Overview
- In Jerusalem, the U.S. and Israel displayed a united front, with Marco Rubio and Benjamin Netanyahu saying the conflict ends only with Hamas’s destruction and the return of all 48 hostages, about 20 believed alive.
- Rubio will travel to Qatar to press for renewed mediation on hostages and a ceasefire framework after Israel’s Sept. 9 strike in Doha, which Hamas says killed five members and Qatar says also killed a security officer.
- Israeli forces escalated operations in Gaza City, flattening multiple residential towers including a 16‑floor building after evacuation warnings, as local officials reported new civilian deaths and large-scale displacement.
- Arab and Islamic leaders meeting in Doha condemned the strike in Qatar and warned that Israel’s actions threaten existing and prospective normalization deals, according to summit communiques and Gulf statements.
- Netanyahu declined to rule out West Bank annexation in response to planned recognitions of Palestinian statehood, while Gaza authorities reported more than 64,000 deaths and deepening hunger during the prolonged war.