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."

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."

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

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.

Israeli authorities released images Thursday of babies they said were killed and burned by Hamas. The images were shown to Secretary of State Antony Blinken by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government during his visit to Israel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry told ABC News the photos were taken by ZAKA, the organization that removed the bodies, in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz near the Gaza border where Israeli military officials said more than 100 people were killed by Hamas fighters.

Two Hamas officials, who did not provide their names, claimed in a video statement released Thursday that fighters were instructed to not target civilians and had tried to avoid harming them.

“Sadly the Hamas PR machine is now trying to claim that they did not target children and women specifically and that it was not their intention which is a blatant lie and a fake campaign to try and distance themselves from the massacre they carried out," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. "That is why sadly we have to tweet pictures of babies they killed."