Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages' release, Gaza humanitarian assistance

The residents of 14 Israeli communities near the border with Lebanon will be evacuated, state officials said Sunday.

"The IDF notified the relevant municipalities a short while ago," Israel's Ministry of Defense said in a statement posted on social media.

The ministry had last week announced the evacuation of 28 towns near the border, an area where Hezbollah militants have been firing rockets toward Israel.

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How Hezbollah could threaten Israel’s northern borderABC News’ Mola Lenghi reports from Lebanon on the militant group Hezbollah and its history and role in the Middle East, and whether a new conflict with Israel could break out amid the war in Gaza.

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Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved the evacuations announced on Sunday, the ministry's statement said.

The Pentagon announced Saturday evening that it will send an aircraft carrier and air defense systems to defend U.S. military troops in response to a growing number of attacks on U.S. facilities, presumably by Iranian-backed groups as tensions mount as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues.

The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower is now headed to the Middle East instead of to the eastern Mediterranean. Also, more air defense systems are headed to the Middle East – a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) missile battery that can intercept long-distance missiles, as well as more Patriot battalions to the Middle East to protect U.S. military forces, and also more U.S. troops stateside have been placed on a higher state of readiness to deploy if needed.

"Following detailed discussions with President Biden on recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The new U.S. military moves are a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict and Iranian proxy attacks on U.S. forces throughout the Middle East.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Large crowds gathered in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Washington D.C., London and other cities around the world to rally for Palestinians and call for a cease-fire for the conflict.

Many rally attendees waved Palestinian flags as they marched through the streets in all of the cities waving Palestinian flags and chanting "free Palestine."

There were no reports of arrests and the rallies went through peacefully.

On Friday, over 100 arrests were made for acts of civil disobedience as protesters sat down and blocked traffic in Manhattan, according to the NYPD.

Israel plans to step up its attacks on the Gaza Strip starting Saturday as preparation for the next stage of its war on Hamas, Israel's military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Saturday.

Asked about a possible ground invasion into Gaza, Hagari told reporters that the military was trying to create optimal conditions beforehand.

"We will deepen our attacks to minimize the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks, from today," Hagari said.

Hagari also said the IDF will conduct the invasion when it serves the IDF best. He repeated his call for residents of Gaza City to head south for their safety.