President Trump’s Plan for Gaza Continues Subjugation of Palestinians | Palestine Policy Roundup 10.06.25
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
👀 ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Rep. Rashida Tlaib: “Trump and War Criminal Netanyahu, perpetrators of the genocide, do not get to decide the future of Gaza. Palestinians get to determine the future of Palestine.”
Rep. Nydia Velázquez: “I joined @RepRashida to urge Sec. Rubio to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla. These brave activists, including American citizens, have faced constant harassment & attacks while delivering life-saving aid to Gaza. The US must work to protect them, & end the genocidal blockade.”
Rep. Delia Ramirez: “Only one boat continues its journey after Israeli forces intercepted the humanitarian flotilla heading to Gaza. The attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla are further evidence that Netanyahu has no intention of ending his unlawful blockade. The Netanyahu Administration must be held accountable. We must Block the Bombs and ensure humanitarian aid surges into Gaza.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “Children are starving in Gaza because of Israeli government policies. Hundreds of people from around the world organized a civilian flotilla to try to deliver food. Israel arrested them. The United States must demand the immediate release of all detained Americans.”
DC DEVELOPMENTS
⚠️ PRESIDENT TRUMP UNVEILS PLAN FOR GAZA THAT DENIES SELF-DETERMINATION FOR PALESTINIANS
Last Monday, President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza, speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in alleged war crimes. Trump’s plan would enable a long-term Israeli military occupation within Gaza, while the prospect for Palestinian self-determination would recede further as Gaza would be run by outsiders, not by Palestinians. In addition, Trump publicly gave Israel the green light to “finish the job” if Palestinians do not capitulate to this dangerous plan, potentially seeding the ground for Israel’s future ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians from Gaza.
Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza continues–Trump’s claims that Israel halted bombings and attacks are demonstrably untrue. Over the weekend, Israel killed 66 Palestinians in Gaza. Even though Hamas has partially accepted the proposal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified in an interview yesterday that the US is continuing to support Israel’s assault on Gaza as further talks continue.
Additionally, the plan lacks clear consequences for Israel should it yet again break the ceasefire. Time and again, Israel has shown that it is more interested in carrying out its genocidal campaign than it is in solidifying a permanent ceasefire. Earlier this year, former State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller outlined the many times that Israel undermined a ceasefire by publicly rejecting what it had agreed to in private. Just a few weeks ago, Israel attacked Hamas leadership gathering in Doha to discuss a ceasefire proposal.
President Trump’s vision of a day after in Gaza also denies Palestinians the right to self-determination in their own homeland. It would establish a corporate-style board that would be chaired by the president and would include former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who served as a primary cheerleader for President George W. Bush’s illegal war against Iraq. This board would likely advance President Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into a playground for the wealthy that could enrich himself or his business partners rather than serve the needs and interests of the Palestinian people.
The details of this so-called governance plan are also not clear, but a leaked draft of a plan put forward by Blair would appoint himself as the unelected governor of Gaza with the authority to conduct diplomacy. This board would also reportedly be empowered to make and pass laws that affect Palestinians in Gaza with little if any Palestinian input. The conditions and timetable for transitioning the governance in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority are nebulous. Blair’s proposal would essentially reprise Britain’s three-decade-role as the governing authority over Palestine from the end of World War I until after World War II, during which British High Commissioners predominantly worked to advance the goals of the Zionist movement at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian majority.
In the press conference with Trump announcing the plan, Netanyahu made it clear that there would be no transition of the governance of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority until Palestinians stop seeking accountability for Israel’s alleged crimes before international institutions like the International Court of Justice and the ICC. This is yet more evidence that the plan seeks to indefinitely delay Palestinian self-rule as Palestinians will undoubtedly continue to demand accountability for Israel’s genocide.
IN THE NEWS
💣 TWO YEARS OF US SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIANS IN GAZA
This week marks the second anniversary since Israel began its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, which has continued for another year with the unbridled support of the US. As of today, Israel has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Thousands more Palestinians are still trapped under the rubble of their homes and other infrastructure that has been flattened by Israel. Still more Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s deliberate and manufactured starvation of Gaza and its destruction of critical infrastructure including medical facilities, depriving Palestinians of basic human needs such as food, water, and shelter.
This level of destruction would not be possible without US support. Until the end of his presidency, President Biden continued his support for Israel’s crimes against Palestinians and attempted to give Israel even more weapons, which were presumably taxpayer-funded.
Since President Trump was sworn in earlier this year, his administration has intensified US complicity in Israel’s crimes by transferring more than $12 billion worth of weapons to Israel even after it unilaterally broke a ceasefire in March. The Trump administration has also flouted Congressional oversight to push through these weapons, providing an early example of the administration’s complete disregard for checks and balances and Congressional prerogatives.
Even now, President Trump is attempting to push through another round of weapons to Israel, this time valued at more than $6 billion in taxpayer funds. The weapons included in this package include vehicles that the Israeli military is using now in its invasion of Gaza City. Learn more about this weapons package and the need to block it in our recently published policy memo.
Throughout the past two years, US-provided weapons have enabled Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In August, a US-provided 500-pound bomb and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) kit were used in an attack on a beachside cafe near Gaza City, killing about 30 Palestinians who were trying to access the internet amid Israel’s communications blackout of the area. International law experts have said that Israel’s use of this kind of bomb may constitute a war crime.
In May, Israel attacked the Gaza European Hospital with 2,000-pound bombs presumably provided by the Trump administration. That attack killed at least 28 Palestinians. Hospitals are protected under international law, and the deliberate targeting of them constitutes a war crime.
The use of these weapons in possible war crimes violates the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act, which should compel the immediate halt of US weapons transfers to Israel in response. Further US weapons deliveries to Israel are clearly in violation of US law as Israel continues to use US-provided weapons in its genocidal violence.
Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people has not been limited to its bombings; it has also deliberately starved Palestinians and sparked a growing famine in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 450 Palestinians have been starved to death by Israel since it began its genocide two years ago.That number does not account for Palestinians who died without being able to reach a hopsital or receive medical attention as a result of Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s medical system–the actual number of Palestinians who were starved to death may be higher.
In August, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification hunger monitor confirmed that famine is present in the areas in and around Gaza City, and warned that without an immediate increase in the entry of humanitarian aid it would spread to the rest of Gaza by the end of September. The report also made clear that Israel, through its obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid, is responsible for starving Palestinians.
Just before it broke the ceasefire in March, Israel imposed a total blockade on the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza with the explicit purpose of using starvation as a weapon of war. In June, Israel began to allow a trickle of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but it was woefully inadequate to meet the needs of Palestinians.
Additionally, much of this aid was diverted through the US-and-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has played an instrumental role in Israel’s weaponization of food in Gaza since May. Palestinians are regularly massacred by the Israeli military and American contractors alike at sites operated by the GHF. Israeli soldiers have reported that they were ordered to shoot at Palestinians at the sites, and GHF whistleblowers have revealed that US contractors also use their weapons against Palestinians there. Nearly 3,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food since the beginning of Israel’s genocide, and more than 2,000 of those Palestinians have been killed since the GHF began its operations in May.
Israel’s obstruction of aid is a clear violation of Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, which compels the immediate halt of weapons to countries that obstruct the delivery of US-provided humanitarian aid.
Two years in to Israel’s genocide, it’s clear that the US needs to comply with its own laws and its obligations under the Genocide Convention by blocking weapons to Israel. Members of Congress must exercise their oversight authority to prevent the deepening of US complicity in this genocide.
📊 NEW POLLS SHOW DEMOCRATIC VOTERS WANT OFFICIALS TO TAKE ACTION FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS
A new poll published by IMEU Policy Project and Gen Z for Change adds to mounting evidence that Democratic voters want their elected officials to take action in support of Palestinian rights, specifically by imposing sanctions on Israel. Yet again, this demonstrates that support for Palestinian rights will be an asset heading into the 2026 midterm election cycle.
A supermajority of likely Democratic voters (65%) support imposing sanctions on the Israeli government, including by banning the purchase of Israel bonds, restricting imports of Israeli-made weapons and cybersecurity software, and banning Israeli officials and soldiers from the US. These actions are even more strongly supported by Gen Z Democratic voters (ages 18-29).
These sanctions were included in the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, which played a major role in ending US support for apartheid in South Africa.
This poll also continues to demonstrate that Democratic voters want a presidential candidate who will no longer provide unbridled support for Israel’s crimes against Palestinians: more than 70% of Democrats said they would prefer to support a candidate who voted to end US weapons transfers to Israel.
Another poll published by The New York Times also continued to show that American voters increasingly support ending weapons transfers to Israel. This poll found that about 60% of all nonwhite voters, nearly 70% of all voters under the age of 30, and 73% of Democratic voters want to end further US complicity in Israel’s alleged crimes.
The poll also found more evidence of shifts within the Democratic Party in support of Palestinian rights. Democratic voters over the age of 45 now are more than twice as likely to say they sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis, and more than 80% of Democrats want to see Israel stop its violence against Palestinians.
The polls are clear: Democratic voters want to see an end to further US complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. As Democrats mount a campaign to take back Congress and the White House in upcoming elections, it is crucial that party leaders listen to what voters are repeatedly telling them and commit to ending weapons deliveries to Israel.
⛵ ISRAEL ILLEGALLY INTERCEPTS GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA, ABDUCTS AND ABUSES ACTIVISTS
Last Thursday, Israeli naval commandos illegally boarded the ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla and abducted its more than 400 participants, as its boats were in international waters. This illegal interception is yet another action taken by the Israeli military as part of its near-total blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which had participants from dozens of countries, including more than 20 from the US, was on a mission to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza and deliver crucial humanitarian supplies to Palestinians who have been deliberately starved by Israel.
Israeli authorities are reportedly subjecting the participants to harsh conditions while in detention, especially climate activist Greta Thunberg. According to another participant, she was dragged by her hair by Israeli authorities and forced to kiss an Israeli flag. Another participant reported that she was wrapped in an Israeli flag and paraded before other participants. According to an email from the Swedish embassy, Thunberg was reportedly being held in a cell infested with bed bugs and was not given adequate food and water.
Other participants reported that Israeli authorities pointed their weapons at the group while they were detained to intimidate them, and that they were held in stress positions for hours. Participants including Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former South African President Nelson Mandela, were also reportedly ridiculed by the Israeli authorities. These experiences closely reflect the experiences of Palestinians who have been detained in Israel’s prisons–which the Israeli human rights NGO B’Tselem described as a network of torture camps.
Israel’s illegal interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla violates international law and directly contravenes orders issued by the International Court of Justice for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza; its abuse and humiliation of flotilla participants also violates their human rights. Members of Congress should continue to speak out and call for the release of flotilla activists while also heeding their call by pressuring Israel to end its starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
🛑 ISRAEL’S ATTACKS ON GAZA CONTINUE AFTER PARTIAL TRUMP PLAN ACCEPTANCE
Israel has continued to attack Gaza even after President Trump called on Israel to stop its bombing to allow for ceasefire negotiations. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, 66 Palestinians were killed by Israel in the 24 hours following Hamas’s partial acceptance of the Trump-announced plan.
45 of those Palestinians were killed in Gaza City, according to Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the Director of Al Shifa Hospital. Dr. Salmiya also reported that many Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers as they tried to return to their homes, and that Palestinians were also killed as they sought food.
Despite President Trump’s demand to stop Israel’s attacks, the Israeli military said on Saturday that it still considers all of northern Gaza, including all of Gaza City, a combat zone; Israel also continued to call on Gaza City residents to follow forced displacement orders it has issued in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al Mawasi, which continues to suffer from overcrowding.
Thousands more Palestinians still remain in Gaza City even after the Israeli military issued forced displacement orders. The high cost of moving to southern Gaza, in large part spurred by a severe shortage of fuel which is itself caused by Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid, has forced many Palestinians to seek shelter in what remains of Gaza City. Before Hamas announced its partial acceptance of the Trump plan, the Israeli military threatened to massacre all Palestinians who remained there.
Israel also partially closed the main road into Gaza City, blocking north-bound traffic into the area and making it clear that it would not allow Palestinians to return. This blockage also prevented some Palestinians from leaving Gaza City as transportation vehicles used to take people and their belongings to southern Gaza were blocked from coming back into the city.
Photo: Joshua Sukoff, via Shutterstock. Stock Photo ID: 2585385041