All living Israeli captives and hundreds of Palestinians released; Trump addresses Knesset
Drop Site Daily: October 13, 2025
Dozens of bodies continue to be recovered every day in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect on Friday, including 60 bodies in the past 24 hours. Roughly 500,000 Palestinians return to northern Gaza amid widespread destruction. Hundreds of Palestinian captives freed from Israeli detention arrive in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, or are exiled to Egypt as part of the ceasefire deal. Hamas releases all 20 remaining living Israeli captives. In the wake of Israel’s partial withdrawal, armed Palestinian groups accused of collaborating with Israel clash with security forces and resistance fighters in Gaza City. President Donald Trump addresses the Israeli Knesset to standing ovations then heads to Egypt for “Peace Summit” with world leaders. The American government shutdown entered its third week, leaving 750,000 workers furloughed and essential services paused. New lawsuit alleges postal worker Kingsley Fifi Bimpong died under police neglect in a Minnesota jail. Fighting on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border intensifies after Pakistani strikes putatively targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban fighters inside Afghanistan. An RSF strike in Sudan’s El-Fasher kills at least 60.
Israeli Soldiers Torched Homes, Food, and Gaza’s Sewage Plant After Ceasefire: In the hours following Donald Trump’s ceasefire announcement, Israeli soldiers carried out a large-scale arson campaign across Gaza City, targeting homes, food stores, and the critical Sheikh Ajlin Sewage Treatment Plant, the last facility capable of processing Gaza City’s wastewater. Social media posts from soldiers show them celebrating the destruction, calling it “final touches” and “one last memory.” Read the full investigation by Younis Tirawi and Yaniv Cogan for Drop Site here.
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The Genocide in Gaza
At least 63 Palestinians were confirmed killed by the health ministry in Gaza over the past 24 hours according to the ministry of health, including 60 whose bodies were recovered from previous Israeli attacks. At least 39 Palestinians were wounded. The ministry said many bodies remain buried under destroyed buildings and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews continue to face difficulties reaching them. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 67,869 killed, with 170,105 injured.
Roughly 500,000 Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect on Friday, Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said.
For the first time in months, the health ministry on Sunday and Monday did not include the number of Palestinians killed and wounded while seeking aid. The United Nations said critical aid — including food, medicine, and shelter — is now entering Gaza in a “humanitarian scale-up,” with cooking gas, tents for displaced families, frozen meat, fruit, flour, and medical supplies delivered for the first time since March. Hundreds of thousands of hot meals and bread bundles have been distributed in northern and southern Gaza as access restrictions eased. The UN added that this is only the start of its 60-day plan under the ceasefire, aiming to expand operations to provide life-saving aid and services to nearly all residents across the Strip.
Egyptian and regional officials told the Associated Press that Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food distribution sites are temporarily closed under the ceasefire, with GHF saying the move is part of “tactical changes” during prisoner transfers and does not affect its long-term plans. The UN is preparing to take over food deliveries, with 170,000 tons of supplies ready once cleared by Israel, while Israel’s COGAT expects at least 600 trucks per day under the phase 1 deal. Over 2,600 Palestinians have been killed at or near GHF sites or seeking aid near UN food convoys, according to the health ministry. At least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, have died as a result of famine and malnutrition over the past two years, according to the health ministry.
In the wake of Israel’s partial withdrawal, armed Palestinian groups accused of collaborating with Israel have clashed with security forces and resistance fighters in Gaza City. Journalist Saleh Al-Jafarawi was killed on Sunday after being shot by members of a Palestinian armed group in Gaza City. Heavy clashes erupted between the members of a Palestinian armed group accused of being collaborators with Israel, and security forces late Sunday. Officials said displaced civilians were also killed. Al-Jafarawi had been openly threatened by the Israeli military over the course of the war. Dr. Mohammed Abu Lahia said al‑Jafarawi had been kidnapped, beaten, and executed by collaborators working with Israeli forces; in a message mourning his friend, Abu Lahia recalled Saleh telling him: “‘If I don’t die by the occupation, I’ll die at the hands of the collaborators’—and that’s exactly what happened.” A video of his funeral in Gaza City can be seen here.
Naim Basem Naim, the son of senior Hamas official and negotiator Dr. Basem Naim, has died from injuries sustained yesterday after being attacked by members of the Doghmush clan, his family confirmed. Basem Naim himself survived the Israeli strike on Hamas in Qatar in early September.
The Popular Forces, an Israel-armed militia accused of looting aid in southern Gaza and collaborating with Israeli forces, was reportedly under siege by Gaza’s Sahm security units in Rafah on Sunday evening local time.
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man Sunday evening in the Maen area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Wafa news agency reported. According to the report, soldiers opened fire in the area, killing the man immediately.
Eyal Weizman, a London-based director of Forensic Architecture, notes that Israel’s withdrawal line leaves it controlling the vast majority of Gaza’s agricultural land and most of its fertile soil.
Ceasefire Updates
Prisoner Release
Buses carrying dozens of Palestinian captives freed from Israeli detention arrived in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza on Monday as part of the ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian captives include 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge, and 250 serving life sentences. The Palestinians captives will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.
In Gaza, giant crowds greeted the freed captives as they arrived at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. Monday’s release still leaves about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza in Israeli custody, according to a count of detainees in September by the Israeli human rights group Hamoked.
In the occupied West Bank, buses carrying freed Palestinian captives arrived in Beitunia, near Ramallah where hundreds of families and supporters awaited them. The Israeli military fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating the releases—as has happened in the past. Israeli forces distributed fliers saying that “anyone who participates in such activities exposes himself to punishment and arrest.”
The Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Prisoners’ Club said that of the 250 prisoners with life sentences being released today, 154 who will be exiled to Egypt, and 96 who will not be exiled, including eight being sent to Gaza since they are from Gaza. A total of 88 will be released to the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Hamas released all 20 remaining living Israeli captives held in Gaza on Monday. Hundreds gathered in a square in Tel Aviv watched the releases on giant screens and cheered as captives arrived back in Israel. The bodies of the remaining 28 dead captives are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear. Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a statement on Monday saying it will hand over the bodies of four dead Israeli captives today.
Trump in the Region
President Trump arrived in Israel on Monday and addressed the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, where Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump’s name and gave him repeated standing ovations. In his address, Trump said, “Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change.” He told Israeli lawmakers, “You’ve won. I mean, you’ve won,” adding, “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.” Trump also addressed Palestinians saying “now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.” On Iran, which the U.S. bombed earlier this year, Trump said “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.” On Lebanon, Trump said, “the dagger of Hezbollah” aimed at Israel has been “totally shattered,” adding “My administration is actively supporting the new president of Lebanon and his mission to permanently disarm Hezbollah’s … brigades. He’s doing very well.”
In his speech, Trump called on the Israeli president to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he described as “one of the greatest” wartime leaders, on his longstanding corruption charges. Trump also criticized the Biden administration and praised a top donor, Miriam Adelson, who was in the audience.
During Trump’s speech, Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian member of the Knesset was removed from the chamber for interrupting Trump’s address. He later said he was removed because he “raised the simplest demand, a demand that the entire international community agrees on: To recognise a Palestinian state, to recognise this simple reality.” Another Knesset member, Ofer Cassif, was also removed.
After wrapping up the speech Trump is now en route to Egypt where he will attend a summit co-hosted by Egypt and the U.S. in Sharm El-Sheikh. Leaders from nearly 30 countries are attending the summit.
The head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, confirmed Saturday that no American troops will be deployed inside Gaza, following his visit to the enclave to discuss plans for a CENTCOM-led Civil-Military Coordination Center supporting post-conflict stabilization. Up to 200 U.S. troops are expected to deploy to Israel to assist with logistics, humanitarian aid, and security, but they will remain outside Gaza.
In a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to the region, Trump said the U.S. is aware that Hamas is “rearming” to help restore order in Gaza, adding that the group had been “open about it” and that the U.S. “gave them approval for a period of time.” He noted the context of heavy casualties in Gaza, with “probably 60,000 people” lost, and emphasized that oversight aims to prevent crime and ensure safety as nearly two million people return to rebuild areas that were “literally demolished.”
He also suggested that Netanyahu has made verbal commitments to advance the next phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying, “I had some disputes with him, and they were quickly settled.” He added that his administration has received “a lot of verbal guarantees” from both Israeli and Arab leaders, which he believes will be “held very strongly” to ensure the agreement’s success.
In one pivot, the president praised Qatar for its mediation efforts, calling the country “a tremendous help” and lauding the bravery of its leader, the Amir of Qatar, during the negotiations. He said the Gulf state “should start getting some credit” for navigating a difficult and dangerous situation and added that his understanding of Qatar had grown since his first term, when he had previously criticized the country over alleged terrorism funding.
Trump said he is holding off on endorsing Tony Blair to oversee Gaza, explaining he first wants to ensure Blair would be “acceptable to everybody.” Trump added, “I like Tony, I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody.”
And finally, President Trump responded to a question about Netanyahu’s refusal to say the war in Gaza is over: “The war is over. The war is over. The war is over. Ok? Do you understand that?” He also said: “The ceasefire is going to hold. And we’re going to make sure it holds.”
Palestinian Response
Hamas Political Bureau member Mohammed Nazzal said the movement will not attend the upcoming Sharm el-Sheikh summit, where President Donald Trump and other world leaders are expected to endorse the Gaza ceasefire deal. Nazzal said Hamas “did not request to be represented” and does not wish to “make things awkward for anyone,” describing the meeting as largely ceremonial.
In the same interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher, Nazzal said the movement’s weapons are tied to the creation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state and would only be handed over to that state. He called any attempt to disarm the resistance or transfer its arms to an Arab party “absolutely out of the question,” denied that Egyptian mediators proposed holding Hamas’s weapons, and said the matter involves all resistance factions, including Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front, Ahrar, and the Mujahideen. (Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the next stage after the return of Israeli captives will be the destruction of all tunnels used by resistance fighters in Gaza—a measure Palestinian resistance factions have not agreed to.)
Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said he wants the Sharm el‑Sheikh agreement implemented exactly as written and called for strong international—especially Arab—pressure to restrain Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he accused of threatening to resume the war. Hamad added that Hamas is closely monitoring the ceasefire, the entry and distribution of aid, and remains in daily contact with mediators; he said the movement will decide responsive steps in the coming hours and days to ensure full implementation on the ground.
A Palestinian official informed Axios’ Barak Ravid that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is slated to attend the Trump peace summit in Egypt today.
Hussein Al-Sheikh, the recently-appointed vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization and potential successor to Mahmoud Abbas, met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair over the weekend to discuss implementing President Trump’s Gaza plan. The talks focused on consolidating the ceasefire, ensuring aid delivery, releasing prisoners, and launching reconstruction, while Al-Sheikh called for an end to Israel’s withholding of Palestinian Authority tax revenues. Al-Sheikh has close ties to Israel. “If you heard him talking in a closed room, you’d feel that you are talking to an Israeli soldier…,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Drop Site in May, adding “That is not my words. It’s the words of some significant leaders of Fatah.”
U.S. News
The U.S. government shutdown is entering its third week, causing widespread economic strain as missed paychecks and suspended services ripple beyond federal employees. About 750,000 workers have been furloughed, essential services like IRS help lines and Social Security verifications are paused, and flight delays are surging due to understaffed air traffic control. Military personnel face delayed pay despite Pentagon efforts to redirect funds, highlighting the broader costs of the impasse between President Trump and Congress.
A newly filed federal lawsuit alleges that 50-year-old postal worker Kingsley Fifi Bimpong died after police and jail staff in Minnesota ignored clear signs he was having a massive stroke, mistakenly attributing his medical emergency to drugs. Arrested for a suspected DWI, Bimpong was taken to Dakota County Jail, where video shows him lying on the floor in his own urine for hours while guards logged “inmate and cell OK.” Despite advanced training in distinguishing medical emergencies from drug impairment, Officer Martin Jensen allegedly skipped required evaluation steps, and jail staff failed to provide timely care. Paramedics arrived only after a nurse was alerted to seizure-like activity; Bimpong was rushed to the hospital but declared brain-dead days later.
Control of NSO Group—the software company responsible for Pegasus spywar—is set to leave Israeli ownership. A group of U.S. investors, led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds, agreed to acquire the controversial developer in a deal worth several tens of millions of dollars. The transaction is expected to be signed in the coming days but still requires approval from Israel’s Defense Export Control Agency at the Ministry of Defense.
In Chicago, eight ICE agents in four vehicles reportedly moved to detain a 15-year-old girl. She screamed “I’m 15!” as officers pulled her from the car and pressed a knee to her neck.
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo refused to condemn the DOJ’s recent charges against his state’s attorney general, Letitia James.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) criticized the Israel Defense Forces for “unbelievably controlling and brutal” behavior at West Bank checkpoints, accused Israel of “brutally murdering” Palestinians in Gaza, and joined comedian Tim Dillon in condemning Trump’s $20 billion bailout to Argentina.
International News
Fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces sharply escalated over the past week, marking the most serious outbreak of violence between the neighbors in years. The Taliban government’s chief spokesman said its forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations. Pakistan’s army gave lower casualty figures, saying 23 troops were killed, according to the AP. The clashes followed Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leaders, which the Afghan Taliban are accused of sheltering, prompting retaliatory attacks on Pakistani border posts.
At least 60 people were killed in a drone and artillery strike on a displacement camp at a university in El-Fasher, Sudan, on Saturday, local activists said, as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensify attacks on the besieged city. Victims included women, children, and the elderly, with many burned in the assault. El-Fasher, home to 400,000 civilians, has been under siege for 18 months, with hospitals repeatedly bombed, food nearly depleted, and most of the population forced underground. UN officials condemned the attacks as indiscriminate and called for urgent protection of civilians and humanitarian access, warning that the RSF’s advance threatens control of all Darfur.
Clashes escalated in Quito, Ecuador, on Sunday during a march marking the Day of Resistance, as Ecuador entered its 21st day of a national strike against President Daniel Noboa. Protesters, whistling and chanting “Noboa out, out!” burned tires, blocked roads, and faced tear gas from police, who dispersed the rally before it reached a central plaza; no injuries were immediately reported. The strike, called by Ecuador’s largest Indigenous organization over the removal of a fuel subsidy that raised diesel prices from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon, has seen one civilian killed, dozens injured, and over 100 arrests, prompting Noboa to impose a state of emergency in 10 provinces while resisting negotiations with Indigenous leaders.
Trump said Sunday that he again discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the possibility of Ukraine obtaining long-range Tomahawk missiles, which could strike deep into Russia, including Moscow. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Israel, Trump echoed comments last week by Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling such a move “a new step of aggression” and emphasizing his goal of settling the war.
Madagascar’s Prime Minister Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo called for calm and national unity on Saturday after some soldiers joined youth-led protests in Antananarivo, escorting demonstrators into May 13 Square for the first time since unrest began September 25. The protests, sparked by water and electricity shortages and inspired by Gen Z-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, have become the most serious challenge to President Andry Rajoelina since his 2023 reelection. Demonstrators are demanding Rajoelina resign, apologize, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission; at least 22 people have died and 100 been injured, according to the UN, though the government disputes the toll.
China warned it is “not afraid” of a trade war after Trump vowed to impose new 100% tariffs on Chinese imports in response to a report that Beijing had imposed export controls on rare earth minerals. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce accused Washington of a “textbook double standard,” saying the U.S. has long abused national security justifications, export controls, and unilateral sanctions. Global markets fluctuated over uncertainty over the threats of a new trade war and limitations on rare earth exports from China that are required for advanced commercial and military manufacturing.
More From Drop Site
The Free Press Called Out “Incomplete” Reporting on Gaza’s Starving Children. Here’s the Complete Story: An August Free Press article, highlighted by now CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss as “ground truth,” examined cases of Palestinians featured in U.S. media photos to argue that malnutrition in Gaza was overstated. Drop Site and journalist Maha Hussaini spoke directly with the families of Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Mutawaq, Najwa Hussein Hajjaj, and Hamza Ismail Mishmish and found that their deteriorating health was driven not by pre-existing conditions but by lack of food and medicine amid Israel’s blockade and military assaults. Read the newest from Maha Hussaini and Ryan Grim here.
Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians who had gathered near Wadi Gaza and along the coastal Al-Rashid road in the south began making their way north on Friday. Palestinian journalist and Drop Site contributor Abdel Qader Sabbah, who returned to Gaza City on Friday after being displaced to Deir al-Balah last month amid Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign, told Drop Site: “People are returning to Gaza City any way they can, on foot, by motorized rickshaw, by truck but the level of destruction is difficult to explain—Sheikh Radwan is destroyed, so is Tel al-Hawa, Nafaq street—many of the neighborhoods in the city are ruined. But some features of life are returning.” Read the article here.
After the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire was signed, Israel reportedly launched intense bombing campaigns on southern towns including Aitaroun and Bint Jbeil, with more than 4,500 alleged violations since. Journalist Jeremy Loffredo reported from the ground, documenting residents’ attempts to return amid drone strikes, air raids, and sniper surveillance, while speaking with the mayor of Aitaroun and visiting homes previously used as Israeli military bases. Watch the full video report here. Over 300 bulldozers and engineering vehicles were reportedly destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon overnight Friday.
Drop Site’s Story Editor, Alex Colston recounts that after becoming increasingly ill, he was asked by the Israeli military if he needed medical attention. He says he was then taken to a fenced-off area, where he was denied care and brutalized while in need of treatment. Watch his discussion of his experience under Israeli captivity with Ryan Grim here.
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Please change the verbiage here, it's a misplaced modifier: "At least 63 Palestinians were confirmed killed by the health ministry in Gaza over the past 24 hours..."
The Palestinians obviously were not killed by the Gaza health ministry.
Trump is evil and he’s such a moron that he doesn’t realize it.