For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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New round of Gaza ceasefire talks begins in Qatar, by Andrew Mills and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  DOHA / CAIRO — A new round of Gaza ceasefire talks was underway in the Qatari capital Doha this afternoon, an official briefed on the meeting said, with Israel’s spy chief joining his U.S. and Egyptian counterparts and Qatar’s prime minister for the closed-door meeting. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM AUG. 14  The status of cease-fire talks, crisis in Gaza and Israeli politics. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  It’s been over 10 months since the attacks on Israel that lead to the war in Gaza. We look at Gaza’s humanitarian situation, how the war has affected Israeli politics and where cease-fire talks stand. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif is alive, says senior official. From Middle East Eye  Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ armed wing, is still alive, according to one of the movement’s senior officials, Osama Hamdan. In an interview with the Associated Press . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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U.S.’s approval of new arms deal to Israel confirms complicity in Gaza genocide, Hamas says. From Middle East Monitor. Hamas has criticised the U.S. administration’s approval of a new arms deal to Israel worth $20 billion, saying the decision confirms Washington’s complicity in the Gaza genocide. In a statement issued yesterday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza ceasefire talks enter new round with low expectations. What’s stopping the deal? by Umar A Farooq | Middle East Eye  A new round of indirect negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to put an end to the devastating war on Gaza was set to begin today in Qatar. But . . . READ MORE . . .