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Protests have taken hold of Turkey in recent months, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to consolidate more and more power in the country. Recently, Erdogan’s government arrested a major political opponent, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, leading to widespread demonstrations.As Erdogan consolidates power, the government is engaging in a new peace process with left-leaning Kurdish groups that have long maintained an insurgency against the state. Simultaneously, Turkey has been expanding its influence in Syria, Ukraine, the Mediterranean, and even Western Europe.Erdogan has led Turkey for over two decades, reshaping the country from its republican roots into a more right-wing, nationalist, and Islamist state. To discuss the history of Turkey, its political evolution, and recent developments, Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain is joined by Selim Koru. Koru is the author of “New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country” and an analyst at the Ankara-based Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey. Listen above or on the Drop Site News channel on Apple, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Sami Al-Arian, a prominent Palestinian activist, and Eyad Amawi, coordinator with the Gaza Relief Committee, discuss the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They highlight the dire conditions faced by Palestinians due to the blockade and ineffective aid efforts. The conversation dives into the complexities of the ongoing negotiations, including Hamas's proposal for a ceasefire influenced by U.S. envoys, and critiques the biases that favor Israeli interests. Eyewitness accounts reveal the urgent need for international intervention as casualties rise among vulnerable populations.

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.Drop Site is fueled by our readers. Become a paid or free subscriber today. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

The U.S. and Iran are headed into a new round of negotiations to address the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. Will it avert a military confrontation that seems closer than ever?Reports this week indicated that Israel was preparing military assets in anticipation of a direct strike against Iran. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about whether Iran would be allowed to maintain a uranium enrichment capacity for a civilian nuclear program—an issue Iran has said is a red line for any negotiation.To discuss the ongoing talks and the longer history between the U.S. and Iran, Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain is joined by Dr. Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of the new book “Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History.”Listen above or on the Drop Site News channel on Apple, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is currently in the midst of another campaign of sabotage to prevent a “ceasefire” agreement that would bring an end to Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians of Gaza. All parties—from Hamas, to the regional mediators Qatar and Egypt, to the Trump administration—know that Netanyahu is entrenched in his position that Israel will not agree to any deal that does not allow Israel to continue a campaign it has characterized as a war of conquest against Gaza. Israeli officials have made no secret about their aim of erasing Gaza as a Palestinian territory and removing its 2.3 million residents. Hamas has said it will not release any more Israeli captives unless an agreement is reached that includes a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a clear path to a long term ceasefire.In the latest Drop Site News livestream, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim discuss how Israel is using the veneer of agreeing to allow aid into the besieged territory to enable it to pursue its final solution in Gaza, with the full support and backing of the U.S. government. They also talk about the deal the U.S. made with Hamas to free Israeli soldier and U.S. citizen Edan Alexander. Hamas told Drop Site that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff personally promised the group it would compel Israel to lift its full spectrum blockade on Gaza two days after Alexander was released. Witkoff, Hamas said, also told Hamas that President Donald Trump would publicly call for a ceasefire and serious negotiations to end the war. Hamas accused the U.S. of “throwing the deal in the trash.” As Israel intensifies its attacks against Gaza and the humanitarian situation growing more grave by the day, the central question is whether Trump—for his own reasons—will force Netanyahu to end the war or whether Trump will continue to facilitate Israel’s campaign of annihilation. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Israeli ministers this week approved plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain entrenched there indefinitely. This comes as ceasefire talks remain deadlocked after Israel abandoned the original three-phase framework—which stipulated a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the declaration of a permanent ceasefire—and issued a series of new demands, including the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, a red line for Hamas.Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill recently held a series of rare, in-depth interviews with senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan and other leading figures of Palestinian resistance groups about the state of the negotiations, disarmament, Egypt’s role as a mediator, Hamdan’s direct talks with Donald Trump’s envoy Adam Boehler, the group’s current view of what is often referred to as a “two state solution,” and much more.Drop Site’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Murtaza Hussain speak with Scahill about what Hamas and other groups told him. Hussain also discusses recent developments in Yemen and how the U.S. appears to be targeting coordinates posted by social media analysts online. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Over the past 19 months of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians of Gaza, Western media outlets have done very little in depth reporting on the perspective of Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions. These movements are often portrayed as irrational terrorists who want to kill for the sake of killing. When they are interviewed by Western outlets, it is either to quote a sentence or two responding to allegations made by Israel or the U.S. or to relitigate the events of October 7. The failure by Western media outlets to seek to understand the perspective of Hamas and other Palestinian groups is not just journalistic malpractice, but a fundamental disservice to the public understanding of one of the bloodiest campaigns of annihilation against a people in modern history.Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill recently conducted a series of interviews, both on and off the record, with several leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions. Late last week, Scahill sat down with Osama Hamdan, one of the most prominent voices representing Hamas over the past 19 months. Hamdan has held a variety of posts since he joined Hamas in 1992, a few years after the movement’s founding. He has served as Hamas’s representative in both Iran and Lebanon, as well as its chief of international relations. He was one of the top advisers to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated by Israel last summer in Tehran. After October 7, Hamdan became a regular fixture on Arabic language media because of his regular press briefings in Lebanon.Osama Hamdan was one of two Hamas officials who led direct talks with Donald Trump’s special envoy on hostages Adam Boehler earlier this year. In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Drop Site, Hamdan discusses the current state of the ceasefire talks and Hamas’s proposal for a long term truce. He explains why Hamas will not lay down its weapons or surrender, and addresses the role of Arab governments during the genocide, as well as how Hamas views the Trump administration vs the Biden administration. He also responds to the recent attacks launched against Hamas by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas—last week he called Hamas “sons of dogs,” and demanded the group hand over its weapons and release all Israeli captives. Hamdan also analyzes Israel’s campaign to fully annex the West Bank and he offers Hamas’s current view of what is often referred to as a “two state solution.” Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Ahsan Butt, an Associate Professor at George Mason University, dives deep into the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following a tragic attack in Kashmir. He illuminates the historical roots of their rivalry, the precarious nature of nuclear dynamics, and the complexities of U.S. involvement. Butt analyzes the dire implications of recent military mobilizations and discusses how internal political reforms in India could pave the way toward peace amidst a backdrop of rising nationalist fervor.

As Israel continues its unrelenting air strikes against the Palestinians of Gaza, the images emerging from the enclave are horrifying. It has been nearly two months since Israel imposed a full spectrum blockage on Gaza and no food, medicine, or other supplies have entered. The World Food Program announced last weekend that it “has depleted all its food stocks for families in Gaza.” While tens of thousands face starvation, Israel has rejected a proposal put forward by Hamas for a long term five-to-seven year truce. The movement has publicly stated that it will relinquish governance of Gaza, release all Israeli captives, and support the establishment of an independent Palestinian committee to take control of Gaza. Israel, however, has said it will only consider a short-term ceasefire and has demanded the demilitarization of the entire Gaza Strip. Hamas has said this is “a million red lines,” and that disarmament of Palestinians would equate abandoning the right to self defense and self determination. Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill speaks with journalist Mohammad Alsaafin, an Executive Producer at Al Jazeera’s AJ+. Alsaafin, who is originally from Gaza, analyzes the current status of the ceasefire talks and the role of Egypt, Qatar and the Trump administration. They also discuss the lives and legacies of Yahya Sinwar, the late political leader of Hamas, and Mohammed Deif, the commander of its armed wing, Al Qassam Brigades. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

In an extraordinary legal application submitted last week in London, Hamas argued that the British government should remove its designation of the group as a proscribed terror organization and recognize its legitimate role as a Palestinian resistance movement engaged in a struggle for self-determination and liberation. In a legal brief submitted to the British Home Secretary, senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk rejected allegations that the movement is an anti-semitic terror organization, asserted that Hamas poses no threat to Western nations, and argued that the political organization has never engaged in an armed operation outside the boundaries of historic Palestine.Hamas enlisted a team of British lawyers to represent its appeal to the British Home Secretary and to challenge the movement’s terror designation. In the new episode of Drop Site Newsroom, Jeremy Scahill speaks with barrister Franck Magennis, one of the lawyers arguing the case on behalf of Hamas. Magennis is also involved with the legal effort to bring war crimes charges against ten British citizens who served in the Israeli military in Gaza. A 240-page dossier the attorneys delivered to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit alleges the Brits participated in targeted killing of civilians and aid workers and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, including hospitals and other war crimes. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe