Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
Israeli forces killed at least 85 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, including 2 aid seekers. In total, Israel has killed at least 2,582 aid seekers since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opened on May 27, 2025 (learn about aid seekers here).
The number of known starvation/malnutrition deaths stands at 455, including 151 children.
Additional statistics below. For detail on Israeli attacks in Gaza on Wednesday, go here.
FLOTILLA NEWS & HEADLINES:
(Read about the Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2025 missions here and here; learn about the deadly mission in 2010 here; and find out about the global flotilla here. Get live updates on the Global Sumud Flotilla from Al Jazeera here.)
🚨 BREAKING: GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA Leader Thiago Avila WRECKS IDF Soldier
Israel is threatening to confiscate their boats https://t.co/q6cSi8Eatd pic.twitter.com/TWZrEv1233
— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) October 1, 2025
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Israeli naval forces board Gaza Sumud Flotilla 75 miles from Gaza
About 7.25pm, about 70 miles from Gaza’s shore, roughly 20 Israeli naval ships approached the flotilla, including over 40 civilian boats with around 500 activists from 44 countries on board, and ordered the boats to turn off their engines, activists said on social media. Live footage from the flotilla showed passengers seated in a semi-circle, wearing lifejackets as they awaited interception. The broadcast cut off shortly afterwards.
“Our vessels are being illegally intercepted,” a message on the flotilla’s Instagram page read on Wednesday evening. “Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants onboard.”
Footage broadcast by Sky Italia showed activists on deck being hit by powerful jets of water. Those onboard said they also heard loud bangs near several of the boats, believed to be stun grenades dropped from drones.
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One flotilla ship reported to have escaped blockade
One boat, the Mikeno, was reported to have escaped the maritime blockade and to have stopped inside Palestinian territorial waters near Gaza’s coast before contact with the vessel was lost.
It was the first time since Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza’s waters in 2009 that an unauthorized humanitarian mission has reached closer than 70 nautical miles from the territory.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that ‘‘one last boat of the provocation remains in the distance.’’
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Israel’s kidnapping of flotilla activists causes global outrage
Organizers said Israeli naval commandos cut communications, jammed signals, and then stormed multiple vessels, seizing over 200 people from 13 vessels in the first wave. More were kidnapped later in the evening.
Israel’s foreign ministry said those detained were “safe and in good health.” “Deportation procedures” have already begun, it confirmed.
The attack triggered a wave of condemnation worldwide, with protests in cities from Rome to Buenos Aires, and sharp criticism from governments.
As one example, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced the expulsion of Israeli diplomats and the suspension of a free trade agreement with Israel. “Here Netanyahu demonstrates his worldwide hypocrisy and why he is a worldwide criminal who must be captured,” Petro said in a post online.
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FLOTILLA HEADLINES:
Italian union announces general strike on Oct. 3 to protest interception of Gaza flotilla
Colombian president calls flotilla detention ‘international crime’; expels Israeli diplomats
Three Egyptian activists set to join Gaza flotilla disappear
Greek participants of Sumud Flotilla accuse Mitsotakis government of shielding Israel
CEASEFIRE NEWS & HEADLINES:
How Hamas Is Navigating Trump’s Gaza Ultimatum
“Trump is dealing with us as if we have to accept this plan based on the well-known English phrase: Take it or leave it. This is unacceptable in political practice. It cannot be a matter of either accepting or rejecting an agreement outright,” said Mohammad Nazzal, a veteran Hamas official and longtime member of its political bureau, in an interview with Drop Site.
As in previous “ceasefire” talks, Hamas negotiators plan to draft a series of proposed amendments and requests for more details on various terms outlined in the proposal. “It is clear that the plan is a broad and vague outline that, by its nature, requires negotiation. Every point mentioned in the plan needs a negotiation process. We do not want to proceed on the basis that what is presented in the plan represents a final, non-negotiable position,” Nazzal said.
“This plan was formulated without the participation of Hamas or any Palestinian party, including the Palestinian Authority. So how can the U.S. administration reach an agreement with one side of the conflict while excluding the Palestinian side?”
“There are no guarantees,” Nazzal said. “That’s why I believe that when we delve into the details of the plan, we must include guarantees that ensure the agreement is fully implemented and not cut short. There must be guarantees that the release of all captives in those initial hours will not allow the Americans and Israelis to walk away from fulfilling the rest of the deal” (continue reading here).
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Hamas expected to demand major changes to Trump “peace plan”
Hamas officials want amendments to clauses on disarmament in Trump’s new Gaza peace plan, a Palestinian source said on Wednesday, as well as “international guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip” and guarantees of no assassinations inside or outside the territory.
Hamas is also expected to oppose deploying international peacekeeping forces in Gaza, which the group views as a form of occupation, even if the Israeli military pulls out of the enclave.
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are reportedly furious about changes Netanyahu made to the deal after they had approved it, and a senior Hamas figure pointed out that the plan serves Israeli interests and ignores the Palestinians (continue reading here).
GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:
(For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.)
Israel’s Katz Says Civilians in Gaza City Have ‘Last Opportunity to Leave,’ Will Be Treated as ‘Terrorists’
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said that the IDF has almost encircled Gaza City. “This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas terrorists isolated in Gaza City itself, facing the IDF’s ongoing operations at full force,” he wrote.
“Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters,” he added.
Among the civilians remaining are the Christians based at the two churches in Gaza City: the Holy Family Catholic Church and the St. Porphyrius Orthodox Church. The clergy have stated they will not leave since they are assisting hundreds of displaced Palestinians sheltering at their facilities.
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Israel threatens Gaza’s Old City, home to displaced families and heritage sites
Located in the heart of Gaza City, the Old City remains one of the most densely populated areas in Gaza today, despite constant aerial and artillery bombardments.
The Old City is considered Gaza’s most historically significant neighborhood, home to around 85 percent of the strip’s archaeological and cultural heritage. Chief among these is the Great Omari Mosque, over 4,000 years old, which has endured repeated destruction and restoration over the centuries.
Also located in the Old City are Gaza’s most prominent historic churches (continue reading here).
OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM NEWS & HEADLINES:
(For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
How farming in the West Bank became a battle for survival and an act of resistance
Israeli Colonizers Burn Part of a Palestinian Home Near Nablus
Wednesday: Invasions, Abductions, and Violations Across West Bank
Israeli Colonizers Cut Hundreds of Trees Near Hebron
ISRAEL HEADLINES:
(Get a glimpse inside Israel and the turmoil and contradictions within the country. Often, our news items and headlines are taken from Israeli media.)
UN Verifies Israel Killed 103 Lebanese Civilians Since Ceasefire Began
HERE’S WHAT ISRAELIS ARE READING:
Report: Four IDF Soldiers Jailed for Refusing to Drive on Gaza Route in Unarmored Vehicle
REVEALED: The direct link between Hamas and the Gaza flotilla
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
Over 150 Doctors Who Volunteered in Gaza Call on Trump To End Military Support for Israel
Many of the healthcare workers who signed the letter have served in other conflict zones around the world, but they said the “scale of violence directed at Gaza’s civilians is unlike anything” they have ever seen. They described in the letter the atrocities they witnessed, including the massive violence inflicted on children.
“Half of Gaza’s population is children, and we routinely treated them for every possible type of injury: 100% total body surface area burns, dismemberment, gunshots to the head and chest, evisceration, and even traumatic hemicorporectomy and decapitation.
We have even seen these injuries in fetuses, whose mothers’ bodies could not protect their unborn children from the American-made bombs dropped on them by Israeli forces. Most of us saw pre-teen children shot in the head or chest on a regular basis, often multiple times per day,” the healthcare workers said (continue reading here).
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Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Security Contractor Hires Trump-Linked Lobbyists
A security contractor serving the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has hired a lobbying firm tied to Donald Trump as the president’s proposed peace deal for Gaza puts the controversial aid distribution outfit’s future in doubt.
UG Solutions inked a lobbying contract in late August with Ballard Partners, the firm that previously employed Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to a disclosure form filed Friday (continue reading here).
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AIPAC’s and Israel’s influence is falling in Congress, two opposing letters show just how much
Last week, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) publicized a letter he had been circulating calling on President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to join the overwhelming majority of the world, and of U.S. allies, in the symbolic recognition of the State of Palestine…the letter received 47 signatures, which is not a bad total considering it called for a fundamental shift in not only American but also long-standing Democratic policy toward Palestine.
In response to Khanna’s letter, Rep. Jake Auchinloss (D-MA) circulated his own, regurgitating the well-worn AIPAC talking points…But the letter only gathered 30 signatures of some of the most extreme pro-Israel voices in the Democratic House Caucus.
That’s despite it being backed strongly by AIPAC and numerous other pro-Israel groups and having circulated for a week after Khanna’s letter started making the rounds. It’s a remarkable development that the pro-Palestinian rights letter gathered more than 50% more signatures than the AIPAC-backed one (continue reading here).
MORE HEADLINES:
Can Trump force the PA to drop the ICC suit to take over Gaza?
Dutch pension fund dumps Caterpillar over Gaza demolitions
Yemen imposes sanctions on US energy giants including Chevron, ExxonMobil
ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
WATCH: what Netanyahu promised in English he contradicted in Hebrew
WATCH: Israeli soldiers detain Palestinian children for ‘spying’ in West Bank
Israel appears as a perpetrator on US global human trafficking report
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
TAKE ACTION FOR GAZA
If Americans Knew has prepared a whole set of resources for educating and informing the public on the situation in Gaza: short videos, statistics, links, and downloadable flyers that you can print and hand out.
Watch this introductory video, and visit the website. Then pitch in to make a difference!
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 1, 2025*:
- At least 67,272 Palestinians killed, 178,938 injured – including:
- at least 66,225 killed in Gaza (~20,000 children)
- at least 1,047 killed in the West Bank (~212 children)
- at least 168,938 injured in Gaza
- more than 10,000 injured in the West Bank
- at least 455 have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including 151 children
At least 2,582 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid parcels from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which started operating on May 26, 2025.
Since the Israeli army unilaterally broke the January ceasefire on March 18, 2025, it has killed at least 13,357 people. 65 Israeli soldiers (most recent Sept. 28) have been killed during the same time period.
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 14,000 more are still buried under rubble. Additionally, the numbers of injured and starved are very conservative estimates.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – October 1, 2025: ~1,658 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 466 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 270 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 203 and 323 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).
NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- Why Trump’s 20-point Plan for Ending the Gaza War Simply Won’t Work
- The destruction of Gaza City is a crime against history
- Israel wants to train ChatGPT to be more pro-Israel
- How Jeffrey Epstein Helped to Broker an Israeli Security Agreement With Mongolia
- Americans’ Support for Israel Dramatically Declines, Times/Siena Poll Finds
- From Netanyahu’s Deceitful UN Speech on Gaza, a Terrible Truth Emerges
- A List of Every House Democrat Calling on Trump to Recognize Palestine
- Israel wins TikTok
- Israel is coercing Gaza families: “Cooperate or be killed”
- Northwestern students blocked from enrollment after refusing controversial antisemitism training
- Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here
- Over 30 states met during Netanyahu’s UN speech to weigh action against Israel
- Israel and 9/11: What did they know and withhold?
- Washington doubles down on support for Israel
- Collusion and insider trading: Who profited off 7 October?
- No medicine, no beds, no food or water: inside Gaza City’s main hospital
- ‘Tunnel vision’: how Israel is using archaeology to win US support for goals
- Post-Paramount sale, Shari Redstone is ‘full speed ahead’ on addressing antisemitism
- NEH Announces Largest Grant in Agency’s History—$10.4 Million—to Israel advocacy organization
