Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City as Netanyahu heads to UN

JERUSALEM - Israeli troops advanced further into Gaza City on Thursday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state before departing for New York to address the United Nations General Assembly.

Israeli forces continued their offensive across the Gaza Strip, carrying out strikes on 170 separate targets in the past 24 hours. Footage showed tanks in southwestern Gaza City, where heavy bombardments have triggered a mass exodus of residents.

Citing security sources, several Israeli media outlets reported on Wednesday that about 700,000 residents have already fled Gaza City, which previously had an estimated population of around 1 million.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its strikes hit "terrorists, military structures, weapons storage facilities and terror infrastructure sites". Health authorities in Gaza reported at least 24 people killed over the past day.

According to the military, troops also killed militants and dismantled Hamas infrastructure, including positions used to ambush soldiers.

The army reported the death of Staff Sergeant Chalachew Shimon Demalash, 21, from Beersheba, who was killed by sniper fire in northern Gaza.

In a separate incident, Hamas attempted to shoot down an Israeli combat helicopter with a projectile, which failed to hit its target. The military said no injuries or damage were reported.

Before his departure, Netanyahu said his UN address would "condemn those leaders who, instead of denouncing (Hamas), want to give them a state in the heart of the Land of Israel. That will not happen".

He added that he would meet US President Donald Trump in Washington, their fourth meeting since Trump's reelection, to discuss the Gaza war and regional opportunities, which he claimed have been created by Israel's recent military attacks across the Middle East.

The Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 65,419 Palestinians since October 2023, according to the Gaza health authorities.