Gulf calls US to reign in Israel as tower blocks leveled in Gaza City

The live blog has now ended and will be back tomorrow at 9am BST. You can read more of The New Arab's coverage of Israel's war on Gaza here.

Four Palestinians were killed in an attack on the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera, which added that several others have been wounded.

Israel heavily bombarded Gaza City on Tuesday, witnesses told AFP, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed Israel's offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory.

"There is heavy, relentless bombing on Gaza City, and the danger keeps increasing," witness Ahmed Ghazal said, adding that homes had been destroyed and residents were trapped under the rubble.

Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that "bombing is still ongoing heavily across Gaza City, and the number of deaths and injuries continues to rise".

Luxembourg intends to join France, the UK, Canada and a host of other nations in recognising a Palestinian state at the UN, according to Politico citing local media.

The Israeli military launched a ground offensive on Monday to occupy Gaza City, Axios reported citing Israeli officials

Three Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack on an apartment building in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah, according to Al Jazeera.

US President Donald Trump insisted Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not strike Qatar again, after an attack on Hamas last week that infuriated Washington's Gulf ally.

"He won't be hitting in Qatar," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, after Netanyahu failed to rule out further strikes during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem.

12 people have been wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the Ksar Zaatar neighbourhood of Nabatieh, according to Lebanon's health ministry, which added that four of those who were wounded are children.

The Israeli military claimed that it struck a Hezbollah headquarters in the area.

The Israeli prime minister's office reiterated in an X post on Monday that Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Doha was a "wholly independent" Israeli operation.

Axios reported earlier that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Donald Trump that Israel planned to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar before last week's strike occurred.

There are multiple reports of intense airstrikes on Gaza City from both Palestinian and Israeli media.

Quds News Network is reporting intense airstrikes on the city, while the Israeli Broadcasting Authority has also reported attacks on the city. 

Walla, citing Israel's general staff, is reporting "an intensive operation with varied firepower in Gaza, and this is just the beginning", according to Al Jazeera.

The leaders of Canada, France, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Britain held a call on Monday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement.

"All leaders agreed that the focus must remain on advancing peace and security, including reaching a lasting ceasefire, securing the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas, and scaling up flows of life-saving assistance for Palestinian civilians," it said.

The call was chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week's deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital.

The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel's attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

A joint statement from the summit urged "all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people", including "reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it".

Qatar's fellow Gulf nations the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, were among those present that recognise Israel.

The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which signed the Abraham Accords recognising Israel five years ago to the day, did not attend Monday's talks, sending senior representatives instead.

The statement also urged member states to "coordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel's membership in the United Nations".

The Gulf states called on their close ally Washington to use its leverage to rein in Israel following unprecedented Israeli strikes on Hamas in Qatar last week.

"We also expect our strategic partners in the United States to use their influence on Israel in order for it to stop this behaviour... They have leverage and influence on Israel, and it's about time that this leverage and influence be used," Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi said in a press conference following a summit in Doha.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Donald Trump that Israel planned to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar before last week's strike occurred, Axios reported on Monday, citing Israeli officials.

The White House has said it was notified only after missiles were in the air, giving Trump no opportunity to oppose the strike but the White House knew earlier, even if the timeline to stop it would have been tight, Axios reported, citing seven Israeli officials.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will voice support for Qatar's sovereignty during a visit to the Gulf country on Tuesday following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders there, the State Department said.

"Secretary Rubio will reaffirm America's full support for Qatar's security and sovereignty following Israel's strike in Doha," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement as Rubio met Israeli leaders in Jerusalem.

A UN rights expert reiterated on Monday that Israel was committing "genocide" in Gaza, slamming what she said was the "complicity" of other countries as "the shame of our time".

"Far too many states continue to look away, normalise the suffering and even profit from it," Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, told reporters in Geneva.

"Arms trade and diplomatic engagement with Israel continue unabated," she said.

"This is not just morally wrong, this is unlawful," she insisted, demanding "accountability (for) the very people who have been giving orders to continue trade and arms transfers toward Israel".

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but do not speak on behalf of the UN.

Cycling's global governing body (UCI) on Monday said it "regretted" the Spanish government's support for pro-Palestinian demonstrations that disrupted the Vuelta and which "could call into question Spain's ability to host major international sporting events".

After Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed support for the protests, the UCI responded with a statement saying "this position is contradictory to the Olympic values of unity, mutual respect, and peace".

The Arab and Islamic leaders who attended the Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit on Israel's attack on Qatar have adopted their final statement.

The statement condemned Israel's attack, describing it as illegal and aggressive, highlighting that it undermines peace in the Middle East and mediation efforts by international bodies.

The statement also rejects any justification of Israel's actions or threats of further attacks.

The Spanish government has cancelled a contract worth nearly 700 million euros ($825 million) for Israeli-designed rocket launchers, according to an official document seen Monday by AFP.

The move comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced last week that his government would "consolidate in law" a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel over its offensive in Gaza.

Israel needs to invest heavily in "influence operations" in traditional and social media to counteract economic isolation arising from negative publicity abroad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.

Speaking at a Finance Ministry conference, Netanyahu said foreign investment into Israel had held up in the wake of a 12-day war against Iran in June, which he said removed an immediate threat of a nuclear-armed foe.

But in a rare acknowledgment of the isolation arising from international criticism of Israel's war in Gaza, he said Israel faced an economic threat of sanctions and other measures.

He blamed isolation on minorities in Europe pushing "anti-Zionist and extreme Islamist ideology", and on countries such as Qatar, backer of Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera, investing in shaping global discourse through social media.

"This leads to sanctions against Israel and alters Israel's international standing ... and this leads to a kind of isolation for Israel," Netanyahu said. "We can break out of this isolation, but we must invest heavily in countermeasures — particularly in media and social media influence operations."

At least 50 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Monday as Israel's war continues, including three journalists who have been killed in Israeli attacks.

Journalist Mohammed al-Kouifi was killed after an Israeli attack in the Nassr neighbourhood of Gaza City, while journalist Iman al-Zamili and photographer and broadcast engineer Ayman Haniyeh have also been killed.

Ticket sales from Norway's 2026 World Cup qualifier against Israel will go to medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to help it alleviate "humanitarian suffering" in Gaza, Norway's football association said on Monday.

The October 11 match in Oslo "will be played against the backdrop of grave humanitarian suffering, and we are not and can not remain indifferent to this," the head of the Norwegian football association, Lisa Klaveness, told reporters at a press conference.

"We think it is entirely justified to give the ticket sales to Doctors Without Borders, which is providing concrete, emergency aid on the ground in Gaza," she said.

Klaveness criticised the "disproportionate attacks targetting Gaza for far too long".

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that Israel's current actions hindered any chances of new peace treaties in the Middle East.

In remarks aimed at Israel, he told the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha: "What is happening right now hinders the future of peace, threatens your security and the security of the peoples in the region and adds obstacles to chances for any new peace agreements and even aborts existing ones.

The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, is calling for the international community to hold Israel to account over its actions, emphasising the need to end the war on Gaza.

"We call upon the international community to live up to its responsibility, to hold Israel liable and responsible for their crimes and the repeated assault on our countries and peoples and in this direction, we call for practical measures to prevent any recurrence of these violations," Abbas said.

"The radical far-right government of Israel cannot be a partner to peace and security in our region. This demands a firm Arab and Muslim position and firm intervention by the US and the UN Security Council to bring the rogue state [Israel] and its behavior to an end."

Rubio called on Qatar to continue to play a constructive role in resolving the Gaza war.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem, Rubio said Qatar could help reach the goals of releasing all 48 captives still held in Gaza, disarming Hamas and building a better future for Gazans.

"And so we're going to continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in that regard," he said.

Netanyahu, who has not backed down an inch since the Doha strike drew widespread condemnation, said he did not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders "wherever they are".

Rubio told Israel on Monday that the United States backed the "constructive role" of Qatar in mediating in Gaza, after an Israeli strike on the Gulf state against Hamas.

"We're going to continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in that regard," Rubio told a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

UN expert Francesca Albanese on Monday warned that Israel's assault on Gaza City would devastate Palestinians and that the city could be rendered unlivable.

"Israel is bombing using unconventional weapons...it is trying to forcibly evacuate Palestinians. Why? This is the last piece of Gaza that needs to be rendered unliveable," Albanese, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, told reporters in Geneva.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani is calling for a NATO-style collective security response to attacks on any Arab or Islamic country, speaking at the summit.

"I propose treating any attack on any Arab or Islamic country as a threat to all countries in both blocs," al-Sudani said, calling for the summit to issue "a unified Arab and Islamic position condemning the attack” on Qatar.

"We have a real opportunity to send a clear message confirming that the security of our countries is not a matter of negotiation," he said.

Sisi says Egypt is in complete support and solidarity with Qatar, in this grave violation of international law and threat to Arab security. Israel's "unhinged behaviour" goes beyond any diplomatic or military logic and crossed all red lines.

King Abdullah links the attack on Qatar to the war on Gaza, and part of Israel's plans for regional hegemony. Action should be taken to end the war in Gaza and prevent Israel's continued violations of holy sites in Jerusalem and occupation in the West Bank.

Qatar's emir said Monday that Israel had sought to derail Gaza talks by striking Hamas negotiators in his country last week, and that its premier dreamt of an Arab world under Israeli influence.

"Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations... Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to discuss the attack.

Emir Al Thani questioned if Israel wished to target Hamas leaders, then why engage in ceasefire negotiations, adding that Netanyahu's dreams of the Arab region becoming an Israeli sphere of influence.

"If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators? How can we host, in our country, negotiating delegations from Israel, whereas they send drones and planes for an air raid against our country?"

"There is no need for questions. This is just cowardly aggression, and there is no room to deal with such a party."

He also accused Israel of wanting to "ensure that Gaza is no longer livable".

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani just ended his opening speech at the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, addressing all the leaders present.

The Emir said Israel knows no red lines, adding that the Israeli government is carrying out a policy of terrorism as Doha complies with international law.

Al-Tani also denounced Israeli aggression as "blatant, treacherous, cowardly" on Gaza, saying it has turned into a war of extermination.

The head of the UN atomic watchdog called Monday for the implementation of a cooperation framework it struck last week with Iran, saying it was essential to "restore confidence" after the agency's work was halted.

Iran agreed to resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Cairo, three months after it came under attack by Israel and the US.

The 12-day war saw Israeli and US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, which IAEA inspectors have not been able to access since.

Addressing the opening day of the agency's annual General Conference, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said it was now to implement the deal "to restore confidence" and allow the agency "to continue our work in spite of all these difficulties".

"Now it's up to... Iran and us to implement" the deal that "summarises the technical measures, the practical steps that we need... to resume this indispensable work in Iran," Grossi said in his speech.

(AFP and TNA staff)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Qatar on Tuesday following two days of talks with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, two government officials tell the Washington Post.

The US diplomat will travel to the Gulf country a day after dozens of Arab and Islamic countries held an emergency summit in Doha to discuss a collective response to Israel's attempt at assassinating Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital last week.

The unprecedented airstrikes drew outrage among Arab countries, who have threatened to take diplomatic measures in response to Israel's aggression.

The Trump administration has offered light criticism of the attack on Qatar, a key US ally and important mediator between Israel and Hamas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio charged on Monday that Hamas was emboldened by moves by Britain, France and other US allies to recognise a Palestinian state.

"They're largely symbolic -- they have really no impact whatsoever about bringing us any closer to a Palestinian state. The only impact they actually have is it makes Hamas feel more emboldened," Rubio said at a joint news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday reiterated his "deep admiration" for pro-Palestinian protesters who forced the final stage of the Vuelta cycling race to be abandoned over the weekend.

He also said Israel should be barred from international sporting competitions "as long as the barbarism continues" in Gaza, like Russian sport teams were penalised after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Despite sharp criticism from the main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP), Sanchez has maintained his stance, as he sought to position himself as a leading European supporter of the Palestinian cause.

"Our position is clear and categorical: as long as barbarity continues, neither Russia nor Israel should participate in any international competition," the Socialist premier said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the visit on Monday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a "clear message" that the United States stood with Israel.

"Your presence here today is a clear message that America stands with Israel," said Netanyahu, who also praised President Donald Trump for his support of Israel.

Trump "is the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House", he said at a joint press conference after talks with Rubio.

Rubio on Monday promised Israel to maintain "maximum pressure" on Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, following a June military campaign.

"The president continues with a campaign of maximum pressure," Rubio told reporters with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying there will "continue to be maximum economic pressure on Iran until they change course."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would provide "unwavering support" to Israel in the war in Gaza as he called for the eradication of Hamas during a visit to the US ally on Monday.

"The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated," Rubio told reporters next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"You can count on our unwavering support and commitment to see come to fruition."

Pro-Palestinian protestors invading the Vuelta a España course to force the final stage of the cycling Grand Tour to be abandoned was "absolutely unacceptable", organisers said on Monday.

"What happened yesterday was absolutely unacceptable, I regret the image it gave (to the world) and it should not be repeated," said Javier Guillen, director of the race.

Protestors pushed over barriers and stood in the road where cyclists were due to pass in various places along the route, and chanted "Palestine won this Vuelta" after the stage was scrapped.

"I don't think we can take anything good out of what happened yesterday," Guillen said.

"It's fine for people to take advantage of the Vuelta to make their statement, but we also demand respect for the race."

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday said Israel and Russia should be banned from international sports competitions until "barbaric acts" end, referring to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Sanchez said he condemned the violent protests by pro-Palestinian groups on Sunday in Madrid, which disrupted the La Vuelta cycling race and ultimately led to the cancellation of the final leg and the podium ceremony.

More leaders from the Arab and Islamic world have arrived in Qatar for the emergency summit, including Sudan's army chief and de facto head of state, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa, Emomali Rahmon, president of Tajikistan and Rashid Meredov, prime minister of Turkmenistan.

Spain should boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part, Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said Monday, joining other European nations threatening to pull out of the event.

"We have to ensure that Israel does not take part in the next edition of Eurovision. Just as Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and also the Netherlands have already done, if we do not succeed in expelling Israel, Spain should not participate," he said during an interview with Spanish public radio.

The United Nations Human Rights Council said it will host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel's airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar.

The council said Monday the debate would "discuss the recent military aggression carried out by the State of Israel against the State of Qatar on 9 September 2025'".

A flotilla bound for Gaza carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists set sail Monday from Tunisia after repeated delays, aiming to break Israel's blockade and establish a humanitarian corridor to the Palestinian territory.

"We are also trying to send a message to the people of Gaza that the world has not forgotten about you," Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said before boarding in the northern port of Bizerte.

"When our governments are failing to step up then we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands," she told AFP.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday urged Muslim countries to cut ties with Israel ahead of a summit responding to an unprecedented Israeli strike on Hamas members in Qatar.

"It is possible that Islamic countries cut their ties with this fake regime and maintain unity and cohesion as much as possible," Pezeshkian said before departing for Doha, adding that he hoped the summit would "reach a conclusion" on measures against Israel.

Days after Israel attacked Qatar in an airstrike targeting Hamas leaders, US President Donald Trump made careful remarks on Sunday as Washington's two powerful Middle Eastern allies face a worsening rift.

"Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everyone else, we have to be careful. When we attack people we have to be careful," Trump told reporters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to examine the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Qatar opposed by Washington and its effects on efforts for a Gaza truce.

Rubio scheduled the solidarity visit a week before a French-led summit at the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state, a prospect fervently opposed by Netanyahu's right-wing government.