The world authority on food crisis officially declares famine for over 500,000 in Gaza, ICE gets new cars with “DEFEND THE HOMELAND” decals, the FBI raids John Bolton

Drop Site Daily: August 22, 2025

Israel has killed 52 Palestinians since dawn, as the UN officially declares a full-blown famine in Gaza that threatens to starve more than half-a-million people. New reports highlight the extent of torture, famine, and medical shortages—leading to painful surgeries without anesthetic—in the Gaza Strip. Hamas heads to Doha, signalling its continued willingness to Gaza on the same day Netanyahu says he will “take over Gaza” The State Department plans to ramp up surveillance of visa seekers. ICE plans to spend millions on gilded SUVs bearing the phrase “DEFEND THE HOMELAND.” Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan gets bail on the same day his niece is abducted. The FBI raids the home and office of John Bolton, former national security adviser in Trump’s first administration.

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Infographic showing food insecurity among 2 million people living in the Gaza Strip, according to an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis on August 22, 2025 (Graphic by NALINI LEPETIT-CHELLA,VALENTINA BRESCHI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Genocide in Gaza

• At least 52 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including 36 in Gaza City, which is under heavy bombardment, according to Al Jazeera. At least five of those killed were seeking aid. Over the past 24 hours, 71 killed Palestinians and 251 injured arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.. Two deaths due to starvation and malnutrition were recorded at the hospitals, bringing the total number of deaths due to starvation to 271, including 112 children. The total death toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 62,263 martyrs and 157,365 injuries.

• The world’s leading authority on food crises—the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)—has officially declared a full-blown, phase 5 “catastrophic” famine in the Gaza governorate, including Gaza City, and the famine is projected to spread and engulf Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by September. Nearly one-third of Gaza’s population—641,000 people—already face “starvation, destitution and death,” while another 1.14 million are in the “emergency” phase 4. Food supplies have collapsed: 87% of UN aid trucks were intercepted in July, bakeries are shut, wheat flour prices have soared 3,400% since February, and families are scavenging through rubble and rubbish for food. The Famine Review Committee calls the crisis “entirely man-made” and warns that “if a ceasefire is not implemented… avoidable deaths will increase exponentially.”

• A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would authorize the “takeover” of Gaza City, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed on Friday to destroy Gaza City, saying in a social media post: "We approved yesterday the IDF's plans for defeating Hamas in Gaza - with intense fire, evacuation of residents, and a [ground] maneuver. Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas's murderers and rapists in Gaza - until they agree to Israel's terms for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and [Hamas's] disarmament. If they do not agree - Gaza [City], the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun. Exactly as I promised - so it shall be."

• A newly published joint report by Forensic Architecture and the World Peace Foundation titled “The Architecture of Genocidal Starvation” in Gaza concludes in part that “the Israeli military has dismantled the ‘civilian model’ of aid distribution in Gaza and sought to replace it with a ‘military model’ which uses aid to further Israel’s military and political objectives, and starve the population of Gaza.”

• A new report from Palestinian prisoners’ rights groups, Enduring Hell, details testimonies from Gaza detainees describing systematic torture both in the “Rakevet” section at Israel’s Ramla Prison and the Sde Teiman military camp. Lawyers say the accounts reveal severe abuse and degrading conditions, reinforcing both sites’ reputations as centers of terror for Palestinian prisoners.

• UN spokesperson Daniela Gross said Israel’s ongoing bombardment has displaced over 796,000 people in Gaza since the March ceasefire collapsed, including 16,800 between August 12–20 alone. She warned of “devastating consequences” as intensified strikes in Gaza City continue to cause mass casualties and destruction—particularly in the Zeitoun neighborhood and the south. Over 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, since the war began.

• A new Ultra Palestine report warns that Israel’s blockade has left Gaza hospitals with life-threatening shortages of anesthetics and painkillers, forcing doctors to operate on children without proper relief. With deficits exceeding 50% for essential drugs like fentanyl and succinylcholine, most surgeries are suspended and even emergency operations are often carried out under only partial anesthesia.

• A former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) worker told CBS that U.S. subcontractors guarding Israeli-run aid sites have been firing on Palestinians alongside Israeli forces. He said he was recruited as a truck driver but was instead sent into Gaza to clean up human remains at GHF facilities, and provided videos he claims show gunfire targeting civilians.

• A joint investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian found that at least 83% of Palestinians killed in Gaza were civilians, according to a classified Israeli military intelligence database. The figures contradict Israeli officials’ public claims, with analysts warning the civilian toll rivals atrocities in Rwanda and Srebrenica, marking one of the deadliest in modern history.

• The Gaza Government Media Office reports that in the past 25 days, Israel has allowed only 2,187 aid trucks into Gaza—about 15% of the 600 daily trucks needed to meet minimum requirements. Additionally, Israel has maintained a nearly six-month ban on 430 essential goods, including meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and nutritional supplements.

• Netanyahu calls for censorship: "Israel is accused of starving children, pretty much the way that in the Middle Ages Jews were accused of killing Christian children for their blood. He added that something must be done “about the algorithms at the social networks."

Ceasefire Negotiations

• Hamas’s delegation is heading to Doha from Turkey for ceasefire talks mediated by Arab states, with no rejection yet signaled by Israel or Washington. Offering new concessions in the ceasefire negotiations, Hamas’s proposal calls for a 60-day truce, 600 daily aid trucks, a captive exchange, and partial Israeli withdrawal, even as Israel’s cabinet debates Gaza operations and Israeli forces plans to seize Gaza City in a months-long siege.

• Jeremy Scahill reports that Hamas formally agreed last week to a series of major concessions in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, according to a copy of the framework obtained by Drop Site News. Among the concessions Hamas made was dropping its demand that Israel withdraw entirely from the Philadelphi corridor running along the border with Egypt in southern Gaza; agreeing to remove language that would have prevented the U.S. and Israeli-imposed “aid” scheme run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) from remaining in Gaza after a ceasefire went into effect; consenting to a to a proposed Israeli “buffer zones” already encircling Gaza that would extend deeper into the enclave; as well as concessions regarding the terms for the exchange captives.

• In a Sky News Australia interview, Israeli PM Netanyahu said Israel will “take over Gaza” regardless of any ceasefire deal, comparing Hamas to Nazi Germany’s SS. He dismissed the current truce proposal, citing Gaza protests as proof to continue Israel’s full military takeover of the territory.

U.S. News

• In anticipation of the 2026 midterms, Democrat Governor of California Gavin Newsom signed two redistricting bills on Thursday and declared a special election on November 4 for voters to approve the redrawn congressional districts. The governor’s new legislation comes in response to Republican gerrymandering efforts in Texas supported by President Trump.

• A major Austin Chronicle op-ed from Wendy Davis, Glen Maxey, and other leading Texas Democrats urges Rep. Lloyd Doggett to run in a newly drawn R+10 district instead of challenging progressive Rep. Greg Casar – the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus – arguing Doggett is the only Democrat with a chance to win there, and that Casar’s career should not be cut short. Doggett agrees almost immediately, clearing the way for Casar to return to Congress.

• The FBI raided the home of John Bolton on Friday. Bolton was President Trump’s former national security advisor in his first administration and later became critical of the administration’s handling of classified information. He has not been charged with any crimes.

• The U.S. State Department says it is combing through the social media of all 55 million valid visa holders by “continuously vetting” them for possible revocation based on overstays, criminal activity, or alleged links to “terrorism.” Officials told the Associated Press that the sweeping reviews go far beyond past checks. Along with social media, they now pull in foreign law enforcement files and U.S. records. Since Trump’s return, more than 6,000 student visas have already been revoked—about 4,000 for infractions like assault, DUIs, or overstays, and 200–300 tied to alleged “terrorism support.” Student applicants are now required to unlock their social media accounts during interviews, where expressions of pro-Palestinian and anti-genocide speech and campus activism risk being flagged as “terrorism support.”

• St. Louis police and security for Rep. Wesley Bell (who defeated Cori Bush with the help of the Israeli lobby) roughed up townhall attendees at the end of his recent event.

• The Washington Post reports ICE is moving to spend over $2.4 million on SUVs and custom gold-detailed wraps emblazoned “DEFEND THE HOMELAND” as part of Trump’s federal takeover of D.C. policing. Contracts were awarded without open bidding. ICE says the vehicles are urgently needed to project law enforcement presence and to aid recruitment. Documents show the White House directly requested Ford Mustangs, described as “bold symbols of innovation and strength.”

• Senate candidate Graham Platner, challenging Susan Collins in Maine, shared a yearbook photo of himself holding a sign reading:

  
  “FREE

  KOSOVO
  CHECHNYA
  PALESTINE
  KURDISTAN
  TIBET”

  
  He was voted “Most likely to start a revolution.”

International News

• Pakistan’s Supreme Court has granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan bail in eight cases related to the rights on May 9, 2023, overturning earlier denials by the Lahore High Court. Khan remains imprisoned on other convictions, including a 14-year graft sentence, while reports highlight harsh detention conditions for him and his family amid a broader crackdown by authorities. Earlier today, Khan’s nephew, Shahrez Khan, was abducted in Lahore, escalating pressure on the family. His mother, Aleema Khan, one of Khan’s most vocal advocates since his imprisonment, has faced mounting intimidation from the Pakistani military to silence her public support.

• Iran’s Foreign Ministry says Foreign Minister Araqchi will hold a joint call Friday with other foreign ministers from France, the UK, Germany, and EU chief Kallas to discuss its nuclear program, sanctions relief, and attacks on nuclear sites. At the same time, Iran staged its first military drills since the 12-day war with Israel, with naval forces firing missiles in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean.

• Investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein reports that the Trump administration has ordered the U.S. Northern Command to prepare lethal strike plans against Mexican cartels, with target packages focused on Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation. The plans, which could involve drone attacks or special forces raids, may be carried out unilaterally without Mexico’s approval—marking a dramatic shift from past covert operations meant to avoid violating Mexican sovereignty.

• Arab media report that Israel and Syria plan to sign a limited U.S.-brokered security agreement on September 25, the day after Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa addresses the UN General Assembly, though no confirmation has been given. The deal, following Paris talks, would revive elements of the 1974 disengagement accord and establish de-escalation measures, but is not a full peace treaty.

• Palestinian factions in Beirut’s Burj al-Barajneh camp began handing over weapons Thursday, implementing a plan by Presidents Mahmoud Abbas and Joseph Aoun to place arms under Lebanese state control. While some light weapons were delivered to the army, armed divisions still remain in operation. Hamas dismissed the move and vowed to keep its arms in defense of the Palestinian right of return.

• El Salvador’s new education minister, military captain Karla Trigueros, has ordered schools to enforce strict dress codes, allowing penalties like grade deductions or community service for violations. At one technical school, director Oscar Melara inspects students daily, while barber shops report long lines as students look to receive cuts for in banned hairstyles like mohawks and “Edgar cuts.” President Nayib Bukele praised the measure, but teachers’ unions criticized placing a military officer in charge of education saying that it’s reminiscent of dictatorship-era control.

• Nigeria has deported 102 foreign nationals, including 60 Chinese and 39 Filipinos, convicted of “cyber-terrorism and internet fraud,” as part of a crackdown on online scams. The arrests, which began with a large operation in Lagos in December, targeted gangs using phishing and fake cryptocurrency schemes to defraud victims mostly in North America and Europe. Authorities say foreign syndicates exploit Nigerian accomplices and the country’s weak cybersecurity infrastructure to run increasingly sophisticated fraud operations.

• Thousands of members and supporters of Tunisia’s UGTT protested in the capital Thursday, denouncing declines in union rights and civic freedoms amid a standoff with President Kais Saied. The demonstration, one of the largest recent political protests, saw chants for workers’ rights and calls to address poverty, while UGTT leaders demanded the release of political prisoners and fair trials.

• ICC war crimes fugitive PM Netanyahu went on Sky News Australia to attack the recognition of the state of Palestine by Australia’s capital Canberra.

  
  Netanyahu claimed Western leaders are “feeding the crocodile of militant Islam” by recognizing Palestine’s right to self determination. “They think they’ll pacify, they’ll appease the crocodile. No it won’t… the greater the fire will grow and will consume you in the end. You have no protection,” he told a credulous anchor.

More from Drop Site

• “Hamas has agreed to a revised 60-day ceasefire framework, stripping down its demands to the bare minimum in hopes of ending the bloodshed,” Drop Site reports. “If the U.S. does not compel Israel to accept the current offer from Hamas… a deal would not happen any time soon,” warns analyst Sami Al-Arian, underscoring the urgent stakes as Netanyahu plans a massive ground invasion of Gaza City.

  Read more here

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