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Sept. 26, 2025, 5:43 AM EDTBy Chantal Da SilvaIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his case to the world on Friday, addressing an international community from which his country faces mounting pressure and isolation over its devastating assault on Gaza.Netanyahu took an unusual route to his annual speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, his flight path appearing to avoid countries that could enforce an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. He is also expected to meet with President Donald Trump, who on Thursday said he would not allow the close U.S. ally to annex the already occupied West Bank in retaliation for the wave of countries that have recognized a Palestinian state.Palestinians flee south on Thursday, amid Israel’s intensified attacks on the Gaza Strip.Ali Jadallah / Anadolu via Getty ImagesNetanyahu said he planned to “speak our truth — the truth about the citizens of Israel, the truth about our IDF soldiers and the truth about our country,” The Times of Israel reported.He said he also planned to “denounce” the growing list of Western countries that have officially recognized Palestine as a state in response to his intensifying military campaign. Israeli forces have ramped up their assault on famine-stricken Gaza City, forcing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people while others stay put under near-daily deadly strikes. Israeli soldiers work on a self-propelled artillery Howitzer at the border with Gaza.Jack Guez / AFP via Getty ImagesAn Israeli soldier watches as Palestinian schoolgirls make their way to school in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on Sept. 8.Hazek Bader / AFP via Getty ImagesIt also comes after Trump issued a firm warning that he would not allow the Israeli leader’s government to annex the West Bank if it tried to push ahead with a plan that would draw new global outrage. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. No, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters, having earlier privately assured Arab leaders on the subject.Asked whether he had discussed the issue with Netanyahu, Trump said, “Whether I spoke to him or not, I did, but I’m not allowing Israel to annex the West Bank.””There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,” he said. ‘A glimmer of hope’: Palestinians react to statehood recognition01:34Trump issued the rare admonishment after far-right members of Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition called for the move.Palestinians envision the West Bank as a key territory for an internationally recognized Palestinian state, alongside Gaza and east Jerusalem. Annexation of the territory, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, would further imperil that cause.Trump also presented his 21-point plan for peace to Arab leaders, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff saying the meeting was “productive” and that a breakthrough could be imminent. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also among the leaders to address UNGA, though he was forced to deliver his address by video after the U.S. last month revoked his visa, along with those of other Palestinian Authority officials.Smoke rises following Israeli attacks on the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City, on Thursday.Khames Alrefi / Anadolu via Getty ImagesIn his video address, Abbas said Palestinians in Gaza “have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement” by Israel, adding that “despite all what our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the 7th of October.”Abbas said Hamas would have “no role to play in governance” in the future he envisioned for Gaza. That future is at stake in peace talks, and Netanyahu will address world leaders while under pressure not just from his closest ally and his ministers but from the families of hostages still held in Gaza. The Israeli leader has thus far defied their protests calling for him to strike a deal to end the war and free their loved ones.Chantal Da SilvaChantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.

- Latest News - September 26, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his case to the world on Friday, addressing an international community from which his country faces mounting pressure and isolation over its devastating.

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Sept. 25, 2025, 6:42 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 25, 2025, 7:30 PM EDTBy Matt LavietesThe parents of a girl who remains missing after the flooding that hit Texas this summer said they were “devastated” by Camp Mystic’s plans to reopen next year.Cile Steward was among the 27 campers and counselors killed in July’s catastrophic floods in Kerr County.“Our families remain trapped in the deepest throes of grief, yet your communications treat our never-ending nightmare as little more than a brief pause before resuming business as usual,” her parents, Cici and Will Steward, wrote in a letter Wednesday that was obtained by NBC News. In a letter to camp families Monday, Camp Mystic officials detailed plans to partially open next summer. It said the area of the camp along the Guadalupe River that was destroyed by the floodwaters will not reopen next year.“As we work to finalize plans, we will do so in a way that is mindful of those we have lost,” the letter said.The camp also said it will build a memorial to those killed in the flooding.“Our decision to partially reopen areas of the camp is informed by our faith and our commitment to continue the nearly century-long mission and ministry of Camp Mystic to provide a Christian camping experience for girls that allows them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually,” the camp said in a statement Thursday.A search and rescue volunteer holds a Camp Mystic shirt and backpack, in Comfort, Texas, on July 6. Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post via Getty Images fileIn their letter, the Stewards allege that the camp’s owners did not consult them before deciding to partially reopen.”Had you paused to reflect … you might have spared grieving families the additional anguish your decisions now cause,” they wrote. “Instead, your communications have only intensified our grief.”The camp said Thursday that it notified the parents about the memorial because they “wanted them to be informed” and “welcome their participation as the process develops.”Many of the parents who lost daughters have criticized the camp over its safety measures and preparedness and advocated for legislative change.”Cile must be recovered, and you must fully confront and account for your role in the events and failures that caused the deaths of our daughters,” the Stewards wrote. “Anything less dishonors the children who were killed while in your care — at a time when their safety was your primary responsibility.”This month, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation to strengthen camp safety, prohibiting cabins from being in dangerous parts of flood zones and requiring camp operators to develop detailed evacuation plans, among other things.Camp Mystic’s letter to families said that its leaders are “working with engineers and other experts to determine how we will implement the changes required” under the newly passed bills.Matt LavietesMatt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC News.

- Latest News - September 26, 2025

The parents of a girl who remains missing after the flooding that hit Texas this summer said they were “devastated” by Camp Mystic’s plans to reopen next year

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