Israeli forces advanced toward central Gaza City on Wednesday, endangering Palestinians who had remained in their homes, hoping that rising international pressure for a cease-fire would spare them from displacement.
U.S. President Donald Trump met leaders of Muslim countries at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, for talks that the Emirati state news agency said focused on a permanent cease-fire in the war, as well as the release of Israeli hostages and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Trump, who earlier condemned moves by several Western countries to put pressure on Israel by recognizing a Palestinian state, said a meeting with Israel would be next.
Israel has pressed on with its brutal military campaign in Gaza City despite repeated calls for it to pull back, urging the population to move south.
Hundreds of thousands have left the city in northern Gaza, but many others have hesitated because of security risks and widespread hunger.
