Gaza

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the visas of a number of Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization officials ahead of next month’s annual high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, where the groups previously have been represented.

The State Department said in a statement Friday that Rubio also had ordered some new visa applications from Palestinian officials be denied.

The move is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to target Palestinians with visa restrictions and comes as the Israeli military declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone. The State Department also suspended a program that had allowed injured Palestinian children from Gaza to come to the U.S. for medical treatment after a social media outcry by some conservatives.

The State Department didn’t specify how many visas had been revoked or how many applications had been denied. The department did not immediately respond to a request for more specifics.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be affected.

The agency’s statement did say that representatives assigned to the Palestinian Authority mission at the United Nations would be granted waivers under the U.S. host country agreement with the U.N. so they can continue their New York-based operations.

“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” the statement said. “Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.”

The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., Riyad Mansour, told reporters Friday that he had just learned of Rubio’s decision and was assessing its impact.

“We will see exactly what it means and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly,” he said.

Mansour said Abbas was leading the delegation to next month’s U.N. meetings and was expected to address the General Assembly — as he has done for many years. He also was expected to attend a high-level meeting co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 22 about a two-state solution, which calls for Israel living side by side with an independent Palestine.

Lee writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

UNICEF says “famine is absolutely ravaging Gaza City,” as aid workers at a nutrition centre warn parents have run out of options to feed their children. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud visited the centre, where “the signs of famine are everywhere.”

Turkiye’s top diplomat said his country has ‘completely’ cut off trade with Israel over its ongoing genocide.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country has completely severed economic and trade ties with Israel and has closed its airspace to its aircraft, in protest over the war in Gaza.

Speaking at an extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament on Gaza on Friday, Fidan said Israel has been “committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world’s eyes”.

Turkiye cut off direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023, the two countries carried out $7bn in trade.

Ankara has not minced its words about Israel’s war on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling it a genocide – like many other world leaders and leading human rights organistions – and likening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler.

“We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace,” Fidan said.

The Turkish foreign minister’s condemnation comes amid years of increasingly tense relations between the two countries, said Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar.

“It’s not only about the humanitarian crisis that’s unfolding in Gaza; Turkiye gradually is perceiving Israel as a national security threat,” Serdar explained, noting that Israel’s expansionism and attacks across the wider Middle East have been cause for concern.

In Syria particularly, Ankara has accused Israel of wilfully undermining the country’s recovery efforts after the devastation of a 14-year civil war and the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last December by a lightning rebel offensive.

“Diplomats in Ankara are seeing that if Israel is not stopped, eventually there might be a direct military confrontation between these two countries,” he said.

Serdar added that the Turkish foreign minister’s comments also show that Turkiye is looking to the Global South and other powers to take action, amid the United States’ and European Union’s largely unwavering support for Israel.

Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkiye, and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports.

‘Like pariahs’

Meanwhile, Turkiye’s latest move is making “more and more Israelis feel the disadvantages of this kind of war that has no deadline”, said Akiva Eldar, an Israeli political analyst.

“Turkiye is not just another country that is deciding to cut its relationship with Israel. Turkiye has been an ally of Israel for many years, a very important market to Israeli goods,” Eldar told Al Jazeera, speaking from Kiryat Shmona, adding that it was also a favourite summer destination for many Israelis.

“We feel more and more … Israelis are feeling isolated and [like] pariahs. More and more countries and companies have decided to stop their business with Israel.”

Last November, Turkish authorities denied permission for Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane to enter Turkiye’s airspace for a trip to an international summit in Azerbaijan.

“As Turkiye, we have to take a stance on certain issues,” Erdogan later said when asked about the incident.

Israel and Turkiye’s relationship had soured as far back as 2010, following Israel’s deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which killed 10 Turkish citizens.

More recently, a Turkish-American activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest in the occupied West Bank in September 2024.

Newborns are being forced to share an incubator at Gaza City’s al-Helou International Hospital as rising cases of acute malnutrition overwhelm the wards. Doctors say hospitals are running out of space amid Israel’s man-made famine.

Palestinians in Gaza City are facing new threats to their lives after Israel announced the suspension of ‘humanitarian pauses’ in its assaults. Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al-Khalili has been to Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, where displaced people are preparing to leave under fire.

Aug. 29 (UPI) — Britain barred Israeli government and military officials from taking part in its flagship international defense and security event in September as London stepped up pressure on Israel over its military offensive to capture and occupy Gaza City.

Israel is normally one of the main exhibitors at the biannual Defense and Security Equipment International conference, but the Ministry of Defense said Thursday that Israeli government officials had not been invited to the event, which runs Sept. 9 through Sept. 12 at the Excel exhibition and convention center in London’s Docklands.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong. As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025,” a Ministry of Defense spokesman told Politico.

“There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate cease-fire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”

The ban does not extend to private Israeli arms manufacturers, but their presence at DSEI — which is run by a private British company but with major backing from the government and armed forces — was expected to trigger large public demonstrations outside the venue.

Israel criticized the move as discriminatory and, accusing Britain of politicizing the global defense sector, said it would abandon plans for the large pavilion it usually sponsors at the conference, but stressed it fully supported domestic firms opting to exhibit at DSEI.

“These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives,” the Israel Ministry of Defense wrote in a social media post.”

“At a time when Israel is engaged on multiple fronts against Islamist extremists and terrorist organisations — forces that also threaten the West and international shipping lanes — this decision by Britain plays into the hands of extremists, grants legitimacy to terrorism, and introduces political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defense industry exhibition,” said the ministry.

The ban follows a standoff at the Paris Air Show in June, when the organizers draped black sheeting over the stands of some Israeli defense firms exhibiting at the event at the request of the French government after the Israeli defense ministry failed to observe a ban on arms designed for offensive purposes.

Britain has been gradually stepping up diplomatic and legal pressure on Israel in recent months over the conduct of its military operation in Gaza, including imposing restrictions on some arms sales.

In July, Britain announced it would recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel did not agree to a cease-fire by then.

In June, it joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning far-right Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinians.”

Britain suspended arms export licenses in September for around 10% of British-made weapons and military equipment destined for Israel after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government determined there was a “clear risk” of Israel using the arms in ways that would breach international law.

The ban on 30 out of 350 categories of equipment and goods included military aircraft, helicopter and drone components, as well as ground targeting equipment.

However, the block did not extend to parts for F-35 joint-strike fighter flown by Israeli forces in combat missions over Gaza that Britain supplies into a pool as part of a multi-country support program for the American-made F-35 — except where they went directly to Israel.

Senior ministers in Starmer’s cabinet insisted at the time that Britain remained a “staunch ally” of Israel, defended the timing, which came just days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, and insisted it would not undermine Israel’s security.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Israeli military says city in northern Gaza is now a ‘combat zone’, suspends daily pauses in fighting there that allowed delivery of humanitarian aid.

The Israeli military says it has begun the “initial stages” of its offensive on Gaza City, as it declared the largest urban centre in the besieged territory a “combat zone” and announced the suspension of daily pauses in fighting there that allowed the entry of humanitarian aid.

“We are not waiting. We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on X on Friday.

“We are currently operating with great force on the outskirts of the city,” he said.

The announcement came as the Israeli military confirmed it suspended so-called “tactical pauses” in its attacks on the city in northern Gaza that had previously allowed limited humanitarian operations there.

“Starting today at 10:00am (07:00 GMT), the tactical-local ceasefire of military activity will not apply to the Gaza City area, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said on X.

Israeli forces have launched a sustained bombardment on Gaza City since early August, as the military prepares for a larger assault to seize Gaza’s largest urban centre – in an operation that could forcibly displace a million Palestinians to concentration zones in southern Gaza.

The relentless bombardment from the air and land has forced residents to flee to the western parts of the city, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has told Al Jazeera.

Gaza’s Civil Defence estimates that more than 1,000 residential buildings in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City have been flattened since August 6.

Residents described relentless bombardment and attacks from helicopters. “They launched a firebelt attack only 150 metres (500ft) away from us. They scorched the entire area,” said Nihad Madoukh from Sheikh Radwan in northwestern Gaza City, speaking to Al Jazeera. “It was very scary bombardment.”

Displaced resident Ahmed Moqat said he had been moving constantly to escape Israeli attacks. “Here’s the debris that fell last night next to my head,” he said. “Now I will go out in the street, only God knows where I will go.”

Dozens killed across Gaza

At least 41 Palestinians, including six aid seekers, were killed in attacks across Gaza on Friday, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Palestinian health workers told Al Jazeera that three of the aid seekers were shot dead by Israeli forces near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza on Friday.

Medical sources said Israeli air strikes hit the so-called “safe zone” of al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, killing at least five people and wounding dozens as they slept in tents.

“We were sleeping when the bombing happened,” said a man caring for his grandchildren, whose father was killed two months ago. “The strike hit our area … We took the wounded ourselves to Nasser Hospital before the ambulances arrived. Stop this war against us. Have mercy on the children.”

More than 62,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israel in its nearly two-year war on Gaza, and at least 157,600 have been wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has denounced the “endless catalogue of horrors” unfolding in Gaza after nearly two years of conflict, as Gaza’s civil defence reported dozens of new casualties from Israeli strikes.

As Israel’s military prepares to take control of Gaza City, the nation faces increasing domestic and international pressure to halt its offensive in the Palestinian territory, where the UN has officially declared a famine.

About two million Palestinians—the vast majority of the population—have been displaced at least once during the conflict, with humanitarian organisations warning against any expansion of military operations.

“Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law,” Guterres told journalists on Thursday, emphasising the need for accountability.

On Thursday, massive plumes of smoke were rising above Gaza City following Israeli bombardments of the city’s outskirts, as captured in video footage.

Aya Daher, displaced from Gaza City’s Zeitoun district, told the AFP news agency she had no shelter and was “just waiting for God’s mercy” outside a local hospital.

“There were explosions all night. I was injured, my husband was injured by shrapnel, and my son was also wounded in the head. Thank God we survived, but there were martyrs,” she said.

Cindy McCain, head of the UN’s World Food Programme, warned that Gaza had reached “breaking point” and called for the urgent restoration of its network of 200 food distribution points.

Following a visit to the territory, McCain reported witnessing firsthand that “desperation is soaring”.

The UN formally declared a famine in the Gaza governorate last week, attributing it to “systematic obstruction” of humanitarian aid deliveries by Israel.

The al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza where Israel has told displaced people to go is among places targeted this morning.

Hamas condemns far-right Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks as ‘an official call to exterminate’ Palestinians.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip if Hamas refuses to disarm, the latest push by an Israeli official to forcibly displace Palestinians and take complete control of the coastal enclave.

During a news conference on Thursday, Smotrich said if Hamas does not agree to surrender, disarm and release Israeli captives, Israel should annex a section of Gaza each week for four weeks.

He said Palestinians would first be told to move south in Gaza, followed by Israel imposing a siege on the territory’s north and centre regions, and ending with annexation.

“This can be achieved in three to four months,” said Smotrich, describing the measures as part of a plan to “win in Gaza by the end of the year”.

The far-right minister’s annexation push comes as the Israeli army has advanced deeper into Gaza City in an effort to seize the city and forcibly displace about one million Palestinians living there.

Israel’s intensified attacks on Gaza City have been widely condemned, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning last week that the campaign would cause “massive death and destruction”.

Meanwhile, Gaza City and the surrounding areas continue to experience famine as Israel continues to block food, water and other humanitarian aid from entering the Strip.

“Famine is no longer a looming possibility; it’s a present-day catastrophe,” Guterres said on Thursday.

“People are dying of hunger. Families are being torn apart by displacement and despair. Pregnant women are facing unimaginable risks, and the systems that sustain life – food, water, healthcare – have been systematically dismantled.”

Israel and its Western allies have long been pushing for Hamas to lay down its weapons, insisting that the Palestinian group cannot be involved in any future governance of Gaza.

Hamas rejected Smotrich’s remarks on Thursday, saying they represent “an official call to exterminate our people” as well as “an official admission of the use of starvation and siege against innocent civilians as a weapon”.

“Smotrich’s statement is not an isolated extremist opinion, but rather a declared government policy that has been implemented for nearly 23 months” of Israel’s war on Palestinians in the enclave, Hamas said in a statement.

“These statements expose the reality of the occupation to the world and confirm that what is happening in Gaza is not a ‘military battle’ but rather a project of genocide and mass displacement,” the group added, urging the international community to hold Israeli leaders accountable.

During his news conference, Smotrich called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adopt his annexation plan “in full immediately”.

Netanyahu did not comment publicly on Smotrich’s remarks. But the Israeli leader has alluded to a plan for Israel to “take control of all Gaza” and send troops to reoccupy the entire enclave.

Israel’s military has for weeks been issuing forcible evacuation notices to Palestinians in so-called “combat zones” to relocate to southern Gaza.

Smotrich, a major backer of Israel’s settler movement who himself lives in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, has expressed support for re-establishing illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip that were dismantled in 2005.

He and other far-right members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition also have voiced staunch opposition to efforts to reach a deal to end Israel’s war on Gaza, threatening to topple the government if an agreement is reached.

Six in 10 US voters also oppose Washington sending more military aid to Israel, according to a Quinnipiac poll.

Half of voters in the United States believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a poll has found.

The share of US voters who believe a genocide is taking place includes 77 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independents, according to the Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday.

A large majority of Republicans – 64 percent to 20 percent – do not think Israel is committing genocide, according to the poll.

Six in 10 US voters also oppose Washington sending more military aid to Israel, according to the poll, the highest share since Quinnipiac began asking the question in November 2023.

Voters are almost evenly split in their sympathies for Palestinians and Israelis, according to Quinnipiac, with 37 percent saying they are more sympathetic towards Palestinians and 36 percent saying they feel more sympathy for Israelis.

The share of Americans expressing sympathy for Palestinians is the highest – and the share sympathetic towards Israelis the lowest – since Quinnipiac began asking the question in December 2001.

“Support for the Palestinians grows while the appetite for funding Israel militarily dips sharply,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a press release accompanying the poll.

“And a harsh assessment of the way Israel is prosecuting the Gaza campaign invokes a word of infamy.”

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,220 self-identified registered voters for the poll, which has a reported margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have accused Israel of perpetrating genocide in Gaza, a charge the country’s government has denied.

In an interim decision in January last year, the International Court of Justice, which adjudicates disputes between states, ruled that South Africa could proceed with its case accusing Israel of genocide and that Palestinians had “plausible rights to protection from genocide”.

In November, the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and deceased Hamas commander Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Famine has been declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas, with more than half a million Palestinians facing “catastrophic conditions”, according to a UN-backed monitor. As Israel advances its plan to seize Gaza City, what scars will famine leave on Palestinians for generations to come?

A European Union spokesperson said Israel’s attack on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, which killed journalists and rescuers, was ‘completely unacceptable,’ and urged the protection of civilians and journalists under international law.

Rights groups and legal experts are calling for Israel to be investigated over the ‘double-tap’ attack on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital which Israel called a ‘mishap’, after killing 21 Palestinians including journalists, medics and rescue workers.

Aug. 26 (UPI) — Families of Israeli hostages and their supporters staged protests across the country Tuesday, blocking major roads and setting tire bonfires, demanding the government end the war in Gaza and agree a deal to bring their loved ones home.

The day of action organized by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill on multiple highways and intersections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv — where the main Ayalon thruway was closed for the second time in a week — and the main coastal highway linking Tel Aviv with the port city of Haifa.

The group kicked off the so-called “National Solidarity Day” by unfurling its huge yellow flags in front of the branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, with demonstrators also gathering outside the private residences of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Education Minister Yoav Kisch.

A mothers and strollers protest was also planned in Tel Aviv, marches across the country scheduled for 2 p.m. local time and a large rally capping the day off in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square in the evening.

“For 690 days, the government has been waging a war without a clear objective,” Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan Zangauker, who has been held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, told a news conference

“Today, it is clear that Netanyahu fears one thing, public pressure. We could have ended the war a year ago and brought all the hostages and soldiers home. We could have saved hostages and soldiers, but the prime minister chose, again and again, to sacrifice civilians for the sake of [maintaining] his rule,” she said.

Leaders of the group seized on comments Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump that there would be a “pretty conclusive ending” to the war in the next two to three weeks, to appeal to him to intervene and use his influence to help seal a cease-fire with Hamas.

In comments to reporters at the White House, Trump said a “very serious” diplomatic effort to end the war and secure the release of Israeli hostages was underway and that he had told Netanyahu he’d better get it settled soon.”

Trump did not elaborate but pointed to recent initiatives by his special envoy Steve Witkoff.

A framework first proposed by Witkoff in June formed the basis for a Qatari-Egyptian negotiated part-agreement for a 60-day cease-fire and hostage-prisoner swap deal currently on the table, accepted by Hamas but not Israel, which has instead launched a major military offensive to capture Gaza City.

The proposal, which calls for the release of half of the hostages in two phases, was not on the agenda of a meeting of Netanyahu’s security cabinet due to take place Tuesday afternoon, its first full meeting since the latest plan emerged Aug. 18.

Netanyahu has insisted that only a deal in which all the hostages are released will be considered, ordering his negotiators to resume talks on that basis — while restating his intention to follow through with seizing control of Gaza City.

Background / Context
The Gaza war, now in its eleventh month, has left tens of thousands dead and displaced much of the enclave’s population. Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, leaving Palestinian reporters to provide most on-the-ground coverage. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has served as a major hub for treatment of the wounded and as a base for journalists reporting on the conflict.

What Happened
Israeli airstrikes hit Nasser hospital in southern Gaza on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists, according to Palestinian health officials.

Cameraman Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters contractor, was killed near a Reuters live broadcast position on the hospital’s upper floors during the first strike.

Israel then struck the site a second time, killing other journalists, medical staff, and rescue workers who had rushed to help.

The journalists killed included Mariam Abu Dagga (freelancer for AP), Mohammed Salama (Al Jazeera), Moaz Abu Taha (freelancer, occasional Reuters contributor), and Ahmed Abu Aziz.

Photographer Hatem Khaled, another Reuters contractor, was wounded.

In a separate incident the same day, doctors at Nasser hospital said Israeli gunfire killed local journalist Hassan Dohan in a nearby tent encampment.

Why It Matters
The strike marks one of the deadliest single incidents for journalists since the Gaza war began. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, nearly 200 reporters and media workers—most of them Palestinian—have been killed since October 2023, making this conflict the deadliest for the press in recent history. The deaths underscore both the risks faced by journalists reporting from Gaza and the intensifying calls for accountability over attacks on medical and media sites.

Stakeholder Reactions

Israeli government: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the incident a “tragic mishap,” insisting Israel does not target journalists and that the war is against Hamas. The IDF said it regrets harm to “uninvolved individuals” and has ordered an inquiry.

Reuters: “We are devastated to learn that cameraman Hussam al-Masri … was killed this morning in Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital … We are urgently seeking more information and have asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for [wounded photographer] Hatem,” a spokesperson said.

Associated Press: Said it was “shocked and saddened” at the loss of Mariam Abu Dagga and other journalists, noting Abu Dagga had recently been reporting on child malnutrition from the hospital.

Palestinian presidency: Urged the U.N. Security Council and international community to provide protection for journalists and hold Israel accountable.

Palestinian Journalists Syndicate: Condemned the strike as “an open war against free media.”

Committee to Protect Journalists: Called on the international community “to hold Israel accountable for its continued unlawful attacks on the press.”

U.S. President Donald Trump: Expressed displeasure, saying, “I didn’t know that. Well, I’m not happy about it … At the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare.”

What’s Next
Israel’s military says it will investigate the incident, with Brigadier General Effie Defrin promising findings will be presented “as transparently as possible.” International pressure is likely to mount for independent inquiries into Israel’s conduct during the war, particularly its treatment of journalists and medical facilities. Meanwhile, media organizations are urging urgent protection for reporters still working in Gaza, where foreign journalists remain barred and local correspondents continue to bear the brunt of the risk.

With information from Reuters.