Seven Palestinians killed in new Israeli attacks on Gaza; Trump starts construction on privately funded $200 million White House ballroom
Drop Site Daily: October 21, 2025
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 13 Palestinians killed—including seven killed in new Israeli attacks—with six recovered from under the rubble and at least eight wounded arriving at hospitals in the past 24 hours. Hamas says it will hand over the remains of two more Israeli captives. At least 135 of the mutilated Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza were traced to Israel’s infamous Sde Teiman military prison, the Guardian reports; doctors say autopsies indicate summary executions and systematic torture. President Donald Trump believes Hamas leaders are willing to negotiate “in good faith,” a White House source told the New York Times; President Trump posted on Truth Social that “if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us…an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!” UN OCHA records 71 settler attacks in the West Bank between October 7 and October 13 of this year, resulting in one death and 99 injuries; Israeli forces storm the city of Nablus and the town of Barqin. ICE finds itself in need of “medical professionals” on account of the numerous deaths of migrants in its custody. American banks struggle to find full funding for the US’s $40 billion bailout of Argentina in support of its leader Javier Milei. U.S. diplomats are attempting to broker a peace deal between the Moroccan and Algerian governments, who broke ties in 2021 in a dispute over the Western Sahara. A new airstrip is being constructed on an island between Yemen and Eritrea. A contingent of 350 U.S. military advisers will remain in Iraq to counter the Islamic State, its president says, despite an agreement to leave by September. Attacks in the Sahel by armed groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have surged from 1,900 in 2023 to 5,500 in 2024, with 3,800 already this year, AFP reports.
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The Genocide in Gaza
The bodies of 13 Palestinians arrived at hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the ministry of health, including seven killed in new Israeli attacks and six recovered from under the rubble. At least eight Palestinians were wounded. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 68,229 killed, with 170,369 injured.
Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 87 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 311, while 432 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said Israeli troops opened fire on residents inspecting their homes in the Al-Shaaf area on Monday, killing two in the morning and two more in a later attack. Hamas said it remains committed to the ceasefire and is in contact with U.S. and regional mediators over what it described as continued Israeli violations against civilians returning to their homes.
The Guardian reports that at least 135 mutilated Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza were traced to Israel’s Sde Teiman military prison, where doctors say autopsies indicate murder, summary executions, and systematic torture. Survivors and whistleblowers describe detainees blindfolded, shackled, and subjected to extreme abuse, including amputations and medical neglect, while nearly 1,500 bodies reportedly remain held at the site. A UN forensic expert called for an independent investigation, as at least 78 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 2023.
The Israeli military said it has begun installing tall yellow-painted concrete blocks every 200 meters along the “Yellow Line” inside Gaza, marking the boundary its troops withdrew to under the ceasefire. Each marker is roughly 10 feet tall with a yellow metal sign on top. The line stretches across more than half of Gaza, cutting through densely populated urban areas, and the Israeli army said installation began Sunday and will continue in the “coming period.”
Israel says its ongoing demolition of homes across Gaza aligns with the ceasefire, labeling civilian houses as “terrorist infrastructure.” An Israeli military spokesperson stated that on Sunday, troops responded to an anti-tank missile and gunfire near Rafah while dismantling what the army called terrorist targets, describing the actions as part of enforcing the ceasefire. Footage posted by journalist Younis Tirawi shows the continued destruction of homes in the area.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs reported that 69-year-old Kamel Al-Ajrami, a married father of six from Gaza, died in Israel’s Soroka Hospital after nearly a year in detention, bringing the number of Palestinian prisoners killed since the Gaza war began to 80. Al-Ajrami was abducted in October 2024 and held in Naqab Prison, where he reportedly endured severe abuse. His death follows that of Mahmoud Abdullah from Jenin refugee camp, as rights groups describe the period as the bloodiest in Palestinian prison history, accusing Israel of “systematic slow killing” through torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Since 1967, 317 Palestinian prisoners have been killed, with 88 bodies still withheld, including 77 from the current war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Michael Eisenberg, a U.S.-Israeli venture capitalist and key architect of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, as his personal envoy to the American command overseeing Gaza ceasefire implementation. Eisenberg will work alongside Maj. Gen. Yaki Dolf, signaling Netanyahu’s intent to maintain direct control over coordination with Washington rather than delegating to the defense establishment. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, criticized by Palestinians as “death traps” after repeated attacks on civilians, has been frozen since the ceasefire began.
Ceasefire Updates
A White House official told The New York Times that President Donald Trump believes Hamas leaders remain willing to negotiate “in good faith,” saying the recent attack on Israeli soldiers was carried out by a “fringe element” rather than the group’s leadership. The Times also reported that several administration officials fear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may abandon the Gaza ceasefire, with Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner now working to dissuade Israel from resuming a full-scale assault.
On Monday, however, former President Donald Trump said that after his strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, only the “little issue of Hamas” remains in the Middle East, vowing it “will be taken care of very quickly” and “possibly very violently,” blaming the group for violating the ceasefire. He was referring to an incident in Rafah on Sunday in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and others injured; Drop Site reporting indicates the explosion may have been caused by Israeli tanks or bulldozers hitting unexploded ordnance. Trump acknowledged he does not believe Hamas leadership was involved but suggested “some rebels” might have been.
Hamas chief negotiator Dr. Khalil al-Hayya said he is confident the ceasefire agreement will hold, citing both Hamas’s commitment and strong international backing. Speaking in an interview, he said the deal is reinforced by guarantees from the Egypt-hosted conference under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with the support of President Donald Trump, adding that these commitments “reassure us that the agreement will endure.”
KAN News reports that Israel has asked the U.S. to delay Gaza’s reconstruction until Hamas demonstrates readiness to disarm, insisting all tunnels be sealed under Israeli supervision. Washington favors a pilot project in Rafah, which both sides reportedly agreed to in principle. Meanwhile, an Israeli security delegation met mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey in Cairo to discuss post-war rebuilding and the potential deployment of a foreign force, with Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan said to have agreed in principle to participate.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha have traveled to Israel as the Trump administration pushes to advance the Gaza ceasefire. An Al Jazeera journalist reported that Washington is urging Israel to stop bombing Gaza, warning that ongoing strikes could prevent any foreign stabilization force from deploying.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, urging him to “fully embrace” President Trump’s peace deal. The Treasury said Bessent reaffirmed U.S.-Israel ties, praised Smotrich’s leadership, highlighted the recent return of hostages, and noted opportunities to expand the Abraham Accords.
Hamas said it will hand over the remains of two additional Israel captives on Tuesday. On Monday, Israel confirmed it had received the 13th captive body recovered from Gaza, while 15 more reportedly remain buried under rubble from Israeli strikes over the past two years. Reports indicate that Israel continues to deny outside teams access to assist in recovering bodies.
West Bank
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Monday that 11 Palestinians were injured after Israeli forces stormed the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. The organization reported that its crews treated those wounded during the raid, which followed several days of intensified Israeli military activity across the region.
UN OCHA recorded 71 settler attacks on Palestinians between October 7 and 13, resulting in one death and 99 injuries. Al Jazeera reported that nearly half of these incidents targeted olive harvests, affecting 27 villages and destroying 1,430 trees and saplings. The network noted that settler violence has surged in recent years, with around 200 attacks in 2024—double the number in 2023—and 2025 is on pace to set a new record. The Israeli army and Israeli settlers have carried out 158 attacks on olive pickers this season in the occupied West Bank, said Mu’ayyad Shaaban, chief of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, as reported by the Wafa news agency.
Israeli forces stormed the town of Barqin, located west of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
U.S. News
Demolition work began on Monday on the East Wing of the White House, where Trump is building a new ballroom with over double the current capacity. The White House has not had such structural renovations in over 75 years. The $200-$250 million bill will be paid for by Trump himself and private donors—or, as the White House called them, “patriots.”
The Trump administration is expanding the health care workforce in immigration detention centers amid rising deaths and weakened oversight. DHS plans to hire over 40 doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, and health administrators as ICE reports 20 detainee deaths so far this year—nearly matching the total under President Biden—while the detained population exceeds 60,000. Overcrowding, temporary facilities, frequent transfers, and reduced oversight due to layoffs have exacerbated medical neglect, with detainees dying from infections, chronic illnesses, and suicide. Most health care is provided by private contractors, but new positions are limited to U.S. Public Health Service Corps officers. Experts warn that without systemic reforms, adding staff alone cannot prevent further deaths, particularly given rising trauma, mental health crises, and poor detention conditions, which watchdogs say have historically led to preventable fatalities.
Willian Giménez González, a Venezuelan advocate for day laborers’ rights, says he was transferred from the Broadview, Illinois ICE facility to Michigan to separate him from supporters after his September 12 detention. Giménez González is one of five workers who sued the city of Chicago, Home Depot, and off-duty police for harassment and assaults, and his lawyer and community groups say his transfer appears retaliatory, undermining his Illinois habeas corpus petition. Since his detention, ICE has reportedly intensified raids targeting day laborers and other low-wage workers in Chicago, prompting rapid-response and community-led safety efforts, including the Latino Union of Chicago’s Adopt-a-Hiring-Corner program, to protect workers and maintain vigilance over ICE actions. From In These Times.
Journalist Seth Harp published an account on Substack describing U.S. soldiers’ exposure to systematic sexual abuse of boys by Afghan allies during the war. In one case, paratrooper Matthew Terrell recalled seeing children on Forward Operating Base Shank who showed signs of repeated assault. Harp said major outlets declined to publish his reporting on what he calls a widespread and suppressed practice involving U.S.-backed Afghan forces.
Dean Ball, author of Trump’s industry-favored AI Action Plan, has left the White House to join right-leaning think tanks tied to tech deregulation and Trump-aligned policy, including the Foundation for American Innovation and the America First Policy Institute. Ball and these groups advocate for federal preemption of state AI rules—a policy previously removed from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—and push for broad deregulation, including challenges to copyright law and environmental protections. The Foundation for American Innovation, financially supported by conservative dark-money nonprofits like the Sarah Scaife Foundation and Bradley Impact Fund, has been influential in shaping White House AI directives and continues to urge lawmakers and regulators to eliminate regulatory barriers across technology and environmental policy. From The Lever.
A group of major U.S. banks—including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup—is struggling to finalize a $20 billion loan to Argentina as part of a $40 billion rescue package coordinated by the Trump administration to support President Javier Milei’s government. The banks are seeking guarantees or collateral to protect themselves against Argentina’s chronic financial instability, while awaiting guidance from the U.S. Treasury, which is also arranging a $20 billion currency swap to bolster Argentina’s reserves. The peso’s steep decline and the country’s long history of defaults have heightened concerns over potential losses, and the plan has reportedly caused tension with the International Monetary Fund, which fears the U.S. could prioritize its own repayment over the IMF’s $60 billion in outstanding loans to Argentina.
The Trump administration is reportedly seeking ways to pay air traffic controllers during the ongoing federal shutdown, now entering its fourth week, as part of a broader effort to blunt the shutdown’s most visible impacts. Officials are exploring how to cover more than $500 million in monthly payroll without congressional approval, though it remains unclear what funds could legally be redirected. Administration sources say the White House fears a repeat of 2019, when widespread controller absences triggered cascading flight delays that helped end that shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged growing staffing shortages, while Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said the administration is playing “budgetary twister” to find funds, citing a recent workaround that redirected $8 billion in Defense Department research money to pay military personnel.
International News
The Trump administration is actively mediating a potential peace deal between Morocco and Algeria, which have had no diplomatic ties since 2021 due to a dispute over the territory of Western Sahara. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Massad Boulos are leading talks, with Algeria reportedly open to rebuilding trust with Morocco. Washington is pushing a UN resolution backing Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as the sole framework for settlement, though tensions remain high in Polisario-backed areas with the group potentially being labeled as a terrorist organization.
The Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, owned by Rosneft, has halted primary crude processing after sustaining a second drone strike in a month, industry sources told Reuters. The October 19 attack forced the shutdown of its two main distillation units, which together handle about 138,000 barrels per day. Ukraine’s military claimed responsibility for strikes that day on refineries in Samara and Orenburg, as well as a fuel depot in occupied Berdiansk. Sources said repairs are underway and production could resume in early November.
President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an $8.5 billion critical minerals agreement Monday, aimed at securing rare earth supplies outside China as Beijing tightens export controls. The deal commits both nations to invest more than $3 billion in joint mining and processing projects within six months intended to reduce dependence on China’s near-monopoly in key materials used for defense and technology. Trump called the pact a “landmark” for economic security, while Albanese said it elevates the U.S.–Australia partnership. The leaders also discussed strengthening the AUKUS defense pact, with U.S. officials pledging to accelerate cooperation among the three member nations.
Satellite images show a new 2,000-meter airstrip under construction on Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, likely part of a UAE-backed effort to strengthen anti-Houthi positions off Yemen’s coast. The runway, which began construction in April and appears nearly complete, would expand surveillance and control over vital shipping lanes near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Though unclaimed, maritime records tie the project to Dubai-based firms previously linked to Emirati military infrastructure in Yemen.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Monday that a small U.S. contingent of 250 to 350 military advisers will remain in Iraq to coordinate counter-Islamic State operations with American forces in Syria, despite last year’s agreement to end the U.S.-led mission by September. The advisors are stationed at Ain al-Asad, al-Harir, and Baghdad airport bases, with other sites seeing gradual drawdowns. Al-Sudani cited instability in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad as justification for continued U.S. presence, while reaffirming that the Islamic State “no longer poses a significant threat inside Iraq.” He emphasized Iraq’s neutrality between Washington and Tehran and urged renewed U.S.–Iran dialogue, calling the Trump administration’s pressure campaign “counterproductive.”
Armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have expanded across nearly all of Mali and Burkina Faso, reaching western Niger, northern Nigeria, and the Senegal border, according to new data compiled by Agence France-Presse and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Recorded attacks surged from 1,900 in 2019 to over 5,500 in 2024, with 3,800 more already this year, bringing the six-year toll to nearly 77,000 dead. Analysts say jihadist factions now control or contest more than a million square kilometers, exploiting poverty and ethnic divisions while funding operations through ransom, extortion, and looting. Al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate JNIM has intensified efforts to encircle Bamako and Ouagadougou, recently targeting fuel convoys in Mali’s Kayes region, threatening supplies from Senegal.
Maccabi Tel Aviv announced it will not sell tickets to supporters for its November Europa League match against Aston Villa, after Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group barred away fans on police advice citing a high risk of violence. The decision followed intelligence referencing prior incidents, including 2024 clashes in Amsterdam involving Maccabi hooligans. U.K. officials, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, condemned the ban as “wrong” and said it risked being seen as antisemitic, promising to explore ways to allow fans to attend safely. The move comes amid escalating concerns over fan violence, after Israeli police claimed that there were “violent riots,” which forced the cancellation of last week’s Tel Aviv derby between Maccabi and Hapoel.
More From Drop Site
The Destruction of Olive Agriculture in Gaza: Gaza’s olive sector has been nearly destroyed after two years of Israeli war and siege, with nearly one million of 1.1 million trees lost, according to the Palestinian Olive Council. Farmers report that groves have been bulldozed, dried up from lack of water, or remain inaccessible, leaving harvests decimated and olive oil prices soaring. Despite the devastation, families across Gaza, including Hajj Suleiman Abdel-Nabi and young farmers like Ahmed al-Adini, are returning to tend what remains of their trees, viewing the olive as a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness and identity. Read the latest from Drop Site contributor Mohamed Suleiman here.
Drop Site’s Ryan Grim appears on Matt Gaetz’s show: Former Congressman Matt Gaetz hosted journalists Dave DeCamp and Ryan Grim to discuss Israel’s renewed strikes on Gaza. Grim said the Trump administration was aware that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims of responding to an attack were a pretext to justify resuming military operations in the Strip. Watch his appearance here.
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Gaza continues to bleed while international leaders talk and Trump builds a private ballroom. Ceasefires are fragile, civilians are dying, and real accountability can’t wait. Human rights can’t be optional.
I don't understand how Trump can change anything at the White House, It is not his personal property. Why is this being allowed??