Drop Site Daily: October 2, 2025
At least 45 Palestinians are dead after Israeli attacks in Gaza today. Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill speaks to Hamas political official Mohammad Nazzal on how the Palestinian resistance is approaching its response to Trump’s Gaza ultimatum. Israel intercepts the Global Sumud Flotilla, spraying boats with “skunk water” and detaining parliamentarians, humanitarian activists, and journalists—including Drop Site journalist Alex Colston. The U.S. enters the second day of a government shutdown. The U.S. plans to provide Ukraine with intelligence to carry out long-range missile strikes on energy infrastructure inside Russia—the first time it has agreed to aid Ukraine in these types of attacks. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces kill six and wound ten in an attack in El-Fasher. Two killed, over 400 arrested in Morocco in anti-government protests.
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The Genocide in Gaza
- At least 45 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza today, according to Al Jazeera. Over the past 24 hours, 77 dead and 222 injured arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while two Palestinians were killed and 44 injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 66,225 killed, with 168,938 injured.
- Israel released 13 Palestinian captives from Gaza on Wednesday, who rights groups and the UN say were subjected to systematic torture and abuse. The Prisoners’ Information Office reported they crossed via Kisofim and were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah for medical treatment.
- Israeli Channel 12 reports explosions in Ashdod, a port city north of Gaza, after rocket sirens were triggered, with the army detecting five rockets launched from northern Gaza and intercepting four.
- The heads of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch warn in The New York Times that U.S. sanctions against Palestinian human rights groups and officials of the International Criminal Court and United Nations undermine the foundations of international justice. The Trump administration has blacklisted Al Haq, Al Mezan, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and Addameer for supporting the ICC’s war crimes investigation of Israel, while also targeting ICC judges, prosecutors, and U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. The rights leaders say the measures jeopardize victims worldwide and urge governments to actively defend the court’s independence and the post–World War II system built on “never again.”
Ceasefire Negotiations
- Hamas is conducting a series of meetings to review and respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, senior political official Mohammad Nazzal told Drop Site. Nazzal—who has been a member of Hamas since 1989 and has served in its political bureau since 1996—said Hamas is carefully reviewing the document and would soon offer its official response. “We are approaching the plan with a high degree of responsibility,” he said. “We began studying it and holding consultations as soon as we received it.”
- While Nazzal said some aspects of the proposal may be acceptable to Hamas and closely align with principles the group had previously agreed to, he described most of the terms as Israeli edicts. “Public opinion within the Palestinian factions is uncomfortable with the plan that was presented. There are some positives in the plan, but the negatives outweigh them,” he said. “Unless the plan is changed or significant modifications are made to certain points, I believe it will be difficult to accept it as it stands.”
- Since Trump unveiled his plan on Monday, officials from several Arab and other Muslim states implied they were blindsided by Trump when he stepped to the podium with Netanyahu and claimed the plan he outlined had their full support. Publicly, these nations offered words of praise for Trump’s “sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza” but did not explicitly endorse his 20-point plan.
- Some of them have claimed that the final text distributed by the White House was markedly different from drafts those countries were shown and to which they offered their feedback and ultimate endorsement. Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar said, “This is not our document,” adding that the outline released by Trump and Netanyahu should be viewed as “an announcement from their side.”
- Qatar’s Emiri Diwan says Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani spoke on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump about Trump’s Gaza plan, reaffirming Qatar’s support for efforts to establish peace and expressing confidence that backers of the plan can reach a just settlement protecting Palestinian rights. The leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation and regional and international developments of mutual concern.
Global Sumud Flotilla
- Israel announced that it has intercepted all but one of the more than 40 boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla that was attempting to break Israel’s siege and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said, “One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented.” Flotilla organizers said the Marinette was still sailing as of Thursday morning.
- Sirius-Haifa, the boat carrying Drop Site journalist Alex Colston, was among the first to be intercepted. Drop Site subsequently lost contact with Colston. Flotilla organizers said the navy tried to spray a ship carrying mostly American veterans with so-called “skunk water” in international waters, an effort participants described as harassment of nonviolent humanitarian activists. Organizer Thiago Avila responded that Israel’s blockade is unlawful under the ICJ, condemned its siege of Gaza as genocide, and affirmed the flotilla will continue toward Gaza.
- Over 400 participants on board the flotilla have been detained by the Israeli military and taken to the port of Ashdod. The Israeli foreign ministry claimed “All the passengers are safe and in good health. They are making their way safely to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe.”
- The Palestinian-run legal rights group in Israel Adalah said in a statement that Israeli authorities initially denied access to legal counsel to detained flotilla participants and had initiated legal proceedings. Adalah’s legal team later said it was able to enter the port and will carry out consultations.
- Protests erupted in several major cities on Wednesday to denounce Israel’s interception of the flotilla, including in Rome, Brussels, Istanbul, Athens, and Buenos Aires. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday. The union called on workers and students to block production, transport, schools, and services in protest of what it called a “war crime” and Western complicity, including Italy’s arms sales to Israel.
- World leaders condemned Israel for its interception of the flotilla:
- Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described it as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law.
- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a “grave offense” against “global solidarity and sentiment that is aimed at relieving suffering in Gaza.”
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced his government would expel Israel’s diplomatic delegation and terminate a free trade agreement with Israel.
- Spain summoned Israel’s top representative in Madrid.
- Dr. Mohammed al-Hindi, deputy secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, condemned Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher, rejecting Israeli claims that the flotilla is funded by Hamas. Al-Hindi said Israel’s promise to divert aid through Ashdod was “a lie,” noting that thousands of aid trucks remain blocked at Rafah while Gaza’s population faces mass starvation.
U.S. News
- The White House warns that each week of a U.S. government shutdown could shave $15 billion from the Gross Domestic Product, with a monthlong closure adding 43,000 unemployed, according to a memo obtained by Politico. The Council of Economic Advisers notes wide-ranging effects, including disruptions to Social Security, WIC, and air travel, while urging Republicans to use the document to frame Democrats as responsible for the economic fallout.
- The Pentagon plans to require more than 5,000 personnel—including top officials—to sign strict nondisclosure agreements and undergo random polygraph testing, part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s crackdown on leaks and internal dissent, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Experts warn the measures could intimidate staff and further limit press access, compounding other restrictions on reporting and oversight inside the Department of Defense.
- Leonardo “Leo” Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen and Alabama construction worker, filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration after being detained twice during workplace raids despite showing lawful ID, alleging unconstitutional warrantless entry and preemptive detention policies by ICE and DHS. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, seeks to block these policies, represent other workers at risk, and secure damages for violations of constitutional rights.
International News
- The U.S. plans to provide Ukraine with intelligence to carry out long-range missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, The Wall Street Journal reports. The decision by the Trump administration marks the first time that Washington has agreed to aid Kyiv in attacks on energy targets deep inside Russian territory. Officials say Trump approved the step following a failed summit with Russian officials this summer, and amid stalled efforts to find a negotiated solution to the Ukraine conflict. The Trump administration is also reported to be considering supplying Tomahawk, Barracuda, and other longer-range missiles to help facilitate Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, while NATO allies have been asked to assist in providing similar support to Kyiv.
- An Israeli drone strike targeted a Range Rover in Kfara, southern Lebanon, today, injuring several people and killing one, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Since the ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes on Lebanon. United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said on Wednesday that Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 100 civilians in ten months. “We are still seeing devastating impacts of jet and drone strikes in residential areas, as well as near U.N. peacekeepers in the south,” Türk said.
- The U.S. military’s planned drawdown in Syria has been delayed “for several months” amid Trump administration concerns over the Syrian government’s stability, according to Al-Monitor. Officials worry that instability could allow jihadist groups like the Islamic State to regain influence and have stalled negotiations for a potential understanding between Damascus and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Separately, the U.S. military announced that it was carrying out the first phase of a broader troop reduction of Iraq, reducing its presence from 2,500 to less than 2,000 troops in the country, while evacuating the Ain Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq that was hit by an Iranian missile barrage in 2020.
- In Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed six people and injured 10 in a joint drone and artillery strike Wednesday on the Al-Daraja neighborhood of El-Fasher, a medical worker told AFP. The RSF’s siege of El-Fasher, the last major army-held city in Darfur, has led to mass starvation and malnutrition, with the United Nations calling it the “epicentre of child suffering.” Satellite imagery tracked by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab shows the RSF preparing further drone attacks from Nyala, including Iranian-made Shahed drones capable of striking targets across the country.
- Two people were killed in Morocco after police opened fire on a crowd of anti-government protesters in the south of the country. Protesters took to the streets of at least 11 cities for a fifth consecutive night demanding reforms in public health and education. The demonstrations, organized online by the Gen Z 212 group, also criticized inequities in state services amid the government’s multibillion-dollar investment in 2030 World Cup preparations. More than 400 people have been arrested.
- Two people were killed and three wounded in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday. The suspect was also killed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the attack and additional police officers would be deployed at synagogues across the U.K. “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer said.
- The Netherlands’s ABP pension fund has divested its €387 million ($418 million) stake in Caterpillar, citing the need for “socially responsible” investments, Reuters reports. Caterpillar’s bulldozers are used by the Israeli military to demolish homes, farmland, and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, prompting UN and Amnesty International warnings about corporate complicity in human rights violations; the move follows Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund divestment from Caterpillar in August.
- Mobile networks and internet service were restored across Afghanistan on Wednesday, 48 hours after the Taliban shut down telecommunications, AFP reports. The blackout, which froze businesses, closed banks and airports, and left millions cut off from the outside world, followed earlier restrictions on high-speed internet in some provinces aimed at preventing “immorality” under orders from supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Afghans in Kabul and other cities celebrated the restoration, buying sweets, honking horns, and calling loved ones, while NetBlocks noted that connectivity had fallen to roughly 1% of normal levels during the shutdown.
- Leaked records obtained by Declassified Australia and The Ditch show at least 68 shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts from Australia to Israel since October 2023, despite government denials of supplying “weapons.” Many consignments — including rudder tie-rods, counter-measure actuators, and helmet display visors — were flown on commercial passenger planes to Nevatim Airbase, where Israel’s F-35s used in Gaza bombings are based. The shipments surged after Israel’s assault began, with the latest part leaving Sydney on September 17.
More From Drop Site
- Israel’s justification for targeting journalists and media facilities in Yemen, Gaza, and Iran sets a dangerous global precedent, potentially endangering reporters in every conflict zone. A recent CPJ report highlights one airstrike in Yemen that killed 31 journalists — possibly the deadliest single attack on reporters in modern history — showing how, as Drop Site contributor Rhana Natour notes, Israel’s logic could make every newsroom in Sana’a a legitimate target. Watch her short video for Drop Site here.
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