For now, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-9-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, WEST BANK, IRAN and UKRAINE entries for today, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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34 Palestinians and 1 soldier killed in Gaza as hopes for imminent truce fade, by Wafaa Shurafa and Sarah El Deeb | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip Wednesday night and today, killing at least 34 Palestinians, including 10 people waiting for care outside a medical clinic, according to local hospitals and aid workers. The Israeli military also announced a soldier . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for report from Reuters and Middle East Eye.

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EU strikes deal with Israel to ‘expand’ Gaza aid flow. From the Cradle. The EU has struck a deal with Israel to expand the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip, the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said today. READ MORE . . .

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White House approved GHF funds despite internal warnings of civilian massacres: report. From the Cradle. Top officials in the U.S. State Department and USAID approved $30 million for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in late June, despite a classified internal assessment warning that the group’s proposal lacked minimum safety, planning, and counterterrorism standards required for federal funding, according to documents obtained by CNN and Reuters. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 9  U.S. sanctions UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese following ‘economy of genocide’ report. From Middle East Eye. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Wednesday on the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese — following her scathing report on June 30 June in which . . . READ MORE . . .

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Rights defenders denounce U.S. sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians, by Emma Farge | Reuters  GENEVA — Human rights defenders today rallied to support the top U.N. expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel. READ MORE . . .

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Things to know about the UN special rapporteur sanctioned by the U.S. From AP. A U.N. special rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, was sanctioned by the United States over her work as an independent investigator scrutinizing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, a high-profile role in a network of experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from Reuters and the Cradle, and to commentary from Indian Punchline that includes two video links; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name below. (IRAN 7-8-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for today, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Iran urges UN nuclear watchdog to drop ‘double standards.’ From Reuters. If Tehran is to resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, Iran’s president said today, it should . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM JULY 9  Trump secures Iran deal with eye on New Middle East, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Even in the darkest hour of the U.S.-Iran standoff since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it was never lost on perceptive observers that the acrimonious rift was more of an estranged relationship longing for reconciliation rather than a fractured, irretrievably lost debris. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and the Moscow Times, Tass, and ; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 7-8-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA and IRAN entries for today, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russia blasts Kyiv with another missile and drone barrage, killing at least 2, by Vasilisa Stepanenko and Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Russia pounded Ukraine’s capital with another major missile and drone attack overnight into today, killing at least two people and causing fires across Kyiv a day after the heaviest drone attack so far in the more than three-year war, Ukrainian officials said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post, NPR and Reuters.

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Rubio says U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace  talks, by Matthew Lee | AP  KUALA LUMPUR — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 9  The White House pauses and then resumes supplying weapons to Ukraine. Why the change? Reported by Tom Bowman | NPR  President Trump indicated that he may send an additional Patriot missile system to help Ukraine defend against the continuing barrage of Russian drones and missiles. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent. 

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Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Belgorod Region kills civilian, leaves another injured. From Tass. BELGOROD — The Ukrainian army has carried out a shelling attack on the town of Shebekino in Russia’s borderline Belgorod Region, killing a woman and leaving a man injured, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian state media turns on Trump after Putin criticism. From the Moscow Times. Russian state media has launched a barrage of criticism against U.S. President Donald Trump after he accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of saying “a lot of bulls***” about the war in Ukraine, the exiled news outlet Agentstvo reported Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (WEST BANK 7-8-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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British consulate in Jerusalem condemns ‘unchecked settler violence’ in West Bank. From Middle East Eye. The British consulate in Jerusalem has condemned “unchecked settler violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank and called on Israel to bring it to a halt. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, and Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-8-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire, by Wahaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said today, as international mediators raced to complete a ceasefire deal and in Washington . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu vows to ‘achieve all war goals’ in Gaza after Trump meeting. From the Cradle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today his talks with US President Donald Trump focused on securing the release of captives from Gaza, while vowing to continue the genocidal war against the besieged enclave until all of Tel Aviv’s goals are achieved. READ MORE . . .

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Eight aid seekers killed near Rafah. From Middle East Eye. The death toll of aid seekers shot and killed by Israeli forces near an aid centre north of Rafah earlier today has risen from six to eight, Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting, citing medical sources. READ MORE . . .

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Israel eyes ‘voluntary migration’ of Palestinians as ceasefire talks continue, by Enes Canli and Faruk Hanedar | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — As negotiations continue in Qatar over a U.S.-proposed 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange agreement, Israel is reportedly advancing plans to deport Palestinians to third countries through what it calls “voluntary migration” and the construction of a controversial so-called “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 8  Israel outlines plans to pack Gaza’s population into a closed border zone. Here’s a closer look, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister has outlined plans to pack hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a closed zone of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, according to local media reports. It appears to be . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 8  Timeline: Trump’s remarks on the forcible transfer of Palestinians in Gaza, by Syma Mohammed | Middle East Eye  U.S. President Donald Trump’s most outlandish policy proposal concerning the fate of Palestinians in Gaza is aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from the enclave. It is illegal under international law, a war crime and a crime against humanity. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 7-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA, UKRAINE, and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Iran ‘studying’ U.S. request for new nuclear talks: report. From the Cradle. A source told Iran’s Mehr News Agency today that Washington has requested the resumption of nuclear talks with Tehran, and that Iran is “studying” the possibility. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  Iran receives Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries after Israel ceasefire deal, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  Iran has taken possession of Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries as Tehran rapidly moves to rebuild defensives destroyed by Israel during their recent 12-day conflict, sources say. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (YEMEN 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, WEST BANK, GAZA , UKRAINE, and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack a ship in the Red Sea, killing 3, after claiming they sank another, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — An attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said today. The attack follows the Houthis claiming they attacked and sank another vessel Monday. 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 6-30-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down. IRAN, YEMEN, GAZA, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 6  Palestinians left ‘without shelter and water’ as settlers empty West Bank village, by Katherine Hearst | Middle East Eye  The Palestinian Bedouin village of Al-Mu’arrajat East, which occupies a small patch of land on a rocky hillside, had endured years of escalating attacks from the nearby Israeli Movot Yorihu settlement. On Thursday evening . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  Israel arrests Al Mayadeen’s West Bank bureau chief in midnight raid. From the Cradle. Israeli troops detained Palestinian journalist and chief of Al Mayadeen’s bureau in the occupied West Bank, Nasser al-Lahham, during a raid on his home early Monday. The news channel and other Palestinian media reported that . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eight reports: from the Cradle, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Grayzone, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, YEMEN, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE and HERE or scroll down.) — MCM

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Gaza ceasefire talks stuck at starting line, says Qatar. From the Cradle. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said today that negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire “will need time,” signaling no breakthrough had been achieved in the latest round of indirect talks taking place in Doha. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza ceasefire can be reached but may take more time, Israeli officials say. From Reuters. Gaps in Gaza ceasefire talks under way in Qatar between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas can be bridged but it may take more than a few days to reach a deal, Israeli officials said today. The new push . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Any future Palestinian state a platform to destroy Israel’: Netanyahu. From the Cradle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that any future Palestinian state would serve as a “platform to destroy Israel,” reiterating that “a sovereign power, like overall security, will always remain in our hands.” READ MORE . . .

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Hamas ambush kills five soldiers in Israeli-controlled ‘buffer zone.’ From Middle East Eye. Hamas fighters killed five Israeli soldiers and wounded at least 14 others on Monday in an ambush in Beit Hanoun, near the boundary with Israel in the northern Gaza Strip — in an area that Israeli forces had forcibly emptied of Palestinian residents and . . . READ MORE . . .

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1 in 3 people in Gaza has not eaten for days, says UN. From Middle East Monitor. Nearly one in three people in Gaza has gone without food for days, putting more lives at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations, which accused Israel of continuing to obstruct humanitarian aid efforts in the Strip, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  New footage exposes ragtag U.S. mercenaries firing toward Gaza aid seekers, by Max Blumenthal and Wyatt Reed | The Grayzone / ScheerPost  On July 2, the Associated Press released an exposé containing short videos which appeared to show American mercenaries associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) opening fire on aid-seekers in Gaza during an incident in southern Gaza this May. The footage was supplied by a former employee of UG Solutions, a firm charged with securing GHF distribution sites. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for July 2 report from AP.

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FROM JULY 7  Tony Blair Institute linked to Israeli scheme to ethnically cleanse Gaza: FT. From the Cradle. Staff from the Tony Blair Institute participated in a post-war Gaza real estate venture aiming to turn the enclave into a for-profit trade zone, according to the Financial Times. The project envisioned . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to five reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, and Tass, and to commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Dnipropetrovsk village likely contested despite Russia’s claim of its capture, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  The village of Dachne in the southern part of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast appears to be contested, according to the Finnish Black Bird Group open-source intelligence collective. The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday claimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky reportedly informs top envoy to U.S. of pending dismissal. From Kyiv Post. President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly informed Kyiv’s top envoy to the United States, Oksana Markarova, of his intention to sack her today. The update followed a Bloomberg report on Monday . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent

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Ignore Donald Trump’s ‘political seesaw,’ Russia’s Medvedev says. From the Moscow Times. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev today dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Russia and arms shipments to Ukraine, saying Moscow would continue pursuing its military goals regardless of Washington’s policies. READ MORE . . .

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Kiev loses over 1,305 troops in all frontline areas in past day — Russia’s top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,305 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  Trump dead-ends Putin, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Moscow will hold to its currently expressed demands: A new security architecture in Europe; no NATO membership for a neutral Ukraine that must be demilitarized and de-Nazified; and recognition of the four oblasts that voted to join Russia. READ MORE . . .

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