Gaza City under attack by Israel. Netanyahu: 'Trump invited me to the White House. Qatar finances Hamas"

At least 106 people were killed in Israeli raids in Gaza today, medical sources told Al Jazeera. At least 91 of the people killed in today's Israeli attacks lost their lives in Gaza City, doctors said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu stated at a press conference that Qatar finances Hamas and that the attack on Doha was 'justified'.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a press conference that US President Donald Trump has invited him to the White House. "This will take place after my speech at the UN Assembly. I had several conversations with him after the Doha attack, and they were all very positive," he added.

"We are launching a powerful attack against the Hamas stronghold in Gaza city. In the last 24 hours, troops from the 98th Division have begun ground operations in the centre of Gaza city. Troops operating on the ground entered with fire support from the air and sea. Dozens of terrorist sites were hit, including military facilities, observation posts and booby-trapped buildings intended to harm troops operating in the area'. This was stated by the IDF.

"Israel's land offensive in Gaza will make an already desperate situation even worse. It will lead to more deaths, more destruction and more displaced people. Tomorrow, the EU Commission will present measures to pressure the Israeli government to change course regarding the war in Gaza. Suspending trade concessions and imposing sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlers would clearly signal that the EU demands an end to this situation." EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas writes this on X.

"Hamas has created the largest human shield in history in Gaza. It exploits the population and prevents residents from evacuating the city through severe violence. The IDF is allowing the evacuation of the population and estimates that more than 350,000 residents have been evacuated so far." This was stated by Israeli army spokesman Brigadier General Efi Defrin, adding that, "as part of the operational plan, we have adapted humanitarian efforts in accordance with international law. There will be no hunger in the Gaza Strip. Aid will also be delivered to Gaza City'.

The Israeli ground operation, with tanks advancing in several areas on the outskirts of Gaza City, is not shared by the Italian government. The line is dictated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. "We have always said that we are against the offensive on Gaza because of the risks to the civilian population, certainly not to defend Hamas which uses hostages as human shields," Tajani told Skytg24. He added. it is necessary "to speed up the timetable for a ceasefire, the release of the hostages without conditions and an end to the attacks. We have already seen carnage in these months in Gaza, it will not be easy".

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed at least 78 people since this morning in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by Hamas-run Ministry of Health sources, who said that some 68 Palestinians died in Gaza City, where Israeli forces began the ground attack.

For the first time in Israel's history, an army chief of staff (IDF) led troops to the front line. Ynet reports this, reporting that Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir today joined the head of the Southern Command, Major General Yaniv Asor, in Gaza City as ground forces advanced after days of heavy air strikes.

Shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the ground incursion this morning, the IDF stated that its forces had begun the ground manoeuvre phase in Gaza City, codenamed Operation Gideon's Chariots II, at 10pm the previous night, after what it described as days of 'intense preparatory strikes'.

US President Donald Trump said he had not spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the ground operation in Gaza City began. Answering reporters' questions before leaving for Britain, Trump spoke about the operation and said he did not yet know whether he supports it: 'I'll have to see, I don't know much about it. I can say that if Hamas uses the hostages as human shields, it will have to pay a heavy price."

"The new IDF assault on Gaza is absolutely reckless and appalling. It will only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, unrestricted humanitarian aid and a path to lasting peace." UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper writes this on X.

Il Ministro degli Esteri britannico Yvette Cooper partecipa a un incontro con il Presidente ucraino Volodymyr Zelensky (non nella foto) a Kyiv, Ucraina, il 12 settembre 2025, nel contesto dell'invasione russa in corso. EPA/VALENTYN OGIRENKO / PISCINA

What is happening in Gaza with 'an action of outright occupation by the Netanyahu government is of unprecedented gravity. The massacre, the deportation of the Palestinian people must be stopped, the logic of war and rearmament is a danger. As CGIL we have decided on a day of mobilisation for Friday, 19 September, which also includes the proclamation of hours of strike by the categories'. Thus the general secretary of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, at a press conference, demanding that "governments suspend any agreement, including trade, with Israel until the massacre stops".

The Qatari authorities are currently focused on protecting the country's sovereignty and preventing new attacks on its territory, mediating a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is not their priority in light of the Israeli bombardment. This was stated by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al Ansari.

"We are committed now, first and foremost, to ensure the protection of state sovereignty, to prevent new interference in it; negotiations to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have taken a back seat in light of Israel's insidious attack on the country mediating in the negotiations," al Ansari said.

"I don't think the attack on Gaza is good for Israel. I don't think that the fight against Hamas, which is sacrosanct, should be done in this way, I don't think you can think of deporting the Palestinian people, it's not something that secures Israel, but neither does any other country in the Middle East. I think that a possibility of coexistence between Palestinians and Israel must be found, and that this is possible if somehow the proxies of Iran and terrorist organisations like Hamas are eradicated. The way Netanyahu chose, not Israel, are two different things for me, in my opinion it is not the right method'. Thus Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on the sidelines of the Defence Procurement forum in Rome.

"We want to take control of Gaza City because today it is the main symbol of Hamas rule. Today, if Gaza city falls ... they will fall". Minister Israel Katz said this during a visit to the headquarters of the 162nd Division, currently operating in Gaza city. "From Hamas we want only two things, which it will not grant us voluntarily: the release of all hostages and complete disarmament. The more intense the offensive, the more Hamas will be defeated directly, and at the same time a stronger lever will be created for the release of the hostages," he added.

Pope Leo telephoned Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest in Gaza. The Argentinian missionary informed the Pontiff of the situation and of the fact that he continues to assist the 450 refugees who are in the parish and also the people living near the compound. The Pope expressed his "concern" and assured Father Gabriel of "prayer and closeness". This was reported by the Vatican press office.

"Thank God, we are well and staying". With his tone always calm, Father Gabriel Romanelli, after days of difficulty in communicating, finally answers the phone from his parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, telling us about the situation, "increasingly dramatic", he explains. Romanelli recounts that the Church, already hit last July by an Israeli attack, is located in the eastern part, the old city, of Gaza city, which is currently not the one under assault.

However, for days now, even during the celebrations, loud explosions can be heard a few hundred metres away and smoke can be seen high in the Gaza sky, documented daily by the same religious with videos. The religious of the Holy Family continue to distribute the very little food that remains to the 450 people assisted, including the sick and disabled, and to the people who crowd the neighbourhood where the Church is located.

"The invasion of Gaza City exposes hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians to the risk of death and displacement". This was stated by the Palestinian National Authority's Foreign Ministry, denouncing "an attempt to turn Gaza City into a mass grave and uninhabitable land". In a note posted on X, the ministry calls for 'urgent and exceptional international intervention to protect civilians in Gaza City', calling 'the failure of international diplomacy to stop the war suspicious and unjustified'.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned Israel's ground offensive against Gaza City and called for an end to the "carnage", highlighting the "growing evidence" of "genocide" taking place in the Palestinian enclave. "The whole world is clamouring for peace. The Palestinians, the Israelis are clamouring for peace. Everybody wants this to end and what we are witnessing is a continuous escalation that is totally and completely unacceptable," Turk told Afp. ''It is absolutely clear that this carnage has to stop,'' he added.

Tomorrow the College of European Commissioners will adopt a package of measures on Israel. This was announced by EU Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho during the daily press briefing. Among the measures expected for the situation in Gaza is the suspension of the trade part of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The measures will be presented at a press conference by High Commissioner Kaja Kallas and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum declared a 'state of emergency' over the IDF offensive in Gaza City, announcing that it had set up a tent encampment outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence. "Following reports of tank raids and massive shelling in Gaza City, hostage families, terrified for the fate of their loved ones, spontaneously gathered late at night outside the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem, clamouring for the rescue of their loved ones and all hostages," reads a note reported by Israeli media. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the encampment had the authorisation of the security forces.

The death toll of Israeli attacks in the Strip today rose to at least 62, 52 of whom were killed in Gaza City. This was reported by al Jazeera citing medical sources.

There is growing indignation among European countries over the Israeli army's pre-announced urban offensive that today brought vehicles and soldiers into the urban area of Gaza City. "The new IDF assault on Gaza is absolutely reckless and appalling," said British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper on X, according to which the final Israeli ground attack "will only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages". And again: 'We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and a path to lasting peace'.

The current Israeli offensive on Gaza City is going 'in completely the wrong direction. We reject it and we have made that clear to the Israeli government", attacked the German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, during a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart, Maria Malmer Stenergard, in Berlin. Wadephul instead called for an immediate ceasefire, adequate supplies for the population, and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. "Germany has a special responsibility and a special relationship with the State of Israel in its fundamentally justified fight against the terrorist organisation Hamas. But we are carefully examining the means and costs of this fight and have therefore made it clear that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable and that continuing the conflict with the goal of taking over Gaza City is, as I said, the wrong path. We are in intensive discussions with the Israeli government on this issue,' the German minister said again.

The Israeli army (Idf) estimates that some 2,000-3,000 Hamas militants remain in Gaza City, in addition to the tunnels used by the group. This was reported by an Idf official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirming that the "main phase" of the operation in Gaza City has begun. The army also estimates that 350,000 people have left Gaza City, claiming that this is about a third of the city's population before the start of the new ground offensive. These numbers contradict a UN estimate published yesterday that more than 220,000 Palestinians have fled northern Gaza in the past month, after the Israeli army warned all residents to leave Gaza City before the operation. Before the evacuation warnings, an estimated one million Palestinians lived in the region around Gaza City. Today, at the start of the offensive in Gaza City, long lines of vehicles wound along the Gaza coastal road, laden with mattresses and personal belongings, while others fled on foot.

As part of the advance towards Gaza City, remote-controlled armoured vehicles loaded with explosives were driven into the periphery overnight and today, with the aim of destroying buildings and infrastructure, to prepare the ground for the entry of other forces. The military spokesman explained that these were old M113 vehicles decommissioned by the IDF, filled with tons of explosives and driven deep into the tunnels using a remote control system. The powerful explosions were clearly heard last night and this morning in Tel Aviv, the rest of central and southern Tel Aviv.

"The situation has been bad for a long time and unfortunately it is getting worse. We are fine. We hear a lot of shelling especially in the west and northwest of Gaza city. We are in the east. We continue to be here with our 450 or so refugees. What we have we distribute among the refugees and also to our neighbours who are many, many". These were the words of Father Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family in Gaza, to Agorà on Rai Tre, hosted by Roberto Inciocchi.

The Israeli army announced, addressing residents on social media through its Arabic-speaking spokesman. Avichay Adraee, that it had 'started to destroy Hamas infrastructure'. "Gaza City is considered a dangerous combat zone; remaining there exposes you to grave danger. Move quickly through al Rashid Street to the designated areas south of Gaza, either by car or on foot,' he continued. Palestinian medical sources announced that at least 38 people have been killed by gunfire and shelling in different areas of the Strip since dawn. The same sources explained that 23 people were transferred to Al-Shifa hospital, 12 to Al-Maamoud hospital and 3 to Al-Aqsa hospital. Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told France Presse that shelling continued "intensely throughout the city" during the night, adding that "the number of dead and wounded continues to increase".

"Gaza is burning. The IDF is striking terrorist infrastructure with an iron fist, and IDF soldiers are fighting valiantly to create the conditions necessary for the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas, said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. "We will not give in or withdraw until the mission is completed," he added.

Palestinian medical sources announced that 38 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces' gunfire and shelling in various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn today. This was reported by the Palestinian agency Wafa, pointing out that among them at least 14 were killed in Gaza City where the Israeli army targeted a residential area in the northwest of the city.

The media in the Strip report that the Israeli Air Force hit several targets in Gaza City, including the Rimal neighbourhood, the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood, and a building in the Daraj neighbourhood.