For today, links to seven reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 27  Israeli forces have raided one of the last working hospitals in northern Gaza. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  After weeks of military activity, Israeli troops ordered people off the grounds of a hospital they say Hamas is using as cover. Officials say Israel is targeting civilians in an inhuman assault. Click HERE to listen and read. Click HERE for report from AP .

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Israel detains director of one of last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, Palestinians say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Mednick | AP  DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s army detained the director of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza as overnight strikes in the enclave killed nine people including children, Palestinian medical officials said, while sirens rang out across Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for report from Middle East Eye and Anadolu Agency.

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Gaza children freezing to death amid Israeli blockade, warns UNRWA chief, by Rasa Evrensel | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that children in Gaza are freezing to death due to the cold weather and a severe lack of shelter. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Dec. 26 report from Middle East Eye.

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The 10 best Middle Eastern and North African films of 2024, by Joseph Fahim | Middle East Eye  Not since the Arab Spring has Middle Eastern cinema felt so pertinent, so immediate, so insubordinate – be it in their inventive, challenging forms or truculent politics. READ MORE . . .