Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza return north as ceasefire takes effect; NY Attorney General Letitia James indicted
Drop Site Daily: October 10, 2025
Israel kills 17 Palestinians over the past 24 hours in Gaza. Ceasefire goes into effect at 12 noon local time; Israeli troops withdraw to agreed upon lines, retaining control of 53% of Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza return to the north. Exchange of Israeli and Palestinian captives expected on Monday. United States will send 200 troops to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire. New York Attorney General Letitia James is indicted in fraud case after pressure from President Donald Trump. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatens to fire air traffic controllers who do not show up for work during the government shutdown. Peru Congress swears in new president after ousting Boluarte. The Trump administration finalizes its $20-billion bailout of Argentina. A new UN report says violence in Haiti has displaced nearly 700,000 children. Russia claims to have captured 8 more villages along the Ukrainian front lines.
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The Genocide in Gaza
Over the past 24 hours, 17 dead and 71 injured Palestinians arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while five Palestinians were injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 67,211 killed, with 169,961 injured.
Among the Israeli attacks on Gaza on Thursday was the bombing of the Ghabboun family home in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, according to the Civil Defense spokesperson. At least four Palestinians were killed and 40 trapped under the rubble.
News outlets reported heavy Israeli bombing across Gaza up until the ceasefire went into effect at 12 p.m. local time on Friday, hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal. The Israeli military announced that its troops have withdrawn to lines still deep within Gaza agreed upon in the plan and warned Palestinians not to approach them.
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.”
A statement by Palestinian police forces in Gaza warned people “to be extremely cautious and vigilant when returning to their homes and residential areas for the presence of suspicious objects, hazardous waste, and unexploded bombs. They should not tamper with them under any circumstances and should inform the relevant authorities so they can safely remove the danger.”
An Israeli military spokesperson issued several warnings to Palestinians, including:
In the north, approaching the areas of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Al-Shujaiya “is extremely dangerous.”
In the south, “it is highly dangerous to approach the Rafah Crossing area, the Philadelphia Axis area, and all areas where forces are stationed in Khan Younis.”
Along the coast, “There is significant danger in engaging in fishing, swimming, or diving, and we warn against entering the sea in the coming days.”
Across Gaza, “It is forbidden to approach Israeli territories and the buffer zone.”
Ceasefire Updates
Under the plan the Israeli Cabinet approved late on Thursday evening, the Israeli military will retain control of roughly 53% of Gaza and redeploy to the “yellow line” mapped in the Trump plan, with a ceasefire beginning within 24 hours of the cabinet meeting. Bedrosian said a 72-hour period will follow for the release and repatriation of all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, while humanitarian aid—including food, medicine, and fuel—enters Gaza under coordination with international organizations and Egypt, calling the deal a historic step mediated by Qatar, the United States, Egypt, and Turkey.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff posted on X on Friday: “CENTCOM has confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12PM local time. The 72 hour period to release the hostages has begun,” meaning that the exchange of captives should take place on Monday. Hamas is to release 20 living Israeli captives while Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinians, including several hundred serving prison sentences and others detained from Gaza during the war. Locating and releasing the bodies of the dead Israeli captives could take more time.
Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 250 Palestinian captives to be released in exchange for Israeli captives as part of the deal. The list does not include the names of several senior Palestinian leaders whose release Hamas had insisted on, including Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Salameh, and Abbas al-Sayyed. However, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Authority and Prisoners’ Club said the names circulating on social media and WhatsApp are inaccurate and urged the public not to share unverified information.
Five border crossings are expected to reopen, including the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Israel’s Army Radio reported on Friday that 600 aid trucks will be allowed into Gaza every day. The report also said Israel will let Palestinians who left Gaza during the war return home through the Rafah crossing.
Senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya on Thursday morning announced what he called a permanent ceasefire, declaring that Gaza had “endured two years of genocide” and would “never belong to its enemies.” In a televised address, al-Hayya said that mediators and the United States had provided guarantees confirming the war’s permanent end and reaffirmed that Hamas seeks a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Trump on Thursday said he “created peace” in the Middle East and that Israeli captives would be released on Monday or Tuesday. Trump said he will likely be traveling to Egypt for “an additional signing” with him present. When asked what guarantees he could provide that Israel would not resume bombardment after receiving its captives, Trump replied simply: “We’ll see.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that Donald Trump is expected to land in Israel on Monday morning and is expected to head straight to the Knesset in Jerusalem to deliver a speech. The report said Trump would not be visiting Gaza during his trip.
France hosted a high-level meeting in Paris on Wednesday with foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and several European states to discuss Gaza’s post-war future. The participants endorsed a United States–brokered ceasefire plan involving a phased Israeli withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and new governance arrangements. Qatar’s Foreign Minister called for “full implementation” to end Palestinian suffering and free captives, while Israel condemned the conference as “harmful” and reportedly urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio not to attend; French officials said he later canceled “due to scheduling issues.”
In a televised address on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the next stages of the deal would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized. “If this is achieved the easy way—so be it. If not—it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned he will not remain in a government that allows Hamas’s rule in Gaza to continue, calling its dismantling a “glaring red line.” He said his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party would bring down the government if Hamas is not dismantled or if officials pretend it has been when it has not.
On Breaking Points, Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill said that U.S. mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told delegations they aim to move “immediately” into Phase Two of the Trump-brokered Gaza agreement, with the former president insisting on no delay. Scahill said the key issue now is who represents the Palestinians — either a new cross-party delegation “they could name within days,” or the unpopular Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas. He relayed information from Palestinian negotiators that indicated the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is “done” and that Hamas concluded the only viable path to a diplomatic resolution—and to end the conflict without a prolonged stalemate—was through Donald Trump.
U.S. News
The United States is sending roughly 200 troops to Israel to oversee the new Gaza ceasefire, officials told the Associated Press Thursday. Drawn from U.S. Central Command and other commands, the troops will form a “civil-military coordination center” to manage logistics, security, and humanitarian aid flow, with no forces entering Gaza, following Israel and Hamas’s acceptance of the first phase of the Trump-brokered plan.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia in 2020 in a case Trump had instructed the Justice Department to bring. After Trump’s first term, James brought a lawsuit against him alleging that he built his business empire on fraudulent statements about his wealth. James blasted the indictment: “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.”
On Thursday, the Trump administration finalized a $20 billion currency-swap lifeline for Argentina, framed as a move to stabilize markets, limit Chinese influence, and support President Javier Milei’s pro-market reforms, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Critics argue the deal primarily benefits wealthy investors with close ties to Bessent while U.S. farmers and federal workers face economic hardships amid a domestic shutdown—and that, without long-term reforms, Argentina’s financial pressures could quickly return. The intervention comes ahead of the country’s legislative elections.
A federal appeals court panel signaled Thursday that it may allow Trump to deploy Oregon National Guard troops in Portland, despite a lower court ruling declaring the federalization of 200 state guardsmen illegal. Two Trump-appointed judges on the three-judge 9th Circuit panel questioned the district court’s authority to challenge the president’s assessment of enforcing federal law, while the third judge appeared more skeptical. Oregon officials argued the deployment was based on exaggerated claims about violence outside a federal immigration facility, but the panel indicated it could lift the block while the case continues.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened Thursday to fire air traffic controllers who fail to show up for work during the government shutdown, blaming a “small subset” of absences for widespread flight delays across major hubs like Reagan National, O’Hare, and Newark. The staffing shortages began Monday when controllers, considered essential workers, started working without pay, while the White House has floated a memo suggesting furloughed employees may not be entitled to back pay once the shutdown ends.
Trump said Thursday that his administration will begin cutting programs backed by Democrats as the government shutdown enters its ninth day, targeting “very popular Democrat programs” he claims Republicans do not support. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, he indicated these cuts could become permanent. Some funding cuts have already been implemented, including a nearly $2 billion freeze on New York infrastructure projects and the cancellation of $8 billion in climate-related initiatives in Democratic-led states.
International News
Lawmakers in Peru swore in the head of Peru’s legislature José Jerí as the country’s new president less than an hour after voting unanimously to remove President Dina Boluarte. Boularte faced accusations of corruption and months of protests in rural Andean and Indigenous communities that were met with lethal force.
In Haiti, gang violence has displaced 680,000 children—nearly double the number from last year—forcing many into makeshift shelters with limited access to food, water, and education, UNICEF reported Thursday. Schools are closing nationwide, with 1,606 shuttered either due to attacks or for use as shelters, leaving at least one in four children out of school and nearly 300,000 under age five at risk of acute malnutrition. The World Food Program has cut rations in half amid funding shortfalls, even as encampments swell and families struggle to survive in increasingly dire conditions.
Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly and chief of international negotiations, posted on Telegram that President Nicolás Maduro had informed the country about intelligence actions to identify those behind an alleged terrorist plan targeting the United States embassy. Rodríguez called the suspects “psychopaths” seeking to unleash violence and vowed the government would “defend, even with our lives, the sacred territory,” he wrote.
The United Nations plans to slash its peacekeeping force by roughly 25%, forcing 13,000–14,000 military and police personnel to return home, following U.S. funding cuts aligned with President Trump’s “America First” agenda. The reduction affects missions in countries including Congo, South Sudan, Lebanon, and Cyprus, while the overall peacekeeping budget will drop about 15% this year. U.S. contributions to nine missions will fall from $1 billion to $680 million, as the Trump administration pressures the U.N. to prioritize core peacekeeping functions and assess the effectiveness of its agencies, with China expected to pay its full share.
China announced sweeping new export controls on rare earths, artificial diamonds, and key battery materials such as graphite and lithium-ion components, citing national security concerns. The new rules, effective November 8, expand restrictions to more rare earth elements and tighten licensing for semiconductor- and defense-related technologies. Coming just before renewed U.S.–China trade talks, analysts say that the move signals Beijing’s intent to use its dominance in critical minerals as leverage against Western attempts to curb its access to advanced semiconductors and other technology.
An artillery strike by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces on a mosque sheltering displaced families in El-Fasher killed 13 people and wounded 20, witnesses told AFP. The attack comes amid the RSF’s fiercest assault since April 2023, as it overran nearby displacement camps and continued near-daily shelling and drone strikes, threatening to seize full control of Darfur. The conflict has displaced millions, triggered severe hunger, and killed tens of thousands, with survivors unable to access hospitals and forced to bury the dead themselves.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow now holds the “strategic initiative” in Ukraine as Russian forces claimed to have captured eight more villages along the 1,250-kilometer front line and roughly 5,000 square kilometers of territory this year. A Ukrainian government program, citing leaked Russian documents, put Russian losses at more than 86,000 killed and 280,000 total casualties in 2025—figures that Al Jazeera, which reported the story, could not verify. The fighting has intensified in both air and energy sectors: Russia has launched over 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles in a week while striking gas infrastructure, and Ukraine has retaliated with long-range drone attacks on major Russian refineries and arms plants.
President Vladimir Putin publicly acknowledged Thursday that Russian air defenses were responsible for downing an Azerbaijani jetliner in December, killing 38 people, after missiles fired to intercept a Ukrainian drone exploded near the plane. Speaking with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Tajikistan, Putin cited a “technical malfunction,” pledged compensation, and vowed to hold responsible officials accountable, signaling an effort to restore Moscow-Baku relations strained by the crash.
The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on more than 50 individuals, companies, and ships linked to Iran’s oil sector, targeting those facilitating liquefied petroleum gas shipments, including a Chinese port and refinery. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures aim to dismantle Tehran’s energy export network, part of the Trump administration’s broader “maximum pressure” campaign, following recent UN snapback sanctions over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. The sanctions block U.S.-based property and interests of the designated parties and extend to any companies they control.
At least 145 participants from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens missions to Gaza remain in Israeli detention, along with six Global Sumud Flotilla members and one Nigerian activist from the Omar al-Mukhtar flotilla. Haifa-based rights group Adalah reported poor conditions at Ketzi’ot Prison, violent treatment during and after seizures, and tribunal hearings without legal counsel, noting more than 20 detainees have yet to meet lawyers. Among those detained is Bangladeshi activist and photographer Shahidul Alam, while three Israeli citizens charged with “infiltration into a military area” refused conditional release terms, which Adalah called legally baseless.
Reyes Rigo Cervilla, a 56-year-old Spanish acupuncturist detained after Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound Sumud Flotilla on October 1, remains imprisoned at the Ktzi’ot detention center after being accused of assaulting a prison medic — a charge she and witnesses deny. She is the last of 462 detainees still held and is due back in court on Friday, according to Spain’s foreign minister.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who led a movement challenging the country’s ruling government, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. In a statement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee commended her “relentless efforts to advance democratic rights for the Venezuelan people and her fight for a fair and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” Machado has been a vocal opponent of President Nicholas Maduro and has been living in hiding since last year. In 2020, her opposition party, Vente Venezuela, signed a pact formalizing strategic ties with Israel’s Likud party, which is led by Benjamin Netanyahu. She has said that, if elected, she would move Venezuela’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
More From Drop Site
Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill joins Electronic Intifada coverage of the ceasefire: “The first thing you have to realize is that a nuclear-armed serial killer masquerading as a nation state, with the full backing of the United States, has failed to impose a surrender on Palestinians wearing Adidas flip-flops, track suits, and operating with largely domestically manufactured weapons.” Watch the full interview here.
Drop Site’s Alex Colston recounted his 4 nights and 5 days in Israel’s Ketziot Prison after being illegally detained from the Gaza-bound flotilla. He described being beaten, blindfolded, and kept awake for long hours, with a continuous loop of October 7 footage played throughout his detention. Watch here.
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Thanks for helping me try to grasp the magnitude of madness occurring across the planet.
"At least 145 participants from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens missions to Gaza remain in Israeli detention, along with six Global Sumud Flotilla members and one Nigerian activist from the Omar al-Mukhtar flotilla."
Unbelievable that the Israeli's can kidnap, imprison, and likely torture people from around the world while their respective governments do nothing to protect the rights of their citizens, never mind deal with the issue of human rights for all Israeli captives.