Israel's war kills over 66,000 Palestinians as army tanks advance in Gaza City

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Hamas declared on Sunday that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is an "unwelcome figure" in Palestinian affairs.

Senior Hamas official Husam Badran made the remarks on Telegram, following reports by Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the US is considering appointing Blair to head a transitional government in post-war Gaza.

Badran warned that linking any plan to Blair is a "bad omen" for Palestinians, describing him as a "negative figure" who should face international courts for his role in the Iraq war.

He emphasised that Palestinian governance in Gaza or the occupied West Bank is an internal matter and must be decided by national consensus — not imposed by external actors.

Badran also noted that since December 2023, Hamas has internally decided not to continue governing Gaza alone and has communicated this to other factions and regional partners.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti called on the international community to lift the blockade on Gaza, end the famine, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid amid what he described as Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Nafti criticised the UN Security Council’s failure to stop the humanitarian crisis.

He reaffirmed Tunisia’s support for Palestinian statehood with Jerusalem as its capital and praised growing global recognition of Palestinian statehood, while he condemned Israel’s declared intent to reoccupy Gaza.

The Israeli army stormed the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, raiding the home of a Palestinian man who had been killed earlier in the day.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that Israeli forces entered Nablus and moved toward the Khallet al-Amoud area in the western part of the city, where they surrounded the home of 24-year-old Mahmoud Hassan Abdulrahman Akkad.

The Palestinian health ministry had earlier confirmed that Akkad was shot and killed by Israeli forces near the city of Qalqilya.

According to the Israeli military, Akkad allegedly rammed into troops at a junction. Gunfire ensued, resulting in the death of one soldier.

According to the witnesses, confrontations erupted in Nablus between Palestinian residents, who threw stones, and the Israeli forces, who responded with live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, and tear gas to disperse them. The clashes resulted in a number of injuries.

US President Donald Trump told Reuters in a phone interview that he has gotten a "very good response" from Israel and Arab leaders to his Gaza peace plan proposal.

Trump said the proposal is aimed at not just Gaza, but reaching a broader peace agreement in the Middle East.

He added that "everybody wants to make a deal," and hopes to finalise it in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday.

Al Araby TV broadcast exclusive footage of fighters from Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, storming an Israeli army position in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

#عاجل | #التلفزيون_العربي يبث مشاهد خاصة لاقتحام مقاتلي القسام موقعا للجيش الإسرائيلي في خانيونس https://t.co/73y5GYAGDp

— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) September 28, 2025

Iran on Sunday condemned as "unjustifiable" the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme, after the collapse of talks with Western powers and Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites.

"The reactivation of annulled resolutions is legally baseless and unjustifiable... all countries must refrain from recognising this illegal situation," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly defend its national rights and interests, and any action aimed at undermining the rights and interests of its people will face a firm and appropriate response," it added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected any nuclear negotiations that would cause "new problems".

"We have always declared our readiness for a logical, fair and just dialogue based on clear criteria, but we will never accept a negotiation that causes us new problems and issues," Pezeshkian said, according to ISNA news agency.

The Israeli military targeted southern Lebanon on Sunday, claiming it struck a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

"A short while ago, the IDF (Israeli military) struck Hezbollah weapon storage facilities in southern Lebanon. These weapon depots were used by the terrorist organisation to advance and carry out terror attacks against the State of Israel," the military said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at a breakthrough in the Middle East crisis, saying "all are on board for something special," on the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House.

"We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!"

Earlier Friday, Trump had told reporters in Washington "I think we have a deal" on Gaza. "I think it's a deal that will get the hostages back, I think it's a deal that will end the war."

A visit to Egypt by Washington's top envoy to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has been postponed, a US official told AFP on Sunday.

Earlier, a US embassy spokesperson had said that Huckabee would be visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, making what media reports said would have been a rare trip by a sitting US envoy.

"The trip has been postponed," the official said, without providing further details.

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Sunday that many details of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war were "in line with what has been agreed upon", the Jordanian state news agency reported.

He did not give further details on the plan itself or what it entailed.

Trump said on Friday that he was close to forging a deal to end the war on Gaza and bring captives home. 

Hamas's armed wing urged the Israeli military to temporarily halt air strikes and withdraw from part of Gaza City on Sunday as it tried to locate two Israeli captives it said it had lost contact with.

"The lives of the two prisoners are in real danger, and (Israeli) forces must immediately withdraw to the south of Street 8 and halt aerial operations for 24 hours starting from 18:00 today to allow attempts to rescue the prisoners," wrote the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades in a statement.

In a previous announcement, the armed group said the loss of contact was due to Israeli military attacks in two southern Gaza City neighbourhoods over the previous 48 hours, where Israeli forces have stepped up air and ground assaults.

An international aid flotilla that paused for several days in Greek waters for repairs has set sail again for Gaza, where activists aim to challenge Israel's naval blockade and deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.

Organisers said on Sunday that Greek vessels had now joined their enterprise, meaning that the flotilla, which counts some 47 civilian boats, was "complete".

"Brothers and sisters in Gaza, we sail with hope in our hearts. Your resilience is our compass, your struggle is our struggle. Together, we will break the silence of the siege," the Global Somoud Flotilla wrote on social media.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday there is "a real chance for greatness in the Middle East" without providing specific details, days after saying he was close to forging a deal to end the war in Gaza.

"We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done," he said in a Truth Social post. 

The United States ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, will visit Egypt for talks with Egyptian officials, a US embassy spokesman said Sunday, in what would be a rare trip by a sitting American envoy.

Huckabee's meetings with Egyptian officials are part of regular diplomatic consultations conducted between US embassies in the region, the spokesman told AFP.

"This familiarisation trip reflects the United States' ongoing commitment to maintaining open and constructive dialogue with regional partners to advance shared goals in the region," the spokesman said.

The embassy did not disclose further details or a date for the visit, but media reports suggested it would be the first time in decades that a sitting US ambassador to Israel had visited Egypt.

Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday it lost contact with two captives, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran, during Israeli military attacks in two Gaza City neighbourhoods.

In a statement, the al-Qassam Brigades said it had demanded that Israel halt air sorties for 24 hours, starting at 6pm, in part of Gaza City to remove the captives from danger. 

A Palestinian has been injured by Israeli fire in the town of Al-Ram, north of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza has now killed at least 40 Palestinians since Sunday, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

The toll includes 10 killed in Nuseirat refugee camp and two Palestinians, including a child, killed by Israeli forces in the Sabra neighbourhood in the south of Gaza City.

Spain has decided to join "The Hague Group", a coalition made up of 34 nations, led by South Africa and Colombia, to impose new economic sanctions on Israel and hold Israel to account over its atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip.

The decision was announced amid the United Nations General Assembly's meetings in New York.

Israel, which bombed Iran's nuclear sites in a brief war in June, considers the United Nations' re-imposition of sanctions on Tehran a "major development," its foreign ministry said in a post on X on Sunday.

Britain, France and Germany initiated the return of sanctions on Iran at the UN Security Council over accusations it had violated a 2015 deal that aimed to stop it developing a nuclear bomb. 

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 66,005 Palestinians since 7 October 2023, Gaza's Health Ministry revealed, while a further 168,162 have been injured. 

The ministry also added that at least 77 Palestinians, including six aid seekers, have been killed and 379 injured across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours.

Palestine has hailed San Marino's recognition of the State of Palestine, calling it a "courageous decision that aligns with international law and United Nations resolutions, and supports the efforts made to achieve peace and implement the two-state solution".

"The Ministry, while thanking San Marino’s leadership, government, and people, affirms the State of Palestine’s keenness to build the strongest and most robust bilateral relations with San Marino and to enhance joint coordination in all fields," Palestine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Palestine also called on nations that have not yet recognised a Palestinian state to take the initiative and do so.

Israeli tanks moved deeper into Gaza City's residential districts on Sunday, as local health authorities said they have been unable to respond to dozens of desperate calls, expressing concern about the fate of residents in the targeted areas.

Witnesses and medics said Israeli tanks had deepened their incursions in the Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, Sheikh Radwan and Al-Naser neighbourhoods, closing in on the heart and the western areas of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering.

The Israeli military launched its long-threatened ground offensive on Gaza City on September 16 after weeks of intensifying strikes on the urban centre, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to flee, although many still remain.

Israeli settlers attacked a Bedouin community near the town of Makhmas, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, local sources told Wafa.

The settlers raided the community, blocking the only road access and cutting electricity lines, leaving the residents without power.

At least 29 Palestinians have been killed as Israel continues its assault on the Gaza Strip, medical sources tell Al Jazeera.

The toll includes 10 Palestinians who were killed after an Israeli airstrike targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

An Israeli military vehicle ran over a Palestinian child, forcing them to be taken to a nearby hospital in Jericho, the occupied West Bank, local media reported on Sunday. 

The child was injured in the attack, with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society later issuing a statement saying they treated the 12-year-old and administered first aid.

The cycling team Israel Premier Tech has been excluded from an upcoming race in Italy due to concerns about potential pro-Palestinian protests and disruption if the team were to participate.

The decision by organisers of the Giro dell'Emilia race comes after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta, in which Israel Premier Tech participated. Spain's government estimated that more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage this month.

Bologna councillor Roberta Li Calzi welcomed the decision to remove the team from the one-day race, scheduled for 4 October.

"We believe that sport is a vehicle of universal values ​​of sharing, fair competition, solidarity between people," Li Calzi said on Saturday. "We are satisfied to learn that this opinion is shared by the organisation of the race, which today officially confirmed to us that the Israeli team will not take part in the Giro dell'Emilia.

"I thank them for this sensitivity, which I believe is shared by a large part of our community."