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Forums - Politics - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 13 September 2025

Main events on September 13th

  • Qatar will host a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders on Sunday and Monday to plot a course of action after Israel’s “cowardly” attack on Doha, and show solidarity with the mediator Gulf state.
  • The United States is “not happy” about Israel’s air strikes on Hamas in Qatar, but the attacks will not change Washington’s allied status with Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
  • At least 62 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, of whom 49 died in the war-battered Gaza City.
  • More than 6,000 Palestinians in Gaza became homeless on Saturday because of incessant Israeli bombardment, the Civil Defence agency said.
  • The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of captives held in Gaza said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the “obstacle” to ending the war and freeing the abductees.
  • UNRWA warned that Israel’s invasion of Gaza City is driving massive new waves of displacement, leaving thousands more families with no safe place.

Women-only vessel joins Gaza flotilla

A boat crewed entirely by women has joined the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, with participants saying their voyage is meant as a tribute to the strength of Palestinian women living under Israel’s blockade.

Fifteen activists from Europe, Latin America and Asia boarded the vessel in the Tunisian port of Bizerte, preparing to link up with dozens of other ships making the journey.

“Palestinian women symbolise courage and determination in the face of devastation,” said Malika, a nurse from France. “We chose to dedicate one boat solely to women as a gesture of solidarity and respect.”

She said the group, which had never met before this initiative, quickly bonded over a common purpose. “We come from different countries – France, Chile, Portugal, Spain and others – but Gaza has united us.”

Organisers say the flotilla’s mission is to break the Israeli blockade and establish a humanitarian corridor into the besieged enclave.

“Governments have failed to protect civilians, so we are stepping forward,” Malika said.

 

Netanyahu defies Trump again on Qatar; Houthis drop cluster bombs into Israel


Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday once again snubbed President Donald Trump when he took to Twitter to imply that he would once again hit the Hamas leadership in Qatar. This came after the US made it clear that Qatari soil won’t be attacked by Israel again. Elsewhere, the Houthis fired ballistic missiles loaded with cluster bombs targeting Tel Aviv and adjoining areas. Meanwhile, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has become a victim of a hacking episode by Turkish hackers. Rifat Jawaid unpacks all three developments and more in greater detail.

 



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SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Six killed in strike on tent in Deir el-Balah

The administration at al-Aqsa Hospital is reporting that six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.


Israeli attacks kill 4 aid seekers north of Rafah

At least four people were killed and 25 wounded by Israeli fire near an aid centre north of Rafah, the emergency service told our colleagues. Moreover, al-Quds Hospital reported that five Palestinians were killed and many wounded in Israeli air raids on Tal al-Hawa in southern Gaza City.


Israeli forces destroy al-Kawthar tower in Gaza City

Israeli forces have destroyed the al-Kawthar residential tower in the southern Remal neighbourhood of Gaza City with several missiles, less than two hours after residents were warned to leave, our correspondent on the ground reports.

In a post on Telegram, the Israeli army, without providing any evidence, blamed Hamas for using the tower as an information-gathering base.


Israel accused of ‘systemic bombing’ of civilian infrastructure in Gaza

Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israel has carried out “systematic bombing of towers, residential buildings, schools and civilian institutions with the aim of extermination and forced displacement” as its offensive on Gaza City continues this morning.

“While it claims to be targeting the resistance, the field realities prove beyond doubt that the occupation deliberately and according to a clear methodology bombs schools, mosques, hospitals and medical centres, destroys towers and residential buildings, destroys displaced persons’ tents, and targets the headquarters of various institutions including international institutions working in the humanitarian field,” it said in a statement.


Attack on building in Tal al-Hawa kills many

An Israeli attack on a residential building in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood has killed and wounded several people. The building in western Gaza City was across the street from a displacement camp that is sheltering hundreds of families. Due to the strike, shrapnel and debris flew into the camp, killing and injuring many inside the tents.


Palestinians run in Gaza City after an Israeli air strike hits a residential building that housed displaced people


‘Israeli bombardment in the north of Gaza constant’

In a post on X, UNRWA says Israel’s bombardment of Gaza City has been “constant” today, adding that there is “no safe place” in the besieged enclave.


Israeli forces continue campaign of destruction in Gaza City

Our team on the ground reports that at least 16 buildings have been destroyed in Gaza City today. The most recent was a tower in Remal, in the city’s western section.


Al-Quds Hospital damaged in Gaza City attack: Report

An Israeli attack on a residential building in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood took place 50 metres (164 ft) from al-Quds Field Hospital, causing severe damage to the facility and injuring numerous civilians, the Wafa news agency reports, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The attack also caused damage to several other nearby buildings, according to Wafa.



SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Gaza death toll rises

Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, at least 64,871 people have been killed and 164,610 wounded in Israeli attacks, the enclave’s Health Ministry reports. In a post on Telegram, the ministry said that in the past 24 hours, 68 bodies and 346 wounded patients were brought to hospitals in Gaza.

Moreover, the bodies of 10 aid seekers and 18 wounded aid seekers have arrived at hospitals in Gaza in the same time period. Since the establishment of the US- and Israeli-backed GHF aid distribution sites at the end of May, at least 2,494 people have been killed in or near them and more than 18,135 wounded.

In past 24 hours, 2 people died due to famine and malnutrition

Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported two deaths in the enclave due to famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll from the hunger crisis to 422, including 145 children.


‘This area cannot handle more displaced families’: Displaced Palestinian in al-Mawasi

As intense Israeli attacks target Gaza City, families are being forced to flee south to al-Mawasi, which has long been designated by the Israelis as a “safe zone” but which they have repeatedly attacked.

Ahmed Awad told Al Jazeera that he fled northern Gaza on Saturday as “mortar shells rained down”. “We arrived here at midnight, only to find no water, no toilets, nothing. Families are sleeping in the open. The situation is extremely dire,” Awad said.

Another displaced Palestinian, AbedAllah Aram, also explained that they were facing a “severe shortage” of clean water in al-Mawasi. “Food is scarce, and inside these tents, people are hungry and malnourished. Winter is approaching, and we urgently need new tents. On top of that, this area cannot handle more displaced families,” Aram said.


As Palestinians flee Gaza City, al-Mawasi gets more crowded

Palestinians have been forced to evacuate Gaza City due to the heavy bombardment that Israeli forces have carried out, targeting residential blocks and residential areas.

I am at al-Rashid Road, which connects Gaza City with the southern areas of Gaza.

Some people here are placing their belongings on trucks. Some are in wheelchairs, and even pregnant women and children are moving along this route on foot who cannot afford transportation. When we asked people where they’re going, they tell us they don’t know as the al-Mawasi zone is packed and has no space to set up new tents.

Others have been forced to turn back to Gaza City because of the crowding.


Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza carry their belongings along the coastal road towards southern Gaza


UNRWA says displacement crisis ‘overwhelming’

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says the growing number of people pushed south by Israel’s invasion of Gaza City is creating dire conditions in cramped displacement camps.

“Thousands of people forced from Gaza City and Jabalia are now in overcrowded shelters, makeshift tents – without clean water, sanitation or safety,” the agency said in a post on X.

“UNRWA continues to provide services, but the crisis is overwhelming.”



SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

What is happening in the West Bank?

Amid the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, the Israeli army continues to ramp up its attacks on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank. The escalation comes as Netanyahu advances an illegal settlement expansion plan that would all but eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state.

Here are some of the reported attacks overnight:

  • Israeli forces stormed Kafr Ra’i, southern Jenin.
  • They arrested a Palestinian student, Baraa Jamal Karama, from her home in Hebron.
  • Israelis opened fire on homes during a raid on Arroub camp, north of Hebron.
  • They assaulted a group of Palestinian youths as they stormed the town of Beit Rima, northwest of Ramallah. Soldiers are reported to have beaten many young men after forcing them to leave a shop in the town before detaining them.


Israeli forces arrest 6 in Nablus, Tubas

Israeli forces have arrested five people from villages in the Nablus governorate in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported. According to residents and security sources, Israeli forces stormed the villages of Beit Furik, Madama, Burin and Asira al-Qibliya, raiding several homes and ransacking their contents.

Moreover, in the town of Tammun, south of Tubas, Israeli forces stormed its southern outskirts and arrested a 27-year-old after raiding his family’s home.


Israeli forces storm el-Bireh city in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have stormed the city of el-Bireh in the occupied West Bank and taken up positions at the entrance to the Am’ari refugee camp, sources on the ground tell our colleagues.


Israeli court evicts Palestinian family from home in East Jerusalem

An Israeli court has ordered the displacement of the Rajabi family from their home in the Silwan neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, the Wafa news agency reports.

According to the Palestinian Authority-run Jerusalem Governorate, the decision will evict the Rajabi family in Silwan, which has long been targeted by settler organisations looking to establish their presence on Palestinian land.

The ruling is part of various legal pretexts used by Israel to displace Palestinians from their homes. The practice has been slammed by Palestinian officials and rights groups as a systematic policy of forced displacement.


Israeli forces storm school, attack officials in Jerusalem’s Old City

Israeli forces have stormed al-Khader Girls Elementary School in Jerusalem’s Old City and assaulted the mayor, Ahmad Salah, the head of the Parents Council, and a municipality member, Issam Naim, the Wafa news agency reports.

Mahmoud Abdullah, head of the Parents Council at al-Khader Unified Schools, said Israeli forces stormed the elementary school as students were leaving. Abdullah added that soldiers beat him, Salah and Naim with rifle butts and their hands, causing bruises. He added that the troops threatened to close all seven schools.

The school complex has been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces who target both female and male students.


Israeli forces shoot, injure man in Tulkarem; carry out more West Bank arrests: Report

Israeli forces have carried out a series of raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank, spanning the governorates of Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarem and Salfit. According to the Wafa news agency, Israeli forces:

  • arrested two people in Deir Jarir, near Ramallah
  • stormed into the home of a freed prisoner in Jenin and interrogated their relatives
  • apprehended two people in the town of Deir Ballut in the Salfit governorate
  • opened fire at the entrance of the Tulkarem refugee camp and injured a man in his foot.


SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Israel carries out raid in Syria’s Deraa province

Israeli troops have carried out a ground operation in the southeastern Deraa province, Syria’s state news agency reported. They also carried out searches in the Saysoun and Jamlah towns, which are adjacent to the 1974 ceasefire line that was meant to separate Israeli and Syrian troops.

Israeli troops have repeatedly entered southern Syria since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December and have carried out air raids on targets across the country. Israel has said it seeks to take control of the buffer zone and wants to destroy Syria’s heavy weaponry.

On Saturday, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s interim president, said talks with Israel have begun to re-establish a 1974 agreement which was concluded after a war between the countries.

Israeli drone attack targets car in southern Lebanon: Report

Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that a drone attack has targeted a car travelling between the towns of Toulin and Burj Qalaouiyah in southern Lebanon, causing injuries.

Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper said an “Israeli drone” was responsible. It published footage, verified by Al Jazeera, of a vehicle ablaze as an ambulance appears to reach the scene.



Air raid sirens sound in southern Israel

The Israeli military says air raid sirens are sounding in the Be’er Ora area, which is near the port city of Eilat on the Red Sea in southern Israel. It said sirens were activated due to “the intrusion of a hostile aircraft”.

The Ramon airport, located near the city and which handles largely domestic flights, has been targeted by Yemen’s Houthis in recent weeks.


Israeli military says it intercepted unidentified aircraft fired from Yemen

The Israeli military says air raid sirens were triggered due to concerns over falling debris and that the unmanned aircraft was intercepted. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the airspace around Ramon airport in the south had been closed after an unidentified drone had infiltrated its airspace.

The Houthis have not yet issued a statement regarding the latest incident.



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SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Israel’s standing in the Gulf ‘worse than’ after al-Mabhouh killing in 2010

Public broadcaster Kan is reporting that Israel’s standing in the Gulf is lower than after the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas official, in his Dubai hotel room in 2010.

“Israel’s regional situation is worse than after the elimination of al-Mabhouh,” an unnamed Israeli security official was quoted as saying by Kan.


Israel’s Herzog warns against ‘burning bridges’ with Arab partners

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has said the country must not “forsake” its ties with regional allies, who are among those meeting in Doha in a show of solidarity in response to Israel’s recent attack in Qatar.

In comments carried by The Times of Israel, Herzog said there are many Arab countries with which Israel has “extensive and significant ties”, including economic ties, that it should preserve.

“They are part of the Western-facing world in which we seek to remain, and in these countries there is also a large and important public supportive of Israel, who yearn to hear our voice,” claimed Herzog at a memorial event for deceased Israeli leaders, according to the newspaper.

“Therefore, we must act diplomatically and with public diplomacy, with purpose and determination, not neglecting any arena, speaking with everyone, and being proactive,” he said. “We must not forsake our ties. We must not burn our bridges.”


Israeli ministers continue to issue threats to target Hamas members

Israeli ministers continue to issue threats of targeting Hamas members, including those in NATO member nation Turkiye. Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a member of Israel’s security cabinet, said, “Hamas cannot sleep peacefully anywhere in the world.”

When asked whether that included Istanbul and Ankara, he repeated: “Anywhere in the world.” “We have proved that we are capable of accurately reaching any location,” Cohen added.

In a separate interview with the Israeli news website Ynet, Ze’ev Elkin, another cabinet minister, said: “We will pursue them and settle accounts with them wherever they are.”



SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Israel warns citizens not to publish any evidence of military service on social media

The National Security Council has warned Israelis against advertising Israeli military service on social media and revealing real-time locations.

Israeli soldiers have been posting social media videos of themselves destroying infrastructure in Gaza since the start of the war.

They have not been targeted by any armed group but have been the subject of legal cases opened by organisations like the Hind Rijab Foundation, which has pulled together lawyers and activists from around the world to prepare cases, primarily based on social media content.



Over half of wounded Israeli soldiers have psychological wounds

Israeli media outlet Haaretz, citing the Israeli Defence Ministry, is reporting that about 20,000 injured soldiers from the war in Gaza are being treated by the ministry’s rehabilitation department, of which 10,700 (55 percent), are dealing with psychological wounds.

The rehabilitation department estimated that by 2028, it will treat 50,000 soldiers from the war on Gaza who have conflict-related psychological issues.

Here are a few other figures the ministry provided:

  • Some 56 percent of the wounded have developed PTSD or other mental health disorders.
  • Nearly 45 percent of the cases involve physical injuries, while 20 percent of the soldiers are battling both mental and physical conditions.
  • At least 99 soldiers required prosthetics after amputations, 16 were paralysed, 56 classified as suffering disabilities exceeding 100 percent, and 24 listed with full disability.
  • Around 64 percent of the 20,000 cases were reservists, with approximately 1,000 new wounded soldiers being treated each month.


SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Captives’ families say government has failed them

Last night, we saw a pretty big turnout in Tel Aviv at those protests by family members of Israeli captives demonstrating against their government, saying that they feel neglected and that now more than ever, Netanyahu does not want a deal.

Whilst there are negotiations that are meant to be happening behind the scenes, those appear now to be at a stalemate after Israel’s attacks on Doha, and so they now fear the worst.

For many, Netanyahu is the main obstacle. They also feel he has lied to them, misled them and ultimately their government has failed them.


Meeting with Rubio, Netanyahu says US-Israeli ties ‘strong and durable’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, where they said prayers together at the Western Wall, reports The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu said Rubio’s visit shows the resilience of the US-Israeli relationship, describing it “as strong and durable as the stones of the Western Wall we just touched”, according to the Israeli outlet.

“Under [US] President [Donald] Trump, and Secretary Rubio, this alliance has never been stronger, and we deeply appreciate it,” Netanyahu said.

Rubio, who earlier said the US was “not happy” about Israel’s recent attack in Doha but that it was “not going to change the nature” of US-Israeli ties, did not speak to the media in Jerusalem, according to the newspaper.


US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, September 14

Rubio’s Jerusalem trip ‘cannot be mistaken for diplomacy’

Images of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio performing prayers alongside Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at Jerusalem’s Western Wall as Israeli attacks continue to hammer Gaza is not going to “bode well for diplomacy”, says political analyst Marwan Bishara.

“Gaza is being pummelled, its residential towers destroyed by Israeli-American bombs. The symbolism there cannot be mistaken for diplomacy,” Bishara told Al Jazeera.

“It’s not going to be looked at kindly,” he added. “It’s not going to be seen as diplomacy. It’s going to be seen as some kind of a religious war of sorts launched by the US and Israel. So that certainly does not bode well for diplomacy.”



SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

Qatar meeting to send a ‘very strong statement to Netanyahu’

According to Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudhahka, chief editor at the Doha-based Gulf Times, the emergency meeting in Qatar is very likely to result in concrete measures against Israel instead of just strongly worded condemnations.

“It’s been the narrative of the Arab summit that there are only statements of condemnation. But I don’t think that’s the case today,” al-Mudhahka told Al Jazeera.

“I think it will be [the adoption of] certain measures that will give a very strong statement to Netanyahu.”

The Arab and Muslim world is intently awaiting the outcome of the meeting, he added, describing it as a show of solidarity by the region.

The US, meanwhile, remains a strategic partner of Qatar, a relationship that dates back to the 1970s, al-Mudhahka explained, adding that the Israeli attack is unlikely to change that.

He hoped for an opportunity at the meeting to continue pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza despite Israel’s attack on Doha seemingly hurting the negotiating process.


Qatar summit preparatory meeting to address draft statement

As we reported earlier, a preparatory meeting for the Arab-Islamic summit, scheduled to take place on Monday, has kicked off in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

According to the state news agency QNA, the event is being chaired by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani with the participation of the foreign ministers of the member states of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The meeting will address a draft statement regarding the Israeli attack against Qatar on Tuesday, it added.


Qatar’s PM speaks at Arab-Islamic meeting

Qatar’s prime minister has spoken at the meeting in Doha. Here is a summary of what he has said:

  • The Arab states at the summit condemn the “barbaric” Israeli attack and support the lawful measures Qatar will take to safeguard its sovereignty.
  • The attack must be met with fierce and firm measures.
  • It’s time for the international community to abandon dual standards and to hold Israel accountable for all the crimes perpetrated by it.
  • Israel must know that the continuous genocidal war against the Palestinian people, aiming at forcibly transferring them outside their homeland, cannot succeed, no matter what false justification is provided.
  • The Israeli government continues to turn down proposal after proposal, intentionally widening the circle of war facing the region’s peoples, including their own, and does so at a grave risk.


Arab League chief slams Israel’s ‘belligerence’, unchecked ‘war crimes’

We can now bring you a summary of remarks from Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit in Doha:

  • The Doha summit should send a clear message of Arab-Islamic solidarity with Qatar in the wake of Israel’s “act of belligerence” and violation of Qatar’s “sovereignty”.
  • “Silence and inaction” from the international community have “encouraged” Israel to continue its “crimes”, believing it will be able to carry them out with “impunity”.
  • Arab and Islamic countries “should focus on stopping Israel from continuing its “heinous, disgraceful war” in Gaza.
  • We must seek to bring to account those responsible for “evidenced war crimes”, including “killing civilians, starving the population and driving an entire population homeless”.


SvennoJ on 14 September 2025

OIC chief calls for united efforts to combat regional attacks, advance Palestinian statehood

Hissein Brahim Taha, secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has stressed the need for united efforts to prevent future attacks in the region and push forward for Palestinian statehood.

“The ongoing state terrorism against the people of the region demands us to draft a resolution for the UN General Assembly to put an end to these practices as well as the violations and crimes against the Palestinian people and push forward for the two-state solution,” Taha said.

“All the member states taking part in this summit are convinced that the Arab-Islamic cooperation must be cemented. Efforts must be uniform and united in the face of all these challenges.”


‘Momentum’ growing against Israeli actions across the Middle East

Adnan Hayajneh, professor of international relations at Qatar University, says there is a “momentum” against what Israel is doing in Gaza, its attack on Qatar and the region as a whole.

“The US has to wake up to the fact that you’ve got two billion muslims around the world insulted, and it’s only the beginning. It’s not only the attack on Qatar, it is a continuation of destabilisation of the whole region,” Hayajneh told Al Jazeera.

“It’s the attack on Syria, on Yemen, continuation of attacks on Lebanon – seven countries so far. And it seems to me Netanyahu has that idea of biblical philosophy that he has to create what’s called the ‘kingdom of Israel’, the great Israel,” he added.

In the meeting in Doha, Hayajneh explained that the question will be on how much Middle Eastern countries can rely on the US for its security and, thinking alternatively, but at the same time, continue their relationship with Washington.


Draft Arab-Islamic resolution says Israel’s ‘hostile’ actions threaten normalisation: Report

We can now bring you lines from an updated draft resolution from the Arab-Islamic meeting in Doha.

The document, seen by Reuters, slams Israel’s recent attack in Qatar and other “hostile acts”, warning they undermine efforts to normalise ties with Arab states and hinder prospects for peaceful coexistence in the region.

“The brutal Israeli attack on Qatar and the continuation of Israel’s hostile acts including genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, siege, and colonizing activities and expansion policies threatens prospects of peace and coexistence in the region and threatens everything that has been achieved on the path of normalizing ties with Israel including current agreements and future ones,” Reuters quoted the draft resolution as saying.