Israeli forces intensify Gaza City assault as US vetoes UN ceasefire bid

GAZA CITY

Displaced Palestinians flee Gaza City by foot and vehicles, carrying their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli tanks and jets hammered Gaza City on Friday, advancing deeper into the enclave's largest urban center in a major ground offensive that has forced thousands of Palestinians to flee south amid relentless bombardments and a telecommunications blackout, while U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and hostage release—the sixth such block.

The Israeli military warned on Friday it will operate with "unprecedented force" in Gaza City, urging residents to flee southwards while announcing the closure of a temporary evacuation route opened 48 hours earlier.

In a post on X addressing residents of Gaza City, the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said: "From this moment, Salah al-Din Road is closed for southbound travel. The Israeli Defense Forces will continue to operate with unprecedented force against Hamas and other terrorist organisations."

He added the only possible route south was via Al-Rashid street and urged residents to "take this opportunity and join the hundreds of thousands of city residents who have moved south to the humanitarian area".

The Israeli military pushed toward the city center from two directions, compressing residents toward the coast in an effort to clear the area of Hamas fighters. Army spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told Reuters that infantry, tanks and artillery, supported by airstrikes, were applying pressure on the group.

Witnesses and AFP journalists reported streams of Gazans heading south on foot, in vehicles or on donkey carts, with belongings piled high.

"There is artillery fire, air strikes, quadcopter and drone gunfire. The bombing never stops," said Aya Ahmed, 32, sheltering with 13 relatives in the city.

"The world doesn't understand what is happening. They want us to evacuate south—but where will we live? There are no tents, no transport, no money."

Palestinians noted transport costs to the south have surged, sometimes exceeding $1,000.

Shadi Jawad, 47, described his family's flight: "The situation is indescribable—crowds everywhere, the sound of explosions, women and men crying and screaming as they walked while carrying their belongings. God, send a missile to take us out and relieve us."

The military also on Friday said it estimated 480,000 of them have fled since late August.

The offensive, which began Tuesday, has drawn global condemnation amid a U.N.-declared famine and near-total devastation after nearly two years of conflict.

Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital received 33 bodies from strikes since midnight, while the military reported targeting Hamas infrastructure in Rafah and Khan Younis.

Hamas's Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades vowed fierce resistance. "We are ready to send the lives of your soldiers to hell, and we have prepared for you an army of martyrs," it stated. "Gaza will be a cemetery for your soldiers."

Later, Israel announced four soldiers killed by an explosive in Rafah.

In a separate incident, a Jordanian aid truck driver shot dead two Israeli soldiers at the Allenby crossing in the West Bank.

Israel blamed Hamas propaganda; Jordan condemned the act, warning it endangers aid flows.

The U.N. estimated about 1 million people in Gaza City and surroundings last month; Israel says 350,000 have fled.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation "cataclysmic," with hospitals on collapse and aid blocked.

"The military incursion and evacuation orders are driving new waves of displacement into an ever-shrinking area unfit for human dignity."

The assault follows a U.N. probe accusing Israel of "genocide" in Gaza, implicating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in incitement. Israel dismissed the findings as "distorted and false."

On the diplomatic front, the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and hostage release—the sixth such block.

The 14 other members supported it, with Denmark's ambassador urging action against starvation and despair.

Pakistan's envoy termed the veto a "dark moment," saying "the cries of children should pierce our hearts."

The vote coincides with plans by France, Britain and others to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly later this month, aiming to sideline Hamas and advance a two-state solution.

U.S. President Donald Trump, visiting Britain, expressed disagreement with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the move. "I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that," Trump said at a joint press conference.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a Channel 12 interview, defended recognition as the "best way to isolate Hamas" and called Israel's Gaza operations "totally counterproductive" and a "failure" damaging its global image.

"You are completely destroying the image and the credibility of Israel, not just in the region, but in public opinion everywhere."

The war erupted after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, per official figures. Of 251 hostages taken, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 believed dead.Israel's response has killed at least 65,141 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and wounded 165,925, according to Gaza's health ministry, deemed reliable by the U.N..

Israel reports 454 soldiers killed in combat since its ground operation began.

Hostage families protested outside Netanyahu's home, with one father saying: "My boy is dying over there. Instead of bringing him back, you have done the exact opposite."

Israeli strikes also hit Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon after evacuation warnings, amid rising border tensions.