Drop Site Daily: August 29, 2025
Gaza’s official death toll has topped 63,000 as Israel intensifies attacks and declares Gaza City “a dangerous combat zone.” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unveils an exterminationist plan for “total victory” in Gaza. Israel says it retrieved the body of two Israeli captives in Gaza. The Security Council votes to disband the UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon, as Israel killed two Lebanese soldiers in the Ras an-Naqoura area of southern Lebanon. U.S. to spearhead a “gang-suppression force” in Haiti. Pakistan evacuates over a million people amid historic floods. Yemen is subject to yet more Israeli strikes. At least 24 people have been killed and dozens of others were wounded in el-Fasher, a city in Sudan’s western Darfur region, after an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Medicare to pilot an AI-driven program requiring prior approval for certain procedures. Microsoft fires four workers who protested against the firm’s ties to Israel.
Watch: Drop Site’s Ryan Grim interviews Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Breaking Points.
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The Genocide in Gaza
- The official recorded death toll in Gaza since the start of the war has now topped 63,000, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, a figure widely acknowledged to be a vast undercount. The ministry reports at least 59 Palestinians killed and 224 injured in the past 24 hours. Twenty-three Palestinians were killed and 182 injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 63,025 killed and 159,490 injured.
- Five more deaths were recorded due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total to 322 deaths, including 121 children.
- At least 51 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since dawn today, including at least seven seeking aid, according to Al Jazeera. Many were killed in the south in al-Mawasi—a so-called “humanitarian zone” designated by Israel.
- Israel has declared Gaza City “a dangerous combat zone” as it continues to escalate its attack on the Gaza Strip’s largest city, where over a million Palestinians are seeking shelter. An Israeli military spokesperson said on Friday: “We are not waiting. We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City, and we are currently operating with great force on the outskirts of the city. We will intensify our strikes.”
- Israeli attacks on Gaza City and northern Gaza intensified overnight, with explosions in the eastern Zeitoun neighborhood and heavy strikes near Beit Lahiya, where a tent sheltering displaced people was hit. Footage posted on social media and verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, shows huge explosions and massive plumes of smoke rising from Gaza City’s Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods.
- Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unveiled a hardline plan for “total victory” in Gaza on Thursday, centered on the destruction of Hamas, mass displacement of civilians, and eventual annexation of the territory. His proposal calls for forcing Palestinians into tightly controlled and concentrated camps under siege conditions dubbed “humanitarian zones.” The plan cuts off basic resources until Hamas surrenders or is destroyed. Smotrich argued that only annexation and large-scale emigration can guarantee deterrence, urging Netanyahu to adopt the plan immediately despite likely international backlash.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said Israeli forces have recovered the body of Illan Weiss, a member of the community emergency team of Kibbutz Be’eri killed on October 7, 2023. The office also claimed to have recovered, in the same operation, “findings of another deceased hostage, whose name has not yet been cleared for publication, were also recovered. The findings are currently undergoing identification at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
- UN human rights experts, including the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances and Special Rapporteurs Francesca Albanese and Michael Fakhri, are alarmed by reports of enforced disappearances at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites, warning that the reported acts constitute torture and a war crime. They cited cases in Rafah—including a child—where people vanished after seeking food. The UN urged dismantling the “inhumane” GHF system, restoring UN-led aid, and launching immediate investigations to hold those responsible accountable.
West Bank
- Nine Palestinians have been arrested across the West Bank in Salfit governorate, Beit Hanina, and the city of el-Bireh today, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office. The arrests in Salfit included its head of the village council and a local school principal.
- The Wafa news agency reports that three Palestinians have been arrested near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
- Israeli soldiers near Nablus detained a Palestinian child who allegedly threw stones and a paint bottle at an armored vehicle, a day after a major raid in the area. In footage circulated by Israeli accounts, troops are heard questioning the boy and saying he would receive “a lesson in discipline” to prevent him from throwing stones again.
U.S. News
- Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Joni Ernst, along with Rep. Joe Wilson, urged Israel to halt its recent strikes in Damascus, warning that such actions undermine Syria’s path to stability after 14 years of conflict. They praised President Trump’s earlier sanctions relief and highlighted historic meetings facilitated by Special Envoy Tom Barrack between Syrian and Israeli officials. The lawmakers cautioned that continued Israeli hostilities risk derailing fragile diplomatic progress and could squander an opportunity to reduce Iran’s influence and contain ISIS.
- The Trump administration is planning to launch a pilot program for Medicare that will require prior authorization for the first time in six states—Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington—covering high-cost procedures like spinal fusions and steroid injections. Private contractors will use AI to review claims, though final denials must be made by licensed clinicians; critics warn the financial incentives could encourage more rejections. While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says the program aims to curb wasteful or harmful care, others have argued—including patient advocates, physicians, and some lawmakers—the policy risks importing the delays and denials of Medicare Advantage, potentially giving for-profit firms undue control over care.
- Rep. Delia Ramirez has introduced H.R. 3565, the “Block the Bombs” bill, which would bar U.S. transfers of heavy munitions to Israel. All Chicago-area members of Congress except Rep. Mike Quigley have signed on, prompting protests outside one of his events. Drop Site contributor Taha Syed documented both the demonstrations and Quigley’s on-stage remarks, where he was directly pressed about his stance on Israel-Palestine but declined to endorse the bill.
- Ryan Grim asked Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner how a teenage anti-war activist—who protested Bush’s Iraq War and wrote “Free Palestine, Free Kashmir, Free Tibet” in his yearbook—became a Marine machine-gunner in Fallujah (2005) and Ramadi (2006), later serving in Afghanistan (2010–11). Platner explained that he hoped, as a young man, to “bring a little bit of decency into an indecent thing.”
- The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) released a report documenting at least 280 military equipment shipments to Israel this year routed through the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, and called on Oakland officials to halt military cargo shipments. PYM’s detailed report can be found here.
- Microsoft fired four workers who participated in protests on the company’s grounds, including a sit-in this week at the office of the company’s president. The protests were against the firm’s ties to Israel and its onslaught in Gaza. Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli received voicemails informing them that they were fired, the protest group No Azure for Apartheid said in a statement on Wednesday. Anna Hattle, Riki Fameli, Nisreen Jaradat, and Julius Shan were fired on Thursday.
- The Trump administration said the U.S. will not participate in a UN review of its human rights record. Under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), all 193 U.N. member states are required to submit reports on their human rights records every four and a half years. The move marks the first time any UN member state has refused to participate in the UPR.
- Norway’s sovereign wealth fund warned that investing in companies aiding Israel’s war effort could expose it to criminal and civil liability for war crimes. In response, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham threatened that Norway could face sanctions if it withdraws such investments.
International News
- France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have moved to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The three countries jointly notified the Security Council on Thursday that Iran is in “significant” violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, triggering the “snapback” provisions: restoring an arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile production, asset freezes, and visa bans. Russia and China have tabled a UN Security Council resolution to extend JCPOA-related sanctions relief for six months, citing the need for “breathing space for diplomacy” and warning that snapback sanctions could escalate tensions. The draft urges all JCPOA participants to resume negotiations and allows for a possible further extension of relief until April 2026.
- Israel killed two Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon’s Ras an-Naqoura area blaming a technical malfunction of a drone it claimed was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
- The UN Security Council has unanimously agreed to end the Lebanon peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, extending its mandate for a final time until December 31, 2026, after which its roughly 10,800 personnel will withdraw over a year. Established in 1978 and expanded after the 2006 war, UNIFIL has monitored Israel’s withdrawal and southern Lebanon’s border, though the U.S. and Israel have pushed for its termination, arguing the mission enabled Hezbollah’s military buildup.
- Israeli warplanes struck Sana’a and northern Yemeni provinces, including Al-Hudaydah and Amran, hitting the Al-Sabeen area that houses the presidential complex and a central Houthi security camp. Reports indicate over 10 airstrikes targeted Houthi leader residences, coinciding with a speech given by Abdul-Malek al-Houthi. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that “whoever raises a hand against Israel—his hand will be cut off,” with both the Air Force and Navy participating in the operation. Israeli media claimed that today’s strikes on Sana’a targeted senior Ansarallah (Houthi) leaders in a “large-scale assassination operation,” saying results would soon be clear. Yemen’s Defense Ministry, via state-run Saba News Agency, denied the claims, stating that only civilian sites and civilians were hit and no senior leaders were targeted. The ministry called the assault “a failure like the previous ones” and affirmed that Yemeni support for Gaza and resistance operations will continue until the war ends and the siege is lifted.
- Pakistani authorities have evacuated over a million people in Punjab province as historic floods, worsened by monsoon rains and India’s release of excess dam water, inundated more than 1,400 villages and submerged key grain crops. The River Chenab overflowed in areas like Qadirabad, prompting emergency measures including controlled breaches of riverbanks to protect a concrete barrage and nearby towns. Punjab, home to half of Pakistan’s population and a major agricultural hub, has seen at least 12 deaths this week, while the country’s overall flood toll since late June has reached 819, with officials attributing the disaster to shifting weather patterns and climate change.
- The U.S. and Panama have proposed a new 5,550-strong U.N. “gang-suppression force” for Haiti, citing the failure of the smaller Kenyan-led mission to curb escalating violence. Haiti’s crisis has left over 8,000 dead and displaced 1.3 million, with gangs controlling much of Port-au-Prince. While U.S. officials praise Kenya’s efforts, experts warn that Russia and China are likely to veto the plan, though it includes safeguards to prevent past U.N. mistakes like the cholera outbreak.
- At least 24 people were killed and 55 wounded in a paramilitary attack on el-Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled densely populated areas including the central market and Awlad al-Reef neighborhood. The city is the military’s last stronghold in North Darfur, and has been under siege for over 16 months, leaving 260,000 civilians—half of them children—trapped and facing severe malnutrition, disease, and violence. The attacks are part of a broader civil war that erupted in April 2023, which has killed over 40,000 people, displaced more than 14 million, and prompted investigations by the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- A second woman has accused ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual misconduct, alleging unwanted groping and coercive advances during her 2009 internship. Khan, who is already under investigation for a separate complaint from 2023–24, denies the claims as politically motivated. The allegations increased scrutiny over his leadership, alongside past reports that he rushed high-profile cases to divert attention from abuse accusations, raising concerns about the court’s credibility.
- Britain has barred Israeli officials from its biggest defense trade show, with a government spokesperson citing Israel’s decision to escalate the assault on Gaza. Israel’s defense ministry criticized the UK government for the move, calling it an act of “discrimination.”
- Turkey will completely sever all commercial and economic ties with Israel and is closing its airspace to Israeli aircraft, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday.
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