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The Gaza health ministry said two Gaza City hospitals have been taken out of service due to the escalation of Israel's ground offensive and damage caused by continued Israeli bombing, as tanks advanced deeper into the territory.The ministry said in a statement that Al-Rantissi Children's Hospital had been badly damaged in an Israeli bombardment a few days ago. At the same time, it reported Israeli attacks in the vicinity of the nearby Eye Hospital, which forced the suspension of services there, too."The occupation deliberately and systematically targets the healthcare system in the Gaza governorate as part of its genocidal policy against the Strip," it said."None of the facilities or hospitals have safe access routes that allow patients and the wounded to reach them," the ministry added.There was no immediate Israeli military comment.Nearly two years into the war, Israel describes Gaza City as the last bastion of Hamas. Since Israel launched its ground assault on the city this month, the military has been demolishing housing blocks it says were being used by the group.On Monday, residents said Israeli tanks had advanced deeper into the Sheikh Radwan area and Jala Street in northern Gaza City, where the two hospitals are located, while in Tel Al-Hawa in the southeast tanks had pushed deeper in the direction of the western parts of the city.They said Israeli forces had used explosive-laden vehicles, detonated remotely, to blow up dozens of houses in the two areas.The offensive has alarmed the families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Twenty of those 48 captives are thought to still be alive.Hamas' military wing released a video on Monday of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, 24. It was not immediately clear when the video was recorded. Ohel was last seen in a video released by Hamas on September 5.A representative said that Ohel's family had consented to the media identifying Ohel but had not given permission for the video to be published. The video was released on the eve of the Jewish New Year, known in Hebrew as Rosh Hashanah.Meanwhile, local health authorities said at least 25 people had been killed by Israeli fire on Monday across the enclave, most of them in Gaza City.

Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes raise ethnic cleansing concerns — OHCHR Satellite images show areas of demolition in Gaza city suburbsFor a decade, Palestinian bank worker Shady Salama al-Rayyes paid into a $93,000 mortgage on his flat in a tall, modern block in one of Gaza City's prime neighbourhoods.Now, he and his family are destitute, after fleeing an Israeli demolition strike that collapsed the building in a cloud of black smoke and dust.The September 5 attack on the 15-storey Mushtaha Tower marked the start of an intensified Israeli military demolition campaign targeting high-rise buildings ahead of a ground assault towards the heart of the densely populated city, which started this week.Over the past two weeks, Israel's armed forces say they have demolished up to 20 Gaza City tower blocks they say are used by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 50 "fighters towers" had been demolished.The campaign has made hundreds of people homeless. In a similar time frame, Israeli forces have flattened areas in the city's Zeitoun, Tuffah, Shejaia and Sheikh al-Radwan neighbourhoods, among others, ten residents told Reuters. The damage since August to scores of buildings in Sheikh al-Radwan is visible in satellite imagery reviewed by the news agency.Al-Rayyes said he feared the destruction was aimed at permanently clearing the population from Gaza City, a view shared by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). Its spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan said in a statement that such a deliberate effort to relocate the population would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing."I never thought I would leave Gaza City, but the explosions are non-stop," Al-Rayyes said. "I can't risk the safety of my children, so I am packing up and will leave for the south." Al-Rayyes vowed, however, never to leave Gaza entirely.Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said in May that most of Gaza would soon be "totally destroyed" and the population confined to a narrow strip of land near the border with Egypt.Israel, which has called for all of Gaza City's civilian residents to leave during the offensive, last week closed a crossing into northern Gaza, further limiting scarce food supplies.In response to questions for this story, Israel's military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nadav Shoshani said "there's no strategy to flatten Gaza." He said the military's aim was to destroy Hamas and bring hostages home.Tall buildings were used by Hamas to observe and attack Israeli forces, he said, adding that the fighter group used civilians as human shields and also put booby-traps in buildings. Israeli soldiers are regularly killed by IEDs in Gaza.Hamas has denied using residential towers to attack Israeli forces.The goals of the Israel's military and its politicians are not always aligned, two Israeli security sources told Reuters, with one citing ideas such as clearing Palestinians from areas of Gaza for future redevelopment as diverging from military goals. Israel's Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The offensive is the latest phase in Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, spread famine and displaced most of the population, in many cases multiple times, since Hamas led attacks in Israel in Oct 2023.Last week a UN inquiry found Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel called the finding biased and "scandalous." UN experts say destruction of civilian housing and infrastructure can amount to a war crime.Israeli spokesperson Shoshani said the buildings were legitimate military targets approved by an intelligence officer and a legal officer.Before the war, Mushtaha Tower was popular with Gaza City's professional class and students drawn to its ocean views and convenient location near a public park and two universities.It originally housed about 50 families, but that number had tripled in recent months as people took in relatives displaced from other parts of Gaza, said al-Rayyes.Scores of tents housing more displaced families had spread around the tower's base. Upper floors of the building had been damaged by previous strikes.On the morning of September 5, a neighbour got a call from an Israeli army officer instructing him to spread the word to evacuate the building within minutes or they were "going to bring it down on our heads," al-Rayyes said.Reuters could not independently verify his account of the evacuation order. It is consistent with accounts of residents of other buildings ahead of Israeli strikes. Shoshani said the military gave residents time to evacuate and ensured civilians had left before hitting the buildings."Panic, fear, confusion, loss, despair, and pain overwhelmed all of us. I saw people running on our bare feet; some didn't even take their mobile phones or documents. I didn't take passports or identity cards," said al-Rayyes, who had once hoped to pay off his mortgage by this year."We carried nothing with us, my wife and my two children, Adam, 9, and Shahd, 11, climbed down the stairs and ran away." Video filmed by Reuters shows what happened next. From the air, two projectiles exploded almost simultaneously into the base of the tower, demolishing it in around six seconds. Dust smoke and debris billowed over the streets and tents of displaced people, who scattered, running and screaming.In response to a question from Reuters, the Israeli military said Hamas had "underground infrastructure" beneath Mushtaha Tower that it used to attack Israeli troops. The military declined a request to provide evidence.In a response to Reuters on Wednesday, the UN's OHCHR said the Israeli military had also not provided evidence to demonstrate other buildings described as fighter infrastructure were valid military targets.Al-Rayyes, who headed the building's residents' association, said the tactic of demolition "makes no sense," even if there was a Hamas presence, which he denied."They could have dealt with it in a way that doesn't even scratch people, not to destroy a 16-floor building," he said, using a different count of its height.After a couple of weeks with family in the city's Sabra district, al-Rayyes has left, like hundreds of thousands of other residents of the city since August, and was setting up a tent in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah on Thursday.In preparation for the ground assault, in recent weeks, up to a dozen homes have been destroyed daily in Zeitoun, Tuffah, and Shejaia, the residents Reuters spoke to said.Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian Local NGOs Network, estimated over 65% of buildings and homes in Gaza City had been destroyed or heavily damaged during the war. Extensive damage to suburban areas in recent weeks is visible in satellite images of several neighbourhoods.The Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) a non-profit organisation that gathers data on conflicts around the world, documented over 170 demolition incidents carried out by Israel's armed forces in Gaza City since early August, mainly through controlled explosions in eastern areas as well as Zeitoun and Sabra."The pace and extent of demolitions appear more extensive than in previous periods," ACLED's Senior Middle East analyst Ameneh Mehvar told Reuters. By comparison, she said fewer than 160 such demolitions were recorded in Gaza City during the first 15 months of the war.The residents who spoke to Reuters also reported Israeli forces had blown up remotely driven vehicles laden with explosives in the Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa neighbourhoods, destroying many houses in the past two weeks.Shoshani, the military spokesperson, confirmed the use of ground-based explosives against buildings identified as military targets. He said he did not have information about explosive-laden vehicles specifically.The UN's OHCHR said it had documented controlled demolition of residential infrastructure, saying some entire neighbourhoods were destroyed.Even before the current offensive on Gaza City, almost 80% of buildings in Gaza — roughly 247,195 structures — had been damaged or destroyed since the war started, according to the latest data from the UN Satellite Centre, gathered in July. This included 213 hospitals and 1,029 schools.Bushra Khalidi, who leads policy on Gaza at Oxfam, said tower blocks were one of the last forms of shelter, and warned that pushing people out would "exponentially" worsen overcrowding in the south.Tareq Abdel-Al, a 23-year-old student of finance from Sabra, was hesitant to leave his home with his extended family despite weeks of bombardment in the area, exhausted from being ordered to evacuate so many times in the war, he said. They left on the morning of August 19 only after houses neighbouring their 3-storey home were demolished.Just 12 hours later, an Israeli strike destroyed the family home, he said."Should we have stayed, we might have been killed that night," Abdel-Al told Reuters by phone from Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, describing extensive damage to the whole street."They destroyed our hope of returning," he said.

Israeli forces operate in several parts of Gaza CityHundreds of thousands of Palestinians flee the cityIsraelis rally in Jerusalem to demand release of hostagesIsraeli forces blew up more residential buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 31 Palestinians and prompting many others to flee, Gazan health authorities said, as Israel's tanks pushed further into the densely populated city.A pregnant woman and her two children were among those killed on Sunday, medics said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deaths.Relatives sifted through the rubble of one of the apartment buildings that was hit in Gaza City, trying to salvage their belongings."The mother, the boy, the girl, and the baby in her womb - we found them all gone," said Mosallam Al-Hadad, the dead woman's father-in-law, saying his son had been seriously injured in the strike. "(He) was in a critical condition. We took him to the hospital, and his leg was amputated," Hadad told Reuters.Israel said on Saturday its forces had expanded their operations in the Gaza City area over the past few days, killing 30 and locating weapons.On Sunday, witnesses said Israeli tanks were advancing towards the west through Tel Al-Hawa, a southeastern suburb.The Israeli military estimates that more than 450,000 people have left the city since the start of September. Hamas disputes this, saying just under 300,000 have left and that about 900,000 people remain.Israel's Gaza City offensive has drawn rebuke abroad, prompting some of Israel's Western allies to announce they will formally recognise a Palestinian state ahead of the annual leaders' gathering at the UN General Assembly this week.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was expected to announce Britain's recognition of statehood in a break with long-standing policy despite stiff opposition from Israel and disapproval from the United States, the UK's closest ally.The offensive has also alarmed families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Twenty of those 48 captives are thought to still be alive.Thousands rallied on Saturday night outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem calling on him to make a deal that will end the war and bring the hostages home."I accuse the prime minister of leading us for two years down a dead-end path, toward endless war and abandoning our loved ones. Why?," said Michel Illouz, whose son Guy was kidnapped from a music festival in the Hamas attacks which triggered the war.

Israel's military kept up its assault on Gaza City and the wider Gaza Strip Saturday, in attacks that killed at least 60 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities.The assault came as 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Britain and Canada, are scheduled to formally recognise an independent Palestinian state on Monday, ahead of the annual leaders' gathering at the UN General Assembly.Israel's intensified military demolition campaign targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza City began this week alongside a ground assault.Its forces, which control Gaza City's eastern suburbs, have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western parts of the city.Most of Gaza City's population is sheltering in those parts.The military estimates it has demolished up to 20 Gaza City tower blocks over the past two weeks. It also believes, according to Israeli media, that more than 500,000 people have left the city since the start of September.The resistance group Hamas, which controls Gaza, disputes this figure, saying just under 300,000 have left and around 900,000 remain, including Israeli hostages.On messaging site Telegram, Hamas' military wing earlier released a montage-type image of Israeli hostages, warning that their lives were at risk due to Israel's military operation in Gaza City.Hamas also estimates that since August 11, Israel's military has destroyed or damaged more than 1,800 residential buildings in Gaza City, and destroyed more than 13,000 tents housing displaced families.In almost two years of fighting, Israel's offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities, spread famine, demolished most structures and displaced most of the population, in many cases multiple times.

The director of Al Shifa hospital was on duty Saturday marshalling the facility's response to Israel's assault on Gaza City when two victims killed in a strike were delivered to the ward: his brother and his sister-in-law."I was shocked and devastated to see the bodies of my brother and his wife," said Mohammed Abu Salmiya, who was working in the emergency department of the territory's main hospital at the time."Anything is possible now, as you receive your dearest ones as martyrs or wounded," he told AFP. "The occupation's crimes continue, and the number of martyrs keeps rising."As Israel presses its new offensive to capture the territory's largest urban centre -- despite widespread fears for the safety of both its residents and the hostages -- Salmiya was not the only one dealing with loss.An AFP journalist saw ambulances with sirens blaring pull into the hospital compound early Saturday, bringing more bodies of people killed by Israel's bombardment of Gaza City.Medics unloaded four bodies wrapped in white shrouds and laid them beneath a tree, as another ambulance arrived carrying the injured, including a boy.Gaza City has been the focus of Israel's blistering assault in recent weeks, according to the territory's civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority.Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled the city since Israel launched its offensive, but many remain trapped, too exhausted or impoverished to leave."Death is more merciful," said 38-year-old Mohammed Nassar of Gaza City's Tal al-Hawa area, watching a steady stream of neighbours leave the area.Families could be seen leaving with their belongings piled on trucks, cars, donkey carts and their own shoulders.Nassar, tired and caring for three daughters, said he lacked both the strength and the money to evacuate, leaving him trapped in Gaza City."As for me, my wife and my three daughters, we will wait until the last moment," he said.The civil defence agency reported that at least 20 people had been killed Saturday in strikes on Gaza City.The Israeli military did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment on the overall toll or reports of the deaths of Al Shifa director Salmiya's relatives."The occupation wants to forcibly displace everyone so it can destroy Gaza City and turn it into another Beit Hanoun or Rafah -- unlivable for the next 100 years," Nassar said, referring to other parts of Gaza left in ruins by nearly two years of war.Israel has pummelled Gaza City with air strikes and tank fire in its bid to seize what it describes as one of Hamas's last strongholds.The United Nations and foreign powers, meanwhile, have urged it to abandon its plans over fears the offensive could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the city, where the UN recently declared a famine.The military launched its ground assault on the city Tuesday and has told residents to head south, but many Palestinians say the journey is prohibitively expensive and they do not know where to go.Many who fled say it took them more than 12 hours to reach the southern areas designated by the military.Evacuation costs have also soared, according to those who left, with truck owners charging as much as $1,500 to $2,000 for the roughly 30-kilometre journey.The civil defence agency said Friday that 450,000 Palestinians had fled Gaza City.The military, which has warned Gazans it will use "unprecedented force" in the city, put the number at approximately 480,000.The United Nations estimated at the end of August that about one million people were living in Gaza City and its surroundings.The military has urged Palestinians to relocate to a "humanitarian area" in Al-Mawasi on the coast, where it says aid, medical care and humanitarian infrastructure will be provided.Israel first declared the area a safe zone early in the war, but has carried out repeated strikes on it since then, saying it is targeting Hamas.Raeda al-Amareen said she was awakened before dawn by the sound of explosions."We want to evacuate but we have no money," she told AFP."We don't even have 10 shekels to buy bread. What are we supposed to do? We'll stay -- either we die or someone finds a solution for us."

Gaza's civil defence agency said Friday that 450,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since Israel began its offensive to seize the territory's largest urban centre. "The number of citizens displaced from Gaza to the south has reached 450,000 people since the start of the military operation on Gaza City in August," said Mohamed al-Mughayir, an official of the rescue force. The Israeli military warned Friday it would operate with "unprecedented force" in Gaza City, telling residents to flee as it presses its ground offensive. Israel has pummelled Gaza City with air strikes and tank fire in its bid to seize it, nearly two years into the war that has devastated the Palestinian territory and left Gaza City gripped by a UN-declared famine. The assault comes ahead of a planned move by several Western governments, including Britain and France, to recognise a Palestinian state at a UN summit next week. The military launched its ground assault on Tuesday and has for days been telling residents to head south, but many Palestinians say the journey is prohibitively expensive and they do not know where to go. "For several days, we've been trying to evacuate to the south, but we haven't been able to find any means of transport," Khaled al-Majdalawi, a displaced Palestinian in western Gaza City told AFP, describing "intense and continuous" shelling. The UN estimated at the end of August that about 1mn people were living in Gaza City and its surroundings. The Israeli military has urged Palestinians to head to a "humanitarian area" in Al-Mawasi on the coast. Israel first declared the area a safe zone early in the war, but has carried out repeated strikes on it since then. Nivin Ahmed, 50, fled south from Gaza City to the central city of Deir el-Balah on Thursday, walking with seven family members. "We walked more than 15km (9 miles), we were crawling from exhaustion," she told AFP. "My youngest son cried from fatigue. We took turns dragging a small cart with some of our belongings." Mona Abdel Karim, 36, said she had been unable to secure transport south and had been sleeping on Al-Rashid road for two nights with her family waiting for a driver. "I feel like I'm about to explode. We can't walk on foot — my husband's parents are elderly and sick, and the children are too weak to walk," she said. Israeli fire killed at least 33 people across the territoryFriday, 18 of them in Gaza City, according to a tally of figures given by Gaza hospitals contacted by AFP. The US-backed offensive on Gaza City came as a UN probe accused Israel of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.

Huge numbers of Palestinians were fleeing Gaza City by any means Wednesday as the Israeli military pressed its ground offensive, killing dozens in strikes.Images showed a steady stream of Gazans heading south on foot, by car and on donkey carts, with their few belongings piled high as Israel bombarded the city.Israel had announced the day before that the US-backed campaign in the Gaza Strip's largest city had begun, pledging to destroy the militant group Hamas in the area.The offensive has sparked outrage among the international community, with the Palestinian territory already devastated by nearly two years of war and the Gaza City region gripped by a UN-declared famine.Gaza's civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli fire had killed at least 62 people across the territory Wednesday.The Israeli military said it was opening a temporary new route via Salah al-Din Street to allow people to flee, after unleashing a massive bombardment before dawn on Tuesday and pushing its troops deeper into Gaza City.It came as a United Nations probe accused Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.Israel's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said the corridor would remain open for just 48 hours from midday (0900 GMT).Israel's campaign has killed at least 65,062 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged that Manchester City are not considered among the favourites to win the Champions League ahead of their opening game against Napoli Thursday.City have regularly reached the sharp end of Europe's top club competition in recent years, winning the trophy for the first time in 2023. They suffered a painful early exit last season, losing to 15-time champions Madrid in a two-legged play-off with a place in the knockout stages at stake.According to the bookmakers Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain are all considered more likely winners of this season's Champions League. Guardiola was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he saw City as contenders."Apparently, we are not," he said. "And (we must) just enjoy the moment, the journey. We are happy to be here. In the past, we have been. We just won once, so that is a lot of difficulty. (We are) Just focusing tomorrow on the game we have to play, starting this competition well."City are intent on making their mark after finishing last season without a trophy for the first time in eight years. They started the Premier League season slowly, with two defeats in their first three games, but bounced back to crush Manchester United 3-0 on Sunday.Guardiola has rebuilt his squad over the past two transfer windows, with a clutch of long-serving players exiting the club, including Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson. Thursday's game against the Italian champions will feature an emotionally charged return to the Etihad for De Bruyne, who joined Napoli in June after a 10-year trophy-laden stint in Manchester.Guardiola said he was looking forward to seeing the midfielder but only "after the game" The City boss said it was no surprise that De Bruyne had settled quickly in Italy."The players in that level don't need much time to adapt and perform well," he said, praising his former player's "talent and vision".City's new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also spoke to reporters on the eve of the match against Napoli, underlining that the club had been his top choice. The Italy international won the Champions League with PSG in May but was deemed surplus to requirements by the French club, completing a £26mn deadline-day switch to City. "My desire was to come here," said Donnarumma, who has replaced Ederson as first-choice goalkeeper. "That was my first and only option, the only thing I wanted."Injured Yamal ruled out of Barca's trip to NewcastleBarcelona forward Lamine Yamal will miss Thursday's visit to Newcastle United in the Champions League with a groin injury, the Spanish club said when they announced the squad that had travelled for their league phase opener at St James' Park.Yamal suffered the injury while on international duty with Spain and Barca boss Hansi Flick slammed the national team for not taking better care of the 18-year-old, who also missed the weekend LaLiga win over Valencia.Apart from Yamal, who started the season strongly with two goals and two assists in LaLiga, Barcelona said on Wednesday that Alejandro Balde and Gavi are also out along with long-term absentee Marc-Andre ter Stegen but Frenkie de Jong is available. Barca were knocked out in the semi-finals last term while Newcastle are back in the Champions League after failing to qualify for last season's competition.

Israel launched its long-anticipated ground offensive in Gaza City Tuesday, targeting Hamas fighters and prompting widespread international alarm, with the UN condemning it as "carnage".A United Nations probe charged Israel with committing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials of incitement.The Israeli military unleashed a massive bombardment of Gaza City overnight as its troops moved deeper into the territory's largest urban hub."Over the past 24 hours, following extensive discussions with the political echelon, the IDF (military) has significantly expanded its operation in Gaza City," said army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir."We are operating deep in the area, combining ground troops, precision strikes and high-quality intelligence. Our objective is to enhance the strikes on Hamas until its decisive defeat."UN chief Antonio Guterres said Israel was "determined to go up to the end".Israel was "not open to a serious negotiation for a ceasefire, with dramatic consequences from Israel's point of view," he said.The military estimated there were 2,000-3,000 Hamas fighters in central Gaza City, an army official told journalists.It said about 40% of Gaza City residents had left and moved to the territory's south, the official added.An AFP journalist saw many people, including children, sleeping in front of a hospital in Gaza City after fleeing from their homes."The people do not have money to move to the south or even to move internally," said Youssef Shanaa, who had taken refuge at a hospital.People spoke of relentless bombing in Gaza City, much of which is already in ruins after nearly two years of Israeli strikes.Only huge piles of rubble remained of a residential block in the north of the city hit by overnight bombing."Why kill children sleeping safely like that, turning them into body parts?" said Abu Abd Zaquout. "We pulled the children out in pieces."The assault was "systematic ethnic cleansing targeting our people in Gaza", Hamas said in a statement.US President Donald Trump accused Hamas of using hostages as human shields."I hear Hamas is trying to use the old human shield deal, and if they do that they're going to be in big trouble," he said.Israel struck Yemen's Houthi-held Hodeidah port Tuesday, saying it targeted a military infrastructure site of the rebel group, which has fired missiles at Israel since the outbreak of war in Gaza.Later the military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.Gaza's civil defence, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said at least 44 people had been killed by Israeli fire Tuesday.Media restrictions in the territory and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the details provided by the civil defence or the Israeli military.The European Union said the assault on Gaza City would worsen an already "catastrophic" humanitarian situation, while Britain said it would bring only "more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages".Despite the growing criticism, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who visited Israel at the weekend, offered robust backing for the offensive as he met Netanyahu."We think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen. We don't have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks to go," he told reporters as he left Israel Tuesday.Before flying out to Qatar, the top US diplomat said he hoped the US ally would keep up its Gaza mediation efforts, despite Israel carrying out air strikes against Hamas leaders gathered in the Gulf country last week to consider a US truce proposal.Rubio's visit came a week before France was set to lead a UN summit in which several Western governments, angered by what they see as Israeli intransigence, plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council has welcomed a delegation from Media City Qatar to its headquarters for a strategic engagement session bringing together Media City Qatar’s group of licensed companies and stakeholders alongside representatives from local large enterprises (LLEs), universities, and research institutions.The visit aims to provide an overview of QRDI Council’s national innovation priorities, encourage collaboration opportunities, and build connections across Qatar’s RDI ecosystem.Bader al-Saai, Director of Strategic Partnerships at QRDI Council, said: “As we advance Qatar’s innovation agenda, strategic dialogues like this are key to unlocking new value across emerging sectors.“Engaging with Media City Qatar and its partners allows us to surface shared ambitions, identify opportunities, and encourage the kind of cross-sector partnerships that accelerate national progress. At QRDI Council, our focus remains on enabling systems that turn ideas into impact, and positioning Qatar at the forefront of global innovation.”Thair Khaled al-Anani, Director of Business Development at Media City Qatar, added: “Media City Qatar is home to over 250 companies, including a significant number of startups, working alongside leading local and international media organisations. At its core, Media City Qatar prioritises supporting these companies by providing a comprehensive work environment, stimulating opportunities, and fostering productive and thriving partnerships.“The ability to keep up with cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches remains a significant challenge for startups, as they seek to produce high-quality, impactful content that reinforces Qatar's position as a regional and global hub for the media industry. In this context, our partnership with QRDI Council, which leads efforts to organise and develop the research and innovation ecosystem in the country, comes as a fundamental step towards empowering media startups and SMEs. This partnership focuses on launching targeted programs that offer technical and financial support to pioneering media projects, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030."The agenda featured opening remarks by al-Saai and al-Anani, followed by a presentation on QRDI Council’s strategy and priority innovation clusters. QRDI Council’s Open Innovation team presented key funding and piloting opportunities, along with details on eligibility and application processes.A panel discussion on open innovation and agentic AI brought together voices from across the media sector, featuring Mohammad Ali Abbaspour, Founder and CEO of Sponix Tech; Ashrith Makam, Digital Director at WPP Media; and Ali Abbas, Founder and CEO of Arigatou. The day concluded with a networking session designed to encourage meaningful dialogue between Media City Qatar stakeholders and Qatar’s broader research and innovation community.This visit is an example of QRDI Council’s commitment to creating an interconnected RDI ecosystem in Qatar. By facilitating knowledge exchange and cross-sector collaboration, QRDI Council continues to advance its strategic goal of positioning Qatar as a global hub for research, development, and innovation, driving national impact through partnerships that accelerate discovery, commercialisation, and technological progress.

NEXX, a logistics AI (artificial intelligence) company, in association with Zipto Supply Chain, a leading Chinese cross-border E-commerce logistics provider, is expanding into Qatar market as it establishes advanced smart fulfillment center at Milaha Logistics City, Qatar, to enhance cross-border E-commerce logistics capabilities in the region.In this regard, NEXX officially announced strategic partnerships with Zipto Supply Chain and Middle East delivery leader iMile, during the Belt and Road Summit held in Hong Kong."Together with Zipto's expertise in Chinese market access and iMile's last-mile excellence, powered by our AI-driven fulfillment center, we are positioned to transform the region's logistics landscape and revolutionise service standards in this sector," said Hui Ka, Oscar, chief executive officer of NEXX.Operated jointly by NEXX, Milaha and Hong Kong E-commerce logistics company KEC, the 5,000sqm smart fulfillment center is equipped with an agentic AI management system, automated sorting robots, and pharmaceutical logistics certification.It offers end-to-end warehousing and fulfillment services tailored for cross-border B2C E-commerce customers. The center also supports B2B operations and features a bonded warehouse. It is scheduled to commence full operations in the fourth quarter of this year.On NEXX's strategic partnership with Zipto to expand into the Qatar market, this partnership will see Zipto utilise the former's advanced smart fulfillment center as its primary Qatar operational base, harnessing the facility's sophisticated automation capabilities to serve Chinese E-commerce businesses expanding into the Qatari market, with planned subsequent expansion into the UAE.In a complementary agreement, NEXX has partnered with iMile, which will establish its Qatar headquarters within NEXX's smart fulfillment center, utilising the facility's intelligent logistics infrastructure to enhance and expand its delivery services across the country through integrated technological solutions."We are pleased to support NEXX and its partners Zipto and iMile as they bring innovative logistics solutions to Qatar. Our commitment to fostering international collaboration and sustainable business growth is strengthened by these important partnerships, which will position Qatar as a central player in the region's E-commerce landscape," said Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, chief executive officer of Invest Qatar.NEXX had recently announced a strategic investment from Rasmal Ventures — the first independent venture capital fund supported by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). It disclosed that Ibrahim al-Derbasti, executive vice president of Offshore and Marine at Milaha, as co-founder of NEXX Middle East.

The Israeli military said Saturday that more than 250,000 people had fled Gaza City since it began intensifying operations there, as Palestinian officials reported many had been unable to evacuate south due to overcrowding.The United Nations estimated in late August that about one million Palestinians lived in and around Gaza's largest urban centre, where it said a famine was unfolding after months of worsening conditions.The world body and members of the international community have urged the military to abandon its plans to capture the city, warning the assault and ensuing displacement could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation.On Saturday, Arabic-language army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that "more than a quarter of a mn residents of Gaza City have moved out of the city for their own safety".Gaza's civil defence agency, however, reported a much lower figure, saying fewer than 70,000 had managed to leave.The Israeli military dropped leaflets Saturday urging residents in western districts to evacuate, as the civil defence reported continuous air strikes.Mohammad Abu Salmiya, head of the Al-Shifa medical complex, said that displacement was continuing inside Gaza City, with residents moving from east to west, but "only a small number of people have been able to reach the south"."Even those who manage to flee south often find no place to stay, as the Al-Mawasi area is completely full and Deir al-Balah is also overcrowded," the senior official added, saying many had returned to Gaza City after failing to secure shelter or basic services.Bakri Diab, who fled western Gaza City for the south, said Israeli strikes continued there as well."Bombing happens here too — the south isn't safe either," said the 35-year-old father of four."All the occupation has done is force people to crowd into places with no basic services and no safety."Israel has come under mounting international pressure to halt its Gaza City offensive, but says it is determined to dismantle what it describes as one of Hamas's last strongholds.In recent weeks the military has targeted high-rise buildings there, saying they were being used by Hamas militants.On Saturday the military announced it had struck yet another tall building in the area.The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has reached 64,803 martyrs and 164,264 injured.