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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-21 at 17:06
HEADLINES
Gaza Evacuations Reach Half Million Crisis Deepens
Hamas Open to Talks Statehood Debate Heats
Turkey Egypt Naval Drill Signals Security Push
The time is now 1:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the hour’s overview from the front lines of the Israeli-Gaza theater, where fighting continues to give way to a shifting political calculus that prizes security and regional diplomacy in equal measure.
Civilians and evacuation from Gaza City remain a central focus. The Israel Defense Forces say that more than five hundred fifty thousand people have evacuated the city since evacuation orders began, airlifting and moving civilians to safer areas as operations proceed. Earlier, the tally stood at about seventy thousand during the initial stages, rose to roughly two hundred fifty thousand by the middle of last week, and continues to change as security needs dictate. The numbers underscore the scale of displacement in Gaza and the humanitarian questions that haunt this conflict.
On the diplomatic track, mediation appears to be moving the conversation forward in at least one channel. A mediator familiar with Palestinian interlocutors said Hamas has indicated readiness to resume negotiations immediately, a signal that talks could begin soon if conditions allow meaningful dialogue and a sustained ceasefire framework. The development comes as observers weigh what a resumed process might mean for hostages in Gaza and for the broader two-state outlook.
Hamas’s standing in this phase of the conflict remains closely tied to the hostage situation in Gaza and to the pressure points of international diplomacy. In Israel, the government has linked any formal recognition of a Palestinian state to security guarantees and to a credible process that excludes Hamas from a formal governing role. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been explicit in saying that a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River will not be established and that any response to efforts to push a Palestinian state forward will be addressed once the current US visit concludes. Foreign Ministry officials have argued that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and complicate Israel’s security calculus. In parallel, a watchdog voice representing hostages’ families and missing relatives insisted that any further steps toward statehood must be conditioned on immediate and unconditional releases.
International reactions to the Palestinian state question have surged in parallel. Three countries—Britain, Australia, and Canada—announced formal recognition of a Palestinian state, urging a path to a two-state solution even as they stressed that Hamas must have no role in governance. France is expected to follow in short order, with additional European states including Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Andorra, Luxembourg, and San Marino anticipated to join in the days ahead. The United States has signaled it does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state at this juncture, a stance it has reiterated in recent diplomatic rounds. Proponents argue recognition could sustain momentum for peace, while opponents warn it risks rewarding violence and undermining security arrangements.
The hostages issue remains a core humanitarian and strategic matter. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticized the recognitions and called for conditions on any post-conflict discussions to prioritize the release of all captives. Advocacy groups and international partners echo that imperative, even as some governments pursue longer-term political solutions.
In the broader regional security arena, Turkey and Egypt have announced a significant joint naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean, scheduled for late September. The maneuver signals a push to strengthen solidarity among Muslim-majority states and to project regional stability in a v
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