For today, a link to a report from a Substack journalist, followed by links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Radio France Internatonale, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below, some only with a required subscription. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE.) — MCM
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The mysteries of October 7, by Seymour Hersh | Substack Gaza and Hamas—the Islamist group that has led the territory since 2007—remain murky, confounding subjects. Why did Hamas stage an early morning raid on Oct. 7 in what turned out to be a series of unguarded kibbutzim in Israel south? Why were only a few Israeli soldiers on duty that morning? We in the media do not know the full story. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying nothing about Israel’s failure to . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER UN warns Gaza blockade could force it to sharply cut relief operations as bombings rise, by Najib Jobain, Samy Magdy and Ravi Nessman | AP RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees warned today that without immediate deliveries of fuel it will soon have to sharply curtail relief operations across the Gaza Strip, which has been blockaded and devastated by Israeli airstrikes. Health officials said the death toll was soaring as Israeli jets pounded the territory overnight into today. READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Israel aims fire at southern Gaza as world leaders seek pause in fighting, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose | Reuters GAZA / JERUSALEM — Israel intensified its overnight bombing of southern Gaza, where officials said again that record numbers of Palestinians had been killed, as violence flared elsewhere in the region and a showdown loomed at the U.N. today over desperately needed aid. Health officials in the Hamas-run enclave said many of those killed were in the south, where . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Gaza families wear ID bracelets to avoid burial in mass graves, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters GAZA — With so many bodies, Palestinians in Gaza are burying the unidentified dead in mass graves, with a number instead of a name, residents say. Now some families are using bracelets in the hope of finding the bodies of their loved ones should they be killed. The El-Daba family has tried to reduce the risk of being struck down during the heaviest-ever . . . READ MORE . . .
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The U.S. is sharing hard lessons from urban combat in Iraq and Syria as Israel prepares to invade Gaza, by Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp | AP WASHINGTON — The prospect of Israeli forces launching an assault into Gaza’s dense urban neighborhoods, where . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER The U.S. considers the implications of an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza. Reported by Michel Martin and Tom Bowman | NPR Israel says a ground invasion into Gaza is imminent. There are growing concerns among U.S. officials about what that invasion could look like, and the potential for the conflict to spread regionally. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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U.S. has a lot of questions about Israel’s potential invasion of Gaza. Reported by Tom Bowman and Daniel Estrin | NPR When it comes to attacking Hamas, the U.S. says it supports Israel but has a lot of questions about how it’s going about it. Click HERE to listen and read.
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NEWER France to send naval ‘support’ for Gaza hospitals, following crisis talks in Egypt. From RFI. Insisting that humanitarian aid must enter into Gaza without obstacles, French President Emmanuel Macron said today a French navy ship would arrive soon to help bring support to Gaza hospitals and that a plane will arrive in Egypt with key supplies. At a press conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, where humanitarian relief and medical support for the Gaza strip topped . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER King of Jordan challenges world to demand that Israel lift its siege on Gaza. From Tass. BEIRUT — The international community should exert pressure on Israel to lift its siege on the Gaza Strip and protect civilians, King Abdullah II of Jordan told visiting French President Emmanuel Macron. The Jordanian News Agency, or Petra, quoted the monarch . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Israeli forces are expected to go into Gaza. What does the operation look like? Michel Martin of NPR talks with the former head of the U.S. Central Command, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, about possible Israeli objectives and strategies for a ground offensive in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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U.S. supported Israel in UN security meeting, but urged allowing more aid into Gaza. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Arab and European counterparts at the United Nations, as diplomats try to ease the humanitarian suffering in Gaza and get more hostages out. Click HERE to listen and read.
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The latest on the hostages taken by Hamas. Reported by Peter Kenyon | NPR Families of those whose loved ones have been taken hostage by the militant group Hamas watch and wait in fear as prospects for an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza grow. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Some religious leaders say they’re struggling to navigate Israel-Hamas crisis. Reported by Jason DeRose | NPR Worry over a backlash from expressing support or sympathy for either side in the Israel-Hamas crisis is leaving some Muslim and Jewish friends feeling abandoned. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Qatar’s role in hostage negotiations. Reported by Mia Venkat, Tinbete Ermyas and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR Qatar has stepped in as a mediator, negotiating Hamas’ release of four hostages who had been held since the Oct. 7 massacre that claimed 1,400 lives. Click HERE to listen and read.