TRANSCRIPT
It's been a deadly day for Israel.
Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin says four soldiers were killed in Gaza on Thursday (18 September).
"Earlier today, during an operational activity in the Rafah area carried out by forces from the Dekel Battalion, the brigade's 261st team, the Officers' Training School, an officer and three soldiers from the battalion were killed. ... The force was hit by an explosive device during an offensive operation in the al-Janina neighborhood of Rafah. IDF forces are operating in al-Janina neighborhood, destroying terror infrastructure. In the area there are still underground infrastructures that have not yet been destroyed, and the forces are working to destroy them."
At least 460 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza in October 2023.
And at the Israel-Jordan border, two Israelis were killed, in what is being described by the brigadier general as a terrorist attack.
"A terrorist arrived at the Allenby Crossing and opened fire upon arrival to the crossing. The terrorist came from the Jordanian side of the crossing, arriving in an aid truck. He opened fire before the truck was fully inspected. As a result of the shooting, two people were killed."
It has also been a deadly day for Palestinians in Gaza.
According to health officials, at least *50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Strip on Thursday, including 40 in Gaza City, as Israel advances deeper into the enclave.
As Palestinians flee south, the coastal Rachid road is packed with families, some walking with only a few possessions, others pushing carts or riding trucks stacked high with mattresses and clothing.
Mohammad Nabhan, displaced from the north, says the assault has left civilians with nowhere safe to turn.
"The situation is much more difficult than you can imagine… There is no safe place, not in the south nor the north. We have no one but God."
The Israeli military says it is targeting what it believes are 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza City, along with the group’s tunnel network.
But humanitarian agencies warn that famine looms, as thousands are uprooted.
Another displaced man, Ahmad Ayesh, told reporters he has lost almost everything.
"A bag of clothes, four to five blankets, and a tarpaulin. That's all I own in my life after 48 years. After 20 years of misery, I was left with some dollars, around $150. Not even worth a meal, not even lunch meal. That's all I own after 48 years."
As civilians continue to flee Gaza City, the crisis has spilled onto the world stage, with fierce debate inside the United Nations Security Council.
A draft Security Council resolution called for unrestricted aid access into Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and the release of all hostages.
But the measure was blocked after the United States cast its veto.
Morgan Ortagus, a senior US diplomat, explains Washington’s position.
"Colleagues, US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise. It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel's right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council. Council members ignored when the United States made clear that this resolution was unacceptable. The council instead adopted for performative action designed to draw a veto. That extends Hamas terrorists and those who fund them and support them and gives them a lifeline."
Following the veto, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, describes the reality on the ground for Palestinians.
"Babies dying of starvation, snipers shooting children in the head, civilians killed en masse, families displaced again and again, From ruins to ruins and from death to death. U- N personnel and doctors and humanitarians audience and journalists targeted, devastation and destruction rained down, pulverizing an entire society."
He went on to rebuke Israel's plans for Gaza, described by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as a real estate bonanza.
"Israeli officials openly mocking all of this and praising the real estate value of Gaza. This draft resolution represents the bare minimum that humanity, legality and morality dictate. It is deeply regrettable and painful that it has been blocked, preventing the Security Council from playing its rightful role in the face of these atrocities and to protect civilians in the face of genocide."
The American veto has also drawn sharp reactions abroad, and in Europe, France’s president Emmanuel Macron has taken a particularly forceful stance.
He has gone further than most Western leaders, calling Israel’s Gaza City operation unacceptable and a failure.
Speaking to Israel’s Channel 21, he warned the offensive is damaging Israel’s standing worldwide.
"Having this type of operation in Gaza is totally counterproductive, because this is being, I have to say, a failure. The second point - you are making so many civilian casualties and victims that you are completely destroying the image and the credibility of Israel, not just in the region but in public opinions everywhere."
Mr Macron confirmed France will formally recognise a Palestinian state at a UN-backed conference in New York next week, co-chaired with Saudi Arabia.
More than 140 countries have already taken that step.
He also raised the prospect of sanctions if Israel presses ahead, saying the offensive is absolutely unacceptable and risks ending any hope of a two-state solution.
"I think if the Gaza City operation is pursued by the government, it's clearly a debate we will need. Because I think this is a huge mistake, this is absolutely unacceptable, this totally uncompliant with international rules, and I'm not for a double standard. You had so many successes. Now, let's open a new phase."
While pressure mounts internationally, opposition is also building inside Israel, where families of soldiers and hostages are taking their anger to the prime minister’s doorstep.
Mothers of Israeli soldiers and hostages chained themselves together outside his residence, carrying mock coffins wrapped in flags.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan remains captive in Gaza, gave an emotional plea.
"This is no longer just a war for our lives, this is not just a war for our future, and it's not just a war for our existence - this is a war for their future, for the hostages, for the soldiers and fighters and reservists. For their very existence. Our children's blood cannot remain abandoned any longer. I cry out to you, all the mothers across the country - my Matan is being held in the depths of the tunnels. Cry out with us: Enough!"
The war has now killed over 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, though the breakdown between fighters and civilians is unclear.
And with 48 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza, the path towards peace looks as elusive as ever.
