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 14, 2023, 3:48 PM EDT

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.

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.
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Flights bringing Floridians home from Israel to depart Saturday: DeSantisFlorida 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.
ABCNews.com

"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

Oct 14, 2023, 1:31 PM EDT

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.

ABC News’ Ines de La Cuetara reports from Tel Aviv, Israel, on a “significant ground operation” that’s imminent.
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Israel to strike Gaza City 'very soon,' official says ABC News’ Ines de La Cuetara reports from Tel Aviv, Israel, on a “significant ground operation” that’s imminent.
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Oct 14, 2023, 1:17 PM EDT

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.

Oct 14, 2023, 12:54 PM EDT

Protests in Tel Aviv: 'Bibi is a murderer'

People have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv in protest of the Israeli government, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu for not protecting Israel's citizens.

Some chanted, "Bibi is a murderer."

ABC News' Matt Gutman is amongst dozens of protestors who are demanding Israel do more to find hostages.
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On the ground in Tel Aviv with protestors ABC News' Matt Gutman is amongst dozens of protestors who are demanding Israel do more to find hostages.
ABCNews.com

Posters of kidnapped men, women and children are plastered on the wall outside where Israeli leaders are meeting.

Many Israelis are concerned a ground incursion into Gaza would put hostages in harm's way and they said more focus should be on bringing hostages home.

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