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
Agreement reached to allow foreigners to leave Gaza
Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, according to a senior State Department official.
“So we have been trying to facilitate access for [the Rafah Border Crossing] to be open from 12 to 5 today. The Egyptians, the Israelis and the Qataris have been working with us on that,” the official said.
They added: “That said, it’s not clear at all if Hamas was going to allow people to make it to Rafah.”
When asked about the number of U.S. citizens, the official said, “We are in touch with a number of the roughly 500-600 (Palestinian-Americans)…who have expressed interest in receiving information about leaving.”
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford
'The Palestinian citizens in Gaza are not our enemies': IDF
Early Saturday morning, Israel Defense Forces Lt Col. Jonathan Conricus went live on X to give an update on the 24-hour evacuation notice issued in Gaza on Friday.
Conricus stated, "The Palestinian citizens in Gaza are not our enemies," saying IDF doesn’t assess them as such, and if they did "the situation in Gaza would be different."
"We have seen a significant movement of Palestinian civilians toward the south, we have seen people listening to our warning, understanding that they are moving out of a dangerous area," said Conricus.
The IDF advertised their intentions in advance "not because it has any military logic" but because "we want civilians not to be affected by the war," said Conricus.
"They are not our enemy, we are not trying to kill or injure any civilians, we are fighting against Hamas."
Human Rights Watch says IDF used white phosphorus munitions over Gaza
Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying it violated international humanitarian law by putting civilians at unnecessary risk.
In a report released Thursday, Human Rights Watch said it based its determination on a video it said it has verified, as well as two eyewitness accounts.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement to ABC News that claims they used white phosphorus in Gaza are "unequivocally false."
ABC News geolocated a video showing a jellyfish-shaped plume of white smoke over the port of Gaza. The video was posted on Wednesday by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA and matches images posted on social media and by other news outlets on the day.
Two experts -- Amael Kotlarski, the weapons team manager for the defense intelligence firm Janes, and Amnesty International weapons investigator Brian Castner -- told ABC News that images suggested munitions deployed over the port of Gaza on Wednesday appeared to contain white phosphorus.
"We have verified that Israeli artillery forces striking Gaza are equipped with M825 and M825A1155mm white phosphorus projectiles," Castner told ABC News, pointing to photographs by an Anadolu Agency photographer taken on Monday and showing Israeli troops handling shells labeled "M825A1."
Kotlarski said visual evidence alone was not sufficient to confirm that these specific shells were used in the Gaza port strikes.
There are "perfectly legal" military uses for white phosphorus munitions, Kotlarski said, including to create a smoke screen to conceal movements, to mark targets for artillery or air strikes, or to illuminate a battlefield. However, its use in urban areas is "problematic due to the higher risk of collateral damage," Kotlarski said, including the munitions' potential to cause severe burns.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton said Friday the U.S. had not independently verified allegations Israel used white phosphorous "so that is not something I would want to speculate about or weigh in on at this time."
-ABC News' Christopher Looft, Ben Gittleson and Jordana Miller
What are the rules of war? And how do they apply to Israel's actions in Gaza?
Six days after a brutal attack by armed Hamas militants on Israeli civilians, Israel ordered an evacuation of more than 1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza ahead of what could be an unprecedented ground offensive there against Hamas.
The U.S. and other nations have repeatedly warned Israel to follow the "rules of war."
But what are they? And will they prevent civilians from being hurt?
Here's what to know about international humanitarian laws and how they might apply in the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty
Israel to 'launch a massive attack on Hamas' in 'next few days,' Naftali Bennett says
ABC foreign correspondent James Longman spoke with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said Israel has taken "a big hit, there's no way around that."
"But we're at war right now," he said. "We're between the first phase where we took the huge hit and the second phase where we're hitting back."
"Over the next few days, we're going to launch a massive attack on Hamas. It's going to be tough, it's going to be long," Bennett continued, later adding: "Israel is ready to fight."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during an during an emergency cabinet meeting, "Hamas thought we would be demolished. It is we who will demolish Hamas," Reuters reported.
Watch Bennett's interview here: