The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced this morning, September 16th, 2025, at approximately 7:47 AM UTC, the launch of the next phase of Operation "Gideon's Chariots" inside Gaza City, with two divisions already maneuvering within the city and a third division expected to join soon. This operation is part of a broader offensive across the Gaza Strip, where five divisions are currently operating, according to the IDF. This development follows previous reports confirming intensified Israeli ground operations and air activity in Gaza City, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described yesterday as being at a "decisive stage." Over 350,000 residents have reportedly fled Gaza City southward, according to Axios, citing the IDF. Sources from the Telegram channel "News before everyone in Telegram" claim the IDF estimates approximately 3,000 Hamas fighters are awaiting engagement in Gaza City. The same channel also reported on "five majority explosives in the north of the Gaza Strip" and stated that for the first time, the chief of staff and command champion are at the forefront of the fighting with their own forces. The Palestinian Ministry of Health previously reported 428 deaths from famine and malnutrition in Gaza as of September 16th, 2025, including 146 children. In diplomatic news, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckbika Keline addressed the possibility of applying Israeli sovereignty during a Jerusalem diplomatic conference, stating, "We will not tell Israel what she can do and what she cannot do. She is a sovereign state." He declined to answer whether the US would recognize Israeli annexation, responding, "You can't respond to something that has not been done."
