Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-08 at 22:06

HEADLINES
Starmer backs Palestinian state at UN
Hostage talks hinge on security guarantees
UN Security Council split over Iran sanctions

The time is now 6:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

This is the 6:00 PM update.

Diplomacy and security moves abroad and at home are unfolding in a way that keeps the region on edge while still signaling efforts to find a pathway to a broader settlement. In London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, publicly backing Palestinian statehood at the United Nations and stressing the need for a Gaza ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a clear rejection of any role for Hamas in a postwar arrangement. The exchange underscores a Western push to advance two-state principles while maintaining security guarantees for Israel.

Meanwhile, the Middle East theater remains active and dangerous. The Israeli military has not fully confirmed strikes reported to have hit targets in Syria’s Homs, Latakia and Palmyra areas. Footage circulated showing smoke and debris, but the IDF has not issued an official confirmation. In parallel, Qatar’s prime minister pressed Hamas leaders to accept the latest US-backed Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, arguing for a path that would see hostages released and the region restored to some form of stability. Mediators cautioned that some elements of Washington’s plan—especially the timing and sequencing of hostages, security assurances, and eventual withdrawal—face skepticism from Hamas.

The pace and shape of the broader diplomatic effort are also tied to the UN Security Council’s dynamics around Iran. South Korea, serving as council president, finalized a draft resolution that would permanently lift UN sanctions tied to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, part of a snapback process launched by Britain, France and Germany. A vote has not been scheduled, with diplomats noting that the resolution is unlikely to pass as written. Russia and China are pushing alternative language to extend the 2015 agreement for six months and call for renewed negotiations, while Britain, France and Germany seek to delay any immediate action to allow talks to proceed. The outcome could influence the broader regional calculus, given Iran’s proxies and its ongoing nuclear diplomacy.

In the same diplomatic mosaic, the flare of violence on the ground continues to shape the containment you would expect from Israel’s security approach. Reports from Greece note a 5.0 to 5.5 magnitude earthquake felt around Athens and nearby islands; evacuations of international visitors, including some Israelis, were reported but no casualties were confirmed. The incident adds to a day already thick with regional anxieties and travel disruptions in the area.

On the hostage and ceasefire front, new assessments of Washington’s approach circulated. An Arab mediating source described the Trump-era plan brokered by the administration as unlikely to break the hostage talks gridlock because Hamas has insisted that any large-scale release be matched by guarantees of lasting security arrangements and a credible postwar framework. President Trump himself asserted that Israel had accepted his terms for a ceasefire-end to the Gaza war, but officials in Jerusalem reiterated that no cabinet decision had been taken and that Israel was studying the plan carefully, weighing security and political considerations as the coalition government nears a crossroads.

In the Gaza front, the latest orientation remains a negotiation between a staged, monitored withdrawal and a durable disarmament framework for Hamas, with American mediation seeking a path that avoids triggering a renewal of fighting. The number of hostages remains a central hinge: 48 held in Gaza, with roughly 20 believed alive, while the bodies of some others are among those held by the...