Israeli Military Takes More Territory, Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics and Witnesses Say

 Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Military Takes More Territory, Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics and Witnesses Say

 Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)

An Israeli ‌strike killed at least two Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, health officials said, as residents of an area in the north of the enclave fled their homes after Israeli forces expanded their control in the territory.

Medics said an Israeli strike near a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, killed two brothers, Ahmed and Mahmoud Abu Heen. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

An October 2025 truce brokered by US President Donald Trump has so far failed to halt Israeli attacks in Gaza or to secure the disarmament of the Hamas group.

The new deaths brought to nearly 1,000 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since October, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel says four of its soldiers have been ‌killed by fighters ‌in that period.

The violence comes as Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's ‌Board ⁠of Peace envoy for ⁠Gaza, arrived in Cairo to pursue talks that mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye have held with Hamas leaders over implementing the second phase of Trump's Gaza plan, sources close to the talks said.

Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked over how to proceed with the next stage of Trump's Gaza plan, which involves Hamas laying down its arms and Israeli withdrawals.

ISRAEL TAKES MORE GAZA LAND

Israeli troops still control more than 60% of Gaza's territory, where they have ordered residents out ⁠and destroyed remaining buildings.

On May 28, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed ‌that he had directed Israel's military to expand its ‌hold and take control of 70% of the enclave.

Witnesses in southern Gaza have said Israeli forces ‌have in the past few days expanded the "Yellow Zone" - the areas they control - in eastern ‌Khan Younis and northern Rafah, where new markers and concrete blocks have been placed.

On Sunday, Israeli forces sent tanks further into the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City in the north, forcing several families to flee. Reuters footage, taken on Monday, showed two yellow blocks used as boundary markers that had been moved ‌closer to houses.

"I swear we don't know where to go," said Umm Muhammad Junaynah, a resident of Al-Tuffah, as she struggled ⁠to hold back tears. "We ⁠are getting our furniture out, we don't know where to go. We don't know where to go, we have nowhere to go."

Nearly the entire population of 2 million people, most of whom have been displaced several times, now live in a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control.

"It was a night of terror, we were scared," said Nour Shabat, a 27-year-old woman, referring to events of Sunday night in Al-Tuffah.

The territory has been bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

"I'm tired of displacement, honestly I'm tired of displacement. What is our fault that this is happening to us?" said Shabat.

"Should I take my belongings, myself and go sleep in the street? I have slept in the streets many times and I have been displaced many times. I'm tired and can't handle anymore. Enough, I am tired."



Türkiye’s Erdogan Urges World to ‘Immediately’ Start Rebuilding Gaza

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan Urges World to ‘Immediately’ Start Rebuilding Gaza

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)

The world must immediately start the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"We must begin the reconstruction of Gaza immediately," he told the United Nations General Assembly, urging world leaders to "exert greater pressure on Israel."

Since Hamas fighters launched their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, triggering a massive response, the tiny Palestinian territory has been devastated by countless Israeli airstrikes, which by October 2025 had left 84 percent of all structures damaged or destroyed, UN figures show.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, Israel has continued its airstrikes and restricted entry of equipment that international NGOs say is needed for the territory's reconstruction, which has yet to begin.

According to a joint assessment published by the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union in April, Gaza will require $71.4 billion in recovery and reconstruction spending over the next decade.

Erdogan also urged all nations that have yet to recognize Palestine as an independent state to "reconsider," with his words prompting the Israeli delegation to walk out of the hall.

"I would like to call upon all those countries who have yet not recognized the state of Palestine to reconsider their decisions," he said.

A year ago, France led a special UN summit to recognize a Palestinian state at which 10 countries formally made the move, among them Britain, Canada and Australia, bringing the number of UN member states to do so to around 157, more than four-fifths of the UN membership.

The move has been roundly rejected by Israel.


In UN Farewell, Macron Denounces Trump’s Gaza Diplomacy as Spectacle of Shame

President of France, Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
President of France, Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
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In UN Farewell, Macron Denounces Trump’s Gaza Diplomacy as Spectacle of Shame

President of France, Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
President of France, Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday dismissed US President Donald Trump's claims of having secured peace in Gaza, saying not a single humanitarian corridor had been reopened in the enclave despite the proclaimed peace.

In his final address to the United Nations before leaving office next year, Macron said the world was witnessing a spectacle that should shame everyone, rebuking Trump's portrayal of his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph.

He spoke at the United Nations General Assembly hours after Trump had from the same rostrum hailed his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph.

"A year ago, here in this very hall, about a dozen states had recognized Palestine. I hear the cynicism of some people: 'Recognition is just a ‌piece of paper, ‌look at the reality,'" Macron said, banging his fist on the podium ‌in ⁠his last speech at ⁠the United Nations before stepping down next May.

"But what credibility do we have if we continue to remain inactive in the face of Gaza? Some boast of a supposed peace. But that peace has not reopened humanitarian access for a single second. Are we simply to stand by and watch this spectacle that should shame us all?"

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS

In response to Macron's criticism, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “President Trump ended the war between Israel and Hamas, freed all living hostages, returned the bodies of the deceased to their loved ones, and ⁠is now leading the implementation of the 20-Point Plan for Peace in ‌Gaza. While others talk, this President took this complex problem head ‌on. No one has done more for peace and stability in the region.”

Macron has faced criticism among some politicians ‌and activists in France that he has done little since recognizing a Palestinian state last September.

Despite the ‌criticism, Paris has toughened its stance on settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, imposing some national sanctions and launching a process to ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where every day violations are committed. In whose name? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank," ‌Macron said.

"What is happening there is building, day by day, the impossibility of a project that should be based on respect for the legitimate right ⁠of the Palestinian people ⁠to exist."

France's ties with Israel have been particularly strained over the last year. Macron said those who believed that violating the sovereignty of all of Israel's neighbors would ensure its security were mistaken.

"They are weakening Israel's security, both today and in the future," he said.

'LONG LIVE THE UNITED NATIONS'

Seven months from France's next presidential election, Macron was making his last appearance after first taking to the rostrum in 2017.

Often showing a keen eye for the trappings of diplomacy — the grand settings, the symbolism, the personal connections — he has at the same time failed to translate this into lasting strategic gains, analysts say.

However, he has always been a staunch defender of the multilateral system and the United Nations.

Macron warned against a global "return to the law of the jungle", saying countries faced a choice between a world governed by power and coercion and a "civilized international society."

"Our duty, more than ever, is to stand alongside the United Nations. We cannot accept the new order of impunity that some would like to build," he said.

He ended his speech with "Long Live the United Nations!"


Yemen Govt Expands Community Mobilization to Support Fighters on Frontlines

This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows fighters affiliated with the Yemeni government engaging in clashes with Houthi militants in Al-Jawf province on September 15, 2026. (AFPTV / AFP)
This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows fighters affiliated with the Yemeni government engaging in clashes with Houthi militants in Al-Jawf province on September 15, 2026. (AFPTV / AFP)
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Yemen Govt Expands Community Mobilization to Support Fighters on Frontlines

This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows fighters affiliated with the Yemeni government engaging in clashes with Houthi militants in Al-Jawf province on September 15, 2026. (AFPTV / AFP)
This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows fighters affiliated with the Yemeni government engaging in clashes with Houthi militants in Al-Jawf province on September 15, 2026. (AFPTV / AFP)

The Yemeni government has expanded community support for the armed forces and frontlines by mobilizing various social groups and provinces to participate in backing fighters and providing essential supplies to the frontlines.

Nayef Al-Bakri, Minister of Youth and Sports and head of a committee for popular support and government backing for the armed forces, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the committee operates under the directives of Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi, council members, and the prime minister.

The committee aims to organize and activate popular support for the armed forces and fighters across various frontlines, which includes providing food, petroleum products, fuel, and essential materials needed for fighters to maintain their positions, he added.

The committee includes representatives from several ministries, including Interior, Defense, Social Affairs, Transport, Health, and Industry. A broader committee includes representatives from more than 15 provinces, aiming to unify popular efforts and strengthen the state of mobilization.

Several provinces, including Socotra, are preparing to dispatch relief convoys to battle areas, Al-Bakri revealed.

Community support encompasses the health sector through blood donations and backing provincial blood banks. Various social groups have become part of the support system, he went on to say.

Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Dhale, Marib, Al-Jawf and Shabwa are priority frontlines, the minister said.

Taiz is witnessing a "decisive battle," he stressed.

On whether the support committee would handle preparing youths to join the frontlines, Al-Bakri explained that the responsibility for recruitment is the responsibility of military authorities.

The minister said that the Iran-backed Houthi group is threat to Yemen and regional stability, especially in light of its "attempts to undermine the security of navigation and regional waters."

He stressed that Saudi Arabia stands as the primary supporter of Yemen, a role that encompasses all economic, political, and military sectors, in addition to relief and development aid.

Al-Bakri was optimistic that the Yemeni armed forces would make progress on several fronts, including in Taiz, Kahbub, and Shabwah.