Israel Defense Forces says it's 'in formation' to strike Gaza City
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Updated October 15, 2023 at 10:49 AM ET
Israel Defense Forces said Sunday they were "in formation" to strike Gaza City, as troops massed on the border ready for an apparent ground invasion.
Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said that northern Gaza will be the center of Israel's next counterattack in an effort to strike Hamas leaders.
"Gaza City is where the focus and the hub of Hamas activities are, that is where most of the commanders are, most of their infrastructure and their ability to continue to operate," Conricus said Saturday night.
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He added that troops are "in formation" surrounding the Gaza Strip for the next stage of operations.
It comes as a second U.S. carrier strike group — the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group — has been ordered to begin moving into the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Saturday.
The Israeli military said on Sunday it would continue to allow Gazans to evacuate south and hundreds of thousands had already moved. On Friday, 1.1 million people living in the north of Gaza were told to to evacuate within 24 hours.
The IDF on Sunday again urged Gaza residents to move from the northern part of Gaza to the south and said that it would not carry out any operations along the evacuation route during a three-hour period midday.
"Be assured, Hamas leaders have already ensured their safety and that of their families," the IDF said in its statement.
The Israeli military said it received a report from a Gaza resident that Hamas had confiscated residents' personal belongings in order to prevent them from evacuating.
Medics in Gaza warned on Sunday that thousands could die if hospitals run out of fuel and basic supplies. Water and electricity are scarce.
Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 2,329 Palestinians, with more than 9,714 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry announced, and one million people had reportedly left their homes.
The IDF has said that the number of confirmed Israeli hostages being held in Gaza is 126. Hamas has previously claimed that 13 hostages have been killed within Gaza by Israeli airstrikes. It said there were foreigners among those who died, without specifying their nationalities.
Israel has launched a massive response to the deadly attack launched on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants that left more than 1,300 people dead in southern Israel, including 29 U.S. citizens.
The Israeli military also said on Sunday that at least 286 of its soldiers have been killed in the past week.
In addition, at least 55 people have been reported killed in the West Bank, with more than 1,200 wounded, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced.
The IDF said Sunday that nine rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory and that the Israeli military struck the site where the attack originated.
NPR News contacted Gaza resident Haneen Okal on Saturday, who was stuck at the Rafah gate in the South of Gaza.
"Lots of people are waiting here in front of the Palestinian gate. They all are waiting to get out of here, but the Palestinians are not here to open the gate and the Egyptians are not there yet too from the Egyptian side. So we are all waiting, what's going to happen? Nobody has any information." she said.
Pope Francis said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he was following "with great sorrow" the latest developments in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
"I renew my appeal for the freeing of the hostages and I strongly ask that children, the sick, the elderly, women, and all civilians not be made victims of the conflict," he said.
Peter Kenyon reported from Jerusalem and Juliana Kim and Joe Hernandez reported from Washington, D.C.
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