Thousands march in Auckland demanding sanctions on Israel

Thousands of demonstrators are taking part in a pro-Palestinian march in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, in what organisers said was the largest rally of its kind since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Some 50,000 attended the March for Humanity rally in central Auckland on Saturday morning, the Aotearoa for Palestine group said. New Zealand police estimated the attendance at 20,000.

Many in the protest crowd carried Palestinian flags and banners with slogans including “Don’t normalise genocide” and “Grow a spine stand with Palestine”, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.

Aotearoa for Palestine said it wanted New Zealand’s centre-right coalition government to impose sanctions on Israel.

Netherlands threatens to boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates

The Netherlands has announced it will boycott the 2026 Eurovision in Vienna if Israel participates, joining other European countries that have threatened to withdraw from the song contest over Israel’s war on Gaza.

Irish broadcaster RTE released a similar statement earlier saying participating would be “unconscionable” as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza. Iceland said it may withdraw from the contest, and the Spanish PM has called for Israel to be booted from the competition.

Overnight Gaza City attacks nothing short of terror

Strikes continued overnight and into the early hours of this morning. People were forced out of their homes after the Israeli army issued threats, giving them just a few minutes to get out of buildings marked as targets.

People rushed onto the streets with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, looking for shelter. And there is no safe place for them to go. What happened is nothing short of terror.

At the moment, I can hear the sound of drones in the background and quadcopters hovering towards the northeastern part of Gaza City. Looming on the horizon is a larger operation to destroy more residential buildings.


_{Rubble is scattered following the overnight Israeli attack}

Israeli attack kills aid seekers in central Gaza

Israeli forces have fired at a group of people seeking aid in the central Wadi Gaza area, killing at least four and wounding three others, according to a medical source quoted by our colleagues on the ground.

Casualties after Israel bombs three homes in Gaza City

According to initial reports, there were several people inside a cluster of homes in Gaza City [part of the al-Rayas residential block Israel issued evacuation threats for] when it was bombed. The people were trying to salvage belongings from their homes when the bombs were dropped. Three homes were bombed.

Almost simultaneously, a school in the Shati refugee camp was threatened before it was bombed. People were forced to run and scramble, panicking because they had no shelter to go to.

We are seeing a significant increase in aerial attacks across Gaza City – from the north to the centre to the south – in what appears to be an attempt by the Israeli military to drive people out.

Seven more people die of malnutrition in Gaza

In its latest update, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that seven more people, including two children, have died “due to famine and malnutrition”. That brings the total number of hunger-related deaths in the enclave to 420, including 145 children, according to the ministry’s tally.

Israeli army says ‘intensifying pace’ of Gaza City attacks, orders civilians to flee

The Israeli army has warned its forces are “increasing the pace of attacks” in Gaza City and issued more threats against Palestinians, warning them to flee south.

In a post on X, the army spokesperson claimed that more than 250,000 people have already fled the city and urged those remaining to take al-Rashid Street towards al-Mawasi or camps in the centre of the enclave.

“Despite intense bombardment in Gaza City, many residents have stayed put – or returned after seeking shelter elsewhere – because many of Israel’s designated evacuation zones are desperately overcrowded and under-resourced, including lacking proper water access,” reports Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud.

_{Displaced Palestinians move southwards after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate, on September 12}

‘It’s all lies’: Al-Mawasi offers no safety to displaced Palestinians

Faraj Ashour, a displaced Palestinian who was forced to flee Gaza City with his family to the so-called “humanitarian zone”, al-Mawasi, spoke to Al Jazeera about their situation.

“If I ask my son to go and get food … I’m sending him to [his] death,” Ashour said.

“Everything the Israelis say is a lie and people believe it. People want some security, but there is none. Even in the south. I would advise people to stay on their land and die there.

“I went to al-Mawasi, but the costs were too high … and it was almost impossible to find a proper spot without paying extra. We stayed two days. During that time, the tent next to us was bombed even in what they call a safe zone,” he said.

“There was no safety. It’s all lies. At first, I believed them, but I realised it was better to return to Gaza City. If they’re going to kill me, may as well be in Gaza City, rather than risk everything in al-Mawasi. The overcrowding was unbearable,” he said.

Places of shelter, safety being destroyed one by one

It’s every 10 to 15 minutes that a bomb is dropped by a fighter jet. The vast majority of people here are now without proper shelter, in the streets, scrambling for a place to stay protected and safe, but that is eroding by the hour.

Now, as the attacks are on the rise, there are fewer shelters available. The buildings that people want shelter and safety in are being destroyed, one by one.

Israeli forces have destroyed thousands of residential towers, buildings, tents

Gaza’s Government Media Office has released a statement in which it says Israeli forces have caused “the complete destruction of more than 1,600 multi-storey residential towers and buildings, the severe destruction of more than 2,000 residential towers and buildings, and the destruction of more than 13,000 tents housing displaced persons”.

Since the start of September, Israeli forces have “destroyed and demolished 70 residential towers and buildings, severely destroyed 120 residential towers and buildings, and more than 3,500 tents”, the statement read.

In numbers: Casualties from Israeli attacks

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has shared the following updates:

Palestinians flee Gaza City amid evacuation threats


_{Smoke rises as Palestinians leave their homes with their belongings along Rashid Street due to intense Israeli military attacks and forced evacuation warnings in the northern Gaza Strip}

Attacks on schools during war have been ‘constant, deliberate’

The UNRWA schools that were targeted in Shati refugee camp were very overcrowded, according to witnesses.

These schools were supposed to be protected by international humanitarian law. But over the past 23 months, we have not seen that happen. What we have seen is constant, deliberate attacks on these facilities for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

These attacks are carried out by Israeli fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles and, more recently, suicide drones.

What’s really worrying now is that these places have become overcrowded with many displaced families – people who once lived in apartments are now seeking shelter in packed schools. They are the last refuge for many families. Yet, they get attacked and are forced onto the street without a clear path of where to go.

UNRWA says 86% of Gaza under Israeli forced evacuation threat

UNRWA has warned that Israel’s invasion of Gaza City is driving new massive waves of displacement, leaving more families with no safe place to seek refuge.

As of early September, the agency said 86 percent of Gaza falls under a militarised zone or a forced displacement threats.

Palestinians “need a ceasefire before it is too late”, it said.

Entire neighbourhoods in Gaza City and Jabalya are being emptied.

More than 86% of #Gaza is under displacement orders or militarised zones.

Families are fleeing with nowhere safe to go.

The siege must be lifted.#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/V8JZyUaaVC

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 13, 2025

More Israeli attacks on Gaza City

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report Israeli forces fired artillery shells and smoke bombs at the al-Nafaq and Yarmouk areas. At least 29 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza City since morning, according to hospital sources.

In August, Israel announced plans for a military takeover and occupation of the largest city in the enclave, where about 1.3 million Palestinians are currently sheltering in fear and without water, food, and medicine. Military analysts say Israel’s plans – which would see it assume security control and establish an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority – could take years.

Five injured in Israeli attack on southern Gaza

The Palestine Red Crescent field hospital says five Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a displaced persons’ tent in Khan Younis.

At least 41 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn in incessant Israeli attacks.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said seven people, including children, died from malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, raising the toll to 420, including 145 children, since Israel’s war and starvation campaign began.

Israeli strikes hit public prosecution building in Gaza City

Three Israeli air strikes have targeted the public prosecution building, southwest of Gaza City, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report. Israeli forces destroyed one residential tower, three shelters, and more than 20 buildings since the morning.


Israeli defence minister shows Burj al-Nur tower collapse

We reported earlier that the Israeli army targeted another high-rise building in Gaza City, claiming Hamas used it for attacks on soldiers. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz later posted a video purporting to show the Burj al-Nur tower crumbling to the ground.

“The terror tower Burj al-Nur has been demolished and Gaza residents are required to evacuate and head south,” Katz said. The Israeli army will continue to destroy “terror infrastructure … until the defeat of Hamas and the release of all hostages”, he added.

סופת ההוריקן ממשיכה להכות בעזה. מגדל הטרור בורג' אל-נור הוקרס ותושבי עזה נדרשים להתפנות ולרדת דרומה.

ממשיכים לסכל את תשתיות התצפית והטרור ולפלס את הדרך לכוחות המתמרנים - עד להכנעת החמאס ושחרור כל החטופים. pic.twitter.com/gwNFm9540H

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) September 13, 2025

Egypt launches diplomatic engagement ahead of Doha summit

Egypt has announced a series of intensive diplomatic contacts with Arab, Islamic and regional officials ahead of the emergency summit that Qatar hosts on Monday over the Israeli attack on Doha.

According to a statement, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held discussions with Faisal bin Farhan, Hakan Fidan, and Ishaq Dar, his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, respectively.

The calls were held “in light of rapidly evolving regional developments and as part of joint coordination with regional states ahead of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha”, the Foreign Ministry said.

The officials exchanged views on “ways to address serious political and security challenges facing the region and the repercussions of recent events”.

They also emphasised the importance of continuing political, diplomatic and economic coordination to strengthen security and stability in Arab and Islamic countries.

The ministry underlined the need for “solidarity among Arab and Islamic nations at this critical juncture”, and the necessity of coordinating positions to protect regional interests and ensure security.

Mother of captive accuses Netanyahu of sabotaging negotiations

Einav Zangauker, the mother of one of the remaining captives held in Gaza, has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to derail efforts for a release deal ahead of a nationwide protest.

“This week we witnessed a magnificent failure by the prime minister when he took a gamble on hostages’ lives and tried to eliminate the Hamas negotiating team – as they were discussing a deal to release my son,” Zangauker said in a statement, referring to Israel’s deadly strike on the Qatari capital, Doha.

Netanyahu “did not try to bomb Hamas leaders but the chance for us, the families, to get our loved ones back”.

Families of captives will rally soon at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to demand a deal for the release of their loved ones.

More than 6,000 homeless in Gaza in one day after Israeli attacks

Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency, says more than 6,000 people have become homeless today because of Israeli air strikes. The military targeted buildings that did not receive a forced evacuation warning, killing an unknown number of people, Bassal added.

“Residents of Gaza City are now living in extremely difficult conditions under the continuous siege and bombardment,” he said.

Israeli bombing targets Gaza City residents charging phones

Israeli warplanes have launched an air strike on a gathering of Palestinians in the Remal neighbourhood, west of Gaza City. Citing local sources, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic reported the attack occurred near a mobile phone charging point.

Suicide drone attacks Palestinians in western Gaza City

We’re getting reports that several Palestinians have been wounded after an Israeli suicide drone attacked an outdoor dining facility in western Gaza City. The site was used as a charging point for phones, laptops and lights.

A media investigation in July found the Israeli army is weaponising drones to target civilians. The unmanned aerial vehicles are operated manually by soldiers on the ground to bomb civilians – including children – to force them out of their homes or prevent them from returning to areas where Palestinians have been forcibly expelled.

Israel wants us to evacuate al-Shifa Hospital again to kill hope

Today, al-Shifa is but a shadow of its old self. The medical complex was repeatedly targeted in the genocide, and substantial parts of it were destroyed.

We do not have the necessary medical supplies to tackle the constant inflow of injured patients. Electricity keeps cutting off because of fuel shortages, and we are forced to use saltwater for drinking.

The medical staff are exhausted and starved. Amid this horror, forced evacuation is looming over the hospital once again. We work in a constant state of fear of what comes next.

Qatar attack ‘not going to change’ US-Israel ties: Rubio

The United States is “not happy” about Israel’s air strikes targeting Hamas in Qatar, but the attack will not change Washington’s allied status with Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said as he departed for the region.

“Obviously, we were not happy about it, the president was not happy about it,” he told reporters before departing Washington for discussions with Israeli officials.

“It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis. But we are going to have to talk about it – primarily what impact does this have” on diplomatic efforts to bring about a truce in war-ravaged Gaza, Rubio added.

“We will examine whether the events of the past week have had an impact on achieving the goal of releasing the hostages en masse. President Trump wants all hostages released and Hamas to no longer pose a threat, so we can move on to rebuilding Gaza and providing security. We will examine the impact of last week’s events on this.”

Israeli group says PM Netanyahu ‘obstacle’ to ending Gaza war

The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of captives held in Gaza says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an obstacle to ending the war and freeing the abductees.

“The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the … hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu. Every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

Netanyahu earlier said getting rid of Hamas’s leaders living in Qatar would remove “the main obstacle” to releasing all captives and ending the war on Gaza.