U.S. warship arrives to Trinidad and Tobago in further escalation; Israeli forces arrest 40 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Drop Site Daily: October 27, 2025
Israeli drone strikes on southern and central Gaza kill at least three Palestinians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad negotiators continue to affirm their full commitment to the ceasefire, saying their weapons are “tied to the existence of the occupation and its aggression.” Israel states that it can wage war on Gaza and Lebanon independently of its American partners and retains the authority to oversee international task forces in Gaza. Israel is dumping large amounts of garbage, construction debris, and other waste inside Gaza. The UN says Israeli forces have killed 40 Palestinian children in the West Bank this year. Settlers attack Jenin and the Al-Sidra community east of Mikhmas over the weekend. Israeli forces arrest at least 40 Palestinians in raids on various areas of the occupied West Bank overnight. Israel strikes southern Lebanon multiple times over the weekend, with an American diplomatic visit to Beirut scheduled for Monday. A U.S. warship docks at Port of Spain for joint military exercises with Trinidad and Tobago amid Washington’s campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the region. A new report from Drop Site highlights the flimsy premises for escalation in the Caribbean and the hawks guiding that escalation. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces claims it has taken El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not in its hands, after an 18-month siege, as it detains Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim. Recent clashes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border see five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants killed. President Donald Trump stops in Japan during his tour of Asia. Catherine Connolly is elected President of Ireland in a landslide.
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Demand Israel immediately lift its ban on foreign journalists. For more than two years, Israel has maintained a complete blockade on foreign press access to Gaza—the longest and most complete media ban of any modern conflict.
We call on the Israeli government to:
Grant immediate, independent access to Gaza for all foreign journalists without military escorts, pre-broadcast censorship, or restrictions on movement and reporting.
End the deliberate targeting and killing of journalists covering this conflict and allow humanitarian organizations to protect and support press workers.
The Genocide in Gaza
Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike on the southern Gaza town of Abasan al-Kabira on Monday, according to Al Jazeera.
The bodies of eight Palestinians recovered from under the rubble arrived at hospitals in Gaza over the past 48 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. At least 13 Palestinians were wounded. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 68,527 killed, with 170,395 injured.
Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 93 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 337, while 472 bodies have been recovered, according to the Ministry of Health. The health ministry has identified 72 of the 195 bodies returned to Gaza by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Haaretz reports that Israeli forces have been dumping large amounts of garbage, construction debris, and other waste inside Gaza—just a few hundred meters from the border. Verified footage shows Israeli trucks crossing through the Kissufim gate, unloading waste along roads 200–300 meters inside the Strip, and then returning empty. The material reportedly comes from Israeli military bases and border construction zones established during the war. Officers told the newspaper that field commanders allowed private Israeli contractors to “dump wherever they saw fit.” One soldier said, “We’ll have mountains of garbage… right in front of our homes for the rest of our lives, inside Gaza,” while another officer called the practice “disgraceful,” though mainly out of concern that Hamas could repurpose the materials. The Israeli army said it was unaware of the dumping.
Israel bombed the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday evening, claiming it was targeting a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, though no evidence was provided. Al Jazeera reported at least six Palestinians were also shot and wounded elsewhere in Gaza.
Civil Defense in Gaza reported that two people were killed and one critically injured by an Israeli attack east of Khan Younis on Monday morning, with Al Qastal noting a drone strike on Palestinians in Abu al-Futouh, Abasan al-Kabira, and Israeli artillery also shelling the area.
Footage released by Quds News shows heavy machinery and Egyptian teams entering Gaza from Egypt to assist in recovering the bodies of Israeli captives. Netanyahu’s office confirmed he authorized the Egyptian teams’ entry, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel is backing four Palestinian anti‑Hamas militias operating behind the “yellow line” ceasefire boundary, according to Sky News. The four militias are led by Hossam al‑Astal, Yasser Abu Shabab, Rami Halas and Ashraf al‑Mansi. According to the report, the groups operate less than 700 metres from Israeli positions, coordinate logistics and supplies with Israeli and Palestinian Authority channels via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Palestinian Mervat Sarhan returned to Gaza on Sunday after nearly five months in Israeli detention, describing her time in a dark solitary cell as “not fit for humans.” She said she endured beatings, electric shocks, and threats to kill her children during interrogations.
Eleven-year-old Majd Abu Habib from Khan Younis was critically injured this weekend when unexploded ordnance left behind by Israeli forces detonated. The blast burned over a third of his body, causing deep third-degree wounds on his right side and severe facial disfigurement. Doctors describe his condition as critical and warn he faces a high risk of blood poisoning.
A 9-year-old girl was killed and three others injured when a structurally damaged building collapsed in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of southern Gaza City on Saturday morning. Humanitarian Coordinator Eyad Amawi said nearly the entire population remains displaced, with little change in the number of tents and mobile homes entering Gaza despite the ceasefire.
An Israeli government spokesperson defended the ongoing ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza, claiming that there is ““plenty of footage on social media” coming out of Gaza, particularly showing “bustling restaurants in large cities with enormous menus.” Her comments contrast sharply with UN and NGO reports of widespread starvation and worsening deprivation under Israel’s blockade.
Ceasefire Updates
Hamas lead negotiator Dr. Khalil al-Hayya said in a TV interview Sunday that the movement’s weapons “are tied to the existence of the occupation and its aggression,” adding they would remain unused so long as the ceasefire holds. In an interview, al-Hayya called the issue of disarmament “a national matter” to be decided collectively by Palestinian factions, not by Hamas alone, and said any future Palestinian state would inherit those arms. Al-Hayya suggested the truce could last five to seven years or longer, with Gaza stabilized under UN supervision and a unified Palestinian authority. Responding to President Donald Trump’s threats to resume the war if Hamas refuses to disarm, he said the priority now is relief, reconstruction, and maintaining the ceasefire while “more complex issues” are resolved through national dialogue.
Al-Hayya also said the movement and other resistance factions are “searching day and night” for the remains of Israeli soldiers, noting that all living captives were released within 72 hours of the ceasefire. He described an operations room in Cairo that includes mediators and an Israeli team, with Hamas monitoring progress from a separate room “moment by moment regarding the bodies.” Al-Hayya said 17 bodies have been recovered so far, with 13 still unaccounted for, and that “our brothers are digging in broad daylight with old and weak equipment, more than twenty meters underground.” He added that the United States recognizes the difficulty of the effort, while accusing Israel of using the issue as “a flimsy excuse to prolong our people’s suffering—blocking crossings, delaying aid, and obstructing relief.”
Al-Hayya told Al Jazeera Arabic he is confident Israel’s war on Gaza has ended, saying “Gaza has given up more than 10 percent of its population—as martyrs, wounded, prisoners, or missing persons.” Al-Hayya said Hamas “will not give the occupation an excuse” to restart fighting and expressed belief that “the international community—both the people and governments—will not permit the occupation to resume war.”
Islamic Jihad Deputy Secretary-General Mohamed al-Hindi told Al Jazeera in an interview Saturday that resistance factions have completed the first phase of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, including prisoner exchanges, ending aggression, withdrawal arrangements, and humanitarian aid, but accused Israel of blocking equipment, delaying the opening of the Rafah crossing, and reducing aid. He emphasized that broader political issues—including governance, international forces, and weapons—must involve all Palestinian political factions, not just the resistance. Al-Hindi said Gaza’s administration should operate under Palestinian authority via a technocratic committee, rejecting any foreign guardianship, including proposals linked to Tony Blair or a “Peace Council,” and insisting that sovereignty remain Palestinian. He supported a UN-mandated stabilization force with clear, limited tasks, while internal security and policing would remain Gaza-based under the technocratic committee once it is formed. He condemned Israel’s ongoing violations, including attacks, limited aid, and occupation, calling the situation “unsustainable” and demanding mediators enforce commitments.
Senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said in an interview on Al Jazeera that the group remains committed to the ceasefire and returning Israeli captives, but warned that Israel is seeking pretexts to resume war. He stressed Hamas is willing to cooperate with a Palestinian technocratic committee in Gaza, while rejecting any plan that excludes its forces, which he says are essential to maintaining security and preventing chaos.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will continue striking Gaza and Lebanon on its own authority, insisting the country “does not seek anyone’s approval” despite U.S. assurances that the war is over. He emphasized that Israel “responds according to our own judgment” to attacks, citing recent strikes in Gaza and Lebanon, including 150 tons dropped on Hamas and other targets after the killing of two Israeli soldiers. Netanyahu added that Israel acts preemptively against emerging threats, noting operations “as they are being formed, before they are carried out.” He claimed that this independent approach is “acceptable to the United States,” citing recent statements by senior American officials.
An Israeli government spokesperson responded to a Bloomberg reporter by saying that Israel will strike Gaza without seeking U.S. approval, saying the country “acts as an independent state” and “will do what it takes to defend our soldiers and citizens.” She added that while the United States and Israel are “in full coordination… working hand in hand,” Israel does not seek Washington’s permission, describing the relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump as one of “full partnership.”
Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will have the final say over which international forces are allowed in Gaza, adding that Washington fully accepts this position. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, he said, “Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate,” noting that senior U.S. officials have expressed agreement. Netanyahu has publicly opposed any Turkish presence in Gaza and reportedly also objects to forces from Qatar, both key mediators of the recent Gaza ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met Netanyahu in Jerusalem over the weekend, endorsed the approach, saying any future international force must include only countries “Israel is comfortable with.”
President Donald Trump met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani aboard Air Force One at Al Udeid Air Base during a refueling stop, praising Qatar’s role in regional diplomacy and crediting it as “a very big factor” in achieving Middle East peace. In a post-meeting gaggle, Trump said the Gaza stabilization force is being set up “right now” and expressed confidence the ceasefire will hold, warning that any violations would be Hamas’s responsibility.
West Bank and Israel
Israeli forces arrested at least 40 Palestinians in raids on various areas of the occupied West Bank overnight according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
The United Nations says Israeli forces have killed 40 Palestinian children in the West Bank this year, including a nine-year-old boy shot while playing soccer near Hebron on October 16. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports 198 Palestinians killed in 2025, one-third in Jenin governorate, while the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) accuses Israeli troops and settlers of “systematic and excessive” lethal force, with 1,001 Palestinians—213 of them children—killed in the West Bank since October 2023. Settler assaults linked to the olive harvest have reportedly injured over 100 Palestinians and destroyed 3,000 trees across 50 villages, while Israeli authorities continue demolitions of “unpermitted” Palestinian structures, now totaling 1,300 this year. More than 11,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody, including 3,500 held without trial, and at least 77 have died in detention since 2023, according to UN agencies.
Israeli forces stormed the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, with troops taking positions in the al-Marah neighborhood and surrounding a house in the old city, according to Wafa news agency. Local sources reported that soldiers fired at surveillance cameras and deployed large infantry units across the city during the raid.
Israeli settlers attacked the Al-Sidra community east of Mikhmas in the West Bank on Saturday, setting fire to Palestinian homes and property.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a constitutional declaration stating that if the presidency becomes vacant while the Palestinian Legislative Council is not in session, the Deputy Chairman of the PLO, Hussein Al-Sheikh, will temporarily assume presidential duties for up to 90 days. During this period, free and direct elections must be held. If elections cannot occur due to force majeure, the Palestinian Central Council may extend the interim period once for an additional term.
Hamas official Abdul Rahman Shadid condemned the surge in settler attacks on West Bank farmers as a “policy of organized terrorism” aimed at expanding settlements, terrorizing civilians, and displacing Palestinians. He called for stronger local protection committees, urged international human rights groups to document these crimes, and vowed that Palestinian communities will remain steadfast, with olive trees as a symbol of their rootedness and resistance.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would end a state of emergency for southern Israel, which has been in place since the war on Gaza began over two years ago, according to The Times of Israel. The “special situation” will officially end one Tuesday, reflecting the “new security reality in the south,” Katz reportedly said.
U.S. News
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will endorse Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor on Friday, joining Gov. Kathy Hochul and other senior Democrats, after months of withholding support following Mamdani’s surprising primary win. Jeffries praised Mamdani’s focus on affordability and his request to keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch in place.
At the “New York Is Not For Sale” rally in Queens, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani addressed a crowd of 10,000 at Forest Hills Stadium. Governor Kathy Hochul spoke earlier in the program, followed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who preceded Mamdani on stage and notably provided a strong defense of his program of municipally funded grocery stores. Videos from Drop Site contributor Areeba Fatima.
British journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi was detained by U.S. immigration officers at San Francisco International Airport while on a speaking tour, reportedly after criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Hamdi appeared to have been taken into custody following pressure from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who publicly claimed credit for the detention. Hamdi had just spoken at CAIR’s Sacramento gala on Friday and was scheduled to appear at the group’s Florida event the following night. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on X that Hamdi’s visa was revoked and that he was in ICE custody “pending removal,” adding: “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country. It’s common sense.”
A U.S. warship, the USS Gravely, docked at Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, as the Trump administration increases military pressure on Venezuela. The deployment includes aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, and has drawn criticism from President Nicolás Maduro, while U.S. and Trinidadian officials framed it as joint training against transnational crime and for humanitarian missions.
U.S. and Chinese negotiators have reached a framework trade deal that would avert the 100 percent tariffs President Donald Trump had threatened, setting up his first face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping of his second term. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the framework addresses rare-earth mineral restrictions, U.S. agricultural exports, TikTok, and fentanyl, though final details remain subject to approval by both leaders.
MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin asked former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if she regrets defending President Joe Biden’s Gaza policy amid 15 months of mass civilian deaths and alleged war crimes. Jean-Pierre replied, “I was very proud of everything that I did. I don’t take anything back.” Jean-Pierre added that she “woke up every day as a Black woman who is queer . . . it was an honor and a privilege to have that job.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected the term “illegal aliens” for immigrants, saying, “The legal term for my people was ‘slaves.’”
Former Trump advisor and official Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast that “the Ottomans are back” in charge of Gaza and called for a “three-state solution” for historic Palestine, proposing Israel, Palestine, and a Christian state in Jerusalem.
International News
Israel carried out multiple drone strikes across Lebanon Sunday, the fourth consecutive day of attacks, hitting both border and inland areas, including Naqoura, Nabi Sheet, Blida, and the Bouday Plain west of Baalbek. On Saturday, one strike killed Hezbollah fighter Zein al-Abidin Ftouni in Harouf and another hit a motorcycle in the town of Qlaileh in Tyre, killing Mohammad Akram Arabiya. Israeli media reported that Defense Minister Israel Katz personally oversaw the Baalbek operation. U.S. envoys Morgan Ortagus and Tom Barrack are set to visit Beirut this week to push for Hezbollah’s disarmament, with incoming ambassador Michel Issa warning that Lebanon’s institutions must be respected and supported. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged national unity, calling it essential for resisting Israeli pressure and ensuring Lebanon’s stability.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) shot down an Israeli drone over the weekend. UNIFIL said an Israeli drone dropped a grenade near one of its patrols close to Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon Sunday evening, followed by an Israeli tank firing a shot at the peacekeepers. The mission confirmed no casualties but called the incident a “serious breach” of UN security protocols. “After the drone was shot down, Defense Army forces threw a hand grenade at the area where the drone was downed,” Israeli Arabic military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement on X. UNIFIL said the actions by the Israel Defense Forces “violate Security Council resolution 1701 and Lebanon’s sovereignty,” and demonstrate “disregard for the safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council-mandated tasks in southern Lebanon.”
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed full control of El-Fasher, the last major Darfur city outside its hands, after an 18-month siege marked by artillery and drone attacks. If confirmed, the capture would give the RSF control of all five Darfur state capitals, consolidating its parallel administration and raising fears of partition, while roughly 260,000 civilians remain trapped amid worsening humanitarian conditions. The RSF detained Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim on Sunday evening, hours after the paramilitary force claimed it had seized control of North Darfur.
Five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants were killed in clashes near the Afghanistan border on Friday and Saturday, as militants attempted to infiltrate Kurram and North Waziristan districts, according to the Pakistani military. The incidents come amid ongoing talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent renewed conflict after recent heavy border fighting, with Pakistan warning that failure to reach an agreement could lead to “open war.”
President Donald Trump presided over a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia on Sunday and signed trade agreements with Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia during his first visit to Southeast Asia since returning to the White House. The ceasefire builds on a July truce that ended five days of border fighting, and includes the release of soldiers, removal of heavy weapons and landmines, and deployment of Malaysian troops to monitor the border, though disputes over the territory and sporadic clashes remain. The trade deals cover U.S. agricultural, energy, aviation, and critical mineral exports. Analysts say the agreements may undermine unity within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations serving as a political photo opportunity rather than resolving underlying issues.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on Sunday that it is withdrawing its fighters from Turkey to northern Iraq as part of a peace effort with the Turkish government. The move, approved by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, follows the group’s earlier disarmament steps and comes ahead of planned discussions between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kurdish legislators to advance legal and political reforms for Kurdish rights.
The Norwegian Peace Council announced it will not hold its traditional torchlight procession through downtown Oslo on Nobel Peace Prize day this year, citing opposition to the selection of Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado as the laureate, because its members “do not feel that this year’s winner is in line with the fundamental values of the Norwegian Peace Council.”
Catherine Connolly was elected Irish president in a landslide vote on Friday. Connolly has been a vocal champion of the Palestinian resistance, stating that Hamas “is a part of the fabric of Palestinian society” and arguing that the Irish, having won their own anti-colonial struggle, have no right to dictate how other colonized peoples achieve freedom.
More From Drop Site
Inside Marco Rubio’s Push for Regime Change in Venezuela: : The U.S. military has carried out eight strikes—one in the Pacific and seven in the Caribbean—that have killed at least 35 people, as part of what the Trump administration says are efforts to fight drug trafficking from Venezuela and Colombia. But a senior official told Drop Site that a U.S. intelligence assessment has shown that almost none of the fentanyl trafficked to the U.S. is produced in Venezuela, while two sources familiar with White House discussions noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a long-time proponent of regime change in Venezuela, has been driving the military aggression. Rubio has also overseen the redirection of millions of “pro-democracy” funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in “a thinly veiled effort to prep the region for war.” Read the full report from Saagar Enjeti, Ryan Grim, and Jack Poulson here.
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When occupation kills and the world watches, “neutrality” becomes complicity.
Why anyone believed that Israeli aggression would cease because of (yet another) “cease fire” is beyond comprehension. Netanyahu has repeatedly agreed to a cease fire in return for hostages and once they are released, the killing begins again. Now that all hostages have been released, there is no reason to expect an end to the carnage.