Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-14 at 14:06

HEADLINES
Netanyahu trims US delegation to dodge ICC
300,000 Palestinians flee Gaza City southward
Egypt signs eight MOUs with Tunisia

The time is now 10:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

At 10:00 AM, the region remains unsettled as an uneasy pause between Israel and Iran persists, set against a backdrop of ongoing fighting and and political maneuvering from the Mediterranean to the Gulf. Regional leaders are weighing responses as diplomacy tries to keep advance and retaliation in check while the human cost of the conflict continues to mount.

In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed a visit by United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, calling it a reaffirmation of the close bond between the two allied governments. The visit underscores Washington’s posture of steadfast support for Israel’s security concerns as it seeks to shape a path that combines deterrence with diplomacy in a volatile neighborhood.

Israel also signaled a tactical adjustment of its own at the outset of a tricky phase. Netanyahu is planning a trip to the United States next week with a smaller delegation, choosing a flight route intended to avoid airspace tied to political tensions around the International Criminal Court. The move reflects the mounting anxiety over how international legal actions and broad diplomatic pressure could intersect with Israel’s strategic goals and its operations against Hamas in Gaza.

Egypt has moved to deepen ties across North Africa, cementing relationships with Tunisia by signing eight memoranda of understanding. The accord signals Cairo’s wider effort to expand influence and coordinate regional security and economic interests as Arab states recalibrate their approaches to the Gaza conflict and to shared security concerns in the Levant and surrounding areas.

In Doha, a wakeful Arab-Islamic leaders summit opened in the wake of last week’s Israeli strike in the Gulf state aimed at Hamas facilities. The gathering, bringing together ministers and officials from across the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, is intended to present a united stance and to advise on how to respond to the crisis. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has pressed Qatar to expel Hamas leaders or bring them to justice, arguing that their presence hampers any path toward hostage release and a broader peace.

Across the Gaza frontier, Israeli forces have continued their operations as part of a broad campaign aimed at degrading Hamas’s military capabilities. The Israel Defense Forces reported strikes on several high-rise buildings in Gaza City that they said were used by Hamas for surveillance and planning attacks. In a dramatic turn, the military said tens of thousands of residents had followed evacuation warnings, with estimates over the past days placing about 300,000 Palestinians moving away from Gaza City toward southern areas of the Strip.

The humanitarian situation remains dire despite continued efforts to restore essential services. A water pipeline that carries supplies to the southern Gaza Strip resumed service after repairs, delivering roughly 14,000 cubic meters of water daily to communities in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and the Mawasi coast. Aid agencies warn that displacements in the hundreds of thousands risk compounding a fragile humanitarian environment even as relief channels seek to reach those in need.

On the casualty front, Hamas authorities report two deaths linked to malnutrition in the Gaza Strip over the past day, a toll the group cites as part of the broader humanitarian crisis it says is unfolding under blockade and bombardment. Israeli officials have maintained that steps taken to allow humanitarian aid into the territory have helped stabilize prices and supply in local markets, even as the overall situation remains perilous....