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
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.
US citizens in Gaza urged to move south
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Sunday morning urged U.S. citizens trapped in the Gaza Strip to move to southern Gaza along the main highway, the Salah al-Din Street.
U.S. citizens who can do so safely were advised by the embassy to flee to the south of the Gaza Valley toward the city of Khan Younis as U.S. officials work on potential options for getting them out of Gaza.
As of Sunday morning, the only exit to the south of Gaza, the Rafah crossing at the Egyptian border, remained closed to all seeking to flee Gaza, officials said.
But Tala Herzallah, a Palestinian woman trapped in Gaza, told ABC News Sunday that Israel Defense Forces are continuing to bomb both Khan Younis and Rafah, saying homes were hit in the areas Saturday night.
"They’re telling us to move there, and then they are bombing the houses there without warning people," Herzallah said.
The military conflict between Israel and Hamas is ongoing, making identifying departure options for U.S. citizens complex, the U.S. Embassy said.
Embassy officials encouraged U.S. citizens to complete a crisis intake form to provide contact information "should we need to reach out to you on short notice."
-ABC News' Clark Bentson