For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, Agence France-Presse, and Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 8-4-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Former Israeli security officials call to end the war in Gaza as Netanyahu hints at a new stage, by Wafaa Shurafa and Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs called for an end to the war in Gaza as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at further military action and Israel’s government plotted its next move in the devastated territory. READ MORE . . .

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As ceasefire talks stall, Israel’s government weighs a full occupation of Gaza. Reported by Emily Feng and Michel Martin | NPR  Just days after the U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Israel and met with hostages’ families, the Israeli government considers a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are held. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.  Click HERE , HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor, and HERE for brief one from AFP.

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Israel says it will allow controlled entry of goods into Gaza via merchants, by Alexander Cornwell | Reuters  Israel says it will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants, an Israeli military agency that coordinates aid said today, as . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 4  Dozens killed as Palestinians in Gaza scramble for aid from air and land, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory’s slide toward famine . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Majority of Palestinians are too weak from starvation to access aid, report says. From Middle East Eye. Seventy percent of Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing extreme weakness from starvation, hindering their ability to access humanitarian aid, the Danish Refugee Council said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 4  Death toll from hunger rises in Gaza with no end in sight. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Juana Summers | NPR  The death toll from hunger continues to climb daily in Gaza. And more Israelis protested over the weekend, demanding both a ceasefire and a hostage deal after footage of an Israeli captured in the Oct. 7 attack of 2023 was released by Hamas. Click HERE to listen and read.

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For today, links to six reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Tass, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (UKRAINE 8-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Over 330 Russian troops killed in failed attack in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine’s intelligence claims, shows footage, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian military intelligence special forces fought off a Russian attempt to advance in Sumy Oblast, “destroying more than eight Russian companies” during the battle, the agency said today. Click HERE for report including video.

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Russian drone strike on Ukrainian rail hub Lozova leaves two dead. From Reuters. LOZOVA, Ukraine — Russia carried out its largest attack on Lozova, a railway hub east of Ukraine, today, with dozens of drone strikes that left two people dead and wounded 13 others, including two children, Ukrainian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate Yanvarskoye community in Dnepropetrovsk Region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Yanvarskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Russian pump prices spike as Ukraine drones strike more energy targets, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Ukraine’s ongoing long-range bombardment of Russia expanded recently to target — and repeatedly torch — oil refineries and trains carrying fuel in the south and west of the country. READ MORE . . .

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NATO to coordinate regular and large-scale arm deliveries to Ukraine. Most will be bought in the U.S., by Lorne Cook | AP BRUSSELS — NATO has started coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraineafter the Netherlands said it would provide air defense equipment, ammunition and other military aid worth . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trump puts pressure on Putin moving nuclear submarines closer to Russia. Reported by Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Sergey Radchenko, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, now that President Trump has positioned nuclear submarines close to Russia. What pressure, if any, is this bringing on Russian President Vladimir Putin? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to reports from Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 8-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK and MEDIA entries for today are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  NOTE: Only three entries today.) — MCM 

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Former Israeli security chiefs warn: Israel on verge of defeat, Gaza war must end now. From Middle East Monitor. Pressure to end the war intensified further on Sunday evening, as a large group of former senior security officials launched a campaign calling for the Gaza war to stop immediately. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports  from Middle East Eye and the Cradle.

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Israeli attacks kill 41 across Gaza, including 20 seeking aid. From Middle East Eye At least 41 Palestinians have been killed since dawn in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources who spoke to Al Jazeera. READ MORE . . . 

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FROM AUG. 3  Ben-Gvir’s visit to Jerusalem holy site sparks tensions as Israeli fire kills 33 seeking aid, by Wafaa Shurafa, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — A far-right Israeli minister visited and prayed at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Sunday, triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions. The visit came as hospitals in Gaza said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for related AP report.

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Evidence pointing to genocide in Gaza overwhelming, says ex-war crimes prosecutor. From Middle East Monitor. A former deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said the amount of evidence pointing to genocide in Gaza is overwhelming and likened the situation to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from Anadolu Ajansi, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK 8-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and MEDIA entries for today are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  NOTE: Only three entries today.) — MCM 

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Israeli army kills Palestinian in West Bank’s Qabatiya, seizes body, by Qais Omar Darwesh Omar and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Ajansi  RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL — The Israeli army today shot and killed a Palestinian man and seized his body and injured another in the town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank, the Health Ministry said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 3  Ben-Gvir’s visit to Jerusalem holy site sparks tensions as Israeli fire kills 33 seeking aid, by Wafaa Shurafa, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — A far-right Israeli minister visited and prayed at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Sunday, triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions. The visit came as hospitals in Gaza said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for related AP report, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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For today, a link to a report from National Public Radio; other published material is accessible by clicking on its initials below. (MEDIA 8-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and WEST BANK entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  NOTE: Only three entries today.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 3  Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks went their own ways — now they’re re-releasing their duo album. Ayesha Rascoe and NPR music critic Ann Powers bat around the question: why do people still care about the failed romance between Nicks and Buckingham? It’s been 50 years! The re-release of their 1973 album “Buckingham Nicks” is approaching. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 8-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli forces kill over 20 aid-seekers in Gaza as Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site, by Wafaa Shurafa, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in Gaza, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites, as the malnutrition related death toll also rose. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for 10 photos from AP.

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Six more die of hunger in Gaza as trucks reach border for rare fuel delivery. From Reuters. Six more people died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza over the past 24 hours, its health ministry said, underlining the enclave’s humanitarian emergency as Egyptian . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Unimaginable’ hunger: U.S. doctor. From Middle East Monitor. In an interview with Anadolu, a Dr. Cooper, who has been working in Gaza for just three days, said the situation is beyond imagination, with children as young as five collapsing from starvation. Click HERE for report and video of him speaking.

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Hamas rejects disarmament. From the Cradle. Hamas said on Saturday it will not surrender its weapons, as a response to claims made by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff about the resistance movement’s willingness to disarm. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 1  Hamas links truce talks to aiding Gaza as Israel abandons ‘partial deals,‘ by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  Hamas has made resolving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza a precondition for engaging in further ceasefire negotiations. In a statement on Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Starvation as strategy: Netanyahu’s war crimes and America, by Jasim Al-Azzawi | Middle East Monitor  The U.S. endorsement of Israel’s starvation siege on Gaza is not just a policy misstep—it is a grotesque moral betrayal that will haunt the nation’s soul and forever brand President Trump’s legacy with shame. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from Middle East Eye and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK 7-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Ben Gvir, under heavy guard, leads settler raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque, by Lubna Masarwa | Middle East Eye  Israel‘s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir today led hundreds of settlers in storming Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, where they loudly performed Jewish Talmudic prayer, under a heavy police guard, and attempted to antagonise Muslim worshippers. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE to report from the Cradle.

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For today, links to three reports: from the Cradle and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA 8-1-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Syrian army, SDF come to blows in Aleppo. From the Cradle. Clashes broke out in Aleppo late Saturday and into early today between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and armed factions affiliated with the Syrian Defense Ministry. The SDF today rejected claims . . . READ MORE . . .

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Four killed after armed groups attack Syrian security forces in Sweida, by Alex MacDonald | Middle East Eye  At least four people have been killed after armed groups attacked Syrian security forces in the southern province of Sweida. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 2  Syria inaugurates Qatari-funded gas pipeline from Azerbaijan via Turkiye. From the Cradle. Syrian officials inaugurated a new regional gas transmission pipeline, which will deliver millions of cubic meters of gas to Syria from Azerbaijan via Turkiye, Syrian state media SANA reported on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Tass, and Agence France-Presse, and to an interview from National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 8-1-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and  HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Kherson under artillery, drone, missile attacks last 24 hours, 2 killed, 9 wounded. From Kyiv Post. Over the past day, the settlements of Kherson, Molodizhne, Sadove, and Antonivka in the Kherson region were targeted by Russian forces using artillery, drones, and warplanes, leaving at least two dead and 9 injured, authorities said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukrainian drone attack sets Russian oil depot on fire as Zelenskyy announces prisoner exchange. From AP. An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi sparked a major fire, Russian officials said today, as the two countries traded strikes and the Ukrainian president announced a prisoner exchange. READ MORE . . .

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Kiev forces lost about 1,250 servicemen in special military op zone in one day. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian armed forces lost about 1,250 servicemen in the special military operation zone over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 2  Ukrainian drone strikes kill 3 in Russia’s Penza, Samara, Rostov regions. From AFP. Two others were wounded in the overnight attacks in western Russia. READ MORE . . .  

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Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies uncover drone procurement graft scheme, by Elise Morton and Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies said on Saturday they had uncovered a major graft scheme involving inflated military procurement contracts, just two days after Ukraine’s parliament voted to restore the agencies’ independence. READ MORE . . .

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How are drones changing what it means to wage war? Ayesha Rascoe of NPR talks with James Patton Rogers of the Brooks Tech Policy Institute about how drones are changing what it means to wage war and serve on the front lines. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to a report, mini reviews, and an interview, all from National Public Radio, and to commentary from Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (MEDIA 8-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 2  What’s it like to cover your own network when it is in the headlines? Reported by Scott Detrow and David Folkenflik | NPR  Folkenflik shares what it’s been like covering President Trump’s contentious relationship with the media, including public media and NPR itself. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM AUG. 2  What books to read this summer? NPR staff share their favorite recommendations. Barrie Hardymon, Sarah Handel, Andrew Limbong and Melissa Gray, all of NPR, take less than five minutes to recommend four novels — Animal Instinct, Audition, Darkenbloom and King of Ashes — from NPR’s  “Books We Love” list. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for a longer list of summer fiction, first aired on June 25.

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Memoir, biography or novel? Jason Mott leans into the confusion in his latest book, ‘People Like Us.’ Ayesha Rascoe of NPR talks with Jason Mott about his latest novel, “People Like Us,” which started out as a memoir. It turned into two parallel stories about two different writers in crisis. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Press freedom in U.S. undermined by Trump administration, by Anders Aslund | Kyiv Post  In the 2025 Press Freedom Index of Reporters without Borders, the U.S. ranks 57! Below all EU countries apart from Trump’s favorite Hungary (#68). This situation has seriously deteriorated under Trump. For how long will the U.S. remain . . . READ MORE . . .

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