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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-17 at 22:06
HEADLINES
- Syria-Israel pact talks inch toward deal
- Saudi Pakistan pact reshapes Gulf security
- Hostage talks fuel Gaza ceasefire hopes
The time is now 6:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
At six o’clock this evening, the long shadows of war and diplomacy again stretch across the Middle East, as fighting on the ground in Gaza intersects with high-stakes diplomacy in Europe, the Gulf, and Washington.
In Damascus, President Ahmed al-Sharaa said talks with Israel on a security pact could yield results in the coming days. He stressed any agreement would respect Syria’s airspace and territorial integrity and be monitored by the United Nations. Damascus hopes the accord could help halt Israeli airstrikes and withdraw Israeli forces from southern Syria, though he cautioned that peace and normalization are not on the current agenda and that there is no pressure from Washington to reach a deal.
Meanwhile, regional security remains unsettled. A new mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals a rethinking of security ties in the Gulf as Israel’s military moves, including strikes on targets connected to Iran’s influence, continue to ripple through the region. The pact pledges a joint response to aggression, underscoring how states are recalibrating their security postures in light of evolving threats and alignments.
Within Israel’s government, a senior minister, indicating the fiscal dimension of ongoing conflict, described what he called a “real estate bonanza” in Gaza as a potential mechanism to fund the war and post-war rehabilitation, noting discussions with American partners. Critics question the proposal’s ethics and practicality, while supporters say it could help finance rebuilding in towns hit hardest by fighting.
Humanitarian concerns persist at the front. Doctors Without Borders voiced outrage over the death of a nurse in an Israeli airstrike, calling for an end to military violence that endangers medical workers and patients alike. In Gaza City, dozens of residents have been killed or wounded as the IDF pushes deeper, and thousands more are fleeing toward escape routes opened by the army. The United Nations has warned that food supplies in northern Gaza are running thin as the Zikim crossing remains closed.
hostage talks continue to figure prominently in all discussions. A high-level exchange in London between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli strategists points to renewed momentum in efforts to restart negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage releases, with Qatar’s mediation role under scrutiny after last week’s Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Doha. Hamas and its leadership have emphasized their willingness to end the war only if all hostages are released and Hamas’s disarmament and a new Gaza governance arrangement are addressed in the framework of a comprehensive deal.
Across Europe and the Atlantic, a string of diplomatic moves carries weight. Britain is widely reported to be moving toward recognizing a Palestinian state as early as this weekend, though officials have signaled timing choices may be tied to President Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom. The United States has publicly opposed such a move, arguing it would reward Hamas. In parallel, senior European officials have pressed Iran and the European states to sustain and expand dialogue on Tehran’s nuclear program, with a 30-day process led by the E3 remaining fragile and the specter of snapback sanctions still on the horizon if Tehran fails to cooperate and allow UN inspectors access.
At the heart of the regional diplomacy, Iran’s nuclear program and its oversight remain a point of contention. Talks between Iran and European nations on preventing the snapback of UN sanctions have made little visible progress. Tehran has signaled willingness to engage on safeguards and
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