The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of "strong and significant" attacks in Gaza City between 10:03 PM and 10:17 PM UTC on September 15th, 2025, according to reports from channels like قناة النصيرات الإخبارية and מיכאל שמש. These operations occurred as President Donald Trump asserted at approximately 10:00 PM UTC that he was "doing a great job for peace in the Middle East" and stated that "Netanyahu will no longer attack Qatar." Simultaneously, families of hostages were reportedly heading to the residence of Israeli President Isaac "Izzy" Herzog in Jerusalem due to concerns arising from the start of the attack in Gaza and the risk to captives, according to אלמוג בוקר עדכונים. This development follows earlier reports from the window of 9:48 PM to 10:02 PM UTC, where Axios reported Israel had launched an offensive to occupy Gaza City. Earlier in the day, between 9:03 PM and 9:47 PM UTC, President Trump had also claimed success in Middle East peace efforts. Previous reports from the window of 7:48 PM to 8:17 PM UTC indicated up to 37 strikes were observed in Gaza City, with IDF tanks seen entering the northwestern sector. These events followed an IDF division entering Gaza City between 7:03 PM and 7:17 PM UTC, preceded by intense air attacks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously characterized Hamas as "agents of terror and barbarism," stating that peace is unattainable while the group exists and holds 48 hostages, utilizing civilians as human shields. A Qatari diplomat also previously denied that U.S. officials were unaware of an unspecified attack timeline, pushing back against Israeli attempts to sow distrust, as reported by Barak Ravid on X. User commentary on X criticized President Trump's "idle threats to Hamas" and alluded to a potential elimination of a chairman of negotiations as part of Trump's "last offer," with a somber note that "The hostages have been condemned to final destruction."
