Israeli strikes on Gaza City kill at least 14 as some countries move to
recognize Palestinian state
[September 20, 2025]
By SAMY MAGDY
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people overnight
in Gaza City, said health officials, as Israel ramps up its offensive
there and urges Palestinians to leave.
The strikes come as Western countries are increasingly fed up with the
intensifying war in Gaza with some moving to recognize Palestinian
statehood at the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations
General Assembly next week. In a statement Friday, Portugal’s Foreign
Affairs Ministry said it will recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday.
The Iberian country had previously announced its plans to do so but has
now set an official date.
Portugal is among other Western nations, including the U.K., Canada,
Australia, Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg. expected to recognize
Palestinian statehood in the coming days.
The latest Israeli operation, which started this week, further escalates
a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any
ceasefire farther out of reach. The Israeli military, which says it
wants to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” hasn’t given a
timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take
months.
Israeli bombardment over the past 23 months has killed more than 65,000
people in Gaza, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90%
of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with
experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
Dr. Rami Mhanna, the managing director of Shifa Hospital, where some of
the bodies were brought, said the dead included six people from the same
family after a strike hit their home early Saturday morning. They were
relatives of the hospital’s director, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, he said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said five other people were killed in
another strike close to Shawa Square.
Israel's military didn't immediately respond to questions about the
strikes.
In recent days, Israel has been urging hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City to move south to what it calls a
humanitarian zone.
Palestinians have streamed out of the city — some by car, others on
foot. Israel opened another corridor south of Gaza City for two days
this week to allow more people to evacuate. But many Palestinians in the
famine-stricken city are unwilling to be uprooted again, too weak to
leave or unable to afford the cost of moving.
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Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air
operations are engulfed by smoke following an Israeli military
strike in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel,
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Aid groups have warned that forcing thousands of people to evacuate
will exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. They are urging for a
ceasefire so aid can reach those who need it.
On Friday, UNICEF said lifesaving therapeutic food meant for
thousands of children in Gaza was stolen from four of its trucks.
The statement said armed individuals approached the trucks outside
their compound in Gaza City, the drivers were held at gunpoint while
the food was taken.
“They were intended to treat malnourished children in Gaza City
where famine is declared … it was a life-saving shipment amid the
severe restrictions on aid delivery to Gaza City,” said Ammar Ammar,
a spokesperson for UNICEF.
In a statement Friday, Israel's army blamed Hamas for stealing the
food.
Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid and using it to fund its
military activities, without providing evidence. The U.N. says there
are mechanisms in place that prevent any significant diversion of
aid.
The death count in Gaza has climbed over 65,100, according to Gaza’s
Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, since
the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that triggered the war. The
ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or
militants. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N.
and many independent experts.
Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in the 2023 attack,
killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251
others. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than half
believed to be alive.
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Associated Press writer Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain contributed
to this report.
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