Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-11 at 18:07

HEADLINES
Gaza City assault escalates; civilian toll rises
Doha strike targets Hamas leadership amid talks
Lebanon border actions target Hezbollah threats

The time is now 2:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

This is the two o’clock update on the security and diplomatic picture in the Middle East and related global developments.

The Gaza war remains front and center as Israeli forces escalate operations around Gaza City, part of a broader offensive aimed at degrading Hamas’s ability to wage war while trying to secure the release of hostages. Israeli military briefings say dozens of Hamas sites have been destroyed in recent days, including tunnels and weapons depots, as five Israeli divisions participate in the Gaza City operation. Israeli officials describe the campaign as targeting Hamas infrastructure and leadership networks in and around the western neighborhoods of Gaza City, with the aim of reducing the threat to Israeli forces and civilians. Medical authorities in Gaza report continued civilian casualties as residents weigh whether to stay or flee densely populated areas under bombardment. One day of strikes on Thursday was reported to have left 34 people dead across the Gaza Strip, with the majority in Gaza City, though casualty figures from Hamas authorities remain difficult to verify independently. The IDF says the network it is targeting includes Hamas operatives active in the city and its outskirts, and it has referenced specific battlefield gains such as tunnels and weapons depots in the Sheikh Radwan and related districts as part of a broader campaign.

In parallel, a major diplomatic incident has complicated any view of a smooth ceasefire process. An Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, targeted what Israel described as a Hamas leadership grouping engaged in ceasefire negotiations, a move that drew swift condemnation from Hamas and raised fresh questions about mediation arrangements led by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. Hamas officials insisted that the strike would not alter their conditions—an end to the aggression, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a genuine prisoner and hostage exchange, and Gaza’s reconstruction—while insisting that the attack represented an attempt to derail negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly framed the action as an independent operation, while US officials have given varying public signals about coordination and awareness of the strike at the time it occurred. The Qataris hosted a funeral for several of the strike’s reported victims, including a Qatari security officer, underscoring the fragile balance in play between operational actions and mediation efforts.

Across the region, Israel’s regional strategy continues to unfold amid warnings about the broader security environment. In Lebanon, the Israeli defense forces indicated continued efforts to neutralize threats on the border, including actions described as targeting operatives tied to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allied formations. The military statement framed the operations as part of an ongoing campaign to remove active threats and to disrupt Hezbollah’s ability to support attacks against Israeli territory. In parallel, Israeli officials described efforts to disrupt Hamas’s external and internal command-and-control structures as a prerequisite for any durable hostage-and-ceasefire agreement, a stance that has drawn varied international commentary given the broader regional sensitivities.

In Syria, there are elements of back-channel diplomacy and practical cooperation adjacent to humanitarian concerns. Israeli officials have indicated that channels exist to move aid into Gaza, and discussions at times touch on how the Abraham Accords framework could influence regional humanitarian and political dynamics. There have also been signals of a shifting posture within...