“Biological apocalypse” in Gaza; Clashes in the Strait of Hormuz; Dueling ceasefires declared by Russia and Ukraine

Drop Site Daily: May 5, 2026

Clashes, crossings in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump refuses to confirm ceasefire still holds. Attacks hit critical UAE oil facility. U.S. intelligence: Iran’s nuclear timeline is largely unchanged. Treasury Secretary accuses China of “funding” Iranian terrorism. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says the state’s arms monopoly is irreversible, and demilitarization will take months. Israeli drone strike kills one, wounds several. Citizen Lab report finds Israeli-linked telecom infrastructure used in global surveillance operations across ten-plus countries. Gaza NGO coordinator warns of “environmental and biological apocalypse” as water and sanitation systems collapse. Israel extends detention of Flotilla organizers. U.S. military kills two in latest vessel strike in the Caribbean. Democrats push the Trump administration to acknowledge Israel’s nuclear weapons program. SCOTUS expedites Louisiana redistricting ruling. Secret Service shoots armed man near White House; 15-year-old bystander grazed. Supreme Court temporarily restores broad access to abortion pill mifepristone. DHS closes immigration detention oversight office. Sudan accuses the UAE and Ethiopia of drone strikes on Khartoum airport. Russia and Ukraine declare dueling unilateral ceasefires. India’s left experiences historic defeat. Amnesty International documents ADF war crimes in eastern DRC. Zambia suspends U.S. talks over “unacceptable” terms. U.S. revokes visas of Costa Rican newspaper board members.

Drop Site is now live on WhatsApp. Get our latest reporting, podcasts, and breaking news, delivered directly. Join the channel here.

STEAL THIS STORY!—A new documentary on legendary journalist Amy Goodman of Democrat Now! is out in theaters. The film, featuring Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Kouddous, is a gripping account of this trailblazing journalist whose unwavering commitment to truth-telling spans three decades of turbulent history. Now playing in select theaters nationwide. Find a theater near you at stealthisstory.org

This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday. Today’s edition is being sent to more than 750,000 subscribers. Help us grow by forwarding and recommending this newsletter.

Gaza municipality workers move waste from Firas Market to a new area south of Gaza City on May 5, 2026, in an effort to alleviate the health and environmental repercussions of the previous site. Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images.

Iran and Ceasefire

• Clashes, crossings in the Strait of Hormuz:

  • U.S. defense officials claimed two U.S Navy destroyers, the USS Mason and the USS Truxtun, transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to CBS News. The officials claimed the ships entering the Persian Gulf came under Iranian attack with drones and small boats but said neither vessel was struck. The U.S. military also said it escorted two merchant vessels through the Strait on Monday. Admiral Brad Cooper claimed the U.S. destroyed six small Iranian boats targeting the vessels in the process. Iranian military sources disputed the claims, telling Tasnim News Agency that no IRGC naval vessels were struck and that two small civilian cargo boats were hit on Monday, killing five civilians.

  • An explosion and fire struck the engine room of the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by South Korea’s HMM shipping company, while the vessel was anchored off Umm Al Quwain in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. All 24 crew members—six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals—were reported safe. Authorities are investigating whether the blast resulted from an external attack, a drifting mine, or mechanical failure.

• Trump refuses to confirm ceasefire still holds: President Donald Trump declined Monday to say whether the U.S.-Iran ceasefire remains in effect, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, “I can’t tell you that.” Trump had earlier told Fox News that Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they targeted U.S. ships in the strait or the Persian Gulf, while also insisting the war “militarily … is essentially over.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X that “events in Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis,” warned the U.S. against being “dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers,” and directed the same warning at the UAE, writing: “Project Freedom is Project Deadlock.” Araghchi is traveling to Beijing today to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart on “bilateral relations and regional and international developments,” his ministry said in a statement.

• Attacks hit critical UAE oil facility: On Monday, a major fire broke out at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, which hosts the country’s only crude export pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, with a capacity of 1.5 to 1.8 million barrels per day. UAE authorities attributed it to a drone attack to Iran. A senior Iranian military official told state broadcaster IRIB that Iran had “no pre-planned plan” to strike oil facilities in Fujairah, instead attributing the fire to what he called American “military adventurism” aimed at forcing passage for ships through what he described as forbidden sections of the Strait of Hormuz. No assessment of damage to the facilities has been released.

• Pro-Iran hacker group Handala claims coordinated cyberattack on Fujairah port: The pro-Iran hacker group Handala also claimed Monday it conducted a cyberattack on the Port of Fujairah timed to coincide with the missile strike, saying it exfiltrated more than 430,000 documents—including pipeline maps, ship traffic records, and financial data—and delivered infrastructure maps to IRGC missile units to enable “pinpoint targeting.” The group issued a warning to UAE leadership that continued cooperation with Israel and the United States would bring further cyber, intelligence, and military strikes.

• UAE reports interception of Iranian barrage: The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense said its air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones launched from Iran on Monday, leaving three people moderately injured. Israeli carriers suspended direct service to Dubai, with FlightRadar data cited by Reuters showing several inbound flights diverted toward Muscat as operations at Dubai and Sharjah airports were disrupted. An Iranian official denied targeting the UAE, according to Al Jazeera.

  • Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Monday to condemn what he described as “unjustified Iranian aggressions” targeting the UAE and to express the kingdom’s full solidarity.

  • Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, also condemned the attacks. “Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as with the Government of the United Arab Emirates at this difficult time,” Sharif wrote on X on Tuesday. “It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region.”

• U.S. intelligence: Iran’s nuclear timeline is largely unchanged: U.S. intelligence assessments of Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain largely unaltered after almost two months of American and Israeli strikes, according to Reuters, citing US intelligence assessments that Tehran would need roughly nine to twelve months to build a weapon. Officials say Iran retains its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, including approximately 440 kilograms enriched to 60%, much of it believed to be stored in hardened underground sites beyond the reach of conventional weapons. Iran has offered to downblend this stockpile to use as a fuel for civilian reactors as part of ongoing negotiations.

• Treasury Secretary accuses China of “funding” Iranian terrorism: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused China of “funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism” by purchasing roughly 90% of Iran’s energy exports, and called on Beijing to use its leverage over Tehran to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “The attacks from Iran have closed the strait. We are reopening it. So I would urge the Chinese to join us in supporting this international operation,” Bessent told Fox News, adding that the U.S. has “absolute control” of the strait. President Trump is expected to visit Beijing next week for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. China and Russia earlier this month vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Iranian blockade, with Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong saying the draft failed to capture “the root causes and the full picture of the conflict.” Beijing has also rejected U.S. sanctions on Chinese entities linked to the Iranian oil trade, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry saying it “opposes illicit unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.”

Lebanon

• Israeli attacks on Lebanon:

  • Israeli strikes killed 17 people in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Lebanese Health Ministry said via WAFA. At least 2,702 have been killed, and 8,311 wounded, in Israeli attacks since March 2, according to the Ministry.

  • Israeli warplanes carried out a series of strikes on multiple towns Tuesday, including Kounine, Kafra, Braashit, Safad al-Battikh, Jibsheet, Majdal Zoun, Tebnine, Hanniyeh, and Mansouri, according to the National News Agency.

  • The Lebanese army reported that two soldiers were lightly injured in an Israeli strike in Kafra while traveling in a military vehicle. Israeli artillery fire also hit several areas, with reports indicating the use of internationally banned white phosphorus shells in Kounine and Beit Yahoun.

• Hezbollah claims ambush on Israeli forces as Israel admits army casualties in Lebanon: Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance announced Monday it ambushed an Israeli military unit near Khallat Raj in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon. Israeli forces reportedly responded with heavy covering fire to extract personnel and casualties, deploying additional vehicles to the contact zone, and evacuated casualties by land to the town of Misgav Am before transferring them by air. The Israeli Army Radio reported Tuesday that five Israeli soldiers and security personnel have been killed and 33 others injured since the ceasefire. Three reportedly died from explosive-laden drones and two from improvised explosive devices.

  • Hezbollah said Tuesday it launched multiple attacks, including rocket strikes on Israeli military positions near Deir Seryan, drone attacks targeting vehicles in Bayyada and Qantara, and a surface-to-air missile fired at an Israeli helicopter over Bayyada.

• Lebanese PM Salam says state arms monopoly is irreversible, demilitarization will take months: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Monday the government’s decision to enforce a state arms monopoly “will not be reversed,” describing it as a “new path” for the country, according to Naharnet. He said implementing Beirut’s demilitarization plan will take “weeks and months” but is inevitable, with expanded security measures and enforcement against violators. Salam added that no formal negotiations with Israel are underway—only preliminary meetings—and that talks in Washington would continue until a ceasefire is reached.

Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, three Palestinians were killed—two in new attacks and one recovered from under the rubble after an earlier attack—and 11 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,615 killed, with 172,468 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 834 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,365, while 768 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli drone strike kills one, wounds several: A Palestinian was killed early Tuesday after an Israeli drone strike targeted a group of people near Al-Jalaa roundabout in the Al-Oyoun area, north of Gaza City, according to WAFA. Several others were injured in the attack—some critically.

• Citizen Lab report finds Israeli-linked telecom infrastructure used in global surveillance operations across ten-plus countries: A Citizen Lab report reviewed by Haaretz found that Israeli-linked telecom infrastructure and spyware tools have been used by governments in more than ten countries to track individuals globally, exploiting deep vulnerabilities in mobile networks. Researchers detail how surveillance firms abuse the legacy SS7 network to impersonate carriers and query global systems for users’ locations, with one operation routing tracking requests through Israeli networks tied to companies 019Mobile and Partner Communications, and another linked to a Swiss firm supplying access to Israeli surveillance companies Rayzone and Cognyte. The report warns that newer 4G and 5G systems relying on the Diameter protocol carry similar vulnerabilities, and researchers logged more than 15,700 tracking attempts since 2022, including “SIMjacking” operations in which hidden SMS commands cause target phones to transmit their location without detection.

• Israel releases three Palestinian detainees from Gaza via Kerem Shalom crossing: Israel on Monday released three Palestinian prisoners from Gaza, transferring them to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, according to Palestine Online. Kamal al-Hourani, 64, from the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City; Abd al-Rahman al-Ghaleeth, 62, from Jabalia refugee camp; and Ahmad Abu Amra, 26, from Deir al-Balah had all been held at Ofer Prison. Human rights organizations have documented more than 100 deaths inside Israeli detention facilities since the war began. Hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza are still being held under conditions amounting to “enforced disappearance” by Israel, according to the Prisoners’ Media Office.

• Gaza NGO coordinator warns of “environmental and biological apocalypse” as water and sanitation systems collapse: A report shared with Drop Site by Eyad Amawi, an NGO coordinator in Gaza, warns the enclave is facing catastrophic infrastructure collapse, with 97% of groundwater undrinkable and daily water access fallen to three to five liters per person—dropping to one to three liters in the north—far below emergency thresholds. The report, which is based on data from the UN and humanitarian organizations, says the conditions in Gaza have fueled nearly half a million cases of acute diarrhea, many among children. All sewage systems are offline, with 130,000 cubic meters of untreated waste discharged into the sea daily, while around 500,000 tons of garbage blanketing displacement sites are 80% infested with rats carrying dozens of diseases; 71% of desalination plants and 80% of water infrastructure have been destroyed. Amawi characterized the crisis as a “calculated ecological disaster” that risks killing more people through disease and starvation than through bombardment and called for immediate international intervention.

• Female Palestinian prisoners report systematic torture at Damon Prison: The Prisoners’ Media Office released a statement on Monday reporting more than ten incidents of torture and abuse against Palestinian women prisoners in Israel’s Damon prison in April alone. The reported torture was carried out away from surveillance cameras; prisoners described being forced to the ground, bound from behind, then beaten and kicked. Prisoners also reported being held in stress positions, forced into solitary confinement and subjected to raids by special units. Overcrowding has also forced some detainees to sleep on the floor, with severe restrictions on bathing, outdoor access, and basic hygiene supplies. Prisoner rights organizations say 86 women are currently held in Israeli prisons, including two minors, a pregnant woman in her third trimester, 25 administrative detainees held without charge, three journalists, and two women with cancer.

• Israel extends detention of Flotilla organizers: An Israeli court has extended the detention of two Global Sumoud Flotilla activists, Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, for six additional days on Tuesday after Israeli naval forces seized them on April 30, according to human rights organization Adalah. Lawyers from Adalah called the allegations against the two “baseless,” noting they are foreign nationals seized more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza in international waters, and raised serious concerns over their treatment.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• U.S. military kills two in latest vessel strike in the Caribbean: The U.S. military conducted a strike against a boat in the Caribbean on Monday, killing two people, according to U.S. Southern Command. SOUTHCOM posted a video of the strike and said, “Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action” without providing evidence. At least 188 people have been killed in dozens U.S. strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since September.

• Democrats push the Trump administration to acknowledge Israel’s nuclear weapons program: Over two dozen House Democrats are urging the Trump administration to publicly acknowledge Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons program, according to the Washington Post. Israel has never confirmed or denied its nuclear weapons program although it has been an open secret for decades. “The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical,” 29 lawmakers wrote in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the risk of escalation by any party to this conflict, and the administration’s planning and contingencies for such scenarios.”

• SCOTUS expedites Louisiana redistricting ruling: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to immediately transmit to lower courts its recent opinion striking down Louisiana’s congressional map, bypassing the standard 32-day waiting period and clearing the way for the state to rapidly redraw district lines ahead of midterm elections. The underlying ruling is widely seen as gutting a remaining pillar of the Voting Rights Act. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented sharply, calling the court’s expedited transmittal “tantamount to an approval of Louisiana’s rush to pause the ongoing election.”

• Secret Service shoots armed man near White House; 15-year-old bystander grazed: Secret Service agents shot and wounded an armed man Monday afternoon just south of the White House. The exchange of gunfire that also struck a 15-year-old bystander. Agents approached the man after observing him carrying what appeared to be a weapon; he fled and opened fire on them before being apprehended, according to Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn. Secret Service congressional affairs official Chris McDonald wrote in a notification to Congress that President Donald Trump was not in danger. A motorcade carrying Vice President JD Vance had passed through the area shortly before the confrontation. The identity and condition of the alleged gunman were not immediately released; the 15-year-old was still being treated for a non-life-threatening wound on Monday evening.

• Supreme Court temporarily restores broad access to abortion pill mifepristone: The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a federal appeals court ruling that had threatened to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, temporarily allowing women to obtain the drug at pharmacies or by mail without an in-person doctor’s visit. The order, signed by Justice Samuel Alito, will remain in effect for one week while both sides respond and the court considers the matter further. Anti-abortion groups vowed to continue the legal fight, with National Right to Life calling Monday’s ruling “a temporary procedural step” that leaves unresolved what it described as safety concerns about the drug, which the FDA approved 25 years ago and has repeatedly deemed safe and effective.

• DHS closes immigration detention oversight office: The Department of Homeland Security is shutting down the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, the agency responsible for investigating misconduct and abuse in immigration detention facilities, according to an internal email obtained by HuffPost. The office has begun removing public signage and ending inspections, and its public-facing website—which guided detainees’ families and attorneys on filing complaints—was taken offline Monday. DHS attributed the closure to a lack of funding in the recent Homeland Security appropriations bill, though critics and at least one legal analyst say the text of that bill does not require the closure and that the office likely had sufficient funds from prior appropriations. The office had already been gutted—reduced from more than 100 employees to just five by March—as the number of immigration detention facilities more than doubled.

• Federal judge says DHS press release put her safety at risk: A Justice Department attorney on Monday apologized to Rhode Island U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose for a Department of Homeland Security press release that falsely accused her of knowingly releasing an ICE detainee wanted for murder, acknowledging in court the allegation “simply was not true.” The April 30 DHS release, headlined “Activist Biden Judge Releases Violent Criminal Illegal Alien Wanted for Murder,” remained live on the agency’s website Monday. The judge said she is considering holding DHS or DOJ officials in contempt, calling the episode “a serious breakdown in the ethical codes” and “a massive breach of this court’s trust.”

Other International News

• Sudan accuses the UAE and Ethiopia of drone strikes on Khartoum airport: Sudan’s armed forces accused the UAE and Ethiopia of carrying out drone strikes on Khartoum International Airport. An army spokesperson Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab said a drone downed during a March attack was forensically linked to Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport and to the UAE, according to Reuters. The airport had received its first international flight in three years just last week, days after people, ministries, and international agencies began returning to Khartoum following the army’s recapture of the city in March 2025. “What Ethiopia and the UAE have done is direct aggression against Sudan and won’t be met with silence,” said Abdelwahab. A separate drone strike killed five people aboard a civilian bus in Omdurman on Saturday.

• Russia and Ukraine declare dueling unilateral ceasefires: Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire for May 8-9 to coincide with its Victory Day celebrations, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received no official notice of this from Moscow and declared a separate Ukrainian ceasefire beginning at midnight, May 5. The Russian Ministry of Defense warned that any attempt to disrupt the holiday would be met with “a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv,” urging civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to leave the city.

  • Russian missile strikes killed at least eight people in Ukraine on Monday. A midday Iskander-type ballistic missile strike on the town of Merefa in the Kharkiv region killed six people and wounded more than 30 others, destroying at least ten houses and four shops, according to regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov. Two additional men were killed in separate attacks on the Kherson region.

  • Overnight, Ukraine targeted Moscow with drones, striking a building on Mosfilmovskaya Street roughly ten kilometers southwest of the Kremlin; Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties, and two other drones were repelled by air defenses.

• India’s left experiences historic defeat: India’s left-wing parties suffered a historic electoral defeat Monday as early results showed the Congress-led United Democratic Front winning or leading in 98 of Kerala’s 140 legislative seats, routing the Left Democratic Front, which won or led in just 35. Kerala was the last Indian state governed by communists and the first in the world to elect a communist government democratically. Political analysts said the results mark the first time since 1977 that no Indian state will be governed by the left. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s far-right Bharatiya Janata Party also won a critical election in the West Bengal state, taking control of the state for the first time.

• Amnesty International documents ADF war crimes in eastern DRC: Amnesty International says the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group is committing mass war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, documenting cases of murder, abduction, forced labor and marriage, sexual abuse of women and girls, and recruitment of children. The report is based on interviews with 71 survivors, humanitarian workers, and police officers in North Kivu province. It details a September 2025 assault on Ntoyo village, in which ADF fighters disguised as mourners allegedly killed more than 60 people at a wake using hammers, machetes, and axes. In a November attack on Byambwe village, at least 17 civilians were killed and four hospital wards set ablaze. Amnesty documented 46 abduction cases and spoke to women and girls forced into marriages with ADF fighters.

• Zambia suspends U.S. talks over “unacceptable” terms: Zambia’s Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe announced Monday that the government suspended negotiations with the United States on a proposed $2 billion, five-year health agreement and a separate minerals deal. The health deal stalled over U.S. data-sharing demands, Haimbe said, while the minerals agreement—covering Africa’s second-largest copper producer—broke down over insistence that American companies receive preferential treatment. Zambia also objected to the U.S. linking the two agreements, making the health deal contingent on the minerals deal.

• UAE buys 10 Brazilian military transport aircraft: The UAE on Monday signed a contract with Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer to purchase ten C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft—the first such sale to a Middle Eastern state. The purchase reflects the UAE’s deepening cooperation with BRICS member states since joining the bloc in early 2024. Last week, the U.S. State Department separately approved a $147.6 million sale of APKWS rocket systems to the UAE.

• U.S. revokes visas of Costa Rican newspaper board members: The United States revoked the visas of several board executives at La Nación, one of Costa Rica’s leading newspapers, prompting accusations that Washington is using immigration restrictions to punish critics of both the Trump administration and outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, a close Trump ally. The newspaper has been a persistent target of Chaves since it published sexual harassment allegations against him during his 2022 presidential campaign. Chaves, who has cooperated extensively with the Trump administration on deportations and drug trafficking extraditions, leaves office Friday.

If you want to continue getting this newsletter, you don’t have to do anything. But if this is too much—we do try to be mindful of your inbox—you can unsubscribe from this newsletter while continuing to get the rest of our reporting. Just go into your account here at this link, scroll down, and toggle the button next to “Drop Site Daily” to the off setting. It looks like this: