Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, sit on vehicles packed with belongings as they move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south on Tuesday -- Reuters GAZA, Sept 23 (Reuters/AFP/AP): Israel's military pushed deeper towards the most populated areas of Gaza City on Tuesday, a painful reminder for Gazans that Western powers' recognition of a Palestinian state does not mean an end to the horrors of war as tanks approach.
Israel pressed on with its Gaza offensive a day after dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift after nearly two years of war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the United States.
Medics said at least four people had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City, which Israel has advised civilians to leave for southern Gaza as its tanks advance.
"We are not steadfast, we are helpless. We don't have money to leave to the south and we don't have guarantees if we do the Israelis will not bomb us, so we are staying," said Huda, a mother of two from Gaza City.
"The children tremble all the time from the sounds of explosions, we do too, they are wiping out a city that is thousands years old and the world is celebrating a symbolic recognition of a state that won't stop our killing," she told Reuters via a chat app.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Monday that his country would host a Gaza reconstruction conference as soon as a ceasefire had been reached in the devastated territory.
"Egypt will, as soon as we reach a ceasefire, host an international reconstruction conference on the Gaza Strip to mobilize the necessary funding for the Arab-Islamic reconstruction plan," he said at a conference on the two-state solution at the United Nations.
Israeli forces detonated explosive-laden vehicles in the suburbs of Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa as tanks made a significant push towards the western side of Gaza City. Residents said the explosions destroyed dozens of homes and roads.
Three hospitals were taken out of operation on Monday because of Israel's ground offensive in the city, further weakening the health system and depriving residents of medical care, local authorities said.
Spanish PM calls for
full UN membership
for Palestine
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel's war in Gaza, called Monday for a state of Palestine to be admitted to the UN after a French-led summit on recognition.
"This conference marks a milestone, but it's not the end of the road. It's only the beginning," Sanchez said at the United Nations General Assembly. "The State of Palestine must be a full member of the United Nations," he continued.
"The process for the State of Palestine to join this organization must be completed as soon as possible, on an equal footing with other states," he said.
"Second, we must take immediate measures to stop the barbarism and make peace possible."The left-wing Spanish prime minister has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza launched in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.
Spain, alongside Ireland and Norway, already recognized a Palestinian state in May.
Israeli army orders
evacuation of
Gaza City hospital
Israeli forces showed no signs of relenting on their new ground offensive in Gaza City on Monday as world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Hundreds of thousands have remained in the city, the territory's largest and already in ruins from nearly two years of war and struggling with famine. The Israeli military ordered the evacuation on Monday of the Jordanian Hospital, a key health clinic, a Palestinian health official said.
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