RSS
Israel Ramps Up Gaza City Offensive as Hamas Weighs Trump Plan
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during a military operation, in Gaza City, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj
Hamas‘s review of US President Donald Trump‘s Gaza plan stretched into a third day on Wednesday, a source close to the terrorist group said, as other Palestinian factions rejected the proposal and as Israel again bombed Gaza City.
Trump on Tuesday gave Hamas “three or four days” to respond to the plan he outlined this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has backed the proposal to end Israel‘s almost two-year war with the Palestinian terrorist group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.
“Accepting the plan is a disaster, rejecting it is another, there are only bitter choices here, but the plan is a Netanyahu plan articulated by Trump,” a Palestinian official, familiar with Hamas‘s deliberations with other factions, told Reuters.
“Hamas is keen to end the war and end the genocide and it will respond in the way that serves the higher interests of the Palestinian people,” he said, without elaborating.
Israeli planes and tanks pounded residential neighborhoods throughout the night, residents in Gaza City said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued new orders for people to leave for the south and said it would no longer allow those to return to the north, as Gaza City came under heavy bombing.
Defense Minister Israel Katz described the move as “tightening the encirclement around Gaza on the way to defeating Hamas,” saying Palestinians willing to leave to the south would have to go through army vetting.
“This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives isolated in Gaza City itself in the face of the IDF’s continuing full-scale operations,” Katz said.
The Israeli military also said that starting on Wednesday it would no longer allow people to use a coastal road to move from the south to communities in the north.
It would remain open for those fleeing south, it said. Witnesses said Israeli tanks began moving towards the coastal road coming from the east, but were not yet there.
In recent weeks, few people have moved from the south to the north as the military has intensified its siege on Gaza City. However, the decision will put pressure on those who are yet to leave Gaza City and also prevent hundreds of thousands of residents who have fled south from returning to their homes.
The military took similar measures in the early months of the war, completely separating north and south, before later easing those measures in January during a temporary ceasefire.
Hamas is yet to publicly comment on Trump‘s plan, which demands that the terrorist group release the remaining hostages, surrender its weapons, and have no future role in running Gaza.
The plan sees Israel making few concessions in the near term and does not lay out a clear path to a Palestinian state, one of the key demands of not only Hamas but the Arab and Muslim world.
The plan states that Israel would eventually withdraw from Gaza but does not define a time frame. Hamas has long demanded that Israel must fully withdraw from Gaza for the war to end.
Three smaller Palestinian militant factions in Gaza have rejected the plan, including two that are allies of Hamas, arguing that it would destroy the “Palestinian cause” and would grant Israel‘s control of Gaza international legitimacy.
Many world leaders have publicly supported Trump‘s plan.
A source who is close to Hamas told Reuters on Tuesday the plan was too heavily weighted towards Israel‘s interest and did not take significant account of the terrorist group‘s demands.
Many elements of the 20-point plan have been included in numerous ceasefire proposals previously backed by the US, including some that have been accepted and then subsequently rejected at various stages by both Israel and Hamas.
RSS
Netherlands Calls on EU to Sanction Yemen’s Houthis After Ship Attack
Personnel from EU maritime mission Eunavfor Aspides’ transport a casualty during rescue operation following an attack by Yemen’s Houthis on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht, which caught fire in the Gulf of Aden, in this screengrab taken from handout video released on Sept. 30, 2025. Photo: Eunavfor Aspides via X/Handout via REUTERS
The Netherlands called on the EU on Wednesday to sanction Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist group, after the Islamist organization claimed responsibility for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht in the Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-aligned group has launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they deem linked to Israel in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war on Gaza.
“The Houthis have long posed a serious threat to freedom of navigation,” the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Countries including the United States, Israel, Canada, and Australia have labeled the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, as a terrorist organization.
EU DECISION WOULD IMPLY ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
A potential EU decision to add the group to its terrorist list — which currently includes 13 individuals and 22 groups or entities — would imply economic sanctions and the freezing of funds and assets.
Monday’s strike on the Minervagracht injured two sailors and forced a helicopter evacuation of 19 crew members, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the vessel’s operator.
The Houthis‘ military spokesperson said the attack was carried out by a cruise missile.
Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff said Minervagracht was in international waters in the Gulf of Aden when it was hit, suffering substantial damage and a fire.
The Houthis said they attacked Minervagracht because its owner violated “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
It was the first Houthi attack on a commercial ship since Sept. 1, when they targeted Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray near Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
In July, the Houthis attacked and sank the Magic Seas bulk carrier and Eternity C cargo ship in the Red Sea.
The last significant Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden was on the Singapore-flagged Lobivia container ship in July 2024.
RSS
Iranian Commander Points to Potential Missile Range Increase
People look at the apparent remains of a ballistic missile following a missile attack by Iran on Israel, in northern Israel, June 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Avi Ohayon
The range of Iran’s missiles will be increased to any point deemed necessary, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander told the semi-official Fars news agency on Wednesday, in response to what he said were Western demands to curb Tehran’s missiles.
Demands by the US and some European countries to impose restrictions on Iran’s missile capabilities have been one of the issues blocking the path to a nuclear deal, according to Iranian officials.
Western countries fear Iran’s uranium enrichment program could yield material for an atomic warhead and that it seeks to develop a ballistic missile to carry one. Tehran denies pursuing nuclear weapons.
Iranian missiles have a self-imposed range of 2,000 km, which officials in the past said was enough to protect the country as this range can cover the distance to Israel.
However, as launchers based in Iran’s western provinces were targeted by Israeli fighter jets in June, Tehran gradually launched missiles from further east in its territory – which require longer range.
“Our missiles will reach the range that they need to,” deputy inspector of the Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters Mohammadjafar Asadi told Fars news agency.
He added the power and range of Iranian missiles had limited the war initiated by Israel in June to 12 days. Tehran retaliated with hundreds of missile launches on Israeli territory.
After bombing Iranian nuclear sites which led Iran to target the US Al Udeid base in Qatar, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire to end the conflict.
RSS
Trump Order Pledges US Will Defend Qatar in Event of Attack
US President Donald Trump in the Oval office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, Sept. 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
US President Donald Trump has pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States’ own security, according to a document published on Wednesday that says US forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation.
The executive order – which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to its Middle East ally – comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha.
That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington given the close US relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region.
PLEDGE TO RESPOND
The document was dated Monday, the day Trump hosted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and presented a proposal for ending the war in Gaza. Qatar has been a key mediator between the US and Israel and Hamas over the war.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order said.
“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
The document said top US defense and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia has long sought similar guarantees as part of Washington’s efforts to normalize relations between Riyadh and Israel, but such a deal has not materialized. Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.
QATARI JETLINER GIFT
While the president can negotiate collective defense treaties like the one that created NATO, it requires Senate confirmation to become law. An executive order can be repealed by any US president in the future and it is unclear what would compel the US to fulfill the commitment.
Trump‘s order goes beyond a 2022 order by his predecessor Joe Biden that designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, allowing increased military cooperation but falling short of promising to defend Qatar if attacked.
There was no US military response when Qatar came under attack by Iran in June after a US strike on nuclear facilities in Iran.
The Trump administration in May officially accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar and the military is working to prepare it for use as a new Air Force One to transport President Donald Trump. Trump dismissed legal and ethical concerns over the plane’s transfer.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Doha after the Israeli strike, and said an enhanced defense cooperation agreement was being finalized with Qatar.