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."
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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
Israel has gone 'beyond' self-defence, Chinese foreign minister says
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a Saudi official that Israel's "behavior has gone beyond the scope of self-defense."
He called for a stop to the "collective punishment of the people of the Gaza" during a call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, according to China's official readout of the call.
"Israel's behavior has gone beyond the scope of self-defense, and it should carefully listen to the appeals of the international community and the United Nations secretary-general to stop the collective punishment of the people in Gaza," he said.
-ABC News' Karson Yiu
Ship for US nationals to sail from Israel to Cyprus
U.S. nationals in Israel were being directed to board a ship scheduled to leave Israel on Monday morning.
The hourlong boarding in Haifa, a port city in northern Israel, is expected to begin at 8 a.m., officials at the U.S. Embassy in Israel said in an alert on Sunday morning.
“Boarding will proceed in order of arrival and is on a space limited basis,” the alert said.
IDF says it's ceasing operations along evacuation 'route' for 3-hour window
The Israel Defense Forces urged residents of Gaza City and northern Gaza to continue evacuating Sunday morning
IDF initially ordered a 24-hour evacuation on Friday, which was met with criticism from some humanitarian organizations as well as the United Nations, which said it was informed just after midnight local time that the entire population -- more than 1.1 million residents -- of northern Gaza should be evacuated.
Strike kills Hamas commander behind Nirim attack, Israel says
The commander of a Hamas unit responsible for leading an attack on Kibbutz Nirim was killed in a strike overnight, Israeli military officials said.
Billal Al Kedra, the leader in the southern arm of Hamas commando forces, Khan Yunis Nukhba, was "neutralized" as fighter jets strafed areas of Gaza, officials said in a statement.
"The IDF also struck over one hundred military targets located in Zaytun, Khan Yunis, and west Jabaliya," Israel said. "These strikes impacted the capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization, by targeting its operational command centers, military compounds, dozens of launchers, anti-tank missile launch posts and observation posts."
Israeli officials say images of dead babies taken in Kfar Aza
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."