For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. A POETRY entry is HERE). — MCM
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Israel’s security Cabinet recommends approval of ceasefire in Gaza; deal now goes to full Cabinet, by Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP JERUSALEM — Israel’s security Cabinet recommended approval today of a ceasefire deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed an agreement had been reached that would pause the 15-month war with Hamas in Gaza and release dozens of hostages held by militants there. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE listen to report from NPR and read one from the Cradle.
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Hamas refutes Netanyahu’s claim it is blocking ceasefire deal. From Middle East Monitor. Hamas is committed to the ceasefire deal in Gaza, member of the movement’s Political Bureau, Ezzat Al-Rishq, said on Thursday, refuting claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it had backtracked on parts of the deal. Earlier in the day . . . READ MORE . . .
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Netanyahu’s pledge to resume Gaza war breaches ceasefire deal: officials. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to his coalition partners to resume the war in Gaza after implementing the first stage of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, would breach the terms of the deal, informed officials have said. READ MORE . . .
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Gaza’s devastated health system needs $10bn, at least five years to rebuild: WHO. From the Cradle. “The needs are massive,” said Rick Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in the Palestinian territories, following an initial assessment completed by the UN agency. READ MORE . . .
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Biden adviser Amos Hochstein discusses how the Gaza ceasefire deal came together. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Amos Hochstein, senior adviser to President Biden, about the latest ceasefire deal in Gaza and his earlier negotiations for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JAN. 16 Satellite photos show the Gaza Strip before and after the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war, by Jon Gambrell | AP DUBAI — The Israel-Hamas war, now nearing a potential ceasefire, has devastated the Gaza Strip. Satellite photos offer some sense . . . Click HERE for article and photos.