Sept. 23: Hamas lauds Palestinian state recognition, but claims right to retain weapons

Erdogan says meeting on Gaza between Trump, heads of Muslim states was ‘very fruitful’

Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says a meeting on Gaza between US President Donald Trump and leaders of Muslim countries on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly was “very fruitful.”

NATO member Turkey has harshly criticized Israel’s attacks in Gaza against Hamas — which Erdogan is a leading backer of — and claimed they amount to genocide. It has halted all trade with Israel, urged international measures against it, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in New York after the meeting, Erdogan says a joint declaration from the meeting will be published and that he is “pleased” with the outcomes of the meeting, but doesn’t elaborate.

Trump, at start of meeting with leaders of Arab and Muslim countries, insists he will ‘end the war in Gaza’

US President Donald Trump, alongside Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaks during a multilateral meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

US President Donald Trump meets leaders from the Arab and Muslim world on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City, repeatedly calling it his “most important meeting.”

Leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan are in attendance.

“We want to end the war in Gaza. We’re going to end it. Maybe we can end it right now,” he tells the press at the start of the meeting.

“This is the one that’s very important to me, because we’re going to end something that you have probably never started,” he states.

Trump also compliments Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s speech to the General Assembly earlier, in which Subianto said peace requires guaranteeing Israel’s security.

EU foreign policy chief says Iran must take ‘real action’ to avoid sanctions snapback

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

UNITED NATIONS — Iran must make some concrete steps because time is running out to prevent the reimposition of UN sanctions, the European Union’s foreign policy chief says.

“Diplomacy has a chance. The deadlines are running, and let’s see. We need to see some real action also on the Iranian side,” Kaja Kallas, who met Iran’s foreign minister earlier in the day with European counterparts, tells reporters.

Macron says destroying Hamas requires ‘full-fledged process,’ not just military action

UNITED NATIONS — French President Emmanuel Macron disagrees with US counterpart Donald Trump over recognition of a Palestinian state and says that a military solution in Gaza alone was not enough.

Macron, meeting Trump at the United Nations, says that Israel’s killing of Hamas leaders was a “great achievement” but adds: “You have as many Hamas fighters as you had the first day. So it doesn’t work to dismantle Hamas. This is not the right way to proceed. So we need a full-fledged process.”

Trump: ‘I’m on the side of Israel,’ will have ‘very important meeting’ on Gaza with Muslim leaders

US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with France's President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says he is going to have a “very important meeting” on Gaza, ahead of a sitdown with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“I’m on the side of Israel. I’ve been on the side of Israel, really, my whole life, and we’re going to get a solution, and it’s going to be a solution that’s good for everybody,” Trump says, sitting next to French President Emmanuel Macron.

NOW – Trump: "I'm on the side of Israel. I've been on the side of Israel— really my whole life…" pic.twitter.com/csdgciNgvl

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 23, 2025

“I think Gaza is going to come along. We’re going to have a very important meeting. And my next meeting actually is going to be very important with leaders in the region. And we’re going to talk about Gaza. We’re going to see if we can do something about it. We want to stop that. We want to get our hostages back, or their hostages back,” he tells the press at the UN.

During the meeting, Trump and White House Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to unveil the US plan for the post-war management of Gaza that former UK prime minister Tony Blair has been developing in recent months and that was revealed last week in The Times of Israel.

Palestinian shot dead by off-duty soldier during clash with settlers in West Bank

A Palestinian man was shot dead by an off-duty soldier during clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in a village near the West Bank city of Ramallah this evening, according to Palestinian media and the army.

The Palestinian Authority’s health ministry reports that Saeed Murad Nasan, 20, was shot dead amid an attack by settlers on a park in al-Mughayyir. The PA’s official Wafa news agency reports that five other Palestinians were wounded in the incident.

The military says that it had received reports of a violent clash, during which “dozens of Palestinians hurled stones and attacked Israeli civilians in a pasture near al-Mughayyir.” One Israeli civilian was wounded, the army says.

“During the incident, an off-duty soldier who was at the location fired several shots in the air and later toward the suspects who continued to approach,” the IDF says, adding that “hits were identified.”

Troops were then dispatched to the scene to disperse the sides. When they arrived, the IDF says Palestinians hurled stones at the troops, who used riot dispersal means and live fire.

The IDF adds that the incident is under further investigation.

There are no reports of arrests.

Trump says NATO countries should down Russian planes violating their airspace

US President Donald Trump listens as he meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

UNITED NATIONS — US President Donald Trump says that NATO nations should shoot down Russian planes violating their territory, as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a UN summit.

“Yes I do,” Trump says when a reporter asked if NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.

His comments come after a series of recent incursions by Russian fighter jets and drones that have rattled Washington’s NATO allies in Europe.

The US president, meanwhile, once again deflected questions about whether he believed Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to make peace despite recent Russian escalations.

“I’ll let you know in about a month from now, okay?” Trump says when asked if he still trusted Putin, whom he met in a high-profile summit in Alaska in August.

The 79-year-old Republican has previously, and repeatedly, given deadlines of two weeks to make a decision on whether to take steps, including fresh sanctions against Russia.

Trump, who had a televised bust-up with Zelensky in the Oval Office in February, adds that he had “great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It’s pretty amazing, actually.”

Zelensky thanks Trump for his “personal efforts to stop this war” and echoed Trump’s call for European countries to stop buying Russian oil.

Tensions between Russia and Europe over Ukraine have escalated with the recent spate of aerial violations.

Macron: Trump can only win Nobel Peace Prize if he stops Gaza war

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to students during an event about the LaFayette scholarship program, in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

PARIS, France — US President Donald Trump could only win the Nobel Peace Prize if he stopped the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron says.

Macron tells BFMTV in an interview from the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that “there is only one person who could do something in the current situation — the American president.”

“I see an American president who is mobilized and who said this morning [to the General Assembly] ‘I want peace, I will solve this conflict.’ Who wants the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize is only possible if you stop this conflict.”

“You need to pressure the Israeli government so it stops, it stops the Gaza conflict, so we finally release the hostages” held by Palestinian terror group Hamas, he says.

Macron acknowledges that even after his recognition on behalf of France of a Palestinian state at the General Assembly — a decision bitterly opposed by both Trump and Israel — it was Washington that had leverage over Israel.

“Why can he do more than us? We do not deliver arms [to Israel] that allow the Gaza conflict to be waged,” says Macron.

He also acknowledges that a Palestinian state “will truly be created on “the day the State of Israel recognizes it.”

There have been concerns that Israel could respond to France’s move with retaliatory measures such as closing the French consulate in Jerusalem, which is used intensely by Palestinians, or annexing territory in the West Bank.

“We are ready. We have planned for all possible options, which means we will never remain inert. We just plan things and we will always defend France’s interests,” Macron says without specifying further.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Ryan Routh found guilty for attempting to assassinate Trump at golf course

Law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, in Martin County, Florida, September 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

MIAMI, Florida — A man charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump is convicted by a federal jury on all counts.

Ryan Routh, 59, of Hawaii, was arrested in September of last year and accused of plotting to shoot Trump at his Florida golf course.

Two-year-old girl seriously hurt in Rahat shooting, in apparent family feud revenge attack

A two-year-old girl has been seriously injured in a shooting in the southern Bedouin city of Rahat.

The family of the child took her to the hospital, where she is in a serious condition, police say.

According to a preliminary police probe, the shooting was an attempt to carry out a revenge attack as part of a feud between families.

Iran yet to meet conditions to prevent sanctions snapback, source says

UNITED NATIONS — Iran has yet to meet the conditions set by France, Britain, and Germany to avert the reimposition of UN sanctions, a French diplomatic source says, after their ministers met with their Iranian counterpart today.

“For the time being, Iran has not met the conditions, but discussions will continue to explore all possibilities to the fullest,” the source says.

“We remain mobilised until the last moment. The ball is in Iran’s court,” the source says, adding that if there was no progress by the end of September 27, UN sanctions would be reimposed.

Jordan’s Abdullah: Israel’s government is no peace partner, its Greater Israel call would violate neighbors’ sovereignty, its Al-Aqsa rhetoric will spark ‘religious war’

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks at the United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II lashes out at Israel in his speech to the UN General Assembly, spending nearly the entirety of his speech on the matter of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

He labels the war in Gaza as “one of the darkest moments in this institution’s history,” but adds that the conflict has stretched back for decades.

“How long will we be satisfied with condemnation after condemnation without concrete action? When it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it seems that what unfolds in the halls of power is theory; the struggles and suffering on the ground are reality,” he says.

Abdullah says that interim deals between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization have “served as a distraction as Israel grabbed more land, expanded illegal settlements, demolished homes, and displaced entire neighborhoods. Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem have been vandalized and desecrated by those under government protection.”

“And throughout all these years, Israeli families too have not been able to live in true security because military action cannot bring the safety they need. Nowhere is that more evident than in Gaza,” he says.

“More than 60,000 Palestinians killed, 50,000 children injured or killed, miles of burnt-out rubble. Neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, farms, even mosques and churches in ruins, widespread starvation. And what we are seeing is only a glimpse because never in our modern history has the lenses of international media been obstructed like this from capturing the reality on the ground,” Abdullah says, referencing the unverified toll of the war provided by the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

“Furthermore, the current Israeli government’s provocative call for a so-called Greater Israel can only be realized through the blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. And there is nothing ‘great’ about that. I can’t help but wonder if a similar outrageous call were made by an Arab leader, would it be met with the same global apathy?” he says.

“The international community must stop entertaining the illusion that this government is a willing partner for peace,” says the king, whose country signed a full peace treaty with Israel in 1994. “Far from it. Its actions on the ground are dismantling the very foundations on which peace could stand and intentionally burying the very idea of a Palestinian state,” he states.

“Its hostile rhetoric calling for the targeting of Al-Aqsa Mosque will incite a religious war that would reach far beyond the region and lead to an all-out clash that no nation will be able to escape,” he adds.

The Temple Mount, which was the site of the ancient Jewish Temples and now houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, has been one of the most volatile flashpoints in the Middle East.

Since first receiving the national security portfolio in 2022, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has continuously asserted that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer atop the Temple Mount, flouting the status quo, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has insisted remains in place.

Abdullah commends nations for supporting a deal that “ensures the release of all hostages, unhindered humanitarian aid, and support for the Palestinian people as they rebuild.”

‘Israel go to hell’: Hundreds protest outside UN during General Assembly meeting

Anti-Israel protesters in New York City, September 23, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

Several hundred anti-Israel protesters rally outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City during the General Assembly.

The crowd waves Palestinian flags, beats on drums, and chants, “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”

“It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell,” the crowd chants.

Signs in the crowd say, “Fuck Israel,” “Free the earth! Free Palestine!” and “Palestinian liberation and return, by any means necessary.”

At least one man at the head of the crowd wears a Hamas headband. A woman waves a flag showing the late Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida.

Anti-Israel protests in the city typically draw pro-Israel counter-protesters, but the pro-Israel crowd does not show up today due to Rosh Hashanah.

Anti-Israel protest outside UN General Assembly pic.twitter.com/VJBy3srqdt

— Luke Tress (@luketress) September 23, 2025

A group shouts at one pro-Israel attendee.

“There are zero civilian hostages. The people know the truth,” a man shouts at him. There are civilian hostages still in Gaza.

The protest is led by Within Our Lifetime, a hardline activist group that advocates for the violent destruction of Israel.

“The UN was built to delay and contain our struggles for liberation, and its complicity in Gaza’s genocide with over 600,000 Palestinians killed is undeniable,” Within Our Lifetime says in a statement. “No more cover-ups, no more excuses, inflating the death toll. We will confront war criminals in New York with the blood on their hands.”

The rally is advertised as “Flood the UN General Assembly.” Protesters in New York often refer to their rallies as “floods,” echoing the Hamas term for the October 2023 invasion of Israel, “The Al Aqsa Flood.”

The protest is backed by more than 40 groups, including CAIR New York, National Students for Justice in Palestine, CodePink, and an array of student groups.

Anti-Israel activists have also announced another mass protest on Friday to coincide with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the General Assembly.

Qatari emir: Israel wants to destroy Gaza, has abandoned hostages, seeks to ‘impose its will’ on Arab neighbors

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, September 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani says Israel’s “treacherous attack” earlier this month that targeted the political leaders of Hamas in Doha was an attempt to derail the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

In his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, he slams the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and reiterates his denunciation of Israel’s “rogue act… of state terrorism,” accusing Israel of a policy of political assassinations.

“They visit our country and plot to attack it,” he says of Israel. “They negotiate with delegations and plot to assassinate the members of the negotiation teams. It is difficult to cooperate with such a mentality that does not respect the most minimal standards of cooperation. It is impossible,” he says. “They consider negotiations the continuation of war by other means and a way to delude the Israeli public opinion.”

“If the release of Israeli hostages is [contingent on] the end of war, the government of Israel is abandoning the notion of releasing the hostages,” he charges.

“Their goal is to destroy Gaza so that it is unlivable and where no one can study or receive treatment,” he claims of the Israeli government. Israel is, in other words, aiming to “end the viability of the Gaza Strip, to displace its population.”

“The Israeli leader wants to continue war. He believes in what is called Greater Israel,” he says of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “He believes that war is an opportunity to expand settlements and to change the status quo in the holy sites” on the Temple Mount. “He also plots for attacks in the West Bank.”

“Israel is not a democratic country surrounded by enemies, but in fact it is an enemy to its surrounding neighbors.”

Israel is “engaged in a genocide, and its leader is proud of preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, and he promises that such a state will never be established, and he takes pride in preventing peace with the Palestinians, and that he will prevent such peace in the future,” Thani charges.

“Israel is surrounded by states either who have signed a peace agreement with it, or are committed to the Arab Peace Initiative. But Israel does not make do with truces and settlements. It desires to impose its will on its surrounding Arab neighbors,” he says.

“Everyone who opposes its will is either antisemitic or a terrorist. Even Israel’s allies realize this fact and reject it,” he states.

He says Qatar will continue to engage in diplomacy even when its enemies “find it easier to use weapons,” and denounces disinformation campaigns against his country.

He applauds the tide of recognitions of the state of Palestine, and encourages other countries to follow suit.

IAEA chief says nuclear inspectors heading to Iran in case of deal

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), delivers opening remarks during the inauguration of the watchdog's visitor center, in Seibersdorf, outside Vienna, Austria, September 17, 2025. (Joe Klamar / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says a team of inspectors was on its way to Iran should Tehran and European powers reach a deal this week to avert the reimposition of international sanctions.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Grossi says there were “intense” conversations between him, Iran, European powers, and the United States to find a solution.

“We have just a few hours, days, to see whether something can be achieved, and this is the effort in which we are all embarked on,” he says.

Khamenei says nuclear talks with US would be ‘dead-end,’ Tehran won’t give up uranium enrichment

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him speaking during a meeting with the cabinet members in Tehran, on September 7, 2025. (KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that negotiations with the United States would not serve Tehran’s interests and would prove a “dead-end.”

In a recorded message, Khamenei also says Iran would not “surrender to pressure” regarding uranium enrichment, and he reiterated Tehran’s long-standing official position that it does not need nuclear weapons and has no intention of producing them.

“The American side has been adamant that Iran must not have (uranium) enrichment,” Khamenei says. “We did not surrender, and we will not.”

Hamas rejects Trump’s accusation it’s blocking Gaza ceasefire efforts

Hamas rejects US President Donald Trump’s accusation that the Palestinian terror group was blocking efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Hamas has never been an obstacle to reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip… The US administration, the mediators and the entire world know that the war criminal [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is the sole party obstructing all attempts to reach an agreement,” Hamas says in a statement.

Trump, in his speech to the UN General Assembly earlier today, said that Hamas was refusing to release the hostages held in Gaza or accept a ceasefire.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

At UN, Indonesian president says guaranteeing Israel’s security is key to peace, ends speech with, ‘Shalom’

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto says the world must respect Israel’s right to live in security, and ends his speech saying, “Shalom.”

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, and does not have relations with Israel.

“We must also recognize, we must also respect, and we must also guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then we can have real peace,” Subianto says.

Subianto vows that once Israel recognizes Palestine, “Indonesia will immediately recognize the State of Israel.”

Subianto says that Indonesia wants a peace that shows that “might cannot make right.”

“We believe in the UN. We will continue to serve where peace needs guardians — not with just words, but with boots on the ground,” he says.

“If and when the UN Security Council and this great assembly decide, Indonesia is prepared to deploy 20,000 or even more of our sons and daughters to help secure peace in Gaza,” he states.

He says that Indonesia was also willing to send peacekeepers elsewhere, including in Ukraine, Sudan, or Libya.

Greta Thunberg says ‘real action’ must back up Palestinian state recognition

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg walks with a crowd of pro-Palestinian activists that arrived to greet the Global Sumud Flotilla at the port of the village of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, September 7, 2025. (Yassine Mahjoub / AFP)

MADRID, Spain — Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg challenges countries that have recognized a Palestinian state to back up what she called “symbolic gestures” with more pressure on Israel to end its offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Thunberg is attempting to reach Gaza on a flotilla of boats aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver food and other humanitarian supplies to the shattered enclave.

“Of course, it’s good that the Palestinian cause is more on the agenda, but these symbolic gestures will lead nowhere unless they are accompanied with real action,” Thunberg tells Reuters via video conference while at sea near Greece.

She says states had a legal duty to do everything in their power to stop what a United Nations Commission of Inquiry and human rights groups have described as “genocide.”

Israel denies its military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide. It says recognition of a Palestinian state gives a “reward to terrorism.”

Ship attacked off coast of Yemen; no injuries reported

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ship traveling off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden came under attack earlier today, officials say, though no one was hurt. It is not clear who launched the attack.

The captain of the vessel heard a splash and explosion in the vicinity of the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center says in a statement.

“Vessel and crew reported safe and proceeding to next port of call,” the center says in a statement.

The attack happened about 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of Aden, which is held by forces loyal to Yemen’s exiled government.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor, but did not immediately claim the attack. It typically takes them hours or even days to claim an assault.

20250923-UKMTO_WARNING_032-25https://t.co/yo0ifPJJjr#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/hhhtIVYipS

— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) September 23, 2025

Man accused of trying to assassinate Trump denies he sought to kill

This courtroom sketch shows Secret Service agent Robert Fercano identifying the defendant in the trial of Ryan Routh, who is charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump last year at a golf course in South Florida, September 11, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Florida. (Lothar Speer via AP)

FORT PIERCE, Florida — A man representing himself in federal court against charges of trying to assassinate Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course tells jurors during his closing argument that he didn’t intend to kill anyone that day.

“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled,” Ryan Routh says. He points out that he could see Trump as he was on the path toward the sixth hole green at the golf course. And he notes that he could have also shot the Secret Service agent who confronted him if he had intended to harm anyone.

Routh takes 55 minutes of his allotted one hour and 45 minutes, while prosecutors take almost all of their time in closing remarks to the jury, which then receives the case for deliberations.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon had warned Routh not to go off track in making his closing remarks. She sent the jury out of the courtroom twice this morning to remind him of her warning.

Prosecutors have said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

“There’s no doubt, no reasonable doubt, no doubt whatsoever,” Assistant US Attorney Christopher Browne told the jury earlier today.

UN chief slams Israel’s ‘collective punishment’ of the Palestinians, ‘systematic destruction of Gaza’

Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Opening the UN General Assembly earlier today, UN Secretary General António Guterres denounced Israel for its policies in Gaza.

“In Gaza, the horrors are approaching a third monstrous year,” he said. “They are the result of decisions that defy basic humanity, he went on, citing “a scale of death and destruction beyond any other conflict” in his years as secretary-general.

Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the taking of hostages, but declared that “nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and the systematic destruction of Gaza.”

Guterres called for the full and immediate implementation of the International Court of Justice measures, a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and humanitarian access.  “And we must not relent in the only viable answer to sustainable Middle East peace: a two-state solution,” he stated.

Iranian FM says Tehran will continue talks with European powers on sanctions after New York meeting

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the BRICS summit second plenary session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6, 2025. (Pablo Porciuncula/AFP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran will continue its consultations on sanctions with all involved parties, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says in a statement carried by state media, after meeting with counterparts from Britain, France, and Germany in New York.

Iran and European powers are engaged in last-ditch talks to prevent the reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran.

Hamas lauds Palestinian state recognition, but insists on right to retain weapons

In a statement, the Hamas terror group applauds Western countries for recognizing a Palestinian state and for calling for concrete steps to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

It adds: “Weapons of the resistance are a national right anchored by all international laws and treaties, until the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.”

Western countries that have recognized a Palestinian state have also called on Hamas to disarm and give up its rule over the Gaza Strip.

Meloni says Italy could recognize Palestinian state if hostages released, Hamas excluded

Italy's Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni (C-L) listens as US President Donald Trump speaks during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, in New York City, September 23, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP)

ROME, Italy — Italy could recognize a Palestinian state only on condition that all Israeli hostages are released and Hamas is excluded from any government role, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says.

Speaking from New York, where she flew for the United Nations General Assembly, Meloni says international pressure should be on Hamas rather than Israel, because it started the war and is blocking its end by refusing to hand over hostages.

Addressing UN, Erdogan calls war in Gaza ‘genocide,’ claims Israel threatening post-WWII values

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds up a photo from Gaza as he speaks at the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slams Israel’s war against Hamas as a “genocide” during his speech at the UN General Assembly, showing images of the destruction in Gaza during the address.

“A genocide is continuing in Gaza; even as we meet here, innocent people are dying,” Erdogan says in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

“We cannot possibly talk about the presence of two sides in Gaza, because in Gaza, on one side, there is a regular army with the most modern, most lethal weapons, and on the other hand, there are innocent civilians, innocent children. This is not a fight against terrorism. This is an occupation, deportation, exile, genocide, and destruction of life,” he says.

The ongoing war in Gaza began when Hamas launched its massacre on Israel on October 7, 2023, when terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages to Gaza.

Erdogan slams Israel’s actions in the West Bank, “where Hamas is not in power,” as well as “attacks on Syria, on Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon,” as well as criticizing Israel’s strike on Qatar earlier this month, which targeted, but failed to eliminate, Hamas’s leadership.

“[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is obviously not interested in forging peace or releasing the hostages. Not only Israel’s neighbors, but all countries in the Middle East are subject to the Israeli government’s reckless threats,” he says, charging that Israel’s actions threaten “the values that emerged after the Second World War.”

He goes as far as to blame Israel for the shelving of “fundamental human rights” around the world.

UN experts urge FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel over ‘genocide’ accusation

Celtic fans lift a protest banner about Israel during the UEFA Champions League playoff first leg soccer match between Glasgow Celtic and Bayern Munich at the Celtic Park Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on February 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

GENEVA, Switzerland — A group of United Nations experts urges the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and Europe’s soccer association UEFA to suspend Israel over accusations it is committing genocide in Gaza.

“Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual,” the eight independent UN experts say in a statement.

“National teams representing States that commit massive human rights violations can and should be suspended.”

The experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, say suspending Israel was “a necessary response to address the ongoing genocide.”

Their comments come a week after the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI), which also does not speak on behalf of the world body, says that “genocide is occurring in Gaza” and that Israel was to blame.

Israel, which launched its operation in Gaza following Hamas’s deadly massacre inside Israel on October 7, 2023, has rejected that accusation.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF troops raided site of former Jordanian field hospital in Gaza, Palestinian media reports

Palestinian media reports that IDF troops have raided the former site of the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, and have begun “digging operations” in the area.

The IDF has not yet commented.

Yesterday, the Jordanian military announced that it had transferred its field hospital from Tel al-Hawa to southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, as the IDF has pushed deeper into Gaza City amid its offensive against Hamas.

The IDF last month called on medical authorities and international groups operating in northern Gaza to prepare to move to an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip’s south, ahead of the Gaza City offensive.

Rubio: US won’t accept Hamas’s partial hostage release offer, Trump wants all captives freed

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Trump administration will not accept Hamas’s proposal for a 60-day truce in which half of the hostages are released, which the terror group is slated to present to Washington in a letter in the coming days.

A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel yesterday that the letter would be sent to US President Donald Trump via Qatar once it is signed by Hamas’s leadership.

“I don’t know who they gave that letter to. It wouldn’t have mattered, though, because the president has been clear… He’s not interested in 60 days, 10 people. He wants all the hostages out, all 48, including the 20 who are alive and the 28 who are deceased,” Rubio tells Fox News when asked about the letter.

“He would have rejected that offer had it come, but we haven’t seen that letter,” Rubio adds.

IDF footage shows drone strike on Hamas operatives planting bombs in Gaza City

IDF soldiers from the 162nd Division operate in the Gaza Strip, in an image released on September 23, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF releases footage showing a drone strike against Hamas operatives who it says were planting bombs intended to target troops in Gaza City.

The cell was identified by troops of the 162nd Division, who then called in an Israeli Air Force drone to strike the operatives, according to the military.

No troops were injured in the incident.

Three IDF divisions are operating in Gaza City amid a new offensive against Hamas. The military has said troops are advancing deeper into the city.

Footage released by the IDF on September 23, 2025, shows a drone strike on an alleged cell of terror operatives in Gaza City. (Israel Defense Forces)

After UN speech, families call on Trump to demand Israel negotiate deal to end war, free hostages

Demonstrators march outside Jerusalem's Old City as they call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, on September 20, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum calls on US President Donald Trump to demand that Israel negotiate an end to the war in Gaza in exchange for the return of their captive loved ones, after the commander-in-chief’s speech at the UN General Assembly.

The families applaud Trump for his “determination” to bring Israel and Hamas back to talks.

“Time is running out. The time has come for actions, for a comprehensive agreement on the return of all 48 hostages and the end to the war in Gaza,” the families say in a statement.

“We call on Trump to demand Israel’s return to negotiations on the basis of known principles of the return of all hostages and the end of the war,” the statement reads.

Security at cycling championships in France to be boosted due to presence of Israeli team

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protestors hold a 'Wanted' poster depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during the 21st and last stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2025, in Madrid on September 14, 2025. (Oscar DEL POZO / AFP)

KIGALI, Rwanda — Security at next month’s European Road Cycling Championships in France will be strengthened due to the presence of an Israeli team, organizers say.

The October 1-5 event comes a fortnight after pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators, fired up by the presence of the Israeli Premier Tech team, disrupted the Vuelta a España.

Around 100,000 people took part in demonstrations on the final day of one of the sport’s three big stage races in Spain, causing chaos with the stage shortened and the winner crowned in a hotel car park.

“What the Vuelta revealed is the scale that this phenomenon can reach when seeking at all costs to block an event,” French cycling federation chief Michel Callot tells AFP and L’Equipe at the world championships in Rwanda.

“This means we will be strengthening cooperation with state services and to coordinate with them on anything they deem necessary so that the riders can race in complete safety,” Callot says.

Israel has submitted a 13-strong team for the European Championships in the Drome-Ardeche region.

Palestinians celebrate West’s recognition in rallies across West Bank

Palestinians chant slogans in support of Western recognition of a Palestinian state, during a gathering in Ramallah, in the West Bank, on September 23, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Crowds of people rally in the West Bank, waving flags and holding posters of Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas to celebrate the wave of recognition by Western powers of a Palestinian state.

Nationalist slogans blare from loudspeakers across the central square in the city of Ramallah, where a crowd of more than 100 clutched Palestinian and European flags alongside signs reading “stop the genocide.”

High-ranking officials from Abbas’s political movement, Fatah, and the Palestinian Authority — which exerts limited control in the West Bank — shake hands and smile.

“This recognition is a first step in a process that we hope will continue,” Jibril Rajoub, secretary-general of Fatah’s central committee, tells AFP.

“It is the result of more than a century of resistance and determination by our people.”

Rajoub says he had felt moved listening to the speeches made at the UN General Assembly in New York the night before.

“We must learn from the past and unite the people,” he says.

Maysoon Mahmud, 39, who is also a Fatah member, says: “We came here today to thank the countries that have recognized Palestine, but also to ask them to continue to support us in stopping the war.”

“It is time for the world to take responsibility,” she adds.

Further north in Tulkarem, dozens more gathered, holding the flags of countries that now recognize a Palestinian state.

A majority of European powers now recognize a Palestinian state, following official declarations on Monday by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and others, after nearly two years of war in Gaza and soaring violence in the West Bank.

A day earlier, Britain, Australia, Canada, and Portugal also took the step.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

UN probe accuses Israel of wanting to permanently control Gaza, ensure Jewish majority in West Bank

Israeli security forces near the scene where two Israeli soldiers were killed in a stabbing and shooting attack at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, September 18, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

GENEVA, Switzerland — The Israeli government has shown a clear intent to establish permanent control over Gaza and to ensure a Jewish majority in the West Bank, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry says.

The UN report accuses Israel of extensive, systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure in Gaza’s corridors and buffer zone — resulting in Israel expanding control to 75 percent of the Gaza Strip by July this year.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Trump accuses UN of ‘funding an assault’ against West by backing mass migration

UNITED NATIONS — US President Donald Trump accuses the United Nations of “funding an assault” against the West by supporting mass migration, alleging the organization had backed illegal entry into the United States.

“The United Nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders,” he says, addressing world leaders at the UN’s annual high-level event, pointing to cash support the organization had supplied to in-need migrants.

“The UN is supporting people who are illegally coming into the United States.”

Trump: Palestinian state recognition ‘encourages’ conflict, gives in to Hamas ‘ransom demands’; those who want peace should demand hostages’ release

US President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump tells the UN that the current wave of recognitions of Palestinian statehood represents a submission to Hamas “ransom demands,” rewards Hamas, and encourages conflict.

Trump says he’s been “deeply engaged” in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace,” he claims, before reiterating that “We can’t forget October 7, can we?”

He then blasts the Western countries that have chosen to recognize a Palestinian state in recent days: “Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.”

“The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7, even while they refuse to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire,” Trump says. “This could have been solved so long ago.”

“Instead of giving in to Hamas’s ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: Release the hostages now,” he says, to applause in the chamber.

“We have to stop the war in Gaza immediately,” he says. “We immediately have to negotiate peace. We gotta get the hostages back,” he says, reiterating that he wants them all back at once, the living and the dead, and not in drips.

Trump says there are 20 living hostages left and again incorrectly states that there are 38 bodies still being held, when the number is 28, according to Israeli figures.

Trump at UN: Iran must not have nukes; its enrichment capacity was ‘demolished’ in June war

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, US President Donald Trump stresses that the regime in Iran must not be allowed to attain nuclear weapons, and says its nuclear enrichment capacity was demolished in June’s 12-day war.

“The world’s number one sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon,” Trump says. “That’s why, shortly after taking office, I sent the so-called Supreme Leader a letter making a generous offer. I extended a pledge of full cooperation in exchange for a suspension of Iran’s nuclear program. The regime’s answer was to continue their constant threats to their neighbors and US interests throughout the region and some great countries that are right nearby.”

As a consequence, he says, the US resorted to force. “Today, many of Iran’s former military commanders — In fact, I can say almost all of them — are no longer with us. They’re dead. Three months ago, in Operation Midnight Hammer, seven American B-2 bombers dropped fourteen 30,000-pound-each bombs on Iran’s key nuclear facility, totally obliterating everything.”

He says, “No other country on Earth could have done what we did. No other country has the equipment to do what we did. We have the greatest weapons on Earth. We hate to use them, but we did something that for 22 years people wanted to do.”

“With Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity demolished, I immediately brokered an end to the 12-day war, as it’s called, between Israel and Iran, with both sides agreeing to fight no longer.”

Trump: I ended seven wars, all I got from UN was ‘a bad escalator and bad teleprompter’

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters, in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

US President Donald Trump uses his annual address at the United Nations General Assembly to excoriate the body, claiming it didn’t offer to help when he brokered the end to seven conflicts since he returned to office.

He cites conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan as ones he’s helped end.

“It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them.”

“These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” Trump quips to chuckles from the crowd.

He laments not having yet received the Nobel Peace Prize, but claims, “but for me, the real prize will be the… millions of people no longer being killed in endless and unglorious wars.”

Trump pans UN at speech to General Assembly: ‘Empty words don’t solve wars’

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City, on September 23, 2025. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — Beginning his speech at the UN, US President Donald Trump criticizes the United Nations in a speech before the global body, saying it’s “empty words and empty words don’t solve wars.”

Hostage families vow to follow Netanyahu to UN General Assembly

Hostage families say they will follow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this week.

“A week ago, Netanyahu gave instructions to occupy Gaza City, blow up the living hostages and make the dead disappear forever,” Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, says in a statement outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, adding that the families of hostages could not remain at home while their loved ones were in danger.

“For a week, we shouted the cry of our children from the tunnels. But instead of leaving the house and reaching out, Netanyahu sealed his heart and closed his windows,” she says, adding that attempts to silence families have failed.

“We will also go to the US while he is staying there,” Zangauker adds, referring to Netanyahu’s upcoming trip to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Amsterdam City Council declares Maccabi Tel Aviv fans undesirable over Gaza war

Amsterdam’s City Council votes in favor of a motion declaring Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv not welcome in the city over the ongoing war in Gaza.

Sheher Khan, leader of the Dutch left-wing Denk party, and the member who forwarded the motion, claims, “The hardcore of their fans supports genocide — and that alone is reason enough,” according to the Dutch Telegraaf daily newspaper.

In November, several “hit-and-run” style attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were carried out following a match in Amsterdam. Images of the violence, in which Israel said wounded 10, went around the world and sparked a furious reaction in Israel, including accusations of a “pogrom.”

Spain approves ‘total’ arms embargo in Israel

MADRID, Spain — The Spanish government approves a “total” arms embargo on Israel, part of a package of measures aimed at halting what Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called “the genocide in Gaza.”

The decree prohibits all exports to Israel of defense material and dual-use products or technologies, and the import of such equipment to Spain, Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo says at a news conference.

It also blocks requests for the transit of aircraft fuel with potential military applications and bans imports of products originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including their advertising, Cuerpo says.

“This decree is a big step forward and is pioneering at the international level when it comes to a total arms embargo on Israel,” Cuerpo tells a news conference after the cabinet approved the measure.

The government says the decree “consolidates in law” a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel that it had applied since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

US envoy Barrack: Hezbollah has ‘zero’ incentive to lay down arms

US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack says Hezbollah has “zero” incentive to lay down their arms, in an interview with UAE-based IMI media.

“I mean, this is the problem, especially when Israel is attacking everybody,” he says.

“Israel is attacking Syria. Israel is attacking Lebanon. Israel is attacking Tunisia. As it goes on, their argument gets better and better as we’re here to protect the weapons from Israel,” he says.

US Envoy Tom Barrack:

“Hezbollah has zero incentive to put their weapons down. Especially when Israel is attacking everybody. Israel is attacking Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia.”

Tunisia? Does he mean the toy drone attack on flotilla? Really interesting pic.twitter.com/k4opq2lqf1

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) September 23, 2025

Lebanon’s government, earlier this month, approved a plan by its military to disarm the Iranian-backed terror group. Hezbollah has dismissed the plan and vowed it won’t give up its weapons.

Israel has been striking in Syria to prevent the former Assad regime’s weapons from getting into the hands of hostile forces, and is striking Lebanon to stop Hezbollah from restoring its capabilities after last year’s war.

However, Israel has not confirmed any strike in Tunisia. The organizers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla accused Israel earlier this month of twice launching a drone strike on one of their boats in Tunisia.

Barrack says Qatar has been a “great and valued ally” to Washington, praising its leaders, arguing that people get “confused” that they have allegiances to terror groups because Doha hosts Hamas leaders and hosted the Afghan Taliban’s leaders.

“They did it at our request,” he says. “If we didn’t have some conduit to be able to speak to them, we would never get them.”

Tom Barrack states: Qatar under the request of America house Hamas diplomats as a conduit for communication.

Arab Monarchies are agents of America and Israel https://t.co/pe6LoFWeyQ pic.twitter.com/pSzdf6Dz93

— Disputing Sunnah (@DisputingSunnah) September 23, 2025

Tom Barrack, or Jihadi Tom if you will, doesn’t even trust Israel.

Besides the fact that he literally tood Syrian minorities to submit to Al-Joulani, he is now directly working against Israel, or at least is showing disinterest in their plans… pic.twitter.com/PwGZF5dukg

— SyrianOSINT (@SyrianOsint) September 23, 2025

The US envoy also says, “Quite honestly, in this business, I don’t trust any of them. Our interests are not aligned. Ally is a mistaken word.”

He clarifies he doesn’t just mean Syria’s regime, but any regime in the Middle East, “including Israel.”

Barrack says that “America is divided” on the issue of funding Israel’s military.

Tom Barrack warns that U.S. backing of Israel in Gaza may have major repercussions, especially amid a growing global Muslim population, and notes America is divided on the issue, with outcomes shaping future public opinion and policy.
???????????????? pic.twitter.com/8I2Z2VHr5g

— Ghous Alikhan ???????????????????????? (@AlikhanGho69458) September 23, 2025

Rubio appears to back Israel’s war approach, insists peace not possible while Hamas exists

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on ahead of a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar (not pictured) at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters, September 22, 2025. (Bing Guan/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio continues to echo Israel’s approach to the war in Gaza, apparently providing the backing for Jerusalem to continue the war until Hamas has been defeated — something it has yet to accomplish after nearly two years.

“The goal is not to end the war. The goal is to have peace,” Rubio tells NBC’s ‘The Today Show.’

“You can’t have peace as long as Hamas exists. This is a group dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state. They’ve said it, and repeatedly, and that’s what they’ve demonstrated throughout their existence.”

Rubio reiterates his call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.

“If there is no more Hamas, then I think the people of Gaza have a chance.. Many countries around the world, including the United States, will [help] rebuild [Gaza] into a place where people can live again,” he says.

“We have a very narrow window of time now to achieve that before this escalates further,” Rubio adds.

Asked about this week’s recognitions of Palestine by a slew of Western states, Rubio again downplays the move, arguing that those who took the step don’t “play much of a role in bringing about the end of this conflict in Gaza.”

He again claims that the recognitions were motivated by domestic politics and serve as a reward to Hamas.

“Any future resolution of this matter with Israel is going to have to be negotiated. It isn’t going to be up to France or the UK or any other country,” Rubio says.

Iran, European ministers to hold nuclear talks in New York — source

UNITED NATIONS — Iranian and European ministers will hold nuclear talks in New York on Tuesday, a French diplomatic source says, after the UN Security Council voted to reimpose sanctions over Tehran’s atomic program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has until the end of Saturday to reach a deal with his British, French, German and EU counterparts to avoid the reinstatement of UN sanctions, which had been suspended under a deal signed in 2015.

WATCH: Trump about to address first day of UNGA; leaders of Qatar, Turkey, Jordan to speak later

World leaders are addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

US President Donald Trump is about to speak to the assembly.

The lineup will also include speeches from the leaders of Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and South Africa.

US envoy Barrack: ‘There will probably never be peace’ in Middle East

US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack says “there will probably never be peace” in the Middle East, in an interview with UAE-based IMI media.

“Look, endgame, when we say peace, it’s an illusion. There’s never been peace. There will probably never be peace, because everybody’s fighting for legitimacy,” Barrack says.

“So people say, ‘well, they’re fighting over borders and boundaries.’ It’s not what they’re fighting over; a border or boundary is the currency of a negotiation. The end result is, somebody wants dominance, which means somebody has to submit,” he says.

“There’s no Arabic word for submit. They can’t wrap their head around ‘submit,’ so eventually, prosperity is the only answer,” he adds.

US Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack:

Peace is an illusion. There has never been peace.

There will probably never be peace.

Somebody wants dominance, which means somebody has to submit. There is no Arabic word for submit. They can't wrap their head around submit. pic.twitter.com/WYY6ZyqmZU

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 22, 2025

US Secret Service dismantles telecom threat around UN capable of crippling NYC cell service

US Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool, center, looks at live video surveillance feeds in the agency's New York Field Office, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

While close to 150 world leaders prepared to descend on Manhattan for the UN General Assembly, the US Secret Service was quietly dismantling a massive hidden telecom network across the New York area — a system investigators say could have crippled cell towers, jammed 911 calls and flooded networks with chaos at the very moment the city was most vulnerable.

The cache, made up of more than 300 SIM servers packed with over 100,000 SIM cards and clustered within 35 miles of the United Nations, represents one of the most sweeping communications threats uncovered on US soil.

Investigators warn the system could have blacked out cellular service in a city that relies on it not only for daily life but for emergency response and counterterrorism.

Coming as foreign leaders filled midtown hotels and motorcades clogged Manhattan, officials say the takedown highlights a new frontier of risk: plots aimed at the invisible infrastructure that keeps a modern city connected.

The network was uncovered as part of a broader Secret Service investigation into telecommunications threats targeting senior government officials, according to investigators. Spread across multiple sites, the servers functioned like banks of mock cellphones, able to generate mass calls and texts, overwhelm local networks and mask encrypted communications criminals, officials say.

“It can’t be understated what this system is capable of doing,” says Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office. “It can take down cell towers, so then no longer can people communicate, right? …. You can’t text message, you can’t use your cell phone. And if you coupled that with some sort of other event associated with UNGA, you know, use your imagination there, it could be catastrophic to the city.”

Officials say they haven’t uncovered a direct plot to disrupt the UN General Assembly and note there are no known credible threats to New York City.

This photo provided by the US Secret Service, in New York, Sept. 22, 2025, shows SIM card packaging that was seized by the agency. (US Secret Service via AP)

Israel closes border crossing between West Bank, Jordan until further notice

Israeli security forces near the scene of a deadly attack at the Allenby Border Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, September 18, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Israel says it is closing the Allenby Crossing between Jordan and the West Bank in both directions “until further notice.”

The Israel Airports Authority, which oversees the crossing, says the entry and exit point will be closed as a result of a directive from the political echelon.

Nazmi Muhanna, head of the Palestinian Crossing and Borders Authority, tells the Wafa news agency that Israel informed them the crossing will be closed from tomorrow morning until further notice.

Army Radio reports that security officials received instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close the border in both directions.

The outlet says they asked the Prime Minister’s Office if the decision to close the border crossing was linked to the wave of international recognitions of a Palestinian state, but did not receive a response.

The border had reopened after it was closed following the deadly terror attack last week, but was again shut due to Rosh Hashanah. It had been set to reopen at the conclusion of the Jewish holiday.

While it had reopened to passengers, the crossing had remained closed to humanitarian aid shipments en route to the Gaza Strip until an investigation into the attack at Allenby last Thursday — in which an aid truck driver killed two Israeli military personnel — is completed and the inspection procedures for Jordanian drivers are updated.

WHO, EU counter Trump’s autism warnings on paracetamol during pregnancy: ‘Available evidence has found no link’

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sept. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

European Union and British health agencies confirm the safety of paracetamol during pregnancy, disputing a warning from US President Donald Trump linking the popular pain medication to autism.

The World Health Organization says that evidence of a link remained inconsistent and urged caution in drawing conclusions.

Trump yesterday linked autism to childhood vaccine use and the taking of Tylenol by women when pregnant, elevating claims not backed by scientific evidence to the forefront of US health policy.

The European Medicines Agency says that there is no new evidence that would require changes to the region’s current recommendations for the use of paracetamol, known as Tylenol in the United States, during pregnancy.

“Available evidence has found no link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and autism,” the EMA says in a statement, adding paracetamol could be used during pregnancy when needed, though at the lowest effective dose and frequency. Yesterday, Britain’s health regulator said that it was safe to use.

“The evidence remains inconsistent,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević tells a Geneva press briefing when asked about a possible link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism.

He cites unspecified studies that pointed to a possible link but says that this was not confirmed by subsequent research. “This lack of replicability really calls for caution in drawing casual conclusions,” he says.

In a highly unusual press conference at the White House yesterday, Trump delivered medical advice to pregnant women and parents of young children, repeatedly telling them not to use or administer the painkiller and suggesting that common vaccines not be taken together or so early in a child’s life.

The advice from Trump goes against that of medical societies, which have cited data from numerous studies showing that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, plays a safe role in the well-being of pregnant women.

Asked to elaborate further on Trump’s remarks, Jašarević adds that vaccines did not cause autism and affirmed their life-saving qualities. “This is something that science has proven, and these things should not be really questioned,” he adds.

38 Gazans killed, nearly 200 wounded by IDF fire in past day, says Hamas health ministry

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, as seen from a position on the Israeli border, on September 22, 2025. (Maya Levin / AFP)

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 38 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 were wounded by Israeli fire in the Strip during the previous 24 hours.

Gaza authorities do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The IDF has not yet commented on its strikes in Gaza in the past day.

Russia denies involvement in drone flights that temporarily closed Copenhagen airport

Danish police patrol at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark, Monday Sept. 22, 2025. (Steven Knap/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Russia denies that it was connected to the drone flights that forced Copenhagen airport to close its airspace for hours overnight, after Denmark’s Prime Minister said she could not rule out Russian involvement.

“We hear unfounded accusations from there every time. Perhaps a party that takes a serious, responsible position shouldn’t make such unfounded accusations time and again,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters in a daily briefing call.

Iran has executed at least 1,000 people in 2025, says NGO: ‘Mass killing campaign’ in prisons

Iran has executed at least 1,000 people so far in 2025, an NGO says, denouncing a “mass killing campaign” in prisons in the Islamic Republic.

At least 64 executions took place in the past week alone, an average of more than nine hangings per day, says the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group, which counts and verifies executions in Iran on a daily basis.

Mamdani’s Rosh Hashanah message emphasizes ‘every New Yorker is safe and cherished by the city they love’

Far-left Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdan speaks at a union endorsement event on July 15, 2025, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the heavy favorite to win the New York City mayoral election in November, issues a Rosh Hashanah message in which he emphasizes the importance of every resident feeling “safe and cherished by the city they love.”

Mamdani is a harsh critic of Israel who has alarmed many New York Jews with his anti-Israel rhetoric.

He begins the message by noting that the Jewish year 5786 is beginning, which “speaks to the endurance of this faith over millennia, its resilience despite wave after wave of persecution.”

“The sounds of the shofar will echo across every corner of our city,” he says.

Mamdani says the Jewish community will soon mark Yom Kippur by atoning and looking inwards: “It’s a tradition we could all do well to emulate.”

The mayoral candidate concludes by declaring the importance that “above all every New Yorker is safe and cherished by the city they love,” an apparent reference to the concerns of some in the Jewish community.

“Shana tova, New York,” he says, using the Hebrew greeting. “Have a sweet new year.”

Shanah Tovah, New York City. Here's to a sweet and hopeful New Year. pic.twitter.com/U8MEa8Ddlw

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 22, 2025

Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah released from prison after 12 years following presidential pardon

Pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who was in prison for almost all of the past 12 years, hugs his mother Laila Soueif, as he arrives at his home, after a presidential pardon, in Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Pro-democracy Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah is pardoned and released after nearly 12 years in prison.

“An exceptionally kind day. Alaa is free,” his sister Mona Seif writes on social media site X, along with a picture of her brother smiling with his mother Laila Soueif and sister Sanaa Seif.

Sanaa Seif posts on Facebook that her brother arrived at home while they were waiting for him at Wadi Natron Prison outside Cairo.

Abd el-Fattah and five other prisoners had been pardoned after the National Council for Human Rights acted on behalf of their families and urged President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to consider their situations on humanitarian grounds.

He was arrested in 2014 for participating in an unauthorized protest and allegedly assaulting a police officer and was briefly released in 2019 before he was detained again later that year during a security crackdown that followed rare anti-government protests in Egypt.

Abd el-Fattah was one of the most prominent Egyptian activists in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and his detention became emblematic of the fraying of Egypt’s democracy.

He took part in the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic former President Hosni Mubarak, and later was active in protests against human rights abuses and military trials of civilians.

He was first sent to prison in 2014 for participating in an unauthorized protest and allegedly assaulting a police officer, before being released in early 2019. He was arrested again in September 2019 during a security crackdown that followed rare anti-government protests in Egypt, and after more than two years in pretrial detention, an emergency security court sentenced him to five years for spreading false news.

When his release date came up in September 2024, authorities refused to count his time in pretrial detention and ordered him held until Jan. 3, 2027.

Harris: Biden couldn’t show empathy to Gazans, his perceived ‘blank check’ to Netanyahu harmed my election chances

US President Joe Biden listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, May 13, 2024. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Former US vice president Kamala Harris writes in her upcoming book that she believed former president Joe Biden could not show enough empathy toward Gazans.

“I had pleaded with Joe, when he spoke publicly on this issue, to extend the same empathy he showed to the suffering of Ukrainians to the suffering of innocent Gazan civilians,” Harris writes in her book “107 Days,” out later today, according to excerpts published by Axios.

“But he couldn’t do it: While he could passionately state, ‘I am a Zionist,’ his remarks about innocent Palestinians came off as inadequate and forced,” she writes.

According to the excerpts, Harris believes one of the reasons she didn’t win the 2024 election was the US president’s “perceived blank check to Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza.”

Harris additionally charges that Netanyahu felt no loyalty toward Biden: “He wanted Trump in the seat opposite him. Not Joe, not me.”

Axios notes that the book seems to refute claims at the time during the Biden administration that there was “no daylight” between the US president and his deputy on the issue of the war in Gaza.

Harris also writes that protests against Israel’s war in Gaza played a role in her pick for a running mate.

She describes a meeting with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish.

“We talked about how to handle the attacks he’d confronted on Gaza and what effect it might have on the enthusiasm we were trying to build. Big protests at the convention were a major concern,” she writes. Harris later picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Harris went on to lose to Republican Donald Trump after running the shortest presidential campaign in modern US history, lasting just over three months — the “107 days” in the title of her memoir.

Some 640,000 Palestinians believed to have fled Gaza City amid fresh IDF offensive

Palestinians from Gaza City move southwards with their belongings, on the coastal road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on September 19, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

Some 640,000 Palestinians have so far evacuated Gaza City to the Strip’s south, according to fresh IDF estimates.

Around one million Palestinians were estimated to be residing in Gaza City before the IDF launched a major offensive against Hamas in the area. Civilians were ordered to evacuate to an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza.

The rate of Palestinians leaving the area has risen in recent days, as the IDF advances deeper into Gaza City.

Western nations offer to help treat Gazan patients in West Bank, call for medical corridor to be reopened

Red Crescent ambulances are pictured at the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, on May 29, 2025 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Dozens of Western nations call for the reopening of the medical corridor between Gaza and the West Bank, offering to provide financial aid and medical staff or equipment to treat Gaza’s patients in the West Bank.

“We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory,” the countries say in a joint statement released by Canada.

Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Poland are among the two dozen signatories of the statement. The United States is not listed as a signatory.

“We furthermore urge Israel to lift restrictions on deliveries of medicine and medical equipment to Gaza,” the statement says.

German chancellor blasts ‘dehumanizing’ video of hostage Alon Ohel released by Hamas on Rosh Hashanah

Alon Ohel, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Supernova rave. (Courtesy)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz blasts the “dehumanizing” propaganda video published by Hamas of hostage Alon Ohel, decrying its release on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

“The dehumanizing footage of the German-Israeli national Alon Ohel, which Hamas published of all times on Rosh Hashanah, is unbearable. Hamas must immediately release all hostages,” Merz writes on X. “The ceasefire must come now, the suffering must end.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum requested that media outlets not publish the video until the family gives approval.

Alon’s parents, Irit and Kobi Ohel, said after the release of the video that their son is losing sight in his right eye and demanded that he see an eye doctor before any more humanitarian aid is approved or negotiations are held with Hamas.

They said the family was “shaken” by the footage, in which “it is clear that Alon is losing his vision in his right eye, and he is thin and frightened.”

Ohel, 24, a talented pianist, went to the Supernova desert rave with several friends, reaching the party at 5:30 a.m., an hour before the Hamas attack began. Ohel and his friends fled to a field shelter, which was later attacked by terrorists, with many of those inside murdered.

Ohel was taken captive along with Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen and Or Levy. Goldberg-Polin was murdered in captivity, while the latter two have been released as part of hostage deals.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses guests during a Central Council of Jews in Germany (Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland) Rosh Hashana reception, on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, on September 17, 2025, at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. (John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Ship attacked in sea near coastal area of Yemen held by Houthis; no injuries

A ship traveling off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden came under attack earlier today, officials say, though no one was hurt. It was not clear who launched the attack.

The captain of the vessel heard a splash and explosion in the vicinity of the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center says in a statement.

“Vessel and crew reported safe and proceeding to next port of call,” the center says in a statement.

The attack happened about 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of Aden, which is held by forces loyal to Yemen’s exiled government.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor, but did not immediately claim the attack. It typically takes them hours or even days to claim an assault.

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war.

Man drowned overnight at Sea of Galilee, authorities say

A man drowned after entering the Sea of Galilee at an unsupervised beach overnight, authorities say.

The man was found after a search by maritime authorities, but medics were unable to revive him and he was declared dead at the Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias.

In Rosh Hashanah message, Trump vows to end ‘scourge of antisemitism’

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sept. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

In a message to mark the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, US President Donald Trump says his administration vows to end the “scourge of antisemitism.”

The US president sends his “warmest greetings” to the Jewish community.

“As the Jewish community gathers for this special time of spiritual renewal, my administration recommits to upholding religious liberty and ending faith-based persecution — including the scourge of anti-Semitism,” reads the statement released by the White House.

Danish police: Drones that shut Copenhagen Airport flown by ‘capable operator’

Danish police say that drones that shut the country’s main airport appeared to have been flown by “a capable operator,” adding that no suspects had been identified.

The airports in Copenhagen and Oslo, the two busiest in the Nordic region, were shut for hours after drones were observed in their airspace late yesterday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded as flights were diverted.

“We have concluded that this was what we would call a capable operator,” Danish police Chief Superintendent Jens Jespersen tells reporters, referring to the drones observed in Copenhagen.

“It’s an actor who has the capabilities, the will and the tools to show off in this way,” Jespersen says, adding that it was too early to say if the incidents in Denmark and Norway were linked.

Copenhagen Airport KBHL.CO was closed for four hours when two or three large drones were seen flying in its immediate vicinity, officials said, while the Oslo Airport was closed for three hours following two sightings, according to local police.

Jespersen says the drones in Denmark came from several different directions, turning their lights on and off, before eventually disappearing after several hours.

Dozens protest for hostage deal outside minister’s home; police forcibly remove demonstrators

Dozens of protesters calling for a hostage deal are gathered outside the home of Education Minister Yoav Kisch, a day after three demonstrators were detained at a rally outside the Likud lawmaker’s residence.

Video shows police forcibly removing protesters from the area.

According to the Ynet news site, one officer yelled at the protesters that they are “lawbreakers who refuse to leave.”

In a statement, the protesters tell the outlet that “Kisch is personally responsible for the political arrests. He is not only removing democracy from the high school curriculum, but he is sending the Israel Police to arrest demonstrators who are exercising their democratic right to protest.”

אחרי המעצרים אתמול עשרות מפגינים הגיעו לבית של קיש בהוד השרון. המשטרה היתה ערוכה עם עשרות שוטרים ומפנה את המפגינים בכוח.

איכשהו המשטרה בשרון תמיד ערוכה כדי למנוע הפגנות אצל קיש אבל לא היתה ערוכה בפריצה לבית ליד ובפוגרום ערב יום הזיכרון ברעננה. pic.twitter.com/ECI9smgh86

— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) September 23, 2025

Trump to take aim at ‘globalist institutions,’ tout his foreign policy record in UN speech

US President Donald Trump walks from Marine One with Col. Christopher Robinson, right, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Sept. 22, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Watched by the world, US President Donald Trump returns to the United Nations later today to deliver a wide-ranging address on his second-term foreign policy achievements and lament that “globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order,” according to the White House.

World leaders will be listening closely to his remarks at the UN General Assembly, as Trump has already moved quickly to diminish US support for the world body in his first eight months in office. Even in his first term, he was no fan of the flavor of multilateralism that the United Nations espouses.

After his latest inauguration, he issued a first-day executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization. That was followed by his move to end US participation in the UN Human Rights Council, and ordering up a review of US membership in hundreds of intergovernmental organizations aimed at determining whether they align with the priorities of his “America First” agenda.

“There are great hopes for it, but it’s not being well run, to be honest,” Trump said of the UN last week.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Trump will tout “the renewal of American strength around the world” and his efforts to help end several wars.

“The president will also touch upon how globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, and he will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world,” Leavitt says.

Leavitt also says the announcement of Palestinian state recognition by a number of countries is seen by Trump as “just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies.”

Saudi Arabia, France: Annexation a ‘redline,’ ending Gaza war and securing release of hostages an ‘absolute priority’

Saudi Arabia Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, left, and France President Emmanuel Macron, center, prepare to lead a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A joint statement from Saudi Arabia and France declares that “ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the release of all hostages” is their “absolute priority,” and notes that “any form of annexation is a redline” in an apparent warning to Israel not to retaliate to the recognition of a Palestinian state by a number of nations.

“The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate with the intensification of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza city, and with civilians and hostages paying an unjustifiable price due to the ongoing war,” reads the statement released after a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at solidifying support for a two-state solution.

The gathering demonstrated overwhelming international support for the Palestinian cause and the unprecedented state of isolation that Israel finds itself in less than two years after Hamas’s October 7 attack, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages abducted.

“It is now time for the international community to move from words to deeds,” the statement reads, welcoming the recognition of a Palestinian state in recent days by a number of countries.

“We call for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, exchange of prisoners, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza,” the statement reads.

The nations also say they commit to supporting a “temporary international stabilization mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority” and commit to increasing their training commitments for Palestinian security forces.

“We stress the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,” the statement reads. “In the context of ending the war in Gaza, we reiterate that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza, disarm and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign Palestinian State.”

“We commend the historic commitments made by President Mahmoud Abbas including to the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, the continued rejection of violence and terrorism, and his statement that the Palestinian State has no intention to be a militarized State and is ready to work on security arrangements beneficial to all parties, in full respect of its sovereignty,” the statement reads, adding that it welcomes reforms undertaken by the PA including the scrapping of the pay-to-slay system, reforms within the education system and a commitment to hold free elections within a year of a ceasefire.

The statement also “urge[s] the Israeli leadership to seize this opportunity for peace, and to issue a clear public commitment to the Two-State solution,” and calls for an end to all settlement activities and settler violence.

“We reiterate that any form of annexation is a redline for the international community that bears serious consequences and constitutes a direct risk to existing and future peace agreements,” the statement says.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, we reiterate that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza, disarm and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign Palestinian State.”

France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino and Andorra issued statements on their recognition of a Palestinian state at the conference. The UK, Australia, Canada and Portugal made their own announcements recognizing Palestine a day earlier.

Both the US and Israel have argued that recognition of a Palestinian state at this time amounts to a reward for Hamas that won’t advance efforts to release the 48 remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza, but could well harm those goals.

Armored Corps officer killed in Gaza City, the first fatality in IDF’s new offensive

Maj. Shahar Netanel Bozaglo (Israel Defense Forces)

An IDF officer was killed during fighting in Gaza City yesterday, the military announces.

The slain soldier is named as Maj. Shahar Netanel Bozaglo, 27, a company commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, from Migdal Haemek.

According to an initial IDF probe, during the ongoing offensive in Gaza City on Monday, a Hamas operative fired an RPG on one of the 77th Battalion’s tanks, injuring the officer.

Bozaglo was taken to a hospital, where his condition worsened until he succumbed to his injuries.

He is the first soldier to be killed in the IDF’s new offensive against Hamas in Gaza City, launched last week.

US judge orders Trump administration to restore frozen federal grants for UCLA

A federal judge has ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to restore frozen federal grants to the University of California, Los Angeles, a court filing shows.

Iran, European powers to hold last-ditch talks on averting restored nuclear sanctions

UNITED NATIONS — Iran and European powers are engaged in last-ditch talks to prevent the revival of UN sanctions on Tehran, two senior Iranian officials and two Western diplomats tell Reuters, though all warn the chances of success remain slim.

The sources say foreign ministers of Iran, Britain, France, and Germany will meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss Iran’s disputed nuclear ambitions amid looming threats of sanctions.

Britain, France, and Germany, known as the E3, launched a 30-day process on August 28 to reimpose UN sanctions, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Tehran has long said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

“Iran has been in contact with E3/EU officials and (the U.N. nuclear chief Rafael) Grossi since this morning at UN Different ideas have been raised and discussed,” a senior Iranian official says.

“Iranian top diplomat will meet with the E3 foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief (Kaja) Kallas tomorrow and will continue the discussions.”

Another senior Iranian official says: “Everyone seems to be trying” to resolve the nuclear dispute. Two European diplomats confirm the meeting on Tuesday.

Denmark’s Copenhagen airport reopens after drones disrupted flights

Copenhagen airport, the busiest in the Nordic region, has reopened after drone sightings halted all take-offs and landings for nearly four hours, the airport says.

Delays and some cancelled departures would persist and passengers should check with their airlines, it adds.

Police said that two or three large drones had been seen flying in the area, leading to all traffic at Denmark’s biggest airport in Copenhagen being closed.

Luxembourg, Malta and Andorra declare recognition of Palestinian state

Andorra's Minister of Foreign Affairs Imma Tor Faus speaks during a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, September 22, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Luxembourg, Malta and Andorra follow France and other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood during a conference at UN headquarters in New York.

US says Rubio, Sharaa discussed Israel-Syria relations during meeting on UNGA sidelines

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, September 22, 2025. (Bing Guan / POOL / AFP)

Syrian President Ahmaed al-Sharaa and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Israel-Syria relations during their meeting Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to a State Department readout.

The US is hoping to broker a security deal between Israel and Syria to help ease tensions along the border and move toward an eventual normalization deal. While there had been speculation that a deal could be reached in the coming days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Sunday that more time would be needed to reach an agreement.

During his meeting with Sharaa, Rubio “underscored this opportunity for Syria to build a stable and sovereign nation following President Trump’s historic announcement earlier this year on sanctions relief for the Syrian people,” the US readout says.

“They discussed ongoing counterterrorism efforts, efforts to locate missing Americans, and the importance of Israel-Syria relations in achieving greater regional security,” it adds

Egypt says it will host Gaza reconstruction conference once ceasefire reached

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly says that his country will host a Gaza reconstruction conference as soon as a ceasefire has 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 says at a conference on the two-state solution at the United Nations.

Belgium says its Palestinian statehood recognition to take effect once hostages freed, Hamas removed from power

Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever speaks during a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, September 22, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever follows through on his country’s pledge to recognize a Palestinian state once the hostages have been released and Hamas is removed from power in Gaza.

“The recent declarations of a number of Israeli ministers, including the prime minister himself, that no state of Palestine will ever exist is an additional reason for reaffirming the right and the need of the Palestinians having their own state,” De Wever says in his address at the UN two-state solution conference.

“Therefore, Belgium is giving out a strong political and diplomatic signal to the world today by joining the group of countries that announces the recognition of the State of Palestine in the margin of this high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly,” he continues.

“However, this step cannot be a reward for Hamas,” he clarifies. “Conscious of the trauma suffered after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Belgium will proceed to the legal recognition of the State of Palestine once all hostages have been released and all terrorist organizations such as Hamas have been removed from the governance of Palestine.”

“The active conduct of diplomatic relations with the new State of Palestine, including the opening of Belgian embassy and the conclusion of international agreements, will be carried out once the objectives of the New York Declaration have been achieved, notably the full demilitarization of Hamas and subsequent the renewal of governance based on presidential and parliamentary elections, giving the Palestinians a democratic, strengthened and renewed authority,” the Belgium leader adds.

Belgium’s stance stands out from other countries, whose recognitions of a Palestinian state in recent days haven taken immediate effect. French President Emmanual Macron did, however, say earlier Monday that Paris’s embassy in Palestine will only be opened after the hostages are released and a ceasefire has been reached in Gaza.

Spanish PM urges full UN membership for Palestinian state

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, September 22, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, calls for a state of Palestine to be admitted to the United Nations 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 says. “The state of Palestine must be a member.”

US privately cautioned against annexation, but Israel doesn’t think conversation is over — official

US President Donald Trump, left, greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

The Trump administration has privately cautioned Israel against annexing the West Bank in response the decision by numerous Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

However, Jerusalem does not feel that the warning marked “an end to the discussion” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to discuss the matter with US President Donald Trump during their White House meeting next Monday, the Israeli official says.

To date, the Trump administration has avoided taking a public stance regarding potential Israeli annexation of the West Bank and has argued that Western countries are to blame for Jerusalem considering the step due to their decisions to recognize a Palestinian state.