‘Fields of rubble’: Israel, destroying Gaza City, kills 78 across enclave

As Israel plans to seize Gaza’s largest urban center and forcefully send around one million Palestinians to concentration camps in the south, it has already killed at least 78 people in the besieged enclave since dawn, 32 of whom are desperately seeking food.

After Israeli shelling, a fire broke out in tents close to al-Quds Hospital on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza City. When a residential apartment was struck close to the Remal neighborhood, at least five people died and three were hurt.

The Israeli army is also using “explosive robots” in residential areas and forcing Palestinians to relocate in Gaza City, according to Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza-based Government Media Office.

In a statement on X on Sunday, al-Thawabta claimed that the army had exploded more than 80 bombs in residential areas over the past three weeks, calling it a “scorched-earth policy” that had resulted in the destruction of homes and the death of lives.

Despite the destruction and starvation caused by the Israeli assault, more than one million Palestinians in Gaza City and the north of the region “refuse to submit to the policy of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing.”

The moments that followed an Israeli aerial attack on the Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City were captured in footage that was uploaded to Instagram by Palestinian journalist Faiz Osama and verified by Al Jazeera.

A child can be seen screaming and getting a leg wound as smoke plumes skyward in the video. A man also appears to have a head injury while lying on the ground.

The explosion-caused flattening of residential buildings, which the video also shows.

As part of a growing push to seize Gaza City in the most recent phase of its nearly two-year genocidal war, Israel’s forces have been consistently bombarding the area since early August.

The Israeli military declared the area a “combat zone” on Friday, citing the start of its offensive as the “initial stages.”

Rubble-filled “fields”

Hani Mahmoud, a journalist from Gaza City, reported on Sunday that more frequented areas of the city are now dubbed “fields of rubble” due to increased Israeli attacks.

The Zeitoun and Jabalia areas, where homes are being systematically destroyed, are the targets of constant, heavy artillery fire. He claimed that there is hardly any fighting occurring, but that heavy artillery and bulldozers are moving between streets and destroy all of these residential clusters.

Because there is no safety anywhere, the majority of people in those areas do not have the luxury of packing up and leaving. ”

On Sunday, another Palestinian journalist was killed as well. Islam Abed worked for Al-Quds Al-Youm TV channel, according to a source at al-Shifa Hospital, and was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza City.

Since the start of the war, the government media office reported that there have been 247 martyred journalists. More than 270 journalists and media workers have been killed as a result of other tallies.

Five journalists, one of whom worked for Al Jazeera, were spotted at least on Monday; 21 people were killed; in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis in southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital.

We will remain in our homes because life is challenging.

Despite Israel calling Gaza City a “combat zone,” many residents choose to stay put.

Before the war broke out, it was the city with the highest population in Gaza, with about 700,000 residents. After that, hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Israel for a January-to-March ceasefire that Israel broke, and many returned with thousands of other displaced people.

Despite Israel’s most recent warning, Fedaa Hamad, who was relocated from Beit Hanoon, said she has “no plans to leave” Gaza City this time.

We have experienced initial displacement, and we are exhausted. What destination will we visit? Does the south have a place? She said, “We can’t find it.”

A resident of Gaza City, Akram Mzini, said he would not flee because displacement is “very difficult”.

Before, we were displaced to the south, and displacement there is expensive and difficult. We will remain in our homes and follow whatever God desires, because life is difficult. ”

At least four people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Deir el-Balah center on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic in Gaza.

According to earlier reports from medical sources, an Israeli bombardment in the city’s central Gaza Strip killed at least one person and injured several others.

78 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since dawn, including 32 who sought aid, according to medical sources.

At least 63,459 people have been killed and 160,256 have been wounded since the war started. During the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, 1,139 people were killed in Israel, and about 200 were taken prisoner.

Eyal Zamir, the head of the Israeli army, met with his top commanders on Sunday to discuss the need for the military to “initiate” more attacks that surprise and target anyplace.

According to Zamir, the military is citing the military’s statement that many more reserve soldiers will be stationed this week to “prepare for the continued intensification of the fighting against Hamas in Gaza City.”

Hamas’ armed wing reported that its fighters on Saturday successfully attacked two Israeli military vehicles in Gaza City.

A D9 military bulldozer was reportedly targeted with an explosive device on a street southwest of the besieged area, according to the Qassam Brigades, while a Merkava tank of the Israeli army was hit by a Yassin-105 shell.

The Global Sumud Flotilla left Barcelona on Sunday in the biggest attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea, as the world’s condemnation of the situation grows.

The launch of the flotilla comes after this month’s Gaza state of famine was declared by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

The Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of independent individuals without any affiliation with any political party or government, did not specify how many ships would sail or when they would depart, but Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg referred to “dozens” of vessels.

In Arabic, the word sumud means “persistence.”

Israel had previously blocked activists’ attempts to deliver aid by ship to Gaza.

Although the flotilla was an important act of symbolic resistance, Mohamad Elmasry of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies claimed that they would eventually be intercepted.

US judge blocks government from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan minors

In the ongoing hardline anti-immigration campaign, a US judge has ordered the administration of US President Donald Trump to deport unaccompanied Guatemalan children for at least the next two weeks.

Some Guatemalan children were reportedly already huddled inside the planes at a Texas airport as a result of a complaint filed by a pro-immigrant advocacy group.

The National Immigration Law Center filed a petition in relation to 10 children between the ages of 10 and 17 in response to District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s emergency decree.

After initially preventing the group’s deportation, Sooknanan, who lives in Washington, DC, expanded the order to include all Guatemalan children who had arrived in the US without a parent or guardian.

Due to rumors that some of the children were being deported from the US over the Labor Day weekend, Sooknanan also suggested holding a hearing on the matter on Sunday.

The judge noted that her decision extended to unaccompanied Guatemalan minors on Sunday, noting that there was no “I do not want there to be any ambiguity.”

Following an agreement with Guatemala, the Trump administration reportedly planned to begin deporting children to the country this weekend, according to reports in the US media.

According to the legal challenge brought by the National Immigration Law Center, such a move would constitute a “clear violation of the unwavering protections that Congress has provided them as vulnerable children.”

The US government was “illegally transferring them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody to put them on flights to Guatemala, where they may face abuse, neglect, persecution, or torture,” the complaint continued.

Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Martinez confirmed on Friday that the country would accept hundreds of American-born children.

Trump has made numerous attempts to deport refugees and immigrants since his second term as president, which officially kicked off in January.

Legal issues have plagued his administration’s anti-immigration policies, which have included sending hundreds of people to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

A Salvadoran man who was legally resident in the US state of Maryland and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the most well-known face of the Trump administration’s crackdown, was mistakenly deported in March. According to his attorneys, he was brutally beaten and subjected to psychological torture while incarcerated there.

Liverpool’s Szoboszlai downs Arsenal while Man City stumble again

In a crucial opening game between two of the likely Premier League title contenders, Liverpool defeated Arsenal 1-0 thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai’s superb long-range free kick.

Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat at Brighton, for a second straight loss, was another indication that Pep Guardiola’s team has lost its sense of dominance, which was expected to challenge them for the championship this year.

Before Szoboszlai stepped up an 83rd-minute free kick and whipped it into the top corner from about 30 yards, little could have separated Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.

Szoboszlai told Sky Sports, “I thought I would take a chance.” I finally tried it because I was confident, so I did! When you practice constantly and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] was doing the free kicks, it’s been a while, but I finally had a chance, and I did it.

Because we were shooting from closer, I didn’t practice this particular shot in the previous few weeks, but I had to take a chance and shoot it a little harder.

The Hungary captain, who is typically an attacking midfielder, made his best impression of Alexander-Arnold with a top-notch strike that was out of step with the rest of the game when he was needed to play full back in an emergency.

Liverpool, the defending champion, has now won three straight games to begin the season.

It was Arsenal’s first loss and first goal conceded, extending its unbeaten run at Anfield since 2012 with a winless record.

“Arsenal had a fantastic season last year,” Szoboszlai continued.

It’s a compliment to keep going with City and Chelsea, “because it’s always really difficult,” to be honest. They both have incredible coaches and incredible teams.

[Photo: Darren Staples/AFP] Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, left, scores the only goal with a free kick.

Former Liverpool midfielder Milner scores an EPL record for Man City, who lost once more.

Tottenham, which showed the same vulnerabilities and brittleness last season when it lost the title to Liverpool for the fourth consecutive year, suffered a 2-0 home loss to City at the same time last weekend.

Rodri, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, said: “This is the reality: we are not at the level we have been doing for a while.

The 89th minute winner for Brighton, which had already trailed to Erling Haaland’s first-half goal, his 88th Premier League goal since moving to England in 2022, came from Brajan Gruda, who surged through an open defense, round goalkeeper James Trafford, and slotted into an empty net.

After Matheus Nunes raised his arm in the area to block a shot, City gave up the equalizer in the 67th minute, and Brighton went on to become the second-oldest scorer in Premier League history at 39 years and 239 days. He also scored for Leeds when he was 16 years old, making him the second-youngest.

Before Gruda’s one, Brighton had a succession of chances as City slowly faded, before capturing the result of his team’s come-from-behind 2-1 victory over City last year.

The only points for City so far this season came from a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton, which caused pundits to declare Guardiola’s side was back. It currently trails Manchester United in points.

With a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, West Ham relieved manager Graham Potter of the pressure of late goals from Callum Wilson, Lucas Paqueta, and Jarrod Bowen.

West Ham was also eliminated from the English League Cup in midweek, losing its first two league games, scoring eight goals in the process.

The Brazil midfielder gave a fake answer to a call and put away a phone before kissing the badge on his jersey as a nod to being linked with a move to Aston Villa in the past 24 hours.

On Sunday, Crystal Palace travels to Villa to wrap up the third-round of the Premier League.

Two million impacted as Pakistan’s Punjab faces worst floods in its history

According to a senior official, Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is experiencing the biggest flood in its history as river water levels reach record highs.

According to a recent study, Pakistan, one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change, has seen increased monsoon rains this year due to global warming. In recent months, flash floods and landslides have erupted in the mountainous north and northwest due to downpours and cloudbursts.

After India released water from swollen rivers and its overflowing dams into Pakistan’s low-lying regions, residents in eastern Punjab also experienced unusual amounts of rain and cross-border flooding.

The largest flood in Punjabi history occurred during this. Two million people have been affected by the flood. The senior provincial minister for the province, Marriyum Aurangzeb, stated at a press conference on Sunday that this is the first time the Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi have carried such high levels of water.

According to her, local authorities have been evacuating residents and using security and educational facilities as rescue camps.

People were also seen clambering into rescue boats and sailing across completely submerged farmland on Pakistani TV channels. What remained from damaged homes that are now abandoned was loaded onto boats by other people.

Pregnant women have begun to seek refuge from the floods in a former classroom in the area, which is now a makeshift relief camp.

Shumaila Riaz, 19, endured cramps during her first pregnancy while spending the past four days at the relief camp. She is now seven months along.

She told the AFP news agency, “I wanted to think about the child I am going to have, but I am not even certain about my own future.”

Women huddled in the overcrowded school, which has hosted more than 2, 000 people, surrounded by mud and stagnant rainwater, clad in dirty clothes and had unbrushed hair.

While the region’s seasonal monsoon brings in farmers’ rely on rainfall, climate change is making the phenomenon more unpredictable and deadly.

Prior to a significant wave erupting from the Chenab River in Multan, authorities have also installed explosives on five important embankments to divert water away from the city, if necessary.

Amir Kareem Khan, the commissioner of Multan, claimed that teams tried to persuade residents who had not yet evacuated to do so while using drones to monitor low-lying areas.

Deputy Commissioner Wasim Hamad Sindhu appealed to people seeking shelter in government-run camps and declared, “We cannot fight it, we cannot stop it.

The Foreign Ministry is also “collecting data regarding India’s deliberate release of water into Pakistan,” Aurangzeb continued on Sunday. India did not respond right away.

The first official diplomatic exchange between the rival countries since a crisis in May brought them close to war with India last week, alerting Pakistan to the possibility of cross-border flooding.

Punjab, the nation’s top wheat producer, accounts for around 150 million people in Pakistan.

Ukraine planning new strikes deep inside Russia, says Zelenskyy

Following a significant drone attack by Russia that left 60 000 Ukrainians without electricity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine intends to deepen its grip on Russia.

The Ukrainian president confirmed the new planned strikes on X after a meeting with his top general, Oleksandr Syrskii, on Sunday.

Moscow and Ukraine have increased their air strikes in recent weeks, with Ukraine attacking Russian oil pipelines and refineries, and Ukraine attacking Ukraine’s energy and transportation systems.

According to the private energy company DTEK, Russian drones flew over night into four energy facilities in the Odesa region of Ukraine. 29, 000 people were without electricity as a result of the strikes, according to local authorities.

Worst-affected location was the port city of Chornomorsk near Odesa, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper’s Telegram post. He claimed that “critical infrastructure runs on generators.”

Following the Ukrainian military’s all-clear, DTEK announced the start of urgent repair work. The report claimed that Russia had used 142 drones against Ukraine, with all but 10 of which it claimed had downed.

On Sunday, the Russian military claimed to have shot down 112 Ukrainian drones in the previous 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, blamed Europe for preventing US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts and for the continuation of the conflict.

He said, “The European warring party is continuing its fundamental course, it is not giving in,” in reference to the weapons deliveries made to Ukraine by the European Union on the sidelines of a summit in China.

His words were made shortly after a Russian airstrike in central Kyiv claimed the lives of at least 23 people and damaged EU diplomatic buildings.

During a visit to the Poland-Belarus border on August 25, 2025, in Krynki, eastern Poland, the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, speaks about the threat that Russia poses to Europe.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his concern that the conflict, which started more than three and a half years ago, would not end right away as Trump’s deadline calls for Russian President Vladimir Putin to consent to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyyi.

He stated to the public broadcaster ZDF on Sunday, “I am preparing myself for this war to last a long time.” He cited the cost of Ukraine’s capitulation as justification for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

Additionally, as part of her tour of the EU’s bordering states, Poland was visited by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.

Von der Leyen referred to Putin as a “predator” who could only be kept under control through “strong deterrence” while speaking alongside the Polish leader, Donald Tusk.

The president of the EU Commission also stated that the bloc would provide additional funding to member states along the borders of Belarus and Russia, and that protecting its borders is “shared responsibility”

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank, the Kremlin has tried to embellish its military victories in an effort to make its victory in Ukraine seem inevitable.

ISW’s most recent assessment of the conflict found exaggerations in General Valery Gerasimov’s claims about Russian gains.

Since the beginning of March, the Russian general had suggested that the Kremlin’s forces have taken 149 settlements and 3,500 square kilometers of territory.

Could Western leaders be legally complicit in the Gaza genocide?

Israel’s war relied on US and Western assistance.

The West’s support and weapons, under the leadership of the United States, have played a key role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Despite the conflict, relations between Israel in the United Kingdom and the European Union remain essentially unchanged.

Is this complicity? And could Western leaders and their leaders face legal repercussions?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Former UN special rapporteur for human rights in occupied Palestinian territory, Michael Lynk

The Palestinian Policy Network’s co-director, Yara Hawari, is