spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (September 9-16, 2025)

IDF Activity in the Gaza Strip

• IDF forces continued air and ground operations against terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), focusing on Gaza City as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. On September 16, 2025, the IDF announced the beginning of the ground maneuver inside Gaza City, after more than 850 targets were attacked and hundreds of terrorist operatives were eliminated during the week. Among other things, high-rise buildings used by Hamas for observation and carrying out terrorist activities against IDF forces, operational tunnel shafts, weapons depots, sniper posts, and other terrorist infrastructures were attacked, some of which operated in civilian facilities (IDF Spokesperson, September 9-16, 2025).

• On September 16, 2025, the IDF Arabic Spokesperson announced the start of an operation to destroy Hamas infrastructure in Gaza City. He described the city as a “dangerous combat zone,” warning that remaining there posed a life-threatening risk. Residents were urged to evacuate immediately via Al-Rashid Street toward areas south of the Gaza Valley, either by car or on foot, and to join the more than 40 percent of residents who had already left (IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichai Adraee’s Facebook page, September 16, 2025).
• On the night of September 15-16, 2025, the Palestinian media reported heavy artillery and aerial shelling in the northern and northwestern parts of Gaza City, mainly in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and the Shati refugee camp. In the morning, there were reports of heavy explosions of buildings in the Tel al-Hawa and al-Rimal neighborhoods (Quds News Agency and journalist Hamza al-Masri’s Telegram channel, September 15-16, 2025). “Sources in the Gaza Strip” reported extensive destruction operations in Tel al-Hawa, in the University College area, and in residential complexes. It was also reported that dozens of people had been killed and wounded in the attacks in the neighborhoods of Al-Shujaiya and Daraj al-Tuffah, and that the humanitarian situation in the area continued to deteriorate. The Hamas Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip warned of a heavy load in the emergency rooms in the hospitals operating in Gaza City and of a severe shortage in blood units, medications, and life-saving equipment (Al-Jazeera Mubasher, September 16, 2025).

• The Hamas Government Information Office claimed that since the beginning of Israeli activity against Gaza City on August 11, 2025, more than 1,600 buildings and high-rises were completely destroyed, massive destruction was caused to more than 2,000 similar buildings, and over 13,000 tents were destroyed. Since the beginning of September 2025, seventy towers and residential buildings were completely destroyed and 120 additional ones were severely damaged, when all buildings contained more than ten thousand housing units that housed more than 50,000 tenants. It was also claimed that over 3,500 tents that provided shelter for more than 52,000 displaced persons were destroyed, leading to “forced displacement” of more than 350,000 residents from the eastern neighborhoods to the center and west of the city (Telegram channel of Hamas Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip, September 13, 2025).

Humanitarian Preparations for IDF Activity in Gaza City

• The IDF Spokesperson announced that IDF forces began warning and evacuation efforts for Gaza City residents. Among other things, voice messages, leaflets, text messages, and phone calls were used, and residents were called upon to heed official instructions and avoid areas deemed dangerous. It was also reported that the IDF intended to act forcefully in Gaza City, and therefore, residents were required to move immediately through the Al-Rashid route to the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi (IDF’s Arabic-language Telegram channel, September 10, 2025). According to IDF estimates, about 350,000 residents evacuated Gaza City by the beginning of the ground maneuver, and about 600,000 residents remained in the city (Israeli media, September 16, 2025).

• As part of the preparations, the IDF also expanded “Crossing 147”, which is used for the passage of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, as part of the relocation of the population from southern Gaza City for its safety and to improve the humanitarian response in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF’s announcement, new routes have been paved, and the goods area has been expanded. It was noted that upon completion of the work, reception capacity will increase to about 150 trucks per day, three times the current situation, which will allow increased aid entry, mainly food, to the humanitarian space (IDF Spokesperson, September 12, 2025).

     
xpansion of Crossing 147 (IDF Spokesperson, September 12, 2025)

• Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip continued their efforts to prevent the passage of residents out of Gaza City in accordance with IDF instructions, claiming that the areas designated for the absorption of the displaced were already full. The following are prominent examples:
  • In a government circular issued by several major Hamas government ministries serving Gaza’s residents, such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development, employees were urged not to leave and remain in their workplaces, especially in hospitals and shelter centers, in order to provide essential services to civilians. The circular did not include explicit warnings regarding punishments for employees who did not comply with the instructions, but noted that such warnings were communicated orally or in decisions within some government ministries. In addition, “well-informed Palestinian sources” reported that the PIJ’s leadership distributed a circular instructing severe punitive measures to be taken against any operative in the organization’s military wing who is assigned military missions obliging him to remain in Gaza City but does not carry them out and evacuates to the southern Gaza Strip (Asharq Al-Awsat, September 9, 2025).
  • The Al-Nasr neighborhood clan union in Gaza City published a statement calling on residents to remain in their homes and thwart any attempt at “forced displacement.” The organization claimed that Israel’s warning leaflets are propaganda aimed at breaking public spirit and emphasized that there is no safe area in the entire Strip, and that in case of escalation, one should move westward within the city and not to displacement camps. The statement claimed that steadfastness (sumud) and refusal to surrender will shorten the war while heeding the Israeli narrative will prolong it and worsen suffering. It was also written that residents are called to remain in the neighborhood and in their homes to serve as a protective wall against “forced migration” plans (journalist Hazem Abu Shaqra’s Telegram channel, September 10, 2025).
  • “Palestinian sources” reported that local families in the Khan Younis area and the Hamad neighborhood blocked the path of displaced persons who came from Gaza City and the northern Strip and even fired at them. According to the report, local residents prevent the displaced from setting up tents even though the area is deemed governmental, because the area is already flooded with tents, and families describe harsh conditions and “thuggish” behavior that worsens their distress (Khan Younis Telegram channel: Current News and Updates, September 11, 2025)
• The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that as part of ongoing efforts to ease the movement of residents from northern to southern Gaza, rubble was cleared from a 15-dunum plot of land in the Hamad neighborhood in Khan Younis, with the assistance of international teams and organizations. It was emphasized that expanding this humanitarian area refutes Hamas’s false claims about “lack of space” for housing residents, especially given that families have already begun moving there. Additional work is planned in Khan Younis in the coming days (COGAT Arabic Facebook page, September 14, 2025).
• COGAT also revealed that while Hamas calls on Gazans not to move south and uses residents as human shields, its operatives fear for their lives and want to leave the Gaza Strip. It was revealed that Anwar Atallah, a member of the Gaza City Council, fled the Gaza Strip with his family through an Israeli mechanism to evacuate Gaza residents via Jordan to a third country. COGAT also said that many other senior Hamas figures in the Gaza Strip had submitted requests to evacuate their families from the Gaza Strip, and some of them had even submitted requests themselves, but their requests had been rejected by Israel (COGAT Arabic Facebook page, September 14, 2025).

• Palestinian journalist and activist Hamza al-Masri reported that Anwar Salah Salameh Atallah, known as Abu al-Nur, who was in charge of 120 mosques in the Gaza Strip on behalf of Hamas, served as director-general of the Hamas Ministry of Health and was a member of the Gaza City Council, left the Gaza Strip on August 26, 2025, through the Erez crossing in coordination and with the IDF’s escort, and continued to Istanbul, and that other senior officials left for Turkey and Europe (Hamza al-Masri’s Telegram channel, September 12, 2025). In response, Hamas’ “Imsak Amil” channel issued denials by Muhammad al-Madhoun and Ismail al-Ashqar that they or their families had submitted requests to leave the Gaza Strip. Al-Ashqar also said that he had been outside the Gaza Strip for four years for medical treatment. In addition, it was claimed that Anwar Atallah is not a senior Hamas figure and has no organizational connection to Hamas (“Imsak Amil” channel, September 14-15, 2025).

• Against the backdrop of Hamas’ attempts to prevent residents from leaving Gaza City to the south, the municipality of al-Maghazi in the central Gaza Strip announced that it was investing intensive efforts in mapping land and areas designated for the construction of tents for IDPs arriving from the northern Gaza Strip, and that the streets cleared by bulldozers were now crowded with tents. The municipality reiterated its call on landowners to open their lands to IDPs, urging aid organizations to provide urgent assistance to meet the needs of IDPs as soon as possible (Facebook page of the Al-Maghazi municipality, September 14, 2025).

     
Works of al-Maghazi municipality
(Facebook page of al-Maghazi municipality, September 14, 2025)

Hamas Military Wing Preparations for Fighting in Gaza City

• It was reported that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, sent an internal letter to commanders and fighters of the Gaza City brigade, stressing the need to conduct a campaign to defend Gaza City in the coming days and weeks. He promised to be “the first fighter” on the “front line” during the expected battle. He emphasized the need to prepare for a confrontation that could last months, promising the mobilization of all available military and material resources to inflict “heavy blows” on IDF forces. He also stressed the need for fighters to prepare to remain inside Gaza City, pointing to military and security measures to be taken (Asharq al-Awsat, September 9, 2025).
• At the same time, “Israeli security sources” reported that al-Haddad had decided in recent days to appoint Muhannad Rajab as full-time commander of the Gaza City Brigade, a position that al-Haddad had held until the elimination of the former head of the military wing, Muhammad al-Sinwar, in May 2025 (IDF Radio military correspondent Doron Kadosh’s X account, September 11, 2025). It was noted that Rajab had served in Hamas’ military intelligence and held command positions in the Gaza Brigade under al-Haddad’s command. He was previously known as the “Emir of Tel al-Islam mosques” (Tel al-Hawa area) in a video of a Qur’an memorization ceremony (Aram News, September 11, 2025).

• “Knowledgeable sources” in Hamas reported that operatives and field commanders in Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade also received instructions to prepare for combat from the brigade’s commander, Muhammad Odeh, who was appointed to the position shortly after the previous brigade commander, Ahmed al-Ghandour, was eliminated on November 26, 2023. According to the sources, Odeh, who was in charge of military intelligence in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, urged operatives of the military wing in the northern Gaza Strip and the displaced operatives in Gaza City to cooperate with their “comrades in arms” from the Gaza Brigade, unite forces, and join military plans to fight the IDF. They added that preparations and mobilization were underway, including recruitment of operatives from elite Nukhba and other units, with coordination with PIJ’s military wing and other factions (Asharq al-Awsat, September 9, 2025).

• Following the Israeli attack on Qatar, intended to target Hamas leadership, it was reported that the negotiations with the mediators had been suspended until further notice (Al-Arabiya TV, September 9, 2025).^[2]
• Hamas accused Israel of deliberately thwarting the ceasefire efforts, but stressed that the attempted attack against the movement’s leadership would not change Hamas’ clear positions and demands: an immediate cessation of the “aggression” against the Palestinians, a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, a genuine “prisoner” exchange, aid to the Palestinians, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas figure in Lebanon, said that the world now understood who was delaying the agreement and called the attack a direct blow to Trump’s ceasefire initiative (Al-Jazeera TV, September 12, 2025).
• “Hamas sources” reported that the movement’s leadership agreed the negotiations should conclude in a way that meets Palestinian demands, ensures a complete cessation of fighting, and secures the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. They added that contact with the mediators is expected to resume once the security situation stabilizes (Asharq Al-Awsat, September 10, 2025).

• The bodies of two abducted Israeli soldiers, returned to Israel on August 29, 2025, were reportedly handed over by two senior Hamas officials. According to the report, whose reliability is uncertain, the two surrendered to Israel with the bodies of two “prisoners” and asked another Hamas operative to transfer the body of a third “prisoner” in his possession. Activist Hamza al-Masri, who published the report, pledged to disclose the officials’ names at the appropriate time (Hamza al-Masri’s Telegram channel, September 12, 2025).
• Taher al-Nunu, media advisor to Hamas’ political bureau chief, who was among those targeted in Doha, claimed Hamas would not care about the Israeli “prisoners” more than Netanyahu himself, especially since they might be in areas Israel is bombarding. He said the negotiation format that existed before the strike in Doha is no longer valid, given the “expulsion” and escalation. He accused Netanyahu of eliminating any chance of an agreement and called for a binding international resolution to end the war (Safa News Agency, September 14, 2025).

The Situation in the Gaza Strip

• COGAT announced that a warehouse in Gaza City containing rare historical artifacts, including mosaics and pottery, was relocated to a secure location in southern Gaza. The move was coordinated with the CLA (Coordination and Liaison Administration) and an international organization to protect the population and enable international organizations to work. It was also reported that in the past week, about 2,000 trucks entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom and Zikim Crossings, including more than 1,200 carrying humanitarian aid, mainly food. Hundreds of patients and escorts reportedly left Gaza through Kerem Shalom for treatment abroad, and two humanitarian staff rotations took place (Israeli Government Arabic Facebook page “Israel Speaks Arabic,” September 15, 2025).
• “Palestinian sources” reported that Israeli strikes on communication towers and buildings disrupted internet lines across large parts of western Gaza City (journalist Safinaz al-Luh’s Telegram channel, September 10, 2025).
• Palestinian activist Hamza al-Masri revealed that “elements” in Gaza were exploiting women, especially widows, seeking aid. According to him, individuals posing as “aid providers” requested women’s photos to receive tents and donations, later using them for blackmail and harassment (Hamza al-Masri’s Telegram channel, September 10, 2025).
• The Gaza municipality began removing more than 260,000 tons of garbage that had accumulated in the city due to the denial of access to the central landfill in the Hajar al-Dik area in the east of the city (Gaza Municipality Facebook page, September 11, 2025).
• Hamas’ Ministry of Health announced that laboratories and blood banks in Gaza hospitals are facing severe shortages of solutions and consumables needed for lifesaving tests. The ministry said it had coordinated with the WHO to provide the necessary supplies, which are now stored in warehouses in the West Bank, and urged urgent intervention to ensure their safe transfer to hospital blood banks (Gaza Health Ministry Telegram channel, September 14, 2025).

Hamas Governance

• “Palestinian sources” claimed Israel continues recruiting locals for activity against the “resistance.” A “resistance security source” said groups of collaborators and Israeli undercover operatives abducted “resistance” fighters, collected information for “the occupation” on the location of its captives and “resistance” tunnels, and threatened that “resistance factions will pursue and punish them” (al-Jazeera, September 11, 2025).
• Eyewitnesses at al-Shifaa Hospital said armed groups linked to Yasser Abu Shabab, head of the Israel-backed “Popular Forces” militia, broke into the hospital with Israeli air support, firing at civilians to hasten their departure from the hospital and the city (Al-Maghazi refugee camp news Telegram channel, September 14, 2025).
• Hamas’ “Rada” force announced that its men set up an ambush in the Deir al-Balah area in the center of the Gaza Strip against two operatives of “agent” Yasser Abu Shabab, who were allegedly moving to carry out a “criminal operation” in coordination with Israel. According to the announcement, in the confrontation, one operative was killed, and the other was wounded. It was noted that the operation was aimed at disrupting Abu Shabab’s network activity and strengthening the internal front (Hamas’s “Rada” force Telegram channel, September 12, 2025).
• In a statement by “Palestinian resistance” in northern Gaza, it was reported that during August 2025, six residents suspected of collaborating with Israel were executed. The statement, which included the residents’ names, claimed that the accused handed over “resistance” operatives to Israel, transferred equipment, exposed “resistance” sites and operations, and were involved in assassinating two operatives in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. It was also reported that the statement serves as a warning to the public not to take part in suspicious activity serving Israel, and that additional names will be published in the coming days. It was also reported that an ultimatum was set for collaborators to surrender themselves, and for their family members to disavow them, noting two families that already did so (Al-Siyad Telegram channel, September 12, 2025). Subsequently, it was reported that the “resistance” executed three more “collaborators” in Gaza City. It was claimed that one of them, age 33, joined “Zionist” intelligence during the past year and participated in sensitive and dangerous missions that harmed the “resistance” (Al-Majd al-Amni website Telegram channel, September 14, 2025).
• On September 13, 2025, operatives from Hamas’ Sahm (Arrow) unit arrived at the al-Majaideh family home in Khan Younis, intending to kill al-Saqr al-Majaideh, the brother of Ibrahim al-Majaideh, who had previously been killed by Sahm operatives. Family members reportedly prevented the attackers from entering, and two of the operatives were killed, though it remains unclear whether they were shot by the family or accidentally by their own colleagues (X account @Basem_gaza1988, September 14, 2025; “Raad al-Janub” Facebook page, September 13, 2025). Following this, a statement was published on behalf of families in Khan Younis district, which condemned the “cold-blooded murder” of Said Issa Yusuf al-Mubasher and Khaled Nidhal Mahmoud Hammad. They demanded that competent security authorities quickly arrest the murderers and bring them to trial; called on notables and mukhtars of the al-Majaideh clan “to take a firm stance against this rogue group whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents and to disavow its actions;” and called on all clans and mukhtars to bear their responsibility to prevent civil war, act to strengthen unity of ranks, and demand law enforcement without exception (“Local Front – Gaza Strip” Telegram channel, September 14, 2025). “Resistance security” in Khan Younis district reported that al-Mubasher and Hammad were operatives in Hamas’ military wing and that they went with a group of men to settle an internal family dispute of one of their relatives, and the meeting ended without any confrontation or escalation. However, when the two returned on foot, they were subjected to a “treacherous ambush” by a group of armed collaborators from the al-Majaideh family, and they were shot and killed on the spot, and their bodies were mutilated before people’s eyes. The statement emphasized that the deceased were not on any security or military mission, and they do not belong to any governmental body, and added that the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades will not remain silent about the spilling of their sons’ blood (“Imsak Amil” channel, September 14, 2025).
• Al-Majd al-Amni website’s Telegram channel, dedicated to raising security awareness, again warned against using items belonging to the “enemy” that were taken by residents when they infiltrated Israeli territory in the October 7, 2023, attack, including electronic devices, laptops, smartphones, watches, and more. It was claimed that using these devices is one of the main reasons people and homes are attacked in the Gaza Strip, even after nearly two years of war. The need to destroy such devices and not sell them to others was emphasized (Al-Majd al-Amni website Telegram channel, September 13, 2025).

International Activity Against the “Siege” on the Gaza Strip

• As part of the “Global Steadfastness (Sumud) Flotilla,” the Egyptian “Sumud Fleet” announced that it received the first boat ready to participate in the international flotilla to break the “siege” on the Gaza Strip, and emphasized that additional boats are expected to arrive soon. Organizing committee members called on businessmen to donate or rent vessels for the flotilla (journalist Safinaz al-Luh’s Telegram channel, September 11, 2025). On September 14, 2025, it was reported that dozens of boats with hundreds of volunteers and hundreds of kilograms of aid departed from Bizerte port in Tunisia toward the Gaza Strip. Additional boats from Italy and Greece will reportedly join them (Middle East Eye X account, September 14, 2025).^[3]
• The Popular Movement for Supporting the Gaza Strip, which is part of the “All of Us Gaza” network, announced at a press conference in Al-Bireh a global hunger strike in a hundred cities on September 16 and 23, as a protest against “occupation crimes and starvation policy” and demanding introduction of humanitarian aid to the Strip. The dates were chosen to mark the anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut in September 1982 and the opening of the UN General Assembly session. Palestinian National Initiative secretary-general Mustafa Barghouti stated that this is a tool of civilian “resistance” and solidarity mobilization alongside campaigns like flotillas to break the “siege” and the struggle against “apartheid.” He called on Arab and Islamic countries to take practical steps, including boycotts and sanctions and canceling normalization agreements (Palestinian Media Center, September 13, 2025).

• “Palestinian security sources” reported that the Palestinian Authority’s preventive security service had arrested businessman Samir Halileh, who claimed he was a candidate for the post of temporary governor of the Gaza Strip. According to the sources, Halileh was arrested in a restaurant in the Al-Tira neighborhood of Ramallah, several days after returning from a trip abroad, in accordance with “instructions from above” (Asharq Al-Awsat, September 10, 2025). “Palestinian security sources” later reported that the Palestinian prosecution decided to detain Halileh for 15 days pending completion of the investigation. “Legal sources” noted that the charges mainly related to “incitement to conflicts,” following Halileh’s statements about the possibility of his appointment as governor (Asharq Al-Awsat, September 11, 2025).
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that any step of “displacement” or removing population from its place will be considered a direct threat to regional peace fabric and could ignite a chain of reactions that will cause destabilization in Sinai and the Gaza Strip-Egypt border, political tension with Israel, heavy humanitarian pressure on Egypt and its neighbors, and increased infiltration attempts via sea. According to him, such a scenario could create an unprecedented illegal immigration wave toward Europe, with security and economic risks, and therefore Cairo demands an international mechanism that will prevent displacement, increase humanitarian aid within the territory, and preserve the principle of returning home and not permanent settlement solutions outside the area (Shehab News Agency, September 11, 2025).
• Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub called for uniting ranks in Palestinian society in light of “annihilation and war crimes aimed at eliminating the Palestinian state.” Rajoub claimed that internal reconciliation is the solution to ending Palestinian division. He called for political unity under the PLO, with Hamas integration into the national framework after dissolving its rule in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, he set “red lines” for Israel: no surrender, no displacement, no dismantling of the Authority, when the goal is a sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Rajoub reported that he recognizes the expansion of recognition of “Palestine” alongside Israel’s isolation, and therefore, there is a need to leverage the “window of opportunities” for recognition of a united Palestinian state that will place national interest above narrow calculations (Jibril Rajoub’s Facebook page, September 11, 2025).

Terrorist Attacks

• Stabbing attack at the Kibbutz Tzuba Hotel: On September 12, 2025, a Palestinian working at the Kibbutz Tzuba Hotel in the Jerusalem region stabbed two hotel guests with a knife, and they were seriously and moderately wounded. Guests at the hotel overpowered the terrorist, a resident of the Shuafat neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, and he was detained (Israeli media, September 12, 2025).

Thwarting and Preventive Activity

• The Israeli security forces continued their thwarting activity against terrorism throughout Judea and Samaria, during which they arrested wanted persons and terror operatives, and confiscated weapons and money that served to finance terror activity. During IDF activity in Tulkarm, an armored IDF vehicle was damaged by an explosive device placed near the security fence. In response, a siege was imposed on the city and the surrounding area. Additionally, forces demolished the homes of two terrorists who carried out a shooting attack in which an Israeli civilian was killed at the Mehola junction in August 2024 in the village of Aqaba. In addition, the homes of two terrorists who carried out the shooting attack at Ramot junction in Jerusalem, killing six Israelis on September 8, 2025, were sealed, even before receiving approval for demolishing the houses (IDF Spokesperson and Israeli media, September 9-16, 2025).
• The PIJ’s military wing claimed responsibility for detonating a Shujaa1 model explosive device against a military vehicle near Nitzanei Oz checkpoint (Telegram channel of Jerusalem Brigades in Judea and Samaria, September 11, 2025). Palestinian media outlets reported that during extensive activity in Tulkarm, Israeli security forces conducted raids and searches in residential apartments and arrested dozens of civilians, who were led on foot to Nablus Street for interrogation (WAFA, September 12, 2025). Additionally, Palestinians reported a fatality from IDF fire on the road between Deir Jarir and Silwad (Palestinian Media Center, September 13, 2025) and another fatality from Israeli Border Police fire after he attempted to jump over the separation wall on the outskirts of Jerusalem (Israeli media, September 14, 2025).
• Hebron mayor Tayseer Abu Sneineh was sentenced to four months of administrative detention after inciting terrorism (Beit Fajjar municipality Telegram channel, September 10, 2025). There have also been other arrests of senior officials, including Fatah Revolutionary Council member Jamal Hammad in the village of Al-Dik (WAFA, September 11, 2025

Diplomatic Activity

• PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met in Amman with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein. He updated them on the latest developments in the Palestinian arena and formed lines of action with them at the international level. Abbas expressed appreciation for Jordan’s role in stopping “aggression in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” in introducing aid, and preventing “displacement.” Additionally, he emphasized that he supports an immediate and permanent ceasefire, introduction of aid without conditions, IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, assuming governmental and security responsibility with Arab and international assistance, and opening an early reconstruction program. He also called for limiting annexation, freezing “settlements and settler terrorism,” and releasing Palestinian funds. Mahmoud Abbas and the King approved continued coordination to promote recognition of the “State of Palestine” and full UN membership. The Jordanian King expressed unreserved support for Palestinian rights and establishing a state within two-state solution borders, rejected annexation moves and settlement expansion, called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensuring aid flow, and emphasized the Hashemite custodianship over holy sites in Jerusalem and his support for reforms in the Palestinian Authority (WAFA, September 10, 2025).
• Mahmoud Abbas thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his remarks at the opening of the ninth session of the Shura Council, in which he declared that the Gaza Strip is Palestinian territory and that the Palestinian people’s rights to it are not subject to challenge through “aggression or threats.” Mahmoud Abbas praised bin Salman’s position, which aligns with the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002 and is consistent with the vision of establishing a Palestinian state within 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to establish a global coalition to promote the two-state solution and mobilize international recognition of the State of Palestine ahead of the summit to be held in New York on September 22, 2025 (WAFA, September 10, 2025).
  • PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas participated in the Arab-Islamic emergency summit held in Doha following the Israeli attack against the Hamas leadership in Qatar. He met with several leaders, including Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. In his speech at the summit, Abbas thanked Muslim countries supporting the Palestinians to stop “aggression,” provide humanitarian aid, and end “occupation.” Additionally, he also thanked countries that participated in the International Peace Conference in New York and reported that their efforts resulted in additional international recognition of a “Palestinian state.” Abbas also condemned the Israeli attack in Doha and expressed solidarity with Qatar (Wafa News Agency, September 15, 2025).
  • The Fatah movement welcomed the European Commission’s decision to stop direct bilateral aid to Israel, as well as the European Union’s initiative to establish a donor group for “Palestine.” Fatah welcomed the change in European position toward “Israeli occupation,” and rejected the international community’s silence on “Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” including East Jerusalem (WAFA, September 10, 2025). However, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry claimed that European measures are insufficient and called for escalating sanctions and legal measures to force the Israeli government to stop its attacks and unilateral “annexation” steps that threaten to ignite the entire arena (Palestinian Foreign Ministry Facebook page, September 14, 2025).
  • On September 12, 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted the “New York Declaration,” which supports resolving the Palestinian issue through peaceful means and implementing the two-state solution. A total of 142 countries voted in favor of the resolution, ten opposed, and 12 abstained (UN NEWS X account, September 12, 2025). The Palestinian Authority welcomed the resolution:
  • PA Chairman’s Office spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that “we are in the last quarter-hour of the battle for the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.” According to him, “Israel is isolated and ostracized, and the Palestinian state is inevitable,” and Israel must understand the message conveyed at the UN. Abu Rudeineh added that Israel boasts of “imaginary victories,” but will not be able to overcome the Palestinian people, and the consensus recorded in New York is a clear message that there is no security, peace or stability without Palestinian rights (Al-Mamlaka channel website, September 12, 2025).
  • Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh noted that the result reflects international consensus for the two-state solution and support for the right to self-determination and establishing a state within 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as capital. He claimed that the decision demonstrates the growing isolation of “Israeli occupation” and condemnation of “policies of aggression, settlements, and discrimination.” He thanked Saudi Arabia and France for sponsoring the peace settlement conference that led to adopting the declaration and its appendices, and called on the international community to translate the resolution into practical and binding steps that will lead to “ending occupation, stopping aggression, lifting the siege, and ensuring freedom, independence, and rights of the Palestinian people” (WAFA, September 12, 2025).
  • The Fatah movement reported that the document confirms the two-state solution and the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and establishing a state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The statement said that the resolution is important and reflects consensus to end “occupation” and places political, moral, and legal responsibility on the world (Odeh channel, September 12, 2025).

The Activity of the Palestinian Security Services

• The PA’s Preventive Security Force in Nablus reported the seizure of a significant quantity of weapons on Al-Quds Street in the city (“Al-Khalil fi Qalb al-Hadath” Telegram channel, September 10, 2025).

• The PA’s Preventive Security forces in Qalqilya detained Mahmoud Nofal, codenamed “Abu Sayyaf” (Quds News Network, September 11, 2025). In addition, Preventive Security in Nablus detained the released prisoner Muntasir Mustafa al-Shanar as he left the mosque after Friday prayers. Al-Shanar served more than five years in prison in Israel and was released a few months ago in poor health (Safa News Agency, September 12, 2025).