Drop Site Daily: August 28, 2025
At least 24 Palestinians have been killed since dawn, while over the past 24 hours, at least 71 Palestinians have been killed and 339 injured. Four more died of famine and malnutrition, including two children. Every member of the UN’s Security Council agreed the famine in Gaza is a “man-made crisis”—except the United States. Israel’s military spokesperson says the evacuation of Gaza City is “inevitable.” Two additional Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “aid” sites are slated to open in southern Gaza as Israel closes one GHF site in Rafah. Steve Witkoff is reportedly consulting with Jared Kushner on the Gaza “day-after” plan. In San Francisco, 138 arrested after protesters occupied the lobby of Sen. Alex Padilla’s office to demand action against the Gaza genocide. Israeli strikes on Damascus kill eight Syrian soldiers. Venezuela deploys ships to the Pacific Coast in response to American militarization in the region. The Trump administration fired CDC Director Susan Monarez after she refused to resign amid pressure to change vaccine policy.
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The Genocide in Gaza
- Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports at least 71 Palestinians killed and 339 injured in the past 24 hours. 22 Palestinians were killed and 203 injured while seeking aid. Four more deaths were recorded due to starvation and malnutrition. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 62,966 killed and 159,266 injured.
- Strikes were reported in northern, central, and southern Gaza yesterday killing at least 52 people. In Gaza City and the north, attacks hit residential buildings, refugee camps, and aid seekers, killing and wounding dozens while homes were demolished in multiple neighborhoods. Central and southern Gaza also came under heavy fire, with fatalities including a woman and child in Al-Bureij camp and 16 people in Khan Younis.
- Israel’s military announced that the evacuation of Gaza City is “inevitable,” claiming families moving south will receive aid in tent camps and distribution centers, despite reports that no space remains and no new shelter equipment has entered Gaza since March. Human rights groups warn that the plan amounts to concentration camps, aimed to control and ultimately expel over two million Palestinians as part of Israel’s next phase of war.
- The mayor of Deir al-Balah rejected the IDF’s claim that Gaza’s central camps have “vast empty areas,” saying there is no space for new tents as the coastline is overcrowded, the east is under bombardment, and infrastructure is collapsing. He warned that conditions across the central governorate are pushing it toward a humanitarian catastrophe if displacement continues. Gaza’s Government Media Office also responded in a statement saying that the Israeli military spokesperson’s claims are “part of a propaganda campaign aimed at breaking the steadfastness of our Palestinian people in Gaza and the north.”.”
- Gaza Civil Defense reported that over 1,500 residential buildings in Al-Zaytoun have been completely destroyed since Israel’s ground operation began on August 6, leaving the area flattened. Spokesman Mahmoud Basal said similar devastation is unfolding in Jabaliya, with the army using heavy machinery, explosives, and drones to accelerate demolition. About 80% of Al-Zaytoun’s residents have been displaced to other parts of Gaza City.
- Israel plans to open two additional Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) “aid” centers. Critics warn the militarized hubs force civilians to risk their lives for minimal food, with over 2,000 killed seeking aid since the program began.
- Gaza’s media office reports that since March 2, Israel has been blocking essential foods from reaching Palestinian civilians, including eggs, meat, fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and nutritional supplements. Dozens of other items, such as nuts and supplements for pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses, have also been prohibited.
- New from Middle East Eye: U.S. contractors in Gaza reportedly pursued journalist Mohammad Salama, with one of his sources interrogated at a GHF aid center about Salama’s identity and whereabouts days before he was killed at Nasser Hospital.
- A Sky News investigation found that, of the six people Israel said were “terrorists” killed in its strike on Nasser Hospital, only one was identified as a fighter, and he was killed elsewhere two days prior to the strike on the hospital.
- Hundreds of UN staff at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on UN human rights chief Volker Turk to explicitly call the Gaza war a genocide, according to a letter seen by Reuters. In the letter signed by the Staff Committee on behalf of over 500 employees, they write: “OHCHR has a strong legal and moral responsibility to denounce acts of genocide. Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the U.N. and the human rights system itself.”
- Apart from the U.S., every UN Security Council member said the famine in Gaza is a “man-made crisis.” In a joint statement, 14 out of 15 member states of the council called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery. At the UN Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea dismissed the IPC’s famine declaration in Gaza, accusing its authors of bias and claiming the report lacked credibility, without providing evidence to refute its findings.
Ceasefire Negotiations and Israeli News
- White House special envoy Steve Witkoff has been working with Jared Kushner and Tony Blair on post-war Gaza plans, briefing Donald Trump on proposals for governance without Hamas and expanded humanitarian aid amid deepening famine. Controversial elements of the plan, developed with Israeli businessmen and financial modeling by the Boston Consulting Group, reportedly included incentives to “relocate” up to half a million Palestinians, though Blair’s institute denied endorsing the concept.
- Hamas political bureau officials rejected Witkoff’s claim that Hamas is blocking Gaza ceasefire talks, saying the statements ignore Israel’s systematic obstruction and echo Netanyahu’s narrative. They noted Hamas had accepted a mediator-proposed deal, while Israel continues its military assault on Gaza City and ongoing civilian massacres.
U.S. News
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the State Department, posing for photos before starting discussions without taking questions. The meeting coincides with a White House-led session on post-war Gaza planning, following Sa’ar’s recent claim at the UN that hunger in Gaza is a “lie.”
- Taylor Lorenz reports in Wired that a secretive Democratic influencer network, funded by the Sixteen Thirty Fund and run through the nonprofit arm of Good Influence, pays creators up to $8,000 a month under strict contracts that bar disclosure and allow forced content deletions. The program, called the Chorus Creator Incubator, has signed over 90 influencers with a reach of 40 million+, drawing criticism for using the same opaque tactics Democrats have condemned in the past.
- The Trump administration fired Susan Monarez from her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday amid pressure placed on the agency to change U.S. vaccine policy. Monarez’s lawyers say Monarez had refused to resign, and prior to her firing, her lawyers had written in a public statement that “When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that reason, she has been targeted.” In response, Monarez was immediately fired by the White House, and other senior CDC officials have since resigned in protest.
- Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan now claims he urged Democrats to vote against sending weapons to Israel.
- Brad Pitt, Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jonathan Glazer have joined as executive producers of The Voice of Hind Rajab, which is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, the film tells the story of the 6-year-old girl killed with her family in Gaza and will screen at several major international festivals.
International News
- U.S. envoy Tom Barrack cut short his visit to southern Lebanon amid protests against Washington’s push to disarm Hezbollah and outrage over his comments telling journalists to “act civilized.” Demonstrations erupted in Khiam and Tyre, with Hezbollah supporters denouncing U.S. policies, while Lebanon plans to present a disarmament plan despite Hezbollah insisting Israel must first withdraw from Lebanese territory.
- The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and several other regions of Ukraine were hit by a large-scale combined missile and drone assault overnight into Thursday, Ukrainian officials reported. At least 18 people, including four children, were killed in the capital. Reports indicate that high-speed Geran-3 drones equipped with jet engines were used in the attack. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post to Telegram that it was “a terrible night” for the capital, reporting “many damaged buildings” across five city districts.
- Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino announced the deployment of naval vessels and drones along the country’s Caribbean coast in response to the U.S. sending warships and thousands of troops to the region, citing drug trafficking concerns and offering rewards for the capture of President Maduro and other officials. Caracas condemned the U.S. actions as a threat to regional peace, mobilized militias and troops along the Colombian border, and dismantled drug-smuggling shipyards, while analysts suggest the military build-up is more posturing than an imminent invasion.
- Syrian state media reports that Israeli strikes on Damascus killed at least eight soldiers after Syrian troops discovered Israeli surveillance devices near Mount al-Manea. The escalation included multiple air raids, drone strikes, and a helicopter airdrop targeting military sites, prompting Damascus to condemn the attacks as a serious violation of sovereignty.
- The US has imposed punitive 50% tariffs on Indian imports in response to New Delhi’s continued purchases of discounted Russian oil, adding onto another 25% tariff already imposed on New Delhi. The move significantly strains trade relations between the two countries and threatens key sectors of the Indian economy such as textiles, gems, shrimp, and carpets. The move, seen by some as pressure on Russia via India, comes amid stalled trade talks and deteriorating ties between U.S. and Indian leaders and could reduce Indian exports to the US by nearly 40%, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs.
More from Drop Site
- Israeli forces are pushing deeper into Gaza City with tanks, warplanes, and drones, leveling entire neighborhoods and forcing thousands to flee as famine and mass displacement worsen. Residents describe the assault as an “eternal displacement” and the final push to empty Gaza’s largest city.
Read more from Abdel Qader Sabbah here
- Trump hosted Armenian PM Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Aliyev at the White House on August 8, announcing a high-profile peace declaration and economic agreements aimed at ending decades of conflict. Critics say the deal sidelines displaced Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and fails to guarantee their right of return, raising questions about justice and long-term stability.
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