Israel assassinates Qassam commander in Gaza; RSF shell military hospital and advance in South Kordofan; Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election

Drop Site Daily: December 15, 2025

Israel carries out more strikes near Gaza City. Israeli navy seizes at least four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Khan Younis. Israel employs drones to smuggle narcotics into Gaza, Al Jazeera reports. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly kidnapped thousands of fleeing civilians in El-Fasher and attempted to extract ransoms from them. Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed by a drone in Sudan’s border region. RSF shelling of a military hospital kills 9, wounds 17. The RSF committed sexual violence in Kordofan, a Sudanese rights group documents. A mass shooting kills at least 15 at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. A 26-year-old Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody. Two people are killed and nine wounded in a shooting at Brown University. U.S. administration figures are vying to control the billions in revenue that might accompany dominion over Gaza’s aid distribution. A federal appeals court rules in favor of the Trump administration’s attempt to stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election. An ISIS attack kills three U.S. military personnel in Syria.

From Drop Site: A new roundup of African news from Drop Site correspondent Godfrey Olukuya. A report on U.S. strikes in Somalia. DHS arrests an Afghan National on dubious charges of support for ISIS-K.

This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday.

Jose Antonio Kast is elected president of the Republic of Chile for the period 2026 to 2030. Kast won the runoff election with approximately 58.2% of the vote, defeating his rival, the Communist Party’s Jeannette Jara, who secured about 41.8%. This victory makes him the 38th President of Chile. Kast is set to be sworn into office on March 11, 2026 (Photo by Cristobal Basaure Araya/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images).

The Genocide in Gaza

• Casualty counts in the last 24 hours: Over the past 24 hours, the bodies of two Palestinians arrived at hospitals, while six Palestinians have been injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 70,665 killed, with 171,145 injured.

• Total casualty counts since ceasefire: Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 393 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,068, while 632 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Ministry of Health.

• Israel strikes near Gaza City; Hamas announces the death of a major Qassam commander: Israeli warplanes carried out at least two airstrikes on areas east of Gaza City on Sunday, Al Araby reported. Al Jazeera Arabic reported that an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle west of Gaza City on Saturday, killing five people and wounding more than 25 others. Hamas announced that senior Al-Qassam Brigades commander Raed Saad, known as Abu Mu’ath, was killed in the Israeli drone strike. Hamas said Saad died alongside three other Al-Qassam members: Riyad al-Luban, Abd al-Haqq Zakout, and Yahya al-Qayali.

• Israel kidnaps more fishermen off the coast of Khan Younis: Israeli naval forces detained at least four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Khan Younis on Sunday, December 14, after attacking fishing boats in two separate incidents, according to Zakaria Bakr of the Gaza Fishermen’s Committee. Bakr said Israeli warships detonated one boat and arrested the fishermen. Israel continues to devastate Gaza’s fishing sector, and has detained at least 24 fishermen at sea since the October ceasefire.

• Israel is using drones to smuggle narcotics into Gaza: Israel is using drones and humanitarian aid routes to smuggle narcotics into Gaza, with drugs allegedly found hidden in flour bags and aid trucks, according to Al Jazeera Mubasher. Palestinian leaders say the tactic is intended to fracture society while Israel continues to block food and medical supplies.

• Gaza Health Ministry rejects claims of stockpiling aid: Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Munir al-Bursh rejected claims that Palestinian authorities stockpiled and dumped infant formula. Al-Bursh said UN reports showed most of the Gaza’s milk shipments were delayed by Israel until the milk approached expiration, and then these shipments were looted by Israeli-backed gangs. These allegations, he claims, rely on distorted evidence from an August incident and deflect attention from Israel’s aid restrictions and mass looting under siege conditions.

• UNRWA is still operating in Gaza despite Israeli attacks: UNRWA said it continues to operate across Gaza and provide lifesaving aid, despite Israeli efforts to shut it down, telling The Washington Post that the organization remains the primary humanitarian aid provider in the enclave. The agency said its staff delivers roughly 40% of primary healthcare, supplies water and sanitation to hundreds of thousands, and provides mental health support to more than 700,000 displaced people, while also assisting the effort to reopen Gaza’s schools.

West Bank and Israel

• IDF kills two Palestinians on Sunday: Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, December 14—23-year-old Muhammad al-Sharouf north of Hebron and 16-year-old Muhammad Abahra near Jenin—while wounding a child in Jalazun refugee camp. Israeli authorities are withholding the bodies of those killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and local media. Israeli forces and settlers carried out raids, closures, demolitions, and detentions in cities from Hebron to Nablus, and oversaw 25 buildings razed in the Nur Shams refugee camp.

• 26-year-old Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody: Another Palestinian detainee has died in Israeli custody, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said. Sakhr Ahmad Khalil Zghoul, a 26-year-old from Husan near Bethlehem, died in Ofer Prison after more than six months of administrative detention without charge or trial, with no cause of death disclosed. His brother is also presently being held without trial. At least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023.

U.S. News

• Shooting at Brown University: Two people were killed and nine were wounded on Saturday in a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Authorities continue to search for the gunman. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said a man previously named as a person of interest—24-year-old Benjamin Erickson—was released Sunday after investigators concluded the evidence no longer supports his involvement.

• U.S. administration figures are vying for control of Gaza aid: Trump administration insiders and politically connected U.S. contractors are maneuvering to control future humanitarian aid and reconstruction logistics in Gaza—an effort the UN estimates could cost up to $70 billion—according to a new investigation by The Guardian. The report says the White House launched a Gaza task force, led by U.S. Presidential Aide Jared Kushner, that is consulting contractors and advancing profit-driven models. The proposals include a “master contractor” system that could generate up to $1.7 billion a year, drawing warnings from aid experts that humanitarian needs are being subordinated to commercial interests.

• Updates on the Rumeysa Ozturk case: A federal judge in Boston ordered the Trump administration to restore the student status of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University Ph.D. student who was detained by ICE, allowing her to work and continue her research. Ozturk was arrested in Somerville in March after writing an op-ed in the Tufts student newspaper about the war in Gaza and held in immigration detention for 45 days.

• Appeals court rules in favor of the Trump administration’s attempt to cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood: A federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to continue withholding Medicaid reimbursements from Planned Parenthood under a signed in July, overturning a lower court ruling that had blocked it. The judges said Congress has broad authority over federal spending, a decision Planned Parenthood warned could push its health centers to “the financial brink” and jeopardize care for more than a million patients.

• NBA expands UAE partnership despite its support for the RSF: The NBA has expanded its partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through this year’s launch of the Emirates NBA Cup and additional commercial ties, The Guardian reported. From preseason games to airline sponsorships to plans for an NBA academy and future UAE-sponsored European league, the NBA has deepened its relationship with Abu Dhabi in an unprecedented way this season. All of this comes as Sudan has endured nearly three years of mass killing, rape, and ethnic cleansing by the Rapid Support Foces (RSF), which is backed and armed by the UAE.

Africa (via Drop Site’s new Africa correspondent Godfrey Olukuya)

• Burundi closes its border with the DRC: Burundi closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The border closing comes after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured the eastern Congolese city of Uvira, following more than a week of fighting, with Congolese forces withdrawing a day earlier, according to security sources. Burundian authorities said the move is aimed at preventing incursions in a country that hosts thousands of displaced Congolese.

• Kenya sends more officers to Haiti: Kenya said it deployed an additional 230 police officers to Haiti—the fifth contingent sent to support the internationally backed security mission—with the officers arriving in Port-au-Prince on Monday. Kenyan officials said the deployment follows an expanded mandate approved in October and will bolster joint operations with the Haitian National Police to secure routes, protect civilians, and restore humanitarian access amid the country’s ongoing violence.

• Ghana deports three Israelis: Ghana deported three Israeli nationals on Wednesday in what its foreign ministry described as a reciprocal response to the mistreatment and deportation of Ghanaian travelers at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Seven Ghanaians—including four members of a parliamentary delegation attending a cybersecurity conference—were detained without cause, with three deported, and while Ghanaian officials called Israel’s actions “provocative and unacceptable.”

• Flash floods in Morocco: At least 37 people have been killed in flash floods in Morocco’s coastal province of Safi, which was hit by a sudden bout of torrential rain on Sunday. At least 70 homes and businesses in the historic city were flooded.

• Summary update on the rolling humanitarian crisis in Sudan: Up to 400,000 people have been killed since the civil war broke out in April 2023, including an estimated 60,000 in El-Fasher in the Darfur region, in just three weeks after its fall in late October 2025., according to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. About 21 million people in Sudan face acute hunger, with roughly 375,000 at famine levels, with some 13 million people displaced., according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

• Nine people killed by RSF shelling of a military hospital: Nine people were killed and 17 wounded, including medical staff, after the Rapid Support Forces shelled a military hospital in Dilling and nearby civilian areas in South Kordofan on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. The attack deliberately targeted a medical facility in violation of international humanitarian law, the Sudan Doctors Network said.

• The RSF accused of mass sexual violence in Bara: A Sudanese rights group documented the rape of at least 12 women by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters in the town of Bara, North Kordofan, following the group’s takeover in late October, Sudan Tribune reported. The Gender Equality Network said the assaults took place during the RSF’s takeover of the town, as part of a wider wave of retaliatory violence that included killings, looting, and forced displacement. Hospitals reported a rise in sexual violence cases and higher rates of miscarriage among Sudanese women during the RSF’s recent offensives.

• U.S. defense firm partners with Emirati weapons conglomerate: U.S. defense firm Anduril has announced a joint venture with a state-run Emirati weapons conglomerate whose arms have been repeatedly linked to atrocities in Sudan, including the RSF’s genocidal campaign in Darfur, The Intercept reported. The partnership will focus on autonomous weapons systems, including Anduril’s “Omen” drone, with the UAE set to purchase the first batch.

International News

• A mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach: At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded when a father and son opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, in what Australian authorities described as a targeted terrorist attack against Jewish Australians. Police said the older suspect was killed during the attack, while the younger was critically wounded. Two improvised explosive devices linked to the suspects were found and disabled nearby. Officials said around 40 people remained hospitalized as leaders across Australia condemned the attack.

  • Ahmed El Ahmad, a 43-year-old Muslim and father of two intervened to disarm one of the shooters, even though he knew a second shooter was present and could fire on him. Ahmad was shot twice and is now recovering from his injuries. A GoFundMe has been created to express gratitude for his heroism.

  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of fueling antisemitism by supporting recognition of a Palestinian state, calling the position a “cancer” and a form of “appeasement.” Netanyahu said recognition would “reward Hamas terrorism,” and he cast the attacks as a war on “the West.” The Israeli prime minister vowed Israel would “hunt” its enemies.

  • Australian journalist, writer, and Drop Site contributor Anthony Loewenstein reflects on the mass shooting at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 16 people.

• Far-right candidate wins Chile’s presidential election: Last Saturday, Chile held its presidential runoff between far-right candidate José Antonio Kast and left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara, with early official results from the Servicio Electoral de Chile showing Kast leading 59.83% to 40.17% with 25.37% of voting tables counted. Chile’s state broadcaster TVN called the race for Kast, and Drop Site contributor Jose Granados Ceja said the early margin and Kast’s lead across all regions determined a decisive victory.

• ISIS attack kills three U.S. personnel in Syria: Two U.S. Army soldiers and an American military interpreter were killed, and three other U.S. troops were wounded, in what the Pentagon said was an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman near the Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday. This is the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Syria since at least 2019.

• Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed: Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei were killed, and at least eight others were wounded when a UN base in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan was struck on Friday, reportedly by a drone, according to UN officials. The Sudanese military blamed the Rapid Support Forces for the attack, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres said could constitute a war crime, though responsibility has not been independently verified, Al Jazeera reported.

• Trump envoys hold talks with Zelensky: President Donald Trump’s top envoys held five hours of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Sunday, as Washington pressed Kyiv to finalize a peace deal with Russia by the end of the year. The talks remain deadlocked over U.S. demands that Ukraine withdraw from parts of eastern Donbas, with unresolved questions about security guarantees if Russia violates any peace agreement. The talks are set to continue Monday with European leaders.

• Clashes in Tunisia: Clashes erupted for a second night in the central Tunisian city of Kairouan after a man died following a police chase, Reuters reported. The wave of protests and national unrest arrives ahead of the January anniversary of the 2011 revolution. President Kais Saied faces mounting criticism from rights groups over repression since he began rule by decree in 2021, with authorities pledging an investigation amid fears that violent demonstrations could expand nationwide.

• Airstrikes in Lebanon: Israel said it killed three Hezbollah members, including a senior figure in Jwayya, in airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Sunday, according to reporting from the New Arab. Lebanon’s health ministry also reported three people killed across multiple towns. Israel has continued strikes during the ceasefire and maintains positions on five southern hilltops. A ceasefire monitoring meeting in Lebanon is expected on December 19.

• Russia retaliates for funds seizure: Russia’s Central Bank has filed a lawsuit seeking $229 billion in damages from Euroclear, Europe’s largest securities depository following an EU decision to freeze Russian sovereign reserves. A spokesperson stated that the Russian Central Bank will later decide how to enforce any ruling, including potentially targeting Euroclear assets held outside Russia.

More From Drop Site

• “U.S. Airstrikes, Somali Troops Killed at Least Seven Children in a November Offensive”: U.S. airstrikes backing Somali government ground forces, including a U.S.-trained militia, killed at least 11 civilians—seven of them children, including a seven-month-old infant—during a November 15 assault on an Al-Shabaab stronghold near Jamaame in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region, according to witnesses and community leaders who spoke to Drop Site. AFRICOM confirmed it carried out strikes to support Somali troops but declined to comment on civilian deaths, as locals said that residential areas were bombed despite the absence of al-Shabaab fighters. Read the latest from Drop Site contributor Amanda Sperber on the conflict in Somalia’s Jubaland here.

• “ICE Arrests Former Afghan Intelligence Ally on Terrorism Accusations”: On December 3, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of Afghan national Jan Shah Safi as an alleged supporter of the Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISK), despite offering no public evidence and overlooking his past role as a senior official in Afghanistan’s CIA-trained National Directorate of Security, where multiple Afghan and U.S. officials say his work was conducted with U.S. knowledge and backing.“We sacrificed for them, and now we are the ones being treated as threats,” a former Afghan interior ministry official told Drop Site News discussing the case. Read more on the treatment of Afghan immigrants by the U.S. from Drop Site contributor Emran Feroz here.

• Drop Site’s reporting on Jeffrey Epstein was featured on teleSUR, in a video available here.

• Drop Site’s Ryan Grim points out that TikTok’s new ownership is censoring our Epstein reporting, which is based exclusively on publicly available documents, calling it misinformation.

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