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Israeli Soldiers Torched Food, Homes, and a Critical Sewage Treatment Plant in the Wake of Ceasefire Announcement

Soldiers called the mass arson of Gaza City their “final touches.”

Drop Site, Younis Tirawi and Yaniv Cogan, Oct 13, 2025

In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday that both Hamas and Israel had signed off on an agreement to stop the fighting, the Israeli military launched an arson spree, setting fire to civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of an essential sanitation plant in Gaza City. After publication, the Israel Defense Forces told Drop Site it “is aware of the incident and it is being reviewed.”

The destruction of Palestinian structures following the departure of soldiers who had used them as temporary bases has been a hallmark of Israel’s approach to Gaza for two years. In July, Israeli reporter Yuval Abraham collected testimonies from soldiers describing a myriad of arson methods. “Every Arab house we entered had olive oil […] We poured the oil on the sofas, on anything flammable in the apartment, and then we ignited [it] or threw in a smoke grenade. This was a common practice,” one of them described.

The agreement came after months of a concerted effort to render Gaza uninhabitable by destroying residences and civilian infrastructure, culminating in the ground invasion of Gaza City and the leveling of several high rises in Gaza City. In September, Israeli government minister Gila Gamliel told Channel 7 News, “We have already completely annihilated 75% of the entire [Gaza] Strip. There remains 25%, which, as you know, it too…we are now taking over [the city of] Gaza—there will be nothing left there that would really [have] the potential to be habitable.”

The scope of the arson perpetrated in Gaza City on the night of October 9th and early morning of October 10—Thursday night into Friday, just after the ceasefire was agreed to but before Israel’s cabinet approved it—was broader than at any other time Drop Site has tracked during the assault on the strip. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Torching of Gaza City’s Sewage Treatment Plant: “[One] last memory”……………………………………………………………………………………………

Mass Arson Campaign Around Sheikh Radwan Market, Gaza City……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Burning Homes Across Gaza City Israeli troops also shared photos of torched houses in other locations accompanied by captions musing about the arson. One soldier dubbed the burning of several buildings the “finishing touches.”……………………………………………………………………………………..

As the ceasefire takes hold, Gaza has already been rendered largely uninhabitable. One Israeli colonel recently bragged to the Israeli media, “We are leaving behind us only dust. There’s nothing here.” For officials like Gamliel, who have expressed satisfaction with the level of destruction in Gaza, the upshot is clear:

“Look at the hypocrisy of all European countries. They constantly go ‘starvation, starvation’ Well…? Open [your] doors! Why, when it was about Ukraine, it was fine, when it was about Syria, it was fine. When it comes to the Palestinians, they want to perpetuate this conflict structurally.

Now, just for your information: one million and seven hundred thousand inside the Gaza Strip are defined as UNRWA refugees. Meaning, once they get out of there, they are not coming back! Because as refugees, this is not the place where they actually have the right of basic belonging.” https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-idf-soldiers-set-fire-food-homes-sewage-treatment-plan-after-ceasefire-announced

October 15, 2025 Posted by | Atrocities, Gaza, Israel | Leave a comment

Israeli Defense Minister Says IDF Will Destroy Gaza Tunnels Once Hamas Releases Israeli Captives

by Dave DeCamp | October 12, 2025 , https://news.antiwar.com/2025/10/12/israeli-defense-minister-says-idf-will-destroy-gaza-tunnels-once-hamas-releases-israeli-captives/

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that the Israeli military would destroy tunnels in Gaza after the remaining Israeli captives are released by Hamas, which is expected to happen on Monday.

“Israel’s great challenge after the phase of returning the hostages will be the destruction of all of Hamas’s terror tunnels in Gaza, directly by the IDF and through the international mechanism to be established under the leadership and supervision of the United States,” Katz wrote on X.

“This is the primary significance of implementing the agreed-upon principle of demilitarizing Gaza and neutralizing Hamas of its weapons. I have instructed the IDF to prepare for carrying out the mission,” he added.

According to the outline of the Gaza ceasefire proposal released by the White House, all “military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt,” and there will be a “process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors.” But the details of how those steps will be taken, including who will be doing it, are unclear. A senior Hamas official has also said that Hamas won’t disarm unless it can hand its weapons to a Palestinian state.

So far, Israel and Hamas have just entered the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which involves the release of the Israeli hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, the IDF pulling back to an agreed-upon line, and Israel allowing more aid to enter Gaza. Details on implementing the rest of the agreement still need to be worked out in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Katz’s comments come as many are concerned Israel will restart its genocidal war once Hamas releases the Israeli captives. Also on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military “campaign is not over,” though he could be referring to other areas where Israel is at war or potential escalations elsewhere in the region.

“And I want to say: Everywhere we fought – we won. But in the same breath, I must tell you: The campaign is not over. There are still very great security challenges ahead of us,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office. “Some of our enemies are trying to rebuild themselves to attack us again. And as we say – ‘We’re on it.’”

According to a report from Israel Hayom, the US has given Israel a guarantee that it would back Israeli military action if it determined Hamas violated the deal in a way that “poses a security threat.” The report said the understanding “constitutes a side agreement” between the US and Israel.

The US gave Israel a similar side deal for the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire agreement, which Israel continues to violate on a near-daily basis.

October 15, 2025 Posted by | Gaza, Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Japan Weighs Nuclear-Powered Submarines Amid Regional Tensions

 Rojoef Manuel. The Defense Post, October 10, 2025

Japan is considering developing nuclear-powered submarines after a state-backed panel formally recommended research into “next-generation propulsion” systems for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

Submitted to the Ministry of Defense last September, the proposal marks the first time an official advisory group has opened the door to studying nuclear propulsion, signaling a potential departure from Japan’s long-standing policy limiting military use of nuclear energy, Army Recognition reported……………………………………………………………………………………

Legal, Political Barriers Remain

Despite the new strategy, Japan’s postwar laws still make such development difficult. The Atomic Energy Basic Act restricts nuclear technology to peaceful uses, while Japan’s “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” forbid manufacturing, acquiring, or receiving nuclear weapons.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also reiterated last year that the East Asian government has “no plans to possess nuclear submarines” under its current law……………………………………………………………. https://thedefensepost.com/2025/10/10/japan-nuclear-submarines/

October 12, 2025 Posted by | Japan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

5 Days in Israel’s Desert Prison: Jewish Flotilla Activist David Adler on Harrowing Detention Ordeal

10 Oct 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_pM-ZDaPAA

Israeli forces have abducted over 500 peace activists over the past week who were sailing to Gaza in an effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged territory.

Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla say most of the participants were sent to Ktzi’ot Prison, notorious for harsh and abusive conditions. Some have reported physical abuse, humiliation and inhumane treatment by Israeli soldiers. Jewish American activist David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International, says he faced additional abuse because of his background. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.

October 11, 2025 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

A Philadelphia company’s obscured support for killing Palestinians with autonomous flying bombs

Ghost and RoboTiCan were quick to capitalize on the Israeli invasion of Gaza, with Ghost’s Vision 60 robot dogs being deployed into Gazan tunnels

Philadelphia’s Ghost Robotics elevated its exclusive partnership with the Israeli military drone manufacturer RoboTiCan as the company began advertising its usage for bombing indoor Palestinians.

Jack Poulson, Oct 09, 2025, https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/ghost-robotics-robotican-gaza-lethal-reyburn?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1269175&post_id=175669807&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=8cf96&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

It was a simple idea. Enclose the left and right sides of a quadcopter drone with 12-inch wireframe wheels to form a nearly 16-inch-long cylinder. In addition to providing the ability to switch between flying and rolling across the floors of houses and tunnels, the surrounding cage would further act as a sort of bumper to prevent the drone’s rotors from hitting walls in cramped spaces.

The Omer, Israel-based manufacturer RoboTiCan labeled the resulting product a ‘Rooster’ and pronounced it “the ultimate indoor drone system.” A February 2023 promotional video made explicit the driving use case for the product, showing a first-person view of the Rooster alternating between rolling and flying through a set of war-torn buildings, including by passing a brick wall graffitied with the slogan “FREE PALESTINE.”

Despite an initial pretense of nonlethality, the Rooster drones are now advertised as supporting 300 gram explosive payloads, and the flagship customers — beyond the Israeli military — include the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The result is an industrialized nation’s analogue of urban suicide bombers, though the weapons industry prefers the sanitized label of ‘loitering munition’.

The University of Pennsylvania spin-out Ghost Robotics — widely known as the weaponized competitor to Boston Dynamics — recently began advertising itself as the exclusive reseller of the Rooster in the United States. The move follows Ghost pitching its robots to U.S. commandos, including through a polished portrayal of its flagship four-legged ‘Vision 60’ robot executing two humans with attached SigSauer rifles. The U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division similarly experimented with attaching M16 rifles to the Vision 60 robots as part of Operation Hard Kill on August 1, 2024.

Adding further international complexity to the partnership between RoboTiCan and Ghost, the South Korean weapons manufacturer LIG Nex1 bought a 60% stake in Ghost for $240 million last year, establishing a beachhead in the United States for exporting its products. The majority control followed a separate contract between the Philadelphia-based Ghost and the South Korean company Ghost Robotics Technology (GRT), with GRT both serving as a reseller of the Vision 60 within Korea and as an intermediary for Vision 60 parts manufactured by its close affiliate and investee, Korea Robot Manufacturing Co. (KRM).

Following the Hamas raid of Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military responded with unprecedented death and destruction, killing at least 67,074 and injuring at least 168,716 of the roughly two million Palestinians in Gaza prior to Wednesday’s nominal ceasefire deal. Alongside the mass murder — including of at least 20,000 children — Israeli soldiers became infamous for posting photos of themselves modeling the clothing of Palestinian women whose homes had been assaulted. Israeli commandos also openly raided humanitarian flotillas bound for Gaza, brazenly portraying their kidnappings of peaceful human rights activists as counter-terrorism.

Ghost and RoboTiCan were quick to capitalize on the Israeli invasion of Gaza, with Ghost’s Vision 60 robot dogs being deployed into Gazan tunnels as a sort of aircraft carrier for the RoboTiCan Roosters. Promotional photos of the Rooster docked on top of the Ghost Vision 60 robot were widely published in the international press by early 2024, but RoboTiCan had begun promoting the usage of Vision 60 robots in Gaza by the end of 2023, including with footage of the robots firing assault rifles.

The Gazan use cases for the robotic duo were reported almost universally as surveillance and reconnaissance, despite RoboTiCan in December 2023 promoting its Channel 13 coverage with the headline “A robot in the Hamas tunnels: the electric dog that can neutralize charges and shoot.” RoboTiCan last month publicly repositioned the Rooster as a tool for lethal urban warfare, with CEO Hagai Balshai stating that the Rooster was “bringing precision and autonomy to environments that were previously off-limits to loitering munitions,” adding that, “Forces can now conduct surgical strikes inside structures.”

Ghost’s explicit promotion of its company as the exclusive U.S. reseller of the Rooster has come since the product’s lethal reorientation. Ghost’s nominally nonviolent support for the Israeli invasion of Gaza through RoboTiCan had already led to sustained protests against the company, including Ghost CEO and UPenn PhD Gavin Kenneally having the front door of his Fairmount townhome spraypainted with the word ‘MURDERER’ in the early morning of July 9, 2024, according to an apparent confession on the Philly Anti-Capitalist website.

A subsequent post to the same website the following October detailed both another defacement of Dr. Kenneally’s home — allegedly writing “Funded By Genocide” across his garage and smashing his windows— as well as the spraypainting of “NO KILLER TECH” across Ghost’s then-headquarters within  UPenn’s innovation center. “Ghost Robotics AI-enabled machine-gun-armed robot dogs have been used against Palestinians in Gaza,” stated the explanation.

Ghost Robotics appears to have attempted to prevent further protests of its facilities by hiding its headquarters. A January 22 press release stated that the firm had “signed a lease and relocated from Pennovation Works to a new, larger location in Philadelphia, PA.” But Ghost remained tight-lipped about where this “larger location” would be, with the firm’s LinkedIn profile and corporate records continuing to list the Pennovation Works address.

But a recently public, $120,000 agreement for Ghost to sell the U.S. Army Research Laboratory two of its Vision 60 robots lists a new address for the company. As recently as February, Ghost sold the U.S. Army’s Armaments Center a $3.2 million “Wolfpack” of Vision 60 robots through its old Pennovation Works address. Ghost’s newest contract instead lists its headquarters as Apartment 170 within the refurbished former central factory of the Pep Boys auto services company in the northwest Philadelphia region of Bala Cynwyd.

Acquired by Icahn Enterprises in 2016, Pep Boys ceased operations at the factory by early 2021, with investors turning what is now known as the Reyburn Manufacturing Company Building into a beautiful five-story condominium, complete with a rooftop pool and a podcasting studio.

With its loft-style apartments only located on the second through fifth floors, the Reyburn’s first-floor addresses are assigned to a detached, single-story partitioned warehouse on the north side of the building, with addresses counting down as you move north. The nonprofit Share Food Program occupies a section just north of a pink sign reading ‘106’, while the section assigned to Ghost remains unadorned.

Despite months of Ghost Robotics and its parent company refusing to respond to questions about the location of the company’s new headquarters, apparent confirmation came three weeks after the firm’s latest contract to sell the U.S. Army two Vision 60 robots. According to U.S. Customs records, a 740 kilogram “40 Foot General Purpose Container” with three motors from Korea Robot Manufacturing arrived at Ghost’s Suite 107 at the Reyburn Building on July 30, 2025.Subscribe

October 11, 2025 Posted by | Gaza, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel Attacks Another Group of Civilian Ships Bound for Gaza

Israeli forces have once again targeted civilian vessels sailing to Gaza, aiming to break the blockade and deliver medical supplies.

October 08, 2025 by Ana Vračar, https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/10/08/israel-attacks-another-group-of-civilian-ships-bound-for-gaza/

In a new act of state terrorism, Israel has assaulted vessels from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Thousand Madleens to Gaza initiative in international waters, abducting more than 140 crew members. The attack comes barely a week after Israeli armed forces targeted the Global Sumud Flotilla, another civilian fleet sailing to break the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver essential supplies.

“Unarmed crew aboard, including doctors, journalists, and elected officials, have been abducted, as well as the vital aid worth over USD 110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition stated soon after the event.

The latest mission to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza by sea was specific considering that most of its crew consisted of health and media workers, two groups continuously targeted by Israeli forces during the genocide in Gaza. Nurse Stefano Argerio, speaking shortly before his abduction, emphasized the peaceful and civilian character of the initiative. “It’s a humanitarian, medical mission,” he told Public Services International (PSI), stressing that obstructing it would only add to Israel’s long list of crimes.

Aboard the “Conscience”, the fleet’s largest vessel, was Belgian physician Hanne Bosselaers of Medics for the People (MPLP-GVHV), who is also active in the People’s Health Movement (PHM). Having participated in preparations for the Global Sumud Flotilla, she joined this mission to help keep global attention on Gaza. “The Israeli armed forces want to totally annihilate it [Gaza], and they’re accelerating the process,” Bosselaers told the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB–PVDA). “Even if our media no longer shows it, we absolutely must keep our eyes on it. Humanity must heed the call of the Palestinians to stop the genocide.”

Bosselaers, who previously volunteered in Gaza, established contact with staff from the Awda Association while en route. “[They] told us live about how they experience genocide in their hospitals and health centers,” she said. “They have great confidence in our arrival and it gives them hope and courage to see that caregivers around the world are mobilizing, that they are not forgotten.”

Members of the Freedom Flotilla and Thousand Madleens to Gaza initiatives anticipated the risk of Israeli attacks, especially after the assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla. Yet, instead of retreating, they called for even stronger mobilization from the medical community in support of Gaza’s health workers and the flotillas’ missions. “We know that what can happen to us is still only a fraction of what Palestinians have endured every day for 77 years,” Bosselaers said. “We hope that seeing our rights violated as white Europeans might amplify the message and draw attention to the Palestinians.”

Pharmacist Aziz Rhali among GSF crew still held by Israel

As of the morning of October 8, six members of the Global Sumud Flotilla remain imprisoned in Israel: Abdeladim Bendraoui and Aziz Rhali from Morocco; Christoforos Schuff O’Moore, Eline Norli, and Samuel Rostol from Norway; and Reyes Rigo Cervilla from Spain.

Before departure, Rhali, a pharmacist and long-time human rights defender, highlighted the importance of global solidarity among health professionals. “We must also emphasize the role of Gaza’s healthcare workers, who remain on the front line of resistance,” he said. “Despite everything, they stay, they work, they do their best to help the population … They need us, and we need them. Just as lawyers are pursuing justice through the courts – the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court – our role, as health workers, is to stand with our Palestinian colleagues. We can do that directly, by being on the ground with them.”

PHM Global Coordinator Román Vega told People’s Health Dispatch that Rhali had been struggling for months to reach Gaza and support his colleagues and patients. Instead of being allowed to provide essential care, “he was abducted by the genocidal Israeli regime,” Vega said. “We are deeply concerned for his safety, especially after hearing of the abuse suffered by members of the flotilla who have returned home. We are calling for his immediate release and for the protection of his life and rights.”

October 10, 2025 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

After 2 years, Israel genocidal ethnic cleansing of Gaza has failed

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL 9 Oct 25

Israel has a grisly method of negotiating peace and release of remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. They’re continuing their genocidal ethnic cleansing of those pesky Palestinians who just won’t leave so Israel can annex Gaza to Greater Israel.
 
On Tuesday Israel bombed Gaza City, Khan Younis, even the Mawasi safe zone, killing at least 10. Hundreds of been slaughtered in the five days Israel has ignored President Trump’s demand to stop the genocide while peace talks continue in Egypt.
 
That should surprise no one interested in ending the genocide. Israel’s primary goal since the Hamas attack 2 years ago Tuesday was to exploit the attack to rid Gaza of all 2,300,000 Palestinians. While killing over 100,000, with the remaining 2,200,000 suffering starvation, degraded health, no habitable living conditions, Israel has failed to achieve its cherished goal: no Palestinians left in a Gaza annexed into Greater Israel.
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to maintain the genocide for political and personal reasons. The political is the aforementioned completion of Greater Israel including not only Gaza but the West Bank. The personal reason is to delay indefinitely his possible date with prison on corruption crimes.

Dead last on Netanyahu’s grotesque agenda? Getting back the remaining 48 Israeli hostages. Had he cared a whit about the original 251, many of whom his delay killed, he wouldn’t have embarked on genocide.

None of this could have occurred without the $20 billion in genocide weapons gifted to Israel by presidents Biden and Trump, paid for by John Q. Taxpayer. US near total support of the genocide continues even tho an increasing majority of Americans call it genocide and demand we end enabling it.
 
The current talks in Egypt are doing nothing to achieve the only path to peace: Palestinian statehood, recognized by 158 of 193 UN countries but not the US. Trump’s 20 point peace plan is simply US imagined neocolonialism to keep Gaza totally controlled by outside forces. Palestinians are excluded, keeping Gaza stateless in perpetuity.

The peace plan may release the remaining 48 hostages and achieve ceasefire. But it will neither achieve a Palestinian state nor Netanyahu’s dream of a Palestinian free Gaza annexed to Israel. Both likely outcomes may doom the peace negotiations to failure.

October 10, 2025 Posted by | Atrocities, Gaza, Israel | Leave a comment

Peace is Possible – The Weaponization of Space with Bruce Gagnon.

Peace is Possible – The Weaponization of Space with Bruce Gagnon

West Hartford Community Interactive, 1 Oct 25

Joe Wasserman interviews Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator and co-founder of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ps6sJI1XM

October 10, 2025 Posted by | space travel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Report: Netanyahu Ordered Drone Attack on Gaza Aid Flotilla Boats in Tunisia

US intelligence officials told CBS News that Israeli forces launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices on two aid boats

by Dave DeCamp | October 5, 2025 , https://news.antiwar.com/2025/10/05/report-netanyahu-ordered-drone-attack-on-gaza-aid-flotilla-boats-in-tunisia/

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly ordered attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla that were carried out in early September while the boats were moored in Tunisia, CBS News reported on Friday.

A total of two boats were hit in two attacks that were conducted on September 8 and September 9. Two US intelligence officials told CBS News that Israel forces fired drones from a submarine that dropped incendiary devices and caused fires.

The report noted that under international law, the use of incendiary devices against civilian populations or civilian targets is prohibited. The attacks targeted the Family, a Portuguese-flagged vessel, and the Alma, a British-flagged vessel. In both cases, the crews were able to extinguish the fire, and the attacks caused no casualties.

In a September 22 interview, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack acknowledged that Israel was behind the operation by saying Israel had attacked Tunisia. “So Israel is attacking Syria. Israel is attacking Lebanon. Israel is attacking Tunisia,” Barrack told The National.

In a statement to CBS, the Global Sumud Flotilla said, “Confirmation of Israeli involvement would not surprise us; it would simply lay bare a pattern of arrogance and impunity so grotesque that it cannot escape eventual reckoning.”

The group added, “Whether the purpose of these attacks was to kill us, scare us away, or disable our boats, they recklessly endangered civilians and humanitarian volunteers. The world must take note: attempts to silence, intimidate, or obstruct our commitment to the Palestinian cause and people will not succeed. We call for urgent, independent investigations into these attacks and full accountability for those responsible.”

Despite the attack in Tunisia, the flotilla continued on its mission to attempt to bring food to starving Palestinians living under the Israeli blockade in Gaza. The boats came under attack from multiple drones while sailing in the Mediterranean Sea south of Greece, and they were all eventually captured by Israeli forces while in international waters and approaching Gaza.

Hundreds of activists, including at least 24 US citizens, were thrown into prison when the IDF brought them to Israel. Some have since been deported and are alleging they were severely mistreated by Israeli forces.

October 8, 2025 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel Says No Gaza Ceasefire in Place Despite Trump’s Call for a Stop to the Bombing

Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza over the past two days

by Dave DeCamp | October 5, 2025, https://news.antiwar.com/2025/10/05/israel-says-no-gaza-ceasefire-in-place-despite-trumps-call-for-an-immediate-halt-to-the-bombing/

The Israeli government said on Sunday that there is no ceasefire in place in Gaza despite President Trump’s calls for Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” as the IDF continues to slaughter Palestinians across the Strip.

“While certain bombings have actually stopped inside of the Gaza Strip, there’s no ceasefire in place at this point in time,” said Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Badrosian, according to The Associated Press.

Badrosian added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in “regular contact” with Trump and that the upcoming negotiations in Egypt aimed at securing the release of Israelis held by Hamas and implementing a ceasefire will “be confined to a few days maximum, with no tolerance for maneuvers that will delay talks by Hamas.”

Trump first made the call for Israel to stop bombing Gaza on Friday after Hamas issued its response to the US-Israeli ceasefire proposal. On Saturday, Trump said that he appreciated that “Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing,’ but on the same day, the IDF killed at least 70 Palestinians in Gaza, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera.

The IDF killed at least 129 Palestinians in Gaza over the past two days, according to daily updates released by Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Health Ministry said in its latest release on Sunday that it recorded the deaths of 63 Palestinians and the injury of 153 over the previous 24-hour period.

Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that Israeli attacks on Sunday killed at least 24 Palestinians, including at least 12 who were killed in Gaza City. According to Israeli media, the IDF was ordered to halt its operation to conquer Gaza City, but it has continued to bomb the area.

One Israeli strike in Gaza City on Saturday killed 18 people, including seven children between the ages of two months and eight years, according to a statement from Gaza’s Civil Defense.

The IDF also continues to kill desperate Palestinians attempting to get food. According to the AP, at least four Palestinians were killed near an aid site in southern Gaza on Sunday.

On top of the violent deaths, Palestinians continue to starve to death amid the famine caused by the Israeli siege. According to releases from the Health Ministry, at least three Palestinians, including two children, died of starvation over the past two days.

The ministry said on Sunday that its violent death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 67,139, and the number of wounded has climbed to 169,583. Studies have found that the ministry’s numbers are likely a significant undercount.

October 8, 2025 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

UK aerospace firm supplying Israel’s defence ministry

Moog in Wolverhampton was targeted by pro-Palestine activists in August. We can now reveal the company has been exporting aircraft components to Israel’s ministry of defence.

JOHN McEVOY, 22 September 2025, https://www.declassifieduk.org/uk-aerospace-firm-supplying-israels-defence-ministry/

Published in partnership with Irish investigative news site The Ditch

On 26 August, four activists from the group ‘Palestinian Martyrs for Justice’ crashed through the gates of a factory in Wolverhampton and climbed onto its rooftop.

The target was Moog, a US-owned engineering company which designs and manufactures components for military aircraft worldwide.

Wearing t-shirts with the faces of Palestinians killed by Israel, the activists proceeded to cut through Moog’s roof covering and peer into the factory floor below.

They accused the company of supplying Israel’s largest arms firm Elbit Systems with aircraft parts “used to train Israeli pilots to fly F-16 and F-35 fighter jets”.

Declassified and The Ditch had previously reported how Moog sent at least ten shipments of trainer aircraft parts to an Elbit Systems site in Israel between December 2024 and July 2025.

But it can now be revealed that Moog has also been directly supplying Israel’s ministry of defence with components used to train Israeli pilots to fly advanced fighter jets.

Cargo documents expose how the aerospace firm sent two shipments for the M-346 Lavi programme in July 2025, with the address corresponding to Israel’s defence ministry in Tel Aviv.

The M-346 Lavi is a high-performance aircraft designed to train Israeli pilots to fly jets including the F-16 and F-35.

It is estimated that the value of the two shipments could be over £200,000. The total value of Moog exports to Israel since December 2024 is likely in excess of £1m.

2,000lb bombs

The revelation details how the UK government, through its arms export regime, is facilitating the training of Israeli pilots to fly the aircraft dropping 2,000lb bombs on civilians.

This is despite the government having claimed it suspended export licences for equipment that could be used by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Last week, trade minister Chris Bryant attempted to justify this approach, saying: “The assessment is that the training of an aircraft pilot on such equipment would take so long that they wouldn’t be the people that would be engaged in fighter combat in Gaza”.

Bryant did not clarify how the government reached this conclusion, but it appears to be  misleading.

A US air force report recently estimated that it could take four to six months to train Ukrainian fighter pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. These same aircraft have been used by Israeli forces in Gaza, including in an attack on British doctors in January 2024.

Moreover, Bryant’s argument falsely suggests a known end date of the Gaza genocide, and appears to assume that Israeli pilots will only be using UK-made equipment at the beginning of their training.

Declassified approached the Department for Business and Trade as well as the Foreign Office for clarification on Bryant’s comments.

We specifically asked whether Bryant’s comments accurately reflected the government’s position, and on what basis it is estimated that Israeli pilots training on UK-made components will not go on to use fighter aircraft in Gaza.

The trade department failed to provide any meaningful answers, while the Foreign Office did not respond at all.

M-346 Lavi

Israel received its first M-346 Lavi in 2014, with an additional 29 arriving over the following two years. They are hosted at Hatzerim airbase near Be’er Sheva.

Promotional content shows how the jet not only trains pilots to fly, but also helps them master combat techniques. It is equipped with a “digital avionics system” which is modelled on advanced military aircraft such as the F-16, F-22 and F-35.

Its cockpit includes a head-up display which is common in fighter jets, and the aircraft can be armed with practice air-to-ground bombs and a gun pod for live fire training.

One of the first instructors to use the jet, Brigadier General Avi Maor, has said: “It’s very easy to make the transition from the M-346 to a real jet fighter because it’s very similar to the fighters.

“You learn how to fight and then do the transition to the real fighter. You don’t need to learn how to fight again with the real fighter, so you save a lot of hours”.

By 2022, the Israeli air force had racked up 50,000 flight hours with the M-346 Lavi, making it the largest user of the jet in the world.

In addition to supplying parts for the M-346, Moog has contributed to the global F-35 programme.

Previous company annual reports note how Moog “provides actuators, power drive electronics, control electronics and software” for the F-35 fighter jet.

Moog was approached for comment.

October 8, 2025 Posted by | UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Trump warns of new strikes if Iran revives nuclear work

6 Oct 25, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202510063564

US President Donald Trump warned that Washington would bomb Iran again if it restarts its nuclear program, speaking on Sunday at a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of the US Navy at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

“We’ll have to take care of that too if they do,” Trump said, referring to Tehran’s potential resumption of nuclear activity. “You want to do that, it’s fine, but we’re going to take care of that and we’re not going to wait so long,” he told sailors gathered at the base.

Trump praised the June 22 US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities — codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer — as perfectly executed, saying American B-2 bombers and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles hit every single target.

The operation targeted three key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, following an Israeli air campaign that began on June 13 against Iranian military and nuclear-related sites.

“The B2s, what they did. Those beautiful flying wings, what they did, they hit every single target. And just in case, we shot 30 Tomahawks out of a submarine,” Trump said at the event.

Iran had been within a month of developing a nuclear weapon before the strikes, Trump said, adding that US forces had prevented Tehran from crossing that threshold.

“They were going to have a nuclear weapon within a month,” Trump said. “And now they can start the operation all over again, but I hope they don’t because we’ll have to take care of that too if they do, I let them know that.”

Operation was decades in the making

Trump told the audience that B-2 pilots informed him the Pentagon had been planning such an operation for 22 years, saying no previous president had “the guts to do it.”

Trump’s comments come as his administration presses Iran to halt uranium enrichment and curb its ballistic missile program, demands Tehran has repeatedly rejected.

The president’s warning suggests Washington is prepared for further confrontation if Iran resumes nuclear activity, highlighting a renewed phase of military and diplomatic brinkmanship between the two countries.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Iran, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel Droned Flotilla Activists And Then Abused Greta Thunberg

Caitlin Johnstone, Oct 05, 2025, https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-droned-flotilla-activists?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=175313119&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1ise1&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Who would have imagined five years ago when we were seeing Greta Thunberg amplified by every mainstream western liberal institution that we would one day hear reports that she has been captured and tormented by the Israeli military for trying to bring formula to starving babies?

The Guardian reports the following:

“In an email sent by the Swedish foreign ministry to people close to Thunberg, and seen by the Guardian, an official who has visited the activist in prison said she claimed she was detained in a cell infested with bedbugs, with too little food and water.

“ ‘The embassy has been able to meet with Greta,’ reads the email. ‘She informed of dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.’

“ ‘Another detainee reportedly told another embassy that they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken. She wondered whether images of her had been distributed,’ the Swedish ministry’s official added.

“The allegation was corroborated by at least two other members of the flotilla who had been detained by Israeli forces and released on Saturday.

“ ‘They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,’ the Turkish activist Ersin Çelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.

“Lorenzo D’Agostino, a journalist and another flotilla participant, said after returning to Istanbul that Thunberg was ‘wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy’ — a scene described with disbelief and anger by those who witnessed it.”

These reports, as shocking as they are, also happen to more or less reflect exactly what the Israeli regime said it intended to do to Global Sumud Flotilla activists when they were captured.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said last month that Sumud activists must be treated as terrorists in order to “create a clear deterrent” from future flotilla activism, declaring that “Anyone who chooses to collaborate with Hamas and support terrorism will meet a firm and unyielding response from Israel.”

“We will not allow individuals who support terrorism to live in comfort. They will face the full consequences of their actions,” Ben-Gvir said at the time.

After the flotilla activists were abducted by the IDF, Ben-Gvir filmed himself taunting them and calling them “terrorists”.

Israel, needless to say, has an extensively documented record of torturing and abusing individuals who’ve been given the “terrorist” label by the regime.

So it would appear that they singled out the most high-profile activist on the flotilla for abuse in order to send a message and deter future efforts to break the siege on Gaza.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

The case for some non-nuclear subs

by Lieutenant Commander Jim Halsell, U.S. Navy*, Australian Naval Institute, 5 Oct 25

The United States will require more than its existing inventory of nuclear-powered submarines to ensure victory in a conflict with China. The Navy should augment its existing submarine force with a fleet of conventionally powered submarines capable of launching cruise missiles.

By producing smaller, more cost-efficient submarines with the help of allies, the U.S. submarine force could mitigate the relatively low number of nuclear-powered submarines available for a conflict. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 The problem with the makeup of today’s submarine force is that these deep-diving, fast-driving, nuclear-powered submarines are expensive. These ships are both too expensive to build in sufficient quantity to meet operational requirements and too costly, in terms of dollars and capabilities, to risk losing in combat.

The cost per hull of a new Virginia-class SSN was originally $2.8 billion, but following the incorporation of the Virginia Payload Module in the USS Arizona (SSN-803) and follow-on Block V boats, that cost now exceeds $4 billion.4 In comparison, Japan spent an estimated $536 million per hull for its Sōryū-class submarines, which feature air-independent propulsion (AIP), allowing them to operate for weeks without snorkeling.5 Japan’s newer Taigei-class submarines are being built at an even cheaper $473 million per hull.6

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Much of the disparity stems from the prohibitive cost of nuclear propulsion systems. Conventional submarines are cheaper not only to build, but also to maintain, benefiting from simpler refueling logistics and a dramatically lower cost threshold.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Allied Collaboration

One of the most compelling opportunities presented by the development of a U.S. conventionally powered submarine would be the chance to design and build it in partnership with key Indo-Pacific allies. Japan, South Korea, and Australia have decades of experience operating and constructing nonnuclear-powered submarines, and they are getting better with each iteration. ……………………………………………………………. https://navalinstitute.com.au/the-case-for-some-non-nuclear-subs/

October 7, 2025 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Hegseth Says Four ‘Narco-Terrorists’ Killed in Latest US Attack on Venezuela Boat

 Trump claims attacked boat had enough drugs to kill 25,000-50,000 people

by Jason Ditz | October 3, 2025, https://news.antiwar.com/2025/10/03/hegseth-says-four-narco-terrorists-killed-in-latest-us-attack-on-venezuela-boat/

A day after President Trump informed Congress that the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, the US carried out yet another strike on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean Sea, alleging it was loaded with drugs.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the attack on social media, claiming the attack on the small boat killed four “narco-terrorists.” President Trump went on to claim, without evidence, that the boat was loaded with enough drugs to kill 25,000 to 50,000 people and was “entering American territory.”

In reality, the boat attacked was off the coast of Venezuela, far from US territorial waters. Secretary Hegseth further claimed that the US had intelligence the four were affiliated with a “designated terrorist organization” but did not specify which nor show the evidence.

The US has attacked multiple Venezuelan boats in recent weeks, with US officials saying the goal of the strikes is regime change in Venezuela as opposed to the war on drugs. Along with the airstrikes of boats, a US destroyer boarded and seized a Venezuelan boat in mid-September, which the Venezuelan government insists was a tuna fishing vessel.

The administration’s strikes are fueling growing opposition within Congress, with ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee Sen. Jack Reed (D – RI) saying the strikes were unconstitutional, and Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) saying that “blowing them up without knowing who’s on the boat is a terrible policy, and it should end.”

Sen. Jim Risch (R – ID), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he believes Trump is allowed to attack the boats by virtue of “his general powers under the Constitution.” Many in the Senate, however, argue there is a legal process to be followed, and the unilateral attacking of boats isn’t it.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D – AZ) was concerned in particular about the legality of the strikes under international law, wondering of the officers involved in the strikes “What situation did we, did the White House, just put them in?”

Though President Trump informed Congress after the fact of the strikes by way of claiming a general armed conflict, there is as yet no indication Congressional leadership intends to bring the question of the ongoing US strikes to a vote.

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | OCEANIA, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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