Israel bombs displacement camp and neighborhood in central Gaza, Russia launches massive drone barrage at Ukraine, Trump sanctions ICC judges
Drop Site Daily: August 21, 2025
Seventy people are confirmed killed in Gaza over the past 24 hours, including two who died of starvation and 18 who were seeking aid. Over 2,000 people have died seeking aid. Fighting intensifies in Gaza City and central Gaza, with Israel continuing to bomb neighborhoods full of civilians. Top Israeli minister Ron Dermer heads to Paris for Gaza discussions. Russia carries out massive strike in Ukraine, reportedly striking 11 sites, including a U.S. company, with a barrage of over 500 drones and 40 missiles. Trump admin imposes sanctions on ICC judges for rulings on Israel. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attempted to enlist Javier Milei in an aborted effort to evade prosecution in his native country.
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The Genocide in Gaza
At least 20 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including eight seeking aid, according to Al Jazeera. Seventy deaths and 356 injuries have been reported in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, bringing the total confirmed toll to 62,192 dead and 157,114 injuries. Eighteen people were killed while seeking aid and 117 injured; 2,036 have died seeking aid with more than 15,064 injuries reported.18 martyrs and 117 injuries, bringing the total number of livelihood victims who arrived at hospitals to 2,036 martyrs and more than 15,064 injuries. Two people died of starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the confirmed total to 271, including 112 children.
Israeli warplanes completely destroyed a displacement camp sheltering families in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, firing three missiles that leveled the site, leaving a massive crater and causing total devastation. Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows the destruction.
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades launched a major raid on a new Israeli military site southeast of Khan Younis on Wednesday, attempting to capture soldiers, striking tanks with Yasin-105 shells, and engaging troops in hours of close combat. Israel confirmed the attack, acknowledging three soldiers injured and claiming 10 Qassam fighters had been killed, while media described it as a rare breach of army defenses. The raid comes as Defense Minister Israel Katz prepares a massive Gaza City assault, called “Operation Gideon’s Chariot II,” which is expected to displace up to one million Palestinians.
Israel struck Gaza City’s northwestern Sheikh Radwan neighborhood around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, leaving total carnage on a city street. Bodies lay in pools of blood, some still gasping for breath, with devastating injuries and body parts strewn across the street.
Dr. Mimi Syed, a U.S. emergency physician who has been vocal about Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s health system, was denied entry while attempting her third medical mission. She was carrying baby formula and medical equipment to treat malnourished children and a surge of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Syed, who has previously worked in Gaza, testified at the Gaza Tribunal, met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and briefed U.S. senators, was blocked as Israel continues to prevent medical workers and supplies from reaching the already devastated health system. See our previous coverage of Israel’s increasing denial of doctors and aid workers into Gaza.
Between August 3 and 16, UNICEF delivered therapeutic food for 30,000 malnourished children, infant formula for 1,250 babies, 3,500 cartons of high-energy biscuits, and over 30 truckloads of medicines into Gaza. However, the UN reports malnutrition prevention stocks are almost completely depleted after months of total blockade and only limited entry since May. In Gaza City, nearly 1 in 3 children is now malnourished—six times higher than before the ceasefire collapsed, according to UNRWA data from over 100,000 children screened since March.
Despite Israel’s claims of lifted restrictions, UN OCHA reports that shelter materials for some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians in Gaza are still not entering the territory, with 86,000 tents and one million tarps stuck outside. Since Israel blocked all shelter equipment on March 2, at least 750,000 Palestinians have been newly displaced, and the UN warns that meeting current needs requires 3,500 truckloads of tents, tarpaulins, and household items, with another 1 million potentially at risk if Gaza City offensives continue.
Ceasefire Negotiations
Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with senior Qatari officials in Paris to discuss the Gaza ceasefire deal approved by Hamas, reportedly emphasizing Israel’s demand for the release of all captives and Hamas’s defeat on Israel’s terms. Those terms are sweeping demands that amount to surrendering the Palestinian cause of liberation: release all captives, fully disarm Hamas, demilitarize Gaza, and maintain Israeli security control. Hamas has already agreed to the transfer of civilian administration in Gaza to a Palestinian-led committee.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel should respond positively to a proposal aimed at protecting captives, easing Palestinian suffering, and ensuring adequate aid amid what he called a deliberate starvation policy. He emphasized using the 60-day truce—accepted by Hamas—as an opportunity to end the nearly two-year war and negotiate a just settlement for the Palestinian cause.
U.S. News
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on four senior International Criminal Court officials—two judges and two deputy prosecutors—citing “illegitimate” actions against the U.S. and Israel. The sanctions freeze their U.S. assets and block access to the American financial system, a move widely criticized by UN officials as undermining judicial independence, and comes in response to ICC warrants targeting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
President Donald Trump has directed his lawyers to review Smithsonian museums, claiming they present U.S. history too negatively and overemphasize slavery. He compared this effort to his university reviews, aiming to make the Smithsonian less “woke” and more “accountable.”
Elon Musk is reportedly stepping back from launching his “America Party” to focus on his businesses and maintain ties with presidential hopeful JD Vance (shown here being heckled at a “cookie and burger” event for National Guardsmen at D.C.’s Union Station). Musk spent nearly $300 million supporting Trump and Republicans in 2024 before saying he would cut back on political spending.
The State Department has dismissed its top press officer for Israeli-Palestinian affairs following internal disputes over Israel policy, including whether to offer condolences for journalists killed in Gaza and to publicly oppose the forced displacement of Palestinians, according to internal documents. More from WaPo.
Seventeen Democratic senators, led by Hawaii’s Brian Schatz, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding accountability for Israel’s systematic targeting of journalists in Gaza and calling for international reporters to be granted independent access. Citing the Israeli strike that killed six journalists, including Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, they pressed the administration on whether the U.S. was consulted, if it supports an independent investigation, and what steps it will take to stop Israel from killing or detaining journalists—warning Israel’s repression of the press suggests an effort to hide the war’s consequences.
The Washington Post reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sweeping security demands are straining the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), which has diverted hundreds of agents from criminal probes to guard multiple family residences in Minnesota, Tennessee, and D.C. CID staff describe the multimillion-dollar operation as unprecedented, with one official saying: “I’ve never seen this many security teams for one guy. Nobody has.” The burden—extending even to former spouses’ homes—has fueled staffing shortages and canceled investigations, leaving insiders to warn that the agency now has a “complete inability to achieve our most basic missions.”
Andrew Cuomo is privately banking on Donald Trump and top Republicans to help him win back City Hall, urging them to sideline New York City GOP nominee for mayor Curtis Sliwa to block democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. At a Hamptons fundraiser, Cuomo reportedly told donors “Trump himself… will say the goal is to stop Mamdani,” even as he publicly denies seeking Trump’s backing. Mamdani’s campaign blasted him as “Donald Trump’s choice for mayor,” while Adams and Sliwa mocked him as a failed candidate cutting backroom deals.
Protesters with No Azure for Apartheid set up an encampment for a second day at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters, despite police breaking up their protest yesterday, resulting in the arrest of several participants, including at least one current and one former employee. The site, called the “Liberated Zone” at the “Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza,” features a media tent honoring slain Gaza journalist Anas Al-Sharif, with organizers demanding Microsoft end its complicity in what they call the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins hits newly minted challenger, Graham Platner, over his criticism of Israel. Ryan Grim suggests that this might not be the best idea.
International News
Russia carried out a massive strike in Ukraine overnight, reportedly striking 11 sites with a barrage of over 500 drones and 40 missiles. The targets included a U.S. electronics company Flex Ltd, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and registered in Singapore. The attack, which was the largest aerial bombardment targeting Ukraine in weeks, came after this week’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy at the White House. On Monday, Trump announced plans to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while affirming U.S. support for European security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression.
In the wake of the high-profile peace summit between Russian and U.S. leaders in Alaska, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that any serious discussions on Ukraine’s security without Moscow’s involvement would be “a road to nowhere,” and suggested that Moscow would need to have a veto over any security guarantees provided to Ukraine as a means of ending the war. The comment suggested that deep divisions remained in negotiations between the two sides, and cast doubt on the viability of Europe’s “coalition of the willing” — a U.K.- and France-led framework intended to safeguard postwar Ukraine via potential Western military deployments.
Israel carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon Wednesday, hitting areas near Ansar in Nabatieh and al-Housh outside Tyre, where at least four people were wounded. Near-daily attacks continue despite a ceasefire reached late last year, amid U.S. pressure on Lebanon’s government to disarm Hezbollah. The Israeli army claimed it struck Hezbollah positions, including a weapons depot and rocket launcher.
Brazilian federal police found that former President Jair Bolsonaro drafted a request for political asylum from Argentina in February 2024, just days after authorities searched his home over an alleged coup plot. The revelation comes as Bolsonaro awaits a Supreme Court ruling on the case, and faces obstruction of justice charges alongside his son. Bolsonaro also recently drew scrutiny for briefly staying at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília to evade arrest.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that negotiations with the U.S. and European governments remain stalled, with “no basis” for talks at present. He expressed more optimism about restoring cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, noting inspectors may eventually return under the Supreme National Security Council’s approval—a step seen as crucial to preventing another war over Iran’s nuclear program.
Australia hit back at Netanyahu after he accused PM Albanese of “betraying Israel and Australia’s Jews” and called him “weak” over recognizing Palestine. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke replied: “Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said, after a call with leaders of Jordan and Egypt, that the “military attack Israel is preparing in the Gaza Strip will only lead to a real catastrophe for both peoples and drag the region into perpetual war.”
North Korea has built a covert missile base in Sinpung-dong, roughly 17 miles from the Chinese border, which may house six to nine nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to revelations from a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The facility—one of an estimated 15-20 undeclared missile and warhead storage sites—has never been part of U.S.-North Korea denuclearization negotiations. The report notes that Pyongyang has accelerated its nuclear weapons program since a failed 2019 U.S. peace summit, with Kim Jong-un recently calling for the “rapid expansion” of the country’s nuclear capabilities.
More from Drop Site
Palestinian businessman Samir Hulileh told Drop Site News he was approached by the Biden administration in 2024 as a potential “post-war” governor of Gaza, though neither the PA nor Hamas has publicly endorsed him. Hulileh, who has a history of roles in the Palestinian Authority and private sector, has been working with lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe to secure support for a Gaza administration plan involving U.S. and Arab involvement, new infrastructure, and minimal Hamas participation. While the PA publicly condemned his statements, Hulileh says he has been in detailed discussions with PA leadership. Analysts warn that Israel’s current strategy aims to displace Palestinians and prevent unified Palestinian governance, leaving external powers to dictate Gaza’s future. Read the full article at Drop Site.
In comments last night, Israel Defense Minister Yisrael Katz discussed Operation Gideon's Chariot II with senior rabbis from the Torat Haaretz Tova organization and promised: "Gaza City will look like Beit Hanoun." Younis Tirawi reported for Drop Site about the strategy of pure destruction in Beit Hanoun.
Join the Arab Center of Washington DC on August 22 at 12 p.m. ET for a panel, “What Comes Next in Gaza?,” featuring Yara Asi, Diana Buttu, Mouin Rabbani, and Jeremy Scahill, moderated by Yousef Munayyer. More information here.
Every empire that turns a blind eye to slaughter eventually pays the price. If Israel continues its brutal campaign against Palestinians and the United States remains complicit through silence or aid, the blowback won’t just be moral—it will be geopolitical, generational, and unforgiving. The day will come when America wishes it had never tethered its legacy to the name “Israel.”
Israel's blood lust is beyond anything i thought I would ever witness first hand and beyond anything I thought would be allowed and ignored by the civilized (!) world. I am visiting a Jewish friend soon and much to my own horror, I vowed to keep my mouth shut to preserve the friendship
but if she starts telling me about the anti-semitism she is experiencing and the security guards which are patrolling her synagogue in order to protect the worshippers, i am not sure what I will do.