Israel issues final warning to Gaza City and closes main coastal road; U.S. government shuts down

Drop Site Daily: October 1, 2025

At least 51 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the past 24 hours, including a photojournalist. Israel issues a final warning for Palestinians in Gaza City to flee, saying everyone who remains will be considered a “terrorist,” while closing the main coastal road and forcing those moving south through military checkpoints. The International Committee of the Red Cross suspends its Gaza City operations for the first time in decades. The U.S. government shuts down after a deadlock over federal spending bill for the first time in six years. Trump issues executive order pledging to guarantee Qatar’s security in wake of Israel attack. A federal judge in Boston ruled that foreign students are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as Americans. The UN Security Council approves an expanded international “Gang Suppression Force”in Haiti. Internet blackout in Afghanistan runs into its third day. UEFA pauses a vote on suspending Israel from competition.

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The Genocide in Gaza

• Over the past 24 hours, 51 dead and 180 injured arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza’s health ministry, while four Palestinians were killed and 57 injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 66,148 killed, with 168,716 injured.
• The health ministry reported that two Palestinians, including a child, died of starvation and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 455, including 151 children.
• Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz on Wednesday issued a final warning for Palestinians in Gaza City to flee. In a post on X, he said the Israeli military had completed the capture of the Netzarim axis, which Israel uses to divide the Gaza Strip between north and south. Along with the closure of the coastal al-Rashid road, anyone leaving Gaza City will have to pass through military checkpoints. “This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south,” Katz warned. “Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters.” Tens of thousands of civilians remain in Gaza City and many are unable to displace to the south due to exorbitant transportation costs, and no available space, shelter, or safety from Israeli attacks in the south.
• In Gaza City, at least 13 people were killed on Tuesday in the Israeli bombings of the Abu Kamil family home and Al-Falah School, where displaced families were sheltering; a civil defense worker was also killed in a double-tap strike while evacuating the wounded, while strikes and shelling also hit Shuja’iyya, al-Shati camp, and other neighborhoods. In central and southern Gaza, Israeli airstrikes on homes and displacement tents near al-Bureij, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat, and Khan Younis left more civilians dead and injured.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been forced to suspend its operations at its office in Gaza City and relocate to its existing offices in southern Gaza amid Israel’s military offensive on the city. The ICRC, which has been in Gaza City for decades, made the announcement on Wednesday, saying in a statement: “Tens of thousands of people still in Gaza City face harrowing humanitarian conditions and are in desperate need of more assistance…Following the latest intensification of hostilities, ICRC teams stayed as long as they possibly could to protect and support the most vulnerable people. The ICRC remains committed to returning as soon as conditions allow.”
• Israeli forces killed Palestinian photojournalist Yahya Barzaq, who worked as a freelancer for Turkish broadcaster TRT World, in an airstrike on a cafe in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday, along with at least five others. Before the war, Barzaq ran a studio in Gaza City specializing in photographing newborns. He is one of over 250 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza over the past two years.
• The United Nations Human Rights Office said strikes intensified in northwestern Deir al-Balah between September 24–28, with at least 89 Palestinians killed in a dozen incidents.

Ceasefire Negotiations

• Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesperson Mohammed al-Hajj Mousa told Ultra Palestine that Hamas and other factions will meet to craft a unified response to President Trump’s ceasefire proposal, stressing that “the paper is not about Hamas alone but about the entire Palestinian people.” He welcomed the joint Arab statement calling for full Israeli withdrawal, unrestricted aid, no displacement, and Gaza’s reunification with the West Bank, but said Trump’s plan “looks more like a comprehensive Israeli project than a ceasefire initiative,” entrenching division and legitimizing Israel’s presence in Gaza. Mousa rejected reliance on U.S. guarantees, urged binding Arab and international oversight, and called on Palestinian Authority leaders to join a united stance to halt the war and genocide.
• Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that Trump’s Gaza plan could end the war “in principle” but warned that several issues still “require clarification and negotiation.” He told Al Jazeera that Doha has not yet received Hamas’s response and emphasized that mediators’ priority is halting the war. Al Thani added that Qatar and other Arab and Islamic states are focused on ending famine, killings, and displacement in Gaza, while ensuring Palestinians remain on their land and continue toward a two-state solution.
• Trump issued an executive order pledging to guarantee Qatar’s security—including by taking military action—if the country were to come under attack again. The order, dated September 29, comes in the wake of Israel’s unprecedented bombing of Doha last month targeting the offices of Hamas negotiators that killed six people. Trump said the U.S. and Qatar are “bound together by close cooperation, shared interests, and the close relationship between our armed forces” and that “it is the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar against external attack.” The U.S. Central Command is based in Qatar.
• On Tuesday, Qatar said it is “content with the security assurances” following a call with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that “under the guarantee of the U.S. president… Qatar will never be attacked again,” while keeping open the option of legal action at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
• Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that any amendment to Trump’s ceasefire plan would be treated as a rejection, according to Israeli media. A separate government official told Channel 15 that the proposal unveiled in Washington is “not up for negotiation” but only for acceptance or rejection.
• Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that the Gaza peace plan released by Washington is not the draft Islamabad submitted after reviewing Trump’s 20-point proposal, stating that the agreement publicly shared on Monday is “not our document.” He explained that Pakistan made suggested amendments “without touching the fundamentals” and passed along its version to the U.S., stressing that elements missing from the published text would be included in the final plan. Dar also outlined Pakistan’s vision for a technocratic Palestinian government under international oversight, supported by a Gaza security force, with Indonesia offering up to 25,000 troops and Pakistan considering its contribution.

West Bank and Israel

• The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported Tuesday that Israel has re-arrested at least 40 former prisoners who had been released in the January–February 2025 exchange, with 16 still in custody, including three women. Most are being held under administrative detention, among them Wael al-Jaghoub of Nablus, who previously spent 23 years in Israeli prisons. The group said freed detainees face repeated arrests, interrogations, and investigations, citing the latest case of Hanan Barghouthi, seized from her home in Kober near Ramallah, and described the campaign as a systematic policy that violates the deal and keeps released prisoners under constant threat. Read Drop Site’s coverage of Jaghoub’s case and the worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli detention here.
• Israel’s cabinet unanimously approved a $40 million increase to the Foreign Ministry’s propaganda budget, Haaretz reported. The funds include $24 million for global influence campaigns and $16 million to finance international delegations through 2025. According to the Times of Israel, the allocation is more than 20 times the ministry’s usual public diplomacy budget, with a priority on shaping opinion abroad, particularly on U.S. college campuses.

U.S. News

• A federal judge in Boston ruled that foreign students are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as U.S. citizens, striking down the Trump administration’s campaign to detain and deport pro-Palestinian activists as “a truly scandalous and unconstitutional suppression of free speech.” Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, said the Department of Homeland Security and State Department unlawfully targeted non-citizens “for speaking out” against Israel’s war on Gaza, relying in part on dossiers from Canary Mission to recommend visa cancellations. The lawsuit, brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, highlighted arrests of students with no charges, and Young said remedies will be determined later, calling the case possibly “the most important” ever before his court.
• On Tuesday, members of New York City civil society gathered at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in solidarity with Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist and green-card holder, and Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, who face the possibility of being re-detained. Mahdawi, a lawful and permanent resident of the U.S., was first arrested on April 14, 2025, when he arrived for what he believed was his final interview to become a U.S. citizen. Born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, his best friend was shot in front of his eyes when he was only 12. He moved to the U.S. in 2014 and has recently graduated with a Master’s degree in peacemaking and conflict resolution. Drop Site contributor Areeba Fatima, reported that the government’s claims of the “danger” posed by Mahdawi were also challenged by the more than 150 letters submitted to the court outlining his role as a peace activist and advocate for conflict resolution. There was also an amicus brief for the case in defense of Mahdawi’s role as an advocate for peace filed by 26 Israeli citizens. Mahmoud Khalil addressed Mahdawi’s case at a gathering the day on Monday. “Mohsen and I and other students, we know that this is not about us. It’s about the values that we stand for. It’s about our opposition to genocide. It’s about making an example out of us, so that you fear speaking out,” Khalil said. “Maybe they will succeed in deporting us. But their goal is to silence you, to silence every one of you, unless you fit the very narrow definition of what an American is.”

   

  * This news item has been amended to correct the number of letters submitted to the court outlining Mahdawi’s role as a peace activist from 1,500+ to 150+.

  

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• The U.S. government shut down on Wednesday after Congressional Democrats refused to support a Republican spending bill that didn’t include concessions on health care. Trump said he plans to use a potential government shutdown to implement permanent cuts, including reducing programs and benefits that “they like” and removing “vast numbers of people,” framing it as a way to make changes “irreversible.” He suggested these actions could affect medical and other government services.
• Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed an unusual gathering on Tuesday of some 800 top military generals and admirals flown into Quantico, Virginia from around the world. Trump opened the meeting with a pointed warning: “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before … Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud. And if you want to do anything you want, you can do anything you want. And if you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future. But you just feel nice and loose.” Hegseth said: “You love the War Department because you love what you do—the profession of arms. You are hereby liberated… We need you locked in on the ‘M.’” He clarified that “M” stands for military.
• A study from the Center for Responsible Lending found that “earned-wage access” apps function like payday loans, leaving workers with an average annual percentage rate of 383% and additional overdraft fees. The report said the products effectively double borrowing costs, while investigations show that major tech companies and the American Legislative Exchange Council lobbied to shape laws and regulations expanding their use. Read more about the report from The Lever.

International News

• The UN Security Council approved an expanded international mission in Haiti, creating a “Gang Suppression Force” with a mandate to “neutralize, isolate, and deter” gangs, secure infrastructure, and support institutional stability. The force will grow from 2,500 to 5,550 personnel, with a UN Support Office providing logistical backing amid Haiti’s overlapping security, humanitarian, and political crises. Acting Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime welcomed the resolution, while Human Rights Watch stressed the need for sustained funding, sufficient personnel, and robust human rights safeguards.
• A nationwide internet blackout in Afghanistan stretched into a third day, cutting off communication, banking, and aid delivery across the country. NetBlocks and other watchdogs confirmed that the shutdown began Monday evening, with diplomats and Afghan officials saying Taliban supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada ordered it to curb “vice.” U.N. agencies warned the disruption has paralyzed relief work, grounding flights and leaving millions without access to basic services in the wake of August’s deadly earthquake and mass refugee influx. The Taliban government on Wednesday rejected the reports of an internet ban, saying old fiber optic cables are worn out and are being replaced.
• A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia on charges including treason, murder, torture, and crimes against humanity. The presiding judge said the case centered on Kabila’s alleged support for the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who seized territory in eastern Congo this year. Kabila, who has denounced the proceedings as politically motivated, was tried without counsel, and observers say the ruling reflects President Félix Tshisekedi’s bid to neutralize his former ally’s political base.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned in a statement on Wednesday that if ongoing diplomacy fails, Turkey will not allow the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to form an autonomous entity on the border between Syria and Turkey. Speaking at parliament’s re-opening, he said Turkey has used “all channels of diplomacy” to push for the SDF’s integration into Syria’s state structures under an agreement with Damascus, but cautioned that military action remains an option if those efforts go unanswered. The SDF controls much of northeast Syria and was the primary ground force in Syria helping conduct the U.S.-coalition-led war against ISIS.
• Russia’s fuel market is facing an unprecedented crisis after Ukrainian drone strikes disabled more than two dozen refineries since August. The attacks have left roughly 38% of Russia’s crude refining capacity idle—about 338,000 tons per day of production knocked offline. According to the Russian news outlet RBC and the analytics firm Siala, refinery shutdowns reached historic highs in September, with 70% of the outages directly caused by drone attacks. Repairs to the damaged refineries may take months, as sanctions have cut off access to Western equipment used in their upgrades.
• The Union of European Football Associations, better known as UEFA, has paused a vote on suspending Israel from competition, according to The Times of London. Last week a panel of United Nations advisers called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel after a UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. A large majority of members reportedly favored the ban and pointed to Russia’s 2022 exclusion over its invasion of Ukraine. Senior UEFA officials told the paper that Donald Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his new Gaza “peace plan” have “changed the landscape.”

Global Sumud Flotilla

• With over 40 ships and nearly 500 participants, the Global Sumud Flotilla is roughly 70-80 nautical miles (nm) from Gaza and traveling at an average speed of 6 knots, which would bring it to Gaza’s shores by early tomorrow morning. The Sumud flotilla, the largest maritime convoy of any attempt to break the siege, is fast approaching 50 nm from Gaza, about where the Handala was intercepted in July. Early this morning, Israeli navy vessels first circled Alma, the fleet’s lead boat, and then circled Sirius, the fleet’s second-in-command. Organizers say that crews across the flotilla are prepared to encounter more interception maneuvers from the Israeli navy starting this evening and into early morning tomorrow
• Hebrew media reported that Israel plans to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza during Yom Kippur (Oct. 1–2). Military and police preparations include naval interceptions, Shayetet 13 commandos boarding ships, potential confiscation or sinking of vessels, and detention of activists at Ashdod port and Ketziot prison, with a special Interior Ministry tribunal for those who resist.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged the flotilla not to challenge the blockade and withdrew Rome’s naval escort, which organizers condemned as “cowardice disguised as diplomacy,” vowing to sail on despite Israel’s blockade and the humanitarian crisis.
• The Israeli Foreign Ministry falsely claimed that a photo of British politician and activist George Galloway showed a Palestinian Hamas member linked to the Global Sumud Flotilla. Galloway, a long-time broadcaster from Dundee, Scotland, is not Palestinian and has no involvement with the flotilla, which is delivering humanitarian aid to starving civilians.

More From Drop Site

• Breaking Down the 20-Point Plan: Jeremy Scahill told Breaking Points that Palestinian resistance figures he’s spoken with view Donald Trump’s “peace plan” as a “farce,” crafted by Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and aides to Benjamin Netanyahu with no Palestinian input. The plan conditions food and medicine on Hamas’ surrender and hands Gaza to a foreign “viceroy,” likely Tony Blair, while Israeli troops remain encircling the territory and Trump’s circle profits from “Gaza Inc.” Scahill warned that without genuine negotiations, Netanyahu is effectively sentencing the 20 remaining Israeli captives to death.

• Jeremy Scahill highlighted Israel’s planned release of 1,700 Palestinians taken since October 7, including all women and children, but noted the deal excludes key figures like Marwan Barghouti of Fatah and Ahmad Sa’adat of the PFLP. He described Israel’s broader detention system, where hundreds of Palestinian bodies are held in numbered freezers and graves, and as many as 15,000 Palestinians—including unknown numbers of children—remain captive. Watch the full livestream here.

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