Drop Site News (Daily) / August 21, 2025
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 levelled 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 neighbourhood 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.
