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.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: October 17, 2023, 4:16 PM EDT

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:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 16, 2023, 2:47 pm

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.

Friends and family mourn Dor Reder, who was killed following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, at his funeral in Beit Kama, southern Israel, Oct. 16, 2023.
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

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

Oct 09, 2023, 4:22 AM EDT

70 militants infiltrated Be'eri kibbutz overnight, IDF says

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said Monday morning that 70 militants had infiltrated Be'eri kibbutz in southern Israel overnight.

Speaking to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the IDF spokesperson said they suspect there is a tunnel in the area of Be'eri, which the military has been unable to wrest from the Hamas militant group. The kibbutz is located near Israel's southeastern border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The IDF is still gathering information on the Israeli civilians and soldiers being held hostage in Gaza, and not all families have been updated yet, according to the spokesperson.

-ABC News' Clark Bentson

Oct 09, 2023, 1:17 AM EDT

IDF claims to have hit 500 militant targets in Gaza Strip

For an operation now dubbed "Swords of Iron," the Israel Defense Forces said Monday that it had struck 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.

The attacks were carried out through the use of jets, helicopters and other aircraft, according to the IDF.

The IDF said seven of Hamas' command centers were struck in the mission.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota

Oct 09, 2023, 12:40 AM EDT

Iranian Mission to UN says Iran had no involvement in Hamas attack on Israel

An Iranian official at the UN denied that Iran had any involvement in Hamas' attack on Israel.

Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, had claimed on Saturday that Iran helped coordinate the attacks on Israel.

On Sunday, however, Iran's Mission to the UN, denied the claims.

“We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine; however, we are not involved in Palestine's response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself.,” the Iranian Mission to the UN said in a statement late Sunday. “The resolute measures taken by Palestine constitute a wholly legitimate defense against seven decades of oppressive occupation and heinous crimes committed by the illegitimate Zionist regime.”

A U.S. official said Saturday it was "too early" to tell if Iran had involvement in the attacks.

"We are going to be looking at that very closely," a senior administration official said.

-ABC News' Kirit Radia

Oct 08, 2023, 10:41 PM EDT

Israel attacks targeted locations on Gaza Strip: IDF

Israeli Defense Forces attacked the Gaza Strip early Monday morning local time, the IDF said in a series of posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The IDF attacked a building where it said Hamas operatives were and several operational headquarters of the organization, the IDF said in the posts.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

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