Netanyahu signals openness to Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan: Sources

Netanyahu is scheduled to sit down with Trump at the White House on Monday.

Last Updated: September 28, 2025, 7:25 PM EDT

The Israel Defense Forces is continuing its operation to take control of Gaza City, the largest urban area in the Gaza Strip, despite international outcry over the deteriorated humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory.

Meanwhile, in protest of Israel's continuation of its military operations in Gaza, several nations including France, the U.K. and Canada recognized Palestinian statehood as leaders gathered in New York last week for meetings at the United Nations General Assembly.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the leaders on Friday, again saying Israel will not allow an independent Palestinian state to exist.

Sep 22, 2025, 5:28 AM EDT

IDF claims to have killed 15 fighters in Gaza City

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday said that its troops killed "approximately 15" fighters in Gaza City amid Israel’s operation to take control of the Gaza Strip’s largest urban area.

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike as seen from the central Gaza Strip on Sept. 21, 2025.
Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters

The IDF operation in Gaza City was launched last week, with two divisions -- the 162nd and 98th divisions -- pressing into the "heart" of the city, according to the IDF. A third division, the 36th, was deployed to join the operation over the weekend.

The IDF said artillery units attacked a structure from which Hamas fighters launched two rockets towards Israel on Sunday.

The IDF also said that its warplanes operating over Gaza City struck what it said was a factory producing military equipment and a group of fighters nearby.

The IDF added that additional strikes took place in Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern part of the strip.

Sep 21, 2025, 12:38 PM EDT

'There will be no Palestinian state,' Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unequivocal in his rejection of the U.K., Canada and Australia recognizing a Palestinian state, saying in a statement Sunday "there will be no Palestinian state."

"It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River," the statement repeated.

PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in Jerusalem,  Sept. 15, 2025.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in Jerusalem, Sept. 15, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Pool via AP

Netanyahu also emphasized his government's expansion of West Bank settlements and says "we will continue on this path."

In a separate statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the recognition "will push the desired peace further away," and that "if the countries that signed this declaration truly wish to stabilize the region, they should focus on pressuring Hamas to release the hostages and to disarm immediately."

A statement from the Hostage Families Forum said it "condemns" the announcements, saying the recognition "[turns] a blind eye to the fact that 48 hostages remain in Hamas captivity."

"We call on all nations to act responsibly and ensure that any 'day after' discussions occur only after our loved ones are brought home," the statement said, in part.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

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