Israel kills 11 in strikes on Gaza; Hezbollah rejects “illusory” ceasefire as Israeli assault continues; House passes war powers resolution

Drop Site Daily: June 4, 2026

Hezbollah rejects “illusory” ceasefire in Lebanon, demands Israeli withdrawal and end to aggression. Israeli officials signal that they will not respect ceasefire, continue strikes on Lebanon. Hezbollah reports strikes on Israeli officer, soldiers. Iranian foreign minister says ceasefire must cover Lebanon. President Donald Trump says Iran was “reciprocating” U.S. strikes, declares ceasefire still intact. Israel bombards Gaza, killing at least 11. Israeli forces and settlers carry out raids, assaults, and detentions across the occupied West Bank. More than 9,500 Palestinians reported missing in Gaza since October 2023, including thousands of women and children. House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to end Iran war. Rep. Rashida Tlaib proposes Lebanon War Powers resolution. Congress presses Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Israel. House moves forward on fusing U.S. and Israeli militaries. Sen. Bernie Sanders and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman meet to discuss proposal for public ownership stake in major AI companies. Jewish Columbia faculty file EEOC claims alleging harassment for supporting Palestinian rights. U.S. military kills two in latest boat strike in eastern Pacific. Haiti’s prime minister publishes electoral decree the country’s own electoral council says he secretly rewrote. U.S. investigates two more Mexican governors. Germany loses UN Security Council seat. Unrest in Mogadishu. Sudanese army and RSF clash in Al-Barka. Ukrainian strikes kill four in Russian-annexed Crimea. Islamic State-linked fighters kill 16 civilians in eastern Congo. China bans four New Zealand lawmakers for visiting Taiwan.

FROM DROP SITE:

• Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill discusses U.S.–Iran negotiations, Gaza, and the U.K. government’s crackdown on pro-Palestine speech in an interview with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim.

Drop Site is now live on WhatsApp. Get our latest reporting, podcasts, and breaking news, delivered directly. Join the channel here.

This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday. Today’s edition is being sent to more than 750,000 subscribers. Help us grow that number by forwarding and recommending this newsletter.

🛒 Get your “Drop [Site] News/Not Bombs” Hoodie here:

Palestinians mourn beside the bodies of relatives who were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes during a funeral ceremony in Gaza City, Palestine, on June 04, 2026. Photo by Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Lebanon

• Hezbollah rejects “illusory” ceasefire, demands Israeli withdrawal and end to aggression: Hezbollah rejected a new ceasefire plan announced Wednesday by the U.S., Israel, and the Lebanese government that was negotiated without its participation.

  • The United States, Israel, and Lebanon issued a joint statement Wednesday announcing that they had signed a ceasefire agreement reportedly conditioned on Hezbollah’s withdrawal from south of the Litani River, complete cessation of Hezbollah fire, and the creation of “pilot zones” under exclusive Lebanese Armed Forces control. It includes no provision requiring Israel’s withdrawal from the country, nor does it call for a complete cessation of Israeli strikes.

  • In the statement, the three parties condemned Iran, citing its “ongoing activities that undermine stability throughout the Middle East.” The statement also notes that the U.S. has committed to supporting the Lebanese military in its attempt to assert control of the country. Talks between the parties are set to reconvene the week of June 22, when a “comprehensive agreement” will be under discussion.

  • Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem rejected the “illusory” ceasefire proposal in a televised statement, saying it was “a roadmap for the annihilation of a section of the Lebanese ​people and the enslavement of the rest.” Qassem said that any ceasefire must include southern Lebanon, and “ending the comprehensive aggression, achieving a ceasefire, and securing Israel’s withdrawal.” “We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation,” Qassem added.

  • Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described ceasefire negotiations as difficult, saying the head of the Lebanese delegation Simon Karam suspended participation at one point due to Israeli intransigence, prompting Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene and revive the talks. Aoun called the resulting agreement “a last opportunity,” and said implementation could begin within 24 hours once all parties provide their approval.

• Israeli officials signal that they will not respect ceasefire, continue strikes:

  • IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared on Wednesday, prior to the new ceasefire plan being announced, that “there is no ceasefire” for Israeli forces in Lebanon. “We are working to maximize the freedom of action that has been granted to us and will seize every opportunity to remove threats to the citizens of Israel and to our forces,” he said. He added that Israel would not withdraw from its self-declared “security zone” in southern Lebanon until it believes the “threats to northern Israeli communities have been removed”, and threatened to maintain troop positions along the so-called “Yellow Line” indefinitely.

  • Similarly, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the ceasefire with Lebanon grants the Israeli military the “freedom” to strike Beirut in response to any Hezbollah fire on Israeli communities. Katz stated that Israeli forces would continue their military operations within the country, remain in the security zone up to the “Yellow Line,” and press on in its efforts to “dismantle” Hezbollah’s infrastructure.

• Casualty count: At least 3,526 people have been killed, and 10,733 injured, in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue Thursday:

  • Five people were killed and four others were wounded in an Israeli strike on Sohmor in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Thursday, according to the state-run National News Agency. An Israeli attack on a motorcycle in Maaroub killed one person and wounded another. Three people were also killed in a strike on Al-Abassiya in Tyre.

  • The Israeli military also issued an order to residents of southern Lebanon Thursday, demanding they not return to areas south of the Zahrani river, and stating that “anyone who travels south would be putting their life at risk.”

  • A series of mortar attacks killed a UNIFIL peacekeeper on Thursday morning at a Spanish base near Marjayoun in southern Lebanon and wounded two others, the UN mission said. UNIFIL later reported that the peacekeeper was a Serbian national, though it has yet announced who was responsible for the attack. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed Thursday that a mortar attack wounded two Spanish members of the UN mission, and offered his nation’s “most absolute condemnation of the violence” on X.

• Hezbollah reports strikes on Israeli officer, soldiers: A Hezbollah explosive FPV drone struck the vehicle of IDF Northern Command chief Major General Rafi Milo in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting it just after he and an aide stepped out during a field visit to a village with other officers. No casualties were reported from the attack, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. Hezbollah also announced on Thursday that it targeted a gathering of Israeli vehicles and soldiers with drones in the town of Al-Qantara.

• Israel kills five paramedics in Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike on the town of Zebdine in the Nabatieh district killed one paramedic and wounded a second on Wednesday, according to the country’s Health Ministry. This was at least the fifth paramedic killed in Lebanon that day.

Iran and Ceasefire

• Iranian foreign minister says ceasefire must cover Lebanon: In a wide-ranging interview with Al-Mayadeen earlier on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said any end to the war must halt hostilities across all fronts, declaring that, “Either the war stops in both Iran and Lebanon, or it doesn’t stop in either.” Araghchi said he personally lobbied Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure Lebanon was explicitly included in any ceasefire text.

  • Also concerning Lebanon, Araghchi called Hezbollah “an integral part of Lebanon’s political structure,” and complimented the party’s current Secretary General, Naim Qassem, for exceeding Iran’s expectations in the current conflict.

  • Regarding negotiations, Araghchi said messages continue to be exchanged with Washington, but “no progress has been made in days.” He also argued that the 40-day war had disproved American assumptions that Iran was a “weak country,” stating that “the Americans were forced to seek negotiations,” because the Iranian people had united against it.

• Trump says Iran was “reciprocating” U.S. strikes, declares ceasefire still intact: President Donald Trump addressed this week’s hostilities in an Oval Office press gaggle on Wednesday. He told reporters that Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain were a direct response to prior U.S. military action, stating that Iran was “slightly provoked,” and stopped short of condemning the strikes. “There’s a reason for everything,” Trump said. Trump claimed that the broader ceasefire agreement remains in effect, and added that negotiations are progressing “very well.” “If it happens,” he said, referring to a potential ceasefire deal, “it may happen over the weekend.”

• Satellite imagery appears to show damage at U.S. air base in Kuwait following Iranian strikes: New satellite imagery released on Soar Atlas Thursday appears to show damage at the U.S. Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait following Wednesday’s Iranian attacks, undercutting the U.S. claim that all incoming missiles and drones were intercepted or failed.

• Khamenei warns of Israeli and U.S. attempts to sow division: Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that the United States and Israel, having failed militarily and suffered what he called “deep humiliation,” have shifted to a hybrid war aimed at sowing doubt, despair, and division within Iran. “Any action that breeds cynicism or despair among the people is a form of helping the enemy of this country and its people,” he said, urging Iranians to respond to these efforts with “steadfastness, clear-sightedness and unity.”

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, 11 Palestinians were killed and 32 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,956 killed, with 173,043 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 947 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,935, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israel bombards Gaza City, killing at least 9: At least nine Palestinians were killed and 15 others were wounded in a wave of Israeli airstrikes that struck Gaza City shortly after midnight Thursday. The strikes hit homes in Al-Shati refugee camp, the Karama neighborhood, Tel al-Hawa, and Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City. Witnesses described widespread destruction and bodies burned beyond recognition after homes were hit while families were sleeping. One strike on an apartment in northwestern Gaza City killed five people, leaving a nine-year-old girl as the sole survivor among her relatives.

• Palestinian agencies say Gaza war generated 33.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions: The Israeli war on Gaza generated an estimated 33.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions—comparable to the annual emissions of some countries—according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Environmental Quality Authority via WAFA. About 1.9 million tonnes were linked directly to Israeli military operations and the remainder associated with debris removal and future reconstruction. In a joint statement marking World Environment Day, the agencies said Gaza is facing a severe environmental collapse, citing the destruction of more than 90% of wastewater infrastructure, the accumulation of around 710,000 tonnes of household waste and more than 60 million tonnes of rubble from the destruction of over 330,000 housing units. The statement also cited a recent UNOSAT report showing that about 86% of Gaza’s agricultural land had been damaged or destroyed by the end of June 2025, rising to 94% in northern Gaza. The agencies further reported a rise in Israeli environmental violations in the occupied West Bank, with 685 incidents recorded in 2025 compared with 535 in 2024.

• Israeli forces and settlers carry out raids, assaults, and detentions across the occupied West Bank: Israeli forces wounded five Palestinians during a Thursday raid on a home in Doha west of Bethlehem. In Nablus, dozens of Israeli military vehicles and a bulldozer stormed Joseph’s Tomb overnight, and in Beita, Israeli settlers reportedly beat a Palestinian man, according to Al Jazeera. Israeli troops also detained dozens of Palestinian workers near Tarqumiyah and Beit Ula northwest of Hebron. Eight Palestinians were also detained in Ramallah and al-Bireh, including a disabled woman.

• Israeli soldiers detain American college student, Palestine football team players in West Bank: Israeli soldiers raided the Ramallah home of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old American citizen and second-year student at Birzeit University, at around 3:00 a.m. on Monday, detaining her alongside three other female students—Natalie Abu Diya, Jolan Abu Awwad, and Laila Khalil—as part of a broader overnight sweep that resulted in at least 31 Palestinian detentions across the West Bank. Safi is being held without charge, and the Israeli government has not notified her family or the U.S. Embassy of her whereabouts or the basis for her detention. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) condemned the arrest on Thursday, calling upon the State Department to “secure her release NOW.” One of the women detained, Natalie Abu Diya, is a former player with Palestine’s national football team; another current player, Rand Halawani, was also detained after being summoned to an Israeli police station.

• More than 9,500 Palestinians reported missing in Gaza since October 2023, including thousands of women and children: More than 9,500 Palestinians have gone missing since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, among them approximately 4,700 women and children, Gaza-based human rights organization Al-Damir reported Thursday. More than 8,100 are believed trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, while over 800 were detained by Israeli forces at military checkpoints during displacement between northern and southern Gaza. Al-Damir called the disappearances a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and said Israel bears full responsibility as the occupying power for disclosing the fate of the missing.

• Israeli court overturns Red Cross ban as Palestinian Prisoners Society condemns judicial “legal cover”: Israel’s High Court of Justice unanimously ruled that the government’s blanket ban on visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Palestinian prisoners is unlawful and must be revoked, according to the Times of Israel. The ban, imposed after October 7, 2023, was challenged by several rights groups. Responding to the ruling, Palestinian Prisoners’ Society head Abdullah Al-Zaghari said the decision would remain “devoid of practical effect” unless it results in the immediate resumption of Red Cross visits and meaningful protections for detainees. He also said the ruling should not serve as a pretext to overlook the Supreme Court’s longstanding role in providing “legal legitimacy” to occupation policies and a system of impunity. Al-Zaghari said Israeli courts have played an increasingly dangerous role since the start of the Gaza war by furnishing “legal cover” for ongoing abuses against Palestinians, including prisoners, who have been subjected to starvation, denial of medical treatment, and torture.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to end Iran war: The House passed a concurrent resolution Wednesday directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress explicitly authorizes the use of military force, with four Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Tom Barrett (Mich.), and Warren Davidson (Ohio)—joining every Democrat in support. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, invokes the 1973 War Powers Act, whose 60-day window for unauthorized military operations closed in early May.

• Tlaib proposes Lebanon war powers resolution: The House is scheduled to vote on a Lebanon War Powers resolution brought forward by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Members debated the bill yesterday; in one exchange, Tlaib explained to Republican Brian Mast (Fla.)—one of the House’s most ardent supporters of Israel and a former volunteer in its military—that the act only restricts U.S. forces from engaging in hostilities. “If U.S. armed forces are there and they’re not participating in this ethnic cleansing campaign [or] they’re training the Lebanese Armed Forces—then they’re fine,” she said.

  • Despite the passage of a similar bill regarding the administration’s power to wage war against Iran, Tlaib’s bill has a difficult path to passage, with Axios reporting that Reps. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.)—the top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence Committees—are all on the fence. House Minority Leader Hakeem said he hasn’t “taken a look” at the bill when asked about his vote, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), an avowedly pro-Israel Democrat who initially hesitated to vote for the Iran war powers resolution, has said he would not vote in favor of the measure. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Calif.), the former chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told Drop Site’s Julian Andreone he plans to vote yes.

  • During the same deliberations, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) upbraided Tlaib, accusing her of “advocating” for Hezbollah “on a daily basis.” He added to this a charge that she “liked to hang out” with the group, whom he described as “butchers” and “terrorists.” Tlaib protested the remarks, prompting a shouting match between the two, and requested Miller’s comments be stricken from the record, which they ultimately were.

• Gonzales-Torres advances in California: Progressive Democrat Angela Gonzales-Torres is projected to advance to the general election for U.S. House in California’s 34th Congressional District, the AP reported on Wednesday. She will face incumbent Rep. Jimmy Gomez, an AIPAC beneficiary facing a sexual misconduct investigation.

• Congress presses Rubio on Israel:

  • During congressional testimony on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to answer a question from Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) about Israel’s nuclear capabilities. “That’s a question…you know, they’ve never acknowledged they’ve had a nuclear program,” Rubio answered. “Speaking frankly, I think most of the world assesses that they do, but they’ve never acknowledged that, probably,” he said, before adding that it was a “feature” of U.S. foreign policy that “we don’t discuss it.”

  • When Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.) pressed Marco Rubio during his appearance about the number of Palestinians killed while attempting to access food aid in Gaza, Rubio deflected, attributing the deaths to Hamas. Dean pushed back, saying: “IDF soldiers shot some of them. Propaganda ain’t gonna work with me.”

• House moves forward on fusing U.S. and Israeli militaries: Responding to pressure to end U.S. support for the Israeli military, Israeli and U.S. leaders are instead pushing simply to merge the two militaries together, making decoupling them a complex process and giving Israel extraordinary leverage over the U.S. supply chain and weapons platforms. The House Armed Services Committee will vote Thursday on an amendment from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to strip the provision, known as Section 224, from the National Defense Authorization Act. Ex-State Department Official Josh Paul explained its significance yesterday on Breaking Points.

• DHS secretary says ICE training requirements will return to previous standards by July 1: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday that ICE officer training would return to its previous “regular” levels starting July 1, after documents released by Senate Democrats earlier this year showed training hours had dropped by roughly 40 percent following a major hiring push by the agency. A former ICE academy attorney publicly alleged in February that the agency had dismantled its training program by cutting 240 hours of instruction covering the U.S. Constitution, use of force, lawful arrests, and the limits of officer authority.

• Sanders and Sam Altman meet to discuss proposal for public ownership stake in major AI companies: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met Wednesday evening, at Altman’s request, to discuss Sanders’s proposal to transfer a 50 percent public ownership stake in the largest AI companies in the United States. Drop Site Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone questioned Altman on the ethics of making “legalized bribes”; Altman denied doing so, and also denied that OpenAI had lobbied extensively. The company spent $1 million on federal lobbying in the first quarter of 2026 alone, according to the New York Times, which has also reported on the company’s activity in Washington as reaching a “fever pitch.”

• Jewish Columbia faculty file EEOC claims alleging harassment for supporting Palestinian rights: Several Jewish faculty members at Columbia University filed claims this week with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before the deadline closed, alleging a hostile work environment—but arguing the hostility they faced stemmed from their support for Palestinian rights rather than from pro-Palestinian protests, as the Trump administration intended the fund to address. In filings shared with the Guardian, faculty described being doxed, spat on, followed, screamed at, subjected to disciplinary charges, and receiving death threats. “I no longer consider Columbia University a safe place to work for Jews who dare to dissent from the political agenda of its most ardently pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian donors and trustees,” one professor wrote in his claim.

Other International News

• U.S. military kills two in latest boat strike in eastern Pacific: The U.S. military attacked a vessel it accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing two men. The strike brings the total number of people killed in U.S. military boat strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean to at least 207 since the campaign began in early September.

• Haiti’s prime minister publishes electoral decree the country’s own electoral council says he secretly rewrote: Haiti’s de facto Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé published a long-awaited electoral decree this week, but the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP)—the independent body legally responsible for drafting such legislation—said the published text is totally different from what it submitted to the executive in April, calling the move unconstitutional. Critics say the modified decree creates a government-appointed Director General position within the CEP with no basis in the council’s organizational structure, effectively giving the executive branch control over the electoral process ahead of elections promised by December 2026. Haiti has had no elected president since 2021 and has not held elections since 2016.

• Bolivia’s Paz running out of options: Pressure is rapidly mounting against President Rodrigo Paz, leaving him with no good options. He has lost two cabinet ministers, coalition members have defected to the protests, and his own Vice-President continues public attacks. A senator and deputy are on hunger strike, while prominent conservative figures from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba are demanding martial law. His new Minister of Defence, Ernesto Justianiano, is known as the most far-right member of the cabinet, supportive of a state of exception. With over 100 blockades crippling the country, including key infrastructure in Potosí, Oruro, and Santa Cruz, Paz has declared a 90-day State of Emergency. He is now pleading with the Armed Forces and police to forcefully “unblock the nation.” Yet protesters have only expanded their reach, seizing an oil field in Santa Cruz. After 36 days of unrest, eight deaths, and hundreds of arrests, union leaders from the COB and Kataristas remain defiant despite arrest warrants, calling to “increase the pressure.” They reject Paz’s dialogue council and demand new elections within 90 days.

• U.S. investigates two more Mexican governors: The Trump administration is investigating two sitting Mexican governors, Sonora’s Alfonso Durazo and Américo Villarreal of Tamaulipas, as part of an expanding U.S. effort targeting public officials suspected of links to organized crime. Both governors have lost their U.S. visas amid ongoing criminal probes, according to the LA Times. The investigations come amid strained U.S.-Mexico relations, particularly over security cooperation and Washington’s increasingly aggressive actions against Mexican political figures. At a political rally on Sunday, President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the investigations as interference in Mexico’s internal affairs, questioning whether they are driven by legitimate anti-crime concerns or U.S. domestic political interests. Both governors deny wrongdoing.

• Germany loses UN Security Council seat: Germany failed to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, losing out to Portugal and Austria in a major diplomatic blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The result marks Germany’s first failure in decades to secure a Western European seat, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul calling it a “bitter defeat” and blaming backlash over Berlin’s support for Israel and Russian efforts to punish Germany for its backing of Ukraine.

• Unrest in Mogadishu: Heavy gunfire broke out in Mogadishu on Wednesday, the AFP reported, after former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said government forces attacked him during a meeting in which he was preparing for anti-government demonstrations scheduled for Thursday. The protests are in opposition to current President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to extend his own term by one year beyond its May 15 expiration. Witnesses described shooting in the central part of the capital lasting around 15 minutes, with audible explosions in surrounding districts.

• Sudanese army and RSF clash in Al-Barka: The Sudanese Armed Forces announced Wednesday they had repelled a large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the town of Al-Barka in the Blue Nile region, saying a precisely executed ambush destroyed and seized enemy combat vehicles and inflicted heavy casualties.

• Ukrainian strikes kill four in Russian-annexed Crimea: Ukrainian attacks killed four people and wounded ten in Russian-annexed Crimea on Thursday, according to Russian-aligned regional officials. Strikes reportedly hit a non-residential area of Simferopol, the peninsula’s main administrative city, killing three and wounding seven, and a separate Ukrainian drone strike on a commuter train in eastern Crimea killed one more person and wounded three.

• Islamic State-linked fighters kill 16 civilians in eastern Congo: Fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic State-linked armed group operating in eastern Congo, killed 16 civilians Tuesday night in an attack on a North Kivu village, according to Reuters. The attack occurred near four active Ebola cases, compounding the threat to health workers trying to contain the outbreak. The ADF had separately killed 15 civilians and a soldier in Beni over the weekend.

• China bans four New Zealand lawmakers for visiting Taiwan: China banned four New Zealand parliamentarians Thursday for visiting Taiwan in May, with the Chinese embassy in Wellington saying the lawmakers disregarded Beijing’s repeated warnings and caused serious adverse political impacts by meeting with high-level Taiwanese politicians. The year-long travel bans apply to three lawmakers from New Zealand’s ruling center-right coalition—Laura McClure, David Wilson, and Maureen Pugh—and Labour opposition lawmaker Duncan Webb, who can have the bans reduced or waived only by apologizing for the trip, according to Reuters. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed surprise at the move, noting lawmakers have visited Taiwan for decades without incident.

• Gunmen abduct at least seven students in northwest Nigeria: Suspected bandits stormed off-campus student accommodation in Nigeria’s Zamfara State on Tuesday morning, abducting at least seven students and fleeing to an unknown destination, the Zamfara State Police Command announced Thursday. Search-and-rescue operations involving joint police tactical teams and military personnel have been stepped up to secure the students’ release. Zamfara and other parts of northwest Nigeria have faced persistent attacks by heavily armed bandits who frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom.

More from Drop Site

• Jeremy Scahill discusses Iran, Gaza, and suppression of pro-Palestine speech: Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill told Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, in an interview on Wednesday, that Iran has emerged from the recent conflict in a stronger negotiating position than the U.S. and Israel anticipated, adding that Tehran believes the broad contours of a deal have already been settled and that Trump now needs a political off-ramp. On Gaza, Scahill said the term “ceasefire” has been used as a “surrender cudgel” against the Palestinians, arguing that Israel signed an agreement with Hamas but later violated it repeatedly by continuing to kill resistance figures and civilians in Gaza. “Israel signed a ceasefire with Hamas, not with the children in tents that they continue to burn alive,” he said. He also criticized U.K. policy on pro-Palestinian speech, referencing the barring of journalist colleagues Hassan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the United Kingdom.

If you want to continue getting this newsletter, you don’t have to do anything. But if this is too much—we do try to be mindful of your inbox—you can unsubscribe from this newsletter while continuing to get the rest of our reporting. Just go into your account here at this link, scroll down, and toggle the button next to “Drop Site Daily“ to the off setting. It looks like this: