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 25, 2025, 11:25 AM EDT

Iron Dome failed to intercept Houthi drone strike on Israel, IDF says

Israel's Iron Dome failed to intercept the drone attack launched by the Houthis on southern Israel Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The UAV was detected "relatively late," according to an initial inquiry by the commander of the Israeli air force.

"Interception attempts were made using the Iron Dome, but were unsuccessful. The cause for that has been identified, and corrective measures were implemented," the IDF said Thursday.

"The Commander of the Israeli Air Force has instructed several additional steps to strengthen readiness, detection, and interception capabilities, and will provide an enhanced defensive response in the area," the IDF said.

Sep 25, 2025, 10:51 AM EDT

Palestinian president calls Israeli incursion on Gaza a 'genocide'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip a genocide and called for an end to the incursion.

"I speak to you today after almost two years in which our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement waged by the Israeli occupation forces," Abbas said speaking at the United Nations General Assembly.

"What Israel is carrying out is not merely an aggression, it is a war crime and a crime against humanity that is both documented and monitored and it will be recorded in history books and the pages of international conscious as one of the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries," Abbas said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on a screen as he addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly through a video link, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, September 25, 2025.
Jeenah Moon/Reuters

A committee has began its work to draft a constitution for the state of Palestine as a nation-state and that will be completed within three months. This will be for the state of Palestine with the 1967 borders and east Jerusalem as its capital, Abbas said.

Abbas also called for Israel to stop its plans to establish more illegal settlements and plans to annex more land in the West Bank.

Sep 25, 2025, 10:06 AM EDT

Palestinian Authority ready to govern Gaza, Palestinian president tells UN

The Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, is prepared to take on the burden of governing the Gaza Strip, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.

Abbas condemned Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, saying the attack on civilians does not represent the Palestinian people.

Abbas expressed his "gratitude and appreciation" to the states that recently recognized the state of Palestine, including France, the U.K., Canada and Belgium. Now, 157 states recognize Palestine.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on a screen as he addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly through a video link, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, September 25, 2025.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The Palestinian government recognized the state of Israel in 1988 and 1993 and still recognizes Israel's right to exist, Abbas said.

He called for an immediate and permanent end to the war in Gaza, the immediate entry of aid through the United Nations organizations, the immediate release of all hostages, the complete withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip and the ending of plans for new illegal settlements.

Sep 25, 2025, 7:33 AM EDT

83 Palestinians killed in Gaza over 24 hours

Israeli forces killed 83 Palestinians and injured 216 others across the war-torn Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health said Thursday afternoon.

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires as it flies over Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, on Sept. 25, 2025.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Among those killed were seven people trying to collect humanitarian aid, while another 50 were wounded, according to the ministry.

A total of 65,427 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, the health ministry said.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Morgan Winsor

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