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 15, 2023, 7:24 AM EDT

Hamas attempts to slow Gaza evacuation, Israeli military says

A Gaza resident said Hamas fighters were attempting to slow the evacuation of northern Gaza, using measures that included stealing car keys, Israel's military said.

"They are preventing people from leaving," the Gaza resident told an Israeli military officer in a phone call, the audio of which was somewhat garbled and which was recorded, translated and released by the Israeli Defense Forces. The audio appeared to be a clip of a longer conversation.

PHOTO: Palestinians fleeing from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an unprecedented evacuation warning ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion, on Oct. 13, 2023.
Palestinians fleeing from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an unprecedented evacuation warning to a population of over 1 million people in northern Gaza and Gaza City to seek refuge in the south ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion, on Oct. 13, 2023.
Hatem Moussa/AP

The man, whom IDF identified only as a resident of Jabalya, in northern Gaza, said Hamas has been "taking the ID card and the car keys" of some locals. Israel has ordered some 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate immediately ahead of an expected ground invasion.

"You mean the movement? Hamas?" a person identified as an IDF officer said in the recording. "Who is stopping you? Hamas?"

"Yes, yes," the Gaza resident replied.

Thousands are leaving Gaza and heading south toward the Egyptian border, hoping to reach safety before an expected Israeli ground offensive.
2:02
Desperate race to escape GazaThousands are leaving Gaza and heading south toward the Egyptian border, hoping to reach safety before an expected Israeli ground offensive.
ABCNews.com
Oct 15, 2023, 7:02 AM EDT

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.

In this file photo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a press conference following the EU-China High-Level Strategic Dialogue, in Beijing, China, Friday Oct. 13, 2023.
Andres Martinez Casares/AP

"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

Oct 15, 2023, 4:05 AM EDT

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.

This file photo shows a general view of the Haifa Port, in Haifa, Israel, July 24, 2022.
Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

“Boarding will proceed in order of arrival and is on a space limited basis,” the alert said.

Oct 15, 2023, 3:53 AM EDT

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.

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