Two killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon; 41 patients in critical condition evacuated from Gaza; U.S. considers implementing a “Gaza Humanitarian Belt”

Drop Site Daily: October 24, 2025

41 critical patients evacuated from Gaza on Wednesday—the first medical evacuations since the ceasefire went into effect on October 10. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports that no aid trucks have reached northern Gaza in 10 days. Israeli ministers are clashing over rules of engagement at the so-called “Yellow Line,” with influential far-right figures demanding the right to “shoot the children and the donkey.” Forty-one humanitarian organizations state that Israel is systematically blocking aid to Gaza. The U.S. is reportedly considering implementing a “Gaza Humanitarian Belt,” where aid would be distributed at drone-monitored hubs and former Palestinian fighters might be “reconciled.” President Donald Trump says he may bypass congressional approval if he chooses to expand strikes in the Caribbean to include land targets. U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticizes Israel’s planned annexation of the West Bank, calling it “a very stupid political stunt.” Eighteen-year-old Mohammed Ahmed Abu Haneen dies from wounds sustained during escalating settler violence in the West Bank, Al Jazeera reports. Israeli airstrikes hit multiple locations across southern and eastern Lebanon on Thursday and Friday, killing at least six and injuring several others. Nigeria’s military reported killing more than 50 Boko Haram fighters following drone attacks on the group’s bases in Borno and Yobe states. In Syria, the government reached a ceasefire agreement with Firqatul Ghuraba (“Foreign Battalion”) after striking the group’s camp near the Turkish border the previous day. Khartoum’s airport entered the third day of a siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces, while five people were killed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during clashes between a pro-government militia and likely Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants. President Trump pardons the founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

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:

1. Grant immediate, independent access to Gaza for all foreign journalists without military escorts, pre-broadcast censorship, or restrictions on movement and reporting.
2. End the deliberate targeting and killing of journalists covering this conflict and allow humanitarian organizations to protect and support press workers.

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The Genocide in Gaza

• The World Health Organization (WHO) said 41 critical patients were evacuated from Gaza on Wednesday, in the first medical evacuations since the ceasefire went into effect on October 10. There are some 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza in urgent need of medical evacuation. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus estimated that at least $7 billion will be needed to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system, which he said has “almost completely collapsed.” Journalist Osama Rabee reported that a child suffering from hepatitis died after Israel prevented her evacuation for treatment.
• Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud reported that no aid trucks have reached northern Gaza in 10 days, as Israel’s Zikim crossing has remained closed for 50 days. Nearly two months into the blockade, markets in the famine-hit north are empty, with residents relying on small quantities of goods moved informally from central Gaza through traders. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has officially declared famine in northern Gaza, where more than 600,000 Palestinians remain isolated from aid and dependent on scarce, high-priced supplies.
• Israeli ministers reportedly clashed over rules of engagement near Gaza’s so-called “Yellow Line,” an invisible boundary dividing the territory that civilians are ordered not to cross, according to Channel 14. The deputy army chief said soldiers have been firing on adults who approach the line but sparing “children and donkeys.” Far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir demanded troops “shoot the child and the donkey too,” while Shin Bet minister Dichter warned against targeting everyone near the fence. Defense Minister Israel Katz concluded that “anyone approaching the fence should know they will be hit.” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud noted that the Yellow Line is visibly marked in very few areas, leaving most civilians exposed to unmarked danger zones. Reports from Gaza showed ongoing Israeli attacks, including drone strikes near Bani Suhaila, artillery on Deir al-Balah, and airstrikes in southeast Khan Younis, with homes destroyed and neighborhoods shelled in Gaza City. Nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.
• UN Deputy Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov told the Security Council that aid deliveries to Gaza, while up 46% in the first week of the ceasefire, remain far below the levels required under the agreement. He called on Israel to open more crossings, guarantee safe passage for civilians and aid workers, and renew NGO registrations. On Tuesday, 147 UN and partner trucks entered Gaza with food, hygiene kits, and shelter materials—well below the 600-truck daily minimum mandated by the ceasefire. UNOPS also distributed 118,000 litres of diesel and 1,200 litres of petrol to support critical operations.
• Forty-one humanitarian organizations reported that Israeli authorities are systematically blocking aid to Gaza despite ceasefire obligations. Between October 10–21, 2025, Israel rejected 99 international NGO requests (94% of all denials) and six UN requests, citing lack of authorization—even for groups with longstanding legal permits. Blocked supplies include food, water, tents, medical equipment, blankets, and hygiene materials, leaving nearly $50 million in critical goods stockpiled at crossings while Palestinians face winter in makeshift shelters without heating or sanitation. Three-quarters of rejections since March targeted established INGOs operating in Gaza for decades. NGOs condemned the obstruction as politicization of aid in violation of international law and the ceasefire, warning of rising preventable deaths and demanding that Israel rescind restrictive registration requirements.
• The UN reports that over 200 families returning to Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood are living in dire conditions, with widespread skin diseases, no clean water, and damaged sanitation systems. Residents must walk two kilometers to access water, and there are no medical services, mobile health teams, or nutrition screenings. The UN warns of urgent needs for food, hygiene supplies, and repairs to water and sewage infrastructure.
• Two Palestinian children were severely injured in Gaza City on Thursday in an explosion caused by unexploded ordnance, according to Al Jazeera. The boys had returned to their destroyed home in the Nasr neighborhood when the blast occurred. Tens of thousands of unexploded munitions from Israeli missiles, rockets, and shells are scattered across Gaza.

Ceasefire Updates

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a news conference in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel on Friday in a building housing a new U.S.-Israel command center that includes troops from the UK, Jordan, and the UAE. In his remarks, Rubio said that Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will have no role in governing a future Gaza. He also echoed Israel’s claim that UNRWA “cannot play a role in Gaza,” describing it as a “subsidiary of Hamas.” His comments come just two days after the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s claim that UNRWA is infiltrated by Hamas is not substantiated, nor are allegations that UNRWA is not a neutral organization.
• The U.S. is reportedly considering a new Gaza aid plan called the “Gaza Humanitarian Belt,” replacing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation with 12–16 hubs along the Israeli withdrawal line to serve civilians on both sides, according to Reuters. Aid would be distributed through the hubs within 90 days, with convoys monitored by drones, and the centers would provide food, medical supplies, infrastructure restoration, and mass kitchens. The hubs would also include voluntary reconciliation facilities for Palestinian fighters and could serve as bases for a future international stabilization force. U.S. officials described the proposal as a concept under study rather than a finalized plan.
• Asked by Time whether Israel should release imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, President Donald Trump said he had just been “confronted with that question about 15 minutes” earlier and was “making a decision.” Barghouti, jailed since 2002, is widely regarded as the most popular Palestinian figure capable of uniting different political factions. His son, Arab Barghouti, told PBS that Israel refuses to release him precisely because of his unifying power and urged Western governments to act, saying, “This is the man who could unify the Palestinian people for the political vision that you’re asking for… So show that you’re willing to take steps by calling for his release.”
• Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhala said in an interview with Egypt’s Al-Qahera News that Palestinian factions in Cairo have reached “clear and specific understandings” to end the Gaza war and will maintain the truce as long as Israel does. He said the ceasefire’s durability depends on both parties’ adherence, and credited Egypt with leading talks toward a permanent end to hostilities, reopening crossings, and beginning reconstruction. Al-Nakhala thanked Egypt and Qatar for mediating under the Trump ceasefire framework and called for Palestinian unity to confront Israeli occupation and settlement expansion. He said discussions with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad are continuing to build consensus among Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, and the Popular Front on a joint national position.

West Bank and Israel

• A Palestinian teenager, 18-year-old Mohammed Ahmed Abu Haneen, died Friday from wounds sustained during an Israeli raid in Nablus, the latest in ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have arrested dozens of Palestinians and confiscated weapons, while Israeli settlers have escalated attacks on Palestinian property and farmers near Ramallah, leaving civilians vulnerable despite the Gaza ceasefire. The United Nations reports that more than 1,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023.
• When asked what consequences Israel would face if it moved forward with annexing the West Bank, President Donald Trump replied: “It won’t happen. It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now. We’ve had great Arab support. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. It will not happen. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.”
• The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office responded to Trump administration criticism of yesterday’s Knesset vote on West Bank annexation, saying: “The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel. The two bills were sponsored by opposition members of the Knesset. The Likud party and the religious parties—the principal coalition members—did not vote for these bills, except for one disgruntled Likud member who was recently fired from the chairmanship of a Knesset committee. Without Likud support, these bills are unlikely to go anywhere.”

U.S. News

• President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, following months of lobbying by Zhao and the company, which has also supported the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto venture. The pardon, signed Wednesday, comes after Zhao served four months in prison in 2024 for violating U.S. anti-money-laundering laws. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the move as ending the Biden administration’s “war on crypto.” Zhao said on X that he is “deeply grateful” and pledged to help make the U.S. the “Capital of Crypto.” The pardon could allow Binance to return to U.S. operations, ending a Justice Department monitorship, though a separate Treasury monitorship would require additional approvals. Binance has been a major driver of World Liberty Financial’s growth, including its USD1 cryptocurrency. Zhao’s pardon is expected to draw scrutiny from Democrats on Capitol Hill over potential ethical concerns given Binance’s financial ties to the Trump family.
• President Trump said he would bypass Congress rather than seek its approval to continue and expand military strikes against drug cartels, signaling a shift from maritime strikes to targeting on land. He defended the campaign—which has included nine strikes at sea and 37 acknowledged deaths—calling it a “war” on cartels and saying, “we are going to kill them,” while suggesting he might only brief the Senate rather than request formal authorization. The move raises legal and political questions as the Senate readies a bipartisan resolution to bar hostilities inside Venezuela without explicit congressional approval.
• The U.S. State Department has deleted its Human Rights Reporting Gateway, the only public portal for reporting abuses by foreign military units armed by Washington. Human rights advocates and former officials said the move violates the Leahy Law and weakens oversight of U.S.-funded forces accused of atrocities in places such as Colombia and the West Bank. The department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it remains in compliance despite eliminating several human rights offices in a broad restructuring.
• President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he has paused a planned National Guard “surge” in San Francisco following a “nice” call with Mayor Daniel Lurie, who asked him “very nicely” to hold off. Trump said federal forces could still “remove the criminals” more quickly but agreed to wait, citing encouragement from local business leaders including Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff. The pause does not affect the ongoing U.S. Customs and Border Protection deployment using the Alameda Coast Guard base as a staging area—an operation condemned by Governor Gavin Newsom and local officials as illegal and likely to spark unrest.
• Zohran Mamdani responded to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s comments, calling them racist attacks against the candidate. He said: “These are Andrew Cuomo’s final moments in public life, and he’s choosing to spend them making racist attacks on the person who would be the first Muslim to lead this city… [It] showcases the fact that bigotry and racism is not exclusively a Republican problem. It is also a problem within our own party. It is time we turn the page on Andrew Cuomo and those that would tolerate that kind of rhetoric from him as well.”
• The Trump administration said Thursday it will move ahead with a long-debated plan to build a road through Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a protected coastal ecosystem critical to migratory birds and marine life. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the deal, which transfers 500 acres to an Alaskan corporation in exchange for new conservation land, would improve emergency access for residents of King Cove. Environmentalists and other Indigenous groups condemned the move, warning it would fragment one of Alaska’s most pristine habitats, while the administration also moved to expand oil, gas, and mining projects across Arctic refuges.
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a $5.7 million contract for AI-driven social media surveillance software from Zignal Labs, which also provides services to the Israeli military and the Pentagon, The Lever reports. The five-year deal gives ICE’s intelligence unit access to tools that analyze billions of posts daily to generate “threat detection feeds.” Civil liberties advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, warned the technology enables secret, viewpoint-driven monitoring of online speech. Labor unions have sued the government, arguing such surveillance targets immigrants and political dissent under the Trump administration’s enforcement agenda.
• President Trump announced late Thursday that he was ending all trade negotiations with Canada, accusing the country of “fraudulently” using a 1987 Ronald Reagan speech denouncing tariffs in a new Ontario government ad. In a Truth Social post, Trump said Canada’s actions were “egregious” and declared that “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.” The move comes as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico prepare to review their shared trade agreement by next summer and amid Trump’s broader escalation of tariffs on Canadian exports. The Ontario government confirmed the ad, which cost 75 million Canadian dollars, was scheduled to air in the U.S. this week.
• The White House released a list of donors funding President Trump’s $300 million construction of a 90,000 square foot ballroom at the East wing of the White House. They include Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Micron, Coinbase, and Lockheed Martin.

International News

• Two people were killed and two injured in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Ghoul in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. An Israeli drone also targeted a bulldozer in the town of Khiam, according to Al Jazeera. At least four people were killed Thursday in Israeli air strikes on eastern and southern Lebanon, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.
• Nigeria’s military said it killed more than 50 Boko Haram militants in response to drone attacks on bases in Borno and Yobe states, with air and ground forces pursuing over 70 more wounded insurgents. The militants reportedly launched their attacks from northern Cameroon and Yobe State. Boko Haram, which split into factions after the death of leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions across Nigeria and neighboring countries. The U.S. recently approved a potential $346 million weapons sale to support Nigerian security forces.
• Syrian government forces reached a ceasefire agreement Thursday with Firqatul Ghuraba (“the Foreigners’ Brigade”) after surrounding the jihadist camp in the Harem region near the Turkish border. The deal allows government troops to enter the camp and withdraw heavy weapons while opening a criminal investigation into the group’s leader, Omar Omsen (also known as Omar Diaby), who is accused of kidnapping a girl. Officials said Thursday that the ceasefire is still being observed, as Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government tries to continue reining in foreign fighters and project a more moderate image.
• China announced Thursday that it will hold the next round of trade talks with the U.S. in Malaysia from October 24 to 27, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. The talks come amid escalating tensions over rare earths controls, reciprocal tariffs, and fees on each other’s ships, though President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to reach a “good” deal and end the trade war. The discussions coincide with Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting from October 26 to 28.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects Rosneft’s German subsidiary to receive an exemption from new U.S. sanctions on Russian energy firms. The sanctions target companies over 50 percent owned by sanctioned Russian entities, but Berlin argues that Rosneft’s German unit—under German state trusteeship since 2022—operates independently and shouldn’t be penalized. Merz said he assumes Washington will grant the exemption as Germany seeks to avoid disruptions at key refineries vital to its fuel supply.
• Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a drone attack on Khartoum and its airport Thursday, just a day after the first passenger flight in two years landed, though the military intercepted the drones without damage. The assault comes amid the country’s ongoing conflict between the RSF and Sudanese military, which has killed at least 40,000 people and left 30 million in need of humanitarian aid. UN agencies called for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and unhindered access to affected areas, including besieged cities in Darfur and Kordofan.
• A Frankfurt court dismissed Palestinian journalist Anas Zayed Fteiha’s lawsuit against German media company Axel Springer, which owns BILD and Politico Europe, ruling it inadmissible because his lawyer could not submit an original signed document from Gaza. Fteiha had accused BILD of falsely portraying him as a Hamas propagandist, endangering his life. Judges acknowledged the difficulty of sending documents from a war zone but declined to make an exception. His lawyer criticized the court for focusing on technicalities rather than addressing BILD’s debunked claims.
• Gunmen killed a pro-government militia leader and five others in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday before setting their vehicle on fire, a local official told AFP. Authorities suspect the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan carried out the attack in retaliation for the militia leader’s refusal to pay extortion demands. The incident comes amid heightened cross-border tensions following deadly clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan earlier this month, with officials from both sides set to meet in Turkey on Saturday.
• Cuban authorities have arrested a Chinese fentanyl trafficker known as Brother Wang after he attempted to enter the country with a fake passport, El País reported. Wang, accused of trafficking thousands of kilograms of narcotics and laundering millions, will reportedly be deported first to Mexico and then to the U.S. The case highlights Cuba’s continued anti-narcotics cooperation—even amid the current U.S. administration’s hostility toward Havana—building on joint law enforcement efforts that began in the 1990s.
• Off-site power has been restored to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after a month-long outage, the longest since Russia’s invasion, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Thursday. The plant, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, had relied on diesel generators to maintain crucial cooling systems. The IAEA called the restoration a “crucial step for nuclear safety” and continues to work with both sides to repair a second power line. Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly blamed each other for endangering the site during the conflict.

More From Drop Site

• Drop Site dispatch from Maine: Graham Platner, a Maine Democrat facing a wave of damaging opposition research, drew a standing-room-only crowd of about 600 people Wednesday evening at the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit. The backlash came over years-old Reddit posts and a chest tattoo resembling Nazi insignia, one he had covered once he learned of its resemblance. Platner apologized for both the tattoo and his past online comments, describing them as youthful mistakes inconsistent with his lifelong opposition to fascism and racism.

  Voters at the Ogunquit and Waterville town halls told Drop Site they were willing to forgive his missteps, citing his sincerity and policy focus, including opposition to U.S. support for Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. A new University of New Hampshire poll released Thursday found Platner leading two-term Governor Janet Mills 58–24 percent among Democrats, despite her backing from national party leadership and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Platner’s campaign, powered by more than 11,000 volunteers, has leaned on grassroots organizing and reform messaging, including calls for term limits, a ban on stock trading by lawmakers, and overturning Citizens United. Read the full report here.

• Disappearing Charlie Kirk Database: A new Drop Site investigation by Phoebe Huss details how an anonymous network calling itself “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” raised at least $30,000 in cryptocurrency after the assassination of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, promising to build a searchable database of alleged “supporters of political violence.” Within days, the site was deplatformed amid doxxing accusations and threats of cyberattacks, then vanished entirely. Victims described waves of harassment and fear, while donors now suspect the operation was a scam. Read the full article here.
• Livestream Highlights:
  • Our panelists discuss this story: Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday again refused to lift the ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza, while giving the government 30 days to submit new arguments in light of the ceasefire. The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents dozens of international outlets, first petitioned the court in late 2023 after Israel imposed the blanket ban at the start of the war, and filed a second petition in September 2024. The FPA criticized the government for repeatedly delaying the case, calling the tactics “unacceptable” and urging the court to allow reporters to work alongside their Palestinian colleagues. FPA chair Tania Kraemer said, “It is time for Israel to lift the closure and let us do our work.”
  • Drop Site’s Ryan Grim said Graham Platner’s surge in Maine reflects “a dramatic and fundamental break between the Democratic base and its leadership,” citing a new UNH poll showing him leading Governor Janet Mills 58–24 despite controversy over an old skull-and-crossbones tattoo linked to Nazi imagery. Grim argued that the party “can’t separate its embrace of this genocide from the backlash it’s now facing,” with voters seeking candidates “who know who their enemies are.”
    Journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous added that the situation in Gaza is central to that divide, noting that even Vice President Kamala Harris has recently tried, awkwardly, to distance herself from U.S. policy there during her 15+ months of oversight.

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