For now, links to two reports: from Middle East Eye and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-18-25 and today’s WEST BANK.) — MCM

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Hamas says Miami talks must curb Israeli ceasefire breaches in Gaza. From Middle East Eye. A senior Hamas figure said today that negotiations taking place in Miami on the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire must focus on stopping Israel’s repeated breaches of the truce. READ MORE . . .

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Spread of famine in Gaza Strip averted but Palestinians there still face starvation, experts say, by Sam Mednick | AP  TEL AVIV — The spread of famine has been averted in the Gaza Strip, but the situation remains critical with the entire Palestinian territory still facing starvation, the world’s leading authority on food crises said today. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to an article of commentary from Middle East Monitor and to two reports: from National Public Radio and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-17-25. Scroll up for GAZA so far.) — MCM

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U.S. power, settler colonialism, and the UN: The political economy of impunity, by Ranjan Solomon | Middle East Monitor  Breaking from most members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the United States declined to condemn illegal Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank and opposed briefings on Resolution 2334 — the legal instrument affirming the illegality of Israel’s settlement project under international law. READ MORE . . .

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Israel is seizing an ancient historical site to turn it into a tourist site. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Israeli authorities are encroaching on the ancient site of Sebastia in the West Bank to create a tourist attraction aimed at settlers, raising worries of the displacement of Palestinians. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 18  Israel accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing in West Bank, displacing 44,000 Palestinians. From Middle East Monitor. Israel has been accused of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the illegally  occupied West Bank, displacing tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees in a sweeping military operation aimed at permanently altering the demographic and geographic reality of the territory, according to a detailed report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to two reports: from the Associated Press and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-17-25 and GAZA, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israel launches intense airstrikes in Lebanon as deadline looms to disarm Hezbollah, by Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the countries’ tense frontier. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 17  Lebanon likely to announce full disarmament of south ‘in coming weeks,’ by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye Lebanon is likely to announce in the “coming weeks” that it has completed the full disarmament of Hezbollah in the country’s south, as its army prepares to tackle the group’s weapons caches in the north. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-17-25, and up or down for today’s LEBANON, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 17  Gaza ceasefire: The next steps. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  The U.S. is pushing for the Gaza ceasefire to move into its next phase, but serious challenges lie ahead. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Links to an article of commentary from the Cradle and to a report from AP; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-15-25, and up and down for today’s LEBANON, GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 17  How the Sharaa family and a foreign-born operative built Syria’s new deep economy, by a correspondent | The Cable  Since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad‘s government, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has consolidated control over Syria’s military, security, educational, and economic sectors. A formal civilian facade masks a much narrower circle directing the levers of governance. The gap between appearance and reality is especially visible in the economic sphere. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 14  Attacker who killed U.S troops in Syria was a recent recruit to security forces, by Abby Sewell | AP  BEIRUT — A man who carried out an attack in Syria that killed three U.S. citizens had joined Syria’s internal security forces as a base security guard two months earlier and was recently reassigned amid suspicions that he might be affiliated with the Islamic State group, a Syrian official told The Associated Press Sunday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Links to three reports: from the Moscow Times, National Public Radio, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-16-25, and up or down for today’s LEBANON, GAZA, SYRIA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drone attacks on Rostov region kill at least 3. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian drone strikes on the southern Rostov region killed three people, including two sailors aboard a cargo ship, regional authorities said early today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 17  EU leaders decide on whether to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s war effort. Reported by Teri Schultz | NPR  European Union leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to decide on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s war effort. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from AFP.

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Links to two reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-16-25 and scroll up for today’s LEBANON, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 17  FCC chair is grilled by Senate Democrats. Reported by David Folkenflik | NPR  Democratic lawmakers confronted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr at a hearing Wednesday, arguing that he was attempting to intimidate reporters and networks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 15  From ‘The Princess Bride’ to ‘Misery,’ Rob Reiner leaves a legacy of movie magic. Reported by Bob Mondello | NPR  Hollywood’s Rob Reiner made a virtue of virtuosity, directing such diverse hits as “When Harry Met Sally,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” and “Misery.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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For today, links to three reports: from Middle East Eye, National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-16-25 and for LEBANON and WEST BANK.) — MCM

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Seventeen Palestinians, including children, die as buildings collapse in Gaza. From Middle East Eye. Seventeen Palestinians, including four children, have died after buildings collapsed in the Gaza Strip due to the extreme cold, Al Jazeera reported, citing Civil Defence in Gaza. Click HERE for photos from previous days.

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U.S. looks for countries willing to send peacekeepers to Gaza to maintain peace. Reported by Daniel Estrin and Steve Inskeep | NPR  After a ceasefire that has lasted more than two months, the U.S. is pushing for a lasting peace in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 16  Gaza families struggle to recover from days of torrential rains that killed 12 people, by Wafaa Shurafa and Melanie Lidman | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The downpour dumped more than 150 milliliters (9 inches) of rain on some parts of Gaza over the past week, turned dirt lanes to mud and flooded tents in camps for displaced people. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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For today, links to two reports: from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-14-25, and up or down for GAZA and WEST BANK.) — MCM

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UN peacekeeping mission winding down despite Israel violating ceasefire. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  UN peacekeepers in Lebanon face end of decades-old mission despite regular attacks by Israel breaking year-old ceasefire. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 15  Western and Arab diplomats tour Lebanon-Israel border to observe Hezbollah disarmament efforts, by Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — Western and Arab diplomats toured an area along Lebanon’s border with Israel Monday where Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to two reports, both from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-16-25 and scroll up for GAZA and LEBANON.) — MCM

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Israeli army arrests 40 Palestinians in West Bank raids. From Middle East Monitor. At least 40 Palestinians were rounded up by the Israeli army in military raids across the occupied West Bank, a prisoners’ rights group said today, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 16  Palestinian shot dead by illegal settler in occupied West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. A Palestinian was killed in a new attack by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian authorities said, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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