, told reporters on Friday. Kirby didn’t provide the exact destination in Europe.
He said more flights are expected to depart "in the coming days" and that "the State Department will continue to organize these charter flights for as long as there is a demand from US citizens for departure assistance."
He said the U.S. is still exploring "other options" to expand evacuation capacity, which also includes an option by sea.
Kirby also spoke to the heightened alert across the U.S.
"I want to be completely and crystal clear on one thing: At this time, none of our intelligence agencies have any specific intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel," Kirby stressed.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
IDF inside Gaza looking for hostages
Israeli special forces have been inside Gaza over the last few days trying to locate hostages, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson.
"Infantry and armored forces searched and gathered in the area for findings that may help in the effort to locate the missing and thwarted terrorist infrastructure and terrorist cells found in the area, among which a cell of the terrorist organization Hamas fired anti-tank fire at Israeli territory," the IDF said. Israel's air force is continuing its attacks on Hamas in Gaza, the IDF said.
Israel said its alerted 120 families that their loved ones are held in Gaza.
Israel agrees to form emergency unity government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chairman of the State Camp Benny Gantz on Wednesday agreed on the establishment of an emergency government and a war management cabinet.
The war management cabinet includes the prime minister, the defense minister and the chairman of the state camp. A place in the cabinet will be reserved for the chairman of the opposition if he joins.
During the war period, no bills or government decisions will be promoted that do not concern the conduct of the war.
Israel’s Emergency Unity Government will be sworn in Thursday at 6 p.m. local time.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky and Jordana Miller