Israeli forces open fire at new Gaza “aid” site, as Netanyahu rejects ceasefire deal

On Drop Site’s live stream, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim discuss the terms of a new ceasefire proposal and the Israeli aid scheme that is being compared to “ghetto” conditions.

The “humanitarian aid” scheme, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has characterized as necessary to maintain U.S. support for his war of annihilation against the Palestinians of Gaza, began on Tuesday. Within hours, Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians at a site near Rafah, while the family of a man who went to get a small box of food aid says he was kidnapped by Israeli forces. The program is managed by a shadowy “non-governmental organization” and is being staffed, in part, by U.S. mercenaries. Some eyewitness reports indicate U.S. contractors also fired at the crowd. No deaths or injuries have been reported as of publication. Photos released earlier in the day showed Palestinians packed into metal enclosures at the site, where, according to local sources, they were held for hours in intense heat with no clear system for distributing food. The aid center is one of two launched Tuesday under a controversial U.S.-Israeli mechanism that bypasses UN agencies and has drawn criticism from Palestinians and humanitarian groups.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Hamas announced it had reached an “understanding” with U.S. officials for a new ceasefire agreement, but almost immediately after the news broke, Israel denounced the plan and insisted it would not enter into any agreement with a clear path to halting the genocide or the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. On this week’s Drop Site News live stream, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim analyze the Trump administration’s approach to the war against Gaza, the specific terms of the agreement Hamas endorsed and the prospects that Trump might force Netanyahu to halt Israel’s genocidal onslaught.

While all international and regional players recognize that Trump is the only person with the power to stop Netanyahu, there are strong voices within his administration that want to see Israel continue on with its occupation and ultimate goal of erasing Palestinians from Gaza and seizing the territory. Pressure is mounting from European nations on Israel to end its war, but the hard reality is that it will all come down to whether Trump—for his own political and personal business interests—decides it must stop.

Ryan opens the stream and previews the major topics: the ceasefire proposal, Gaza aid, and political fallout.

Jeremy breaks down the U.S.-Israeli aid scheme, its ties to private security, and the effort to bypass UNRWA.

A Palestinian man is detained at the Muraj Crossing aid center. Jeremy shares a firsthand statement from his family and Gaza relief officials.

Details of the 13-point ceasefire plan Hamas agreed to—including Trump’s promised role as guarantor.

How Netanyahu’s hardline bloc—backed by Christian Zionists and GOP donors—is dragging out the war.

Trump’s meetings in Qatar, Saudi, and the UAE—and how his personal interests are shaping U.S. strategy in Gaza.

The Guardian reveals bizarre claims about illegal NSA surveillance, collapsing leak investigations, and chaos inside the Pentagon.

Jeremy and Ryan reflect on Twitter/X as a frontline newswire—and give a final plug for supporting Drop Site.