| Drop Site Daily: October 28, 2025Israel carries out overnight strikes across Gaza, hitting Gaza City, the Bureij refugee camp, and the Morag axis near Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes top security officials Tuesday afternoon and accuses Hamas of a “clear violation” of the ceasefire. 41 Palestinians handed over by Israel in a mass grave in Deir al-Balah are buried by local authorities. Hamas delegation meets with Egyptians and Qataris in Cairo and Doha to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire, while the U.S. backs up Israel’s claim that it has a right to carry out strikes during the ceasefire if it “perceives…an imminent threat.” The Knesset sets a Sunday vote for the bill allowing for the death penalty for Palestinians convicted in Israel’s military courts of killing Israelis. Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in a raid on Kufr Qoud, a village west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Cancer rates are spiking among young adults in America’s Corn Belt, likely a result of exposure to agricultural chemicals and pesticides, a new study finds. Israel strikes Biyad in southern Lebanon. In Sudan, more than 26,000 flee the city of El-Fasher, after it was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan stall in Istanbul. This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday. Demand Israel immediately lift its ban on foreign journalists. For more than two years, Israel has maintained a complete blockade on foreign press access to Gaza—the longest and most complete media ban of any modern conflict. We call on the Israeli government to: Grant immediate, independent access to Gaza for all foreign journalists without military escorts, pre-broadcast censorship, or restrictions on movement and reporting. End the deliberate targeting and killing of journalists covering this conflict and allow humanitarian organizations to protect and support press workers.
Share the Petition UN chief António Guterres described reports of Rapid Support Forces seizing the Sudanese army headquarters “a terrible escalation, as over 26,000 people fled El-Fasher in the past 24 hours (Source: screengrab of UN address). The Genocide in GazaThe bodies of four Palestinians arrived at hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, including one killed in new Israeli attacks, two recovered from the rubble, and one who died of previous injuries. At least seven Palestinians were wounded. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 68,531 killed, with 170,402 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 94 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 344, while 474 bodies have been recovered, according to the Ministry of Health. Israeli forces carried out overnight strikes across Gaza—hitting Gaza City, the Bureij refugee camp, and the Morag axis near Rafah—Al Jazeera reported. The attacks mark another breach of the ceasefire. Al-Araby said Israeli troops also blew up homes in eastern Gaza City, shelled areas near Juhr al-Dik, and opened fire on the outskirts of Maghazi camp. Israel said the remains of an Israeli captive—one given by Hamas overnight—are body parts of another Israeli captive recovered in Gaza by Israeli troops in November 2023 and already buried in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement and said he will convene top security officials for an emergency discussion on Tuesday afternoon to weigh Israel’s response. Israeli media said his likely options include completely halting the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is already heavily restricted; expanding Israeli military control of Gaza, which now stands at around 52%; or carrying out airstrikes targeting Hamas leaders. Meanwhile, Israel is still withholding hundreds of Palestinian bodies. The majority of the returned bodies remain unidentified, while many bear marks of torture and summary execution. Israel has so far handed back to Gaza 195 Palestinian bodies, only 75 of which have been identified. On Monday, 41 of the unidentified bodies were buried in Deir al-Balah in a mass grave. About 470,000 Palestinians have returned to north in Gaza, according to the UN, despite widespread destruction and unexploded ordnance. Only around 300 aid trucks entered through Kerem Shalom between Friday and Sunday, part of a ceasefire provision requiring 1,200 trucks every two days, with UN agencies distributing fuel, food, and hygiene supplies. Israel claims 12 more captives remain in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel is still heavily restricting aid into Gaza with tents, mobile homes, and other essential supplies still barred. Food, water, and medical resources are critically scarce. Al Jazeera’s correspondent and local civil society leaders described the situation as “catastrophic,” noting that only a fraction of the 300,000 needed tents have entered the area. Australian physician Nada Abu Alrub released footage from her volunteer work in Gaza’s hospitals with scenes she described as “the true definition of terrorism” and said she would “keep [her patients’] names alive” if the world failed to remember them, urging viewers to proceed only if they consent to seeing “the reality that others are forced to live.” Israel’s public broadcaster Kan released footage it said was taken shortly before the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, showing him walking through the rubble of destroyed homes in Rafah. An Israeli Golani Recon soldier posted images in July showing roughly 20 Palestinian detainees in Khan Younis, blindfolded and kneeling with their heads down and hands cuffed.
Ceasefire UpdatesA Hamas delegation met with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo and Doha over the weekend to discuss the Gaza ceasefire’s next phase, focusing on the treatment of prisoners, return of bodies, and Israeli obligations under the deal, according to Ultra Palestine. Hamas reportedly outlined a set of “rights and guarantees” for prisoners and exiled detainees, including improved prison conditions, family reunification abroad, and Arab host countries for those deported. Mediators said they were pressing Israel to honor commitments made before the ceasefire, while Israel has claimed it cannot proceed until the remains of 12 captives are recovered. Standing beside President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel has the right to carry out strikes in Gaza during the ceasefire if it perceives an “imminent threat.” He defended Israel’s recent strike on what it claimed was a resistance fighter.
West Bank and IsraelIsrael’s parliament is set to vote Sunday on a bill allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted in military courts of attacks against Israelis, where the conviction rate exceeds 99%. The measure, backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, was pushed forward after far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to resign if it was delayed, while Coalition Chair Ofir Katz called it a “national duty.” Though presented as a response to the October 7 attacks, the bill applies broadly to cases of “terrorist murder” motivated by “racism or hostility.” Israeli forces killed three Palestinians early Monday during a raid on Kufr Qoud, a village west of Jenin. Local reports said a special Israeli unit surrounded a house and nearby cave before reinforcements, bulldozers, and drones joined the operation, leading to hours of clashes as the fighters refused to surrender. Israeli aircraft carried out multiple strikes, and snipers surrounded the area; Hebrew media later confirmed the three deaths, with the army seizing and withholding the bodies. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military “foiled a serious attack” during a West Bank raid and carried out an airstrike to destroy a cave found in the operation. Katz ordered forces to use “all necessary means, from the ground and from the air,” vowed they will remain in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur al-Shams camps, and warned anyone who “assists” will be dealt with “under the Jenin model.” The UN has documented over 85 settler attacks on Palestinian farmers in the West Bank since the olive harvest began on October 9, injuring more than 100 people and damaging thousands of trees across 50 villages, mostly in Ramallah governorate.
U.S. NewsAfter the 2022 killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by an Israeli sniper, U.S. Army Colonel Steve Gabavics—then chief of staff to Lieutenant General Michael Fenzel at the Office of the United States Security Coordinator—privately concluded the shooting was deliberate, contradicting the Biden administration’s statement that it was “the result of tragic circumstances,” according to the New York Times.” Gabavics, a veteran military policeman and former Guantánamo Bay commandant, said that his team’s findings were softened to placate Israel and that he was removed from the review after clashing with his boss over the report’s wording. He first spoke to the press anonymously earlier this year, saying the U.S. government’s refusal to call the shooting intentional “continued to be on my conscience nonstop.” Read the full Times report here. Cancer rates among young adults in the Corn Belt are rising faster than the national average, particularly in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Kansas, according to a Washington Post investigation. Young adults in these states face elevated risks for kidney, skin and blood cancers, with environmental exposures—including pesticides, nitrates in groundwater, radon, and long-term agricultural chemicals like glyphosate—considered potential contributors. Residents and activists are pressing for research and policy changes, while survivors confront a health system that often delays diagnosis and struggles to address the long-term physical and emotional impacts of cancer for younger patients. A new study of nearly 2.8 million U.S. pregnancies from 2016 to 2022 finds stillbirths are more common than previously reported, with nearly 19,000 cases—about 1 in every 147 births. Almost 30% occurred without known risk factors, and rates remain disproportionately high among Black families and low-income communities. Experts say better monitoring and addressing systemic inequities are urgently needed to reduce preventable losses. More than 300 writers, scholars, and public figures—including nearly 150 former New York Times contributors—have pledged to stop writing for the paper’s Opinion section until it 1) addresses its anti-Palestinian bias, 2) retracts the widely debunked investigation “Screams Without Words,” and 3) calls for a U.S. arms embargo on Israel. Organizers criticized the Opinion section for providing “plausible deniability” for anti-Arab racism and complicity in genocide. The Trump administration is set to issue guidance blocking states from removing medical debt from consumers’ credit reports, asserting that federal law overrides state protections, according to The Lever. The move could worsen financial strain for millions of Americans, particularly in low-income and Southern communities, where medical debt totals roughly $220 billion. Fifteen states, including California, Colorado, Maine, and Delaware, have enacted laws to limit credit reporting of medical debt, but the guidance aims to challenge these protections, though it is not legally binding. Consumer advocates warn the policy could aid financial industry lawsuits and further harm consumers, even as courts may reject the interpretation under recent Supreme Court rulings. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is preparing to challenge Representative Dan Goldman in the 10th District, according to City & State, with a poll showing Lander ahead 52%–33%. City Council Member Alexa Avilés—a DSA-backed progressive—also plans to run. A pending lawsuit over New York’s congressional map could redraw the district, potentially shifting progressive strongholds. If both Lander and Avilés enter the race, the left vote could split again, as it did in 2022 when Goldman narrowly won.
International NewsMore than 26,000 people fled the Sudanese city of El-Fasher in the past 24 hours as fighting worsened in the country, according to the International Organization for Migration. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called reports that Rapid Support Forces seized the Sudanese army’s headquarters “a terrible escalation” and urged foreign governments to stop arming either side. The UN said clashes have also intensified in North Kordofan, and reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and safe access for humanitarian aid. An Israeli drone strike struck the roof of a sawmill in Biyad, near the coastal city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, killing two brothers and wounding another, according to Drop Site sources. The attack against the facility, which produced materials for local construction, comes amid a wave of recent Israeli attacks that have targeted construction facilities as Lebanon attempts to rebuild damage from the war between Israel and Lebanon in 2024. The United Nations said Monday that Ansarallah (Houthi) authorities have detained another UN staff member in Sana’a, bringing the total number of detained UN personnel to at least 59, including two women. Houthi security forces reportedly raided several UN offices in recent days, seizing IT and communications equipment. The UN condemned the detentions and demanded the immediate release of all UN, NGO, and diplomatic staff held in Ansarallah-controlled areas. Thousands of Sahrawi refugees protested Monday across camps in Algeria, demanding a UN-led process that guarantees their right to independence. The demonstrations came after the U.S. circulated a draft UN resolution on Western Sahara that omits any reference to a self-determination referendum, aligning more closely with Morocco’s position since its occupation of the territory in 1975. U.S. President Donald Trump praised Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo, welcoming her pledge to accelerate military spending and signing deals on trade and rare earths. Takaichi, invoking the legacy of her mentor Shinzo Abe, gifted Trump golf memorabilia and outlined Japanese investments in the U.S., while agreeing to fast-track defense spending to 2% of GDP. The leaders also signed an agreement to secure critical minerals, and Trump visited a U.S. naval base with Takaichi before continuing his Asia trip, which will culminate in a potential trade truce with China in South Korea. Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have stalled after three days, with each side blaming the other for the deadlock, while Turkey continues mediation efforts. The negotiations aim to address cross-border attacks and militant safe havens, but the Taliban delegation reportedly resisted Pakistan’s demands for assurances against attacks from Afghan soil. Despite the stalemate, the ceasefire agreed in Doha on Oct. 19 remains in place, though all border crossings are still closed. President Donald Trump criticized Russia for testing the nuclear-capable Burevestnik cruise missile, calling on Moscow to instead focus on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Russia hailed the missile as a breakthrough, though experts have cast doubt on its capabilities and call it largely symbolic. The test comes amid stalled peace efforts in Ukraine and an aborted meeting between Trump and Putin earlier this month.
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