For today, links to six reports: from the Cradle, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (WEST BANK 1-21-25 entry is HERE. GAZA, LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli forces ravage infrastructure in Jenin as deadly operation enters second day. From the Cradle. Israel’s deadly operation in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin has entered its second day, as troops continue to tear up infrastructure and reinforce their presence across the city and its battered refugee camp. Videos shared . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli army and Palestinian Authority besiege and raid Jenin hospitals, by Fayha Shalash | Middle East Eye  RAMALLAH, occupied Palestine  Israeli forces have continued besieging and attacking two Jenin hospitals for a second consecutive day since the launch of a major assault on the northern occupied West Bank city, as PalestinianAuthority forces stormed a third hospital. READ MORE . . .

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Israel begins military operations focused on Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Israel has begun a military operation in the occupied West Bank focused on the city of Jenin. Palestinians there worry the focus of the conflict is shifting over to them following a ceasefire in Gaza. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Trump nominee for UN ambassador says Jews have ‘biblical right’ to occupied West Bank. From the Cradle. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, recently nominated by President Donald Trump for the position of U.S. ambassador to the UN, said that she supports the claims made by the far right in Israel that Jews have the “biblical right” to take land from Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. READ MORE . . .

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Suspected settlers attacked Palestinian villages hours before Trump rescinded Biden sanctions, by Aref Tufaha and Tia Goldenberg | AP  JINSAFUT, West Bank — Suspected Jewish settlers stormed Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank late Monday, setting cars and property ablaze, shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump canceled sanctions against Israelis accused of violence in the territory. The reversal . . . READ MORE . . .

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What impact will Trump have on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas? Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  Former Palestinian peace talks adviser and human rights lawyer Diana Buttu talks about the the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and what Trump’s election will mean for U.S. involvement in agreement.. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to two reports from Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 21  Israel builds new occupation outpost in south Syria. From the Cradle. The Israeli army has begun work on establishing a new military point in territory it illegally occupies in the countryside of Quneitra Governorate in southeast Syria, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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Six killed as Syrian security forces raid town in western Homs. From the Cradle. Six people were killed and dozens detained in Syria’s central Homs province during a raid by security forces from Syria’s new government, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (LEBANON 1-18-25 entry is HERE. GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 21  Israeli forces advance, blow up homes in south Lebanon. From the Cradle. The Israeli army continues to advance in southern Lebanon and destroy infrastructure less than a week before the end of a 60-day ceasefire implementation period, which Tel Aviv is continuously violating. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 20  Israeli army readies ‘major’ West Bank ops, resumption of Gaza, Lebanon wars. From the Cradle. The Israeli army’s Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, said on Monday that Israel must prepare for “major” operations in the occupied West Bank and the continuation of fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon – despite the ceasefire agreements. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA and LEBANON entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Reality bites – Trump tells Kellogg to end war in Ukraine in 100 days. From Kyiv Post. The Wall Street Journal reported today that U.S. President Donald Trump has set retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, his special envoy to Ukraine, a 100-day deadline to end the war in Ukraine. The WSJ and many others . . . READ MORE . . .

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What Trump’s 90-day pause on U.S. foreign development assistance means for Ukraine, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Hours after taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump put a stop on U.S. foreign development assistance for 90 days to review and ensure it aligns with the new administration’s policy. A White House statement says . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops capture Kharkiv Region village amid westward advance. From AFP. Russia’s military said today its forces took control of a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region as they continue to advance toward the west. READ MORE . . .    Click HERE for report from Tass.

For now, links to four reports: from National Public Radio, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK, SYRIA and COVID entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Palestinians in Gaza return to Rafah to find a city of rubble and ash. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba | NPR  Palestinians get a first glimpse at the destroyed southern city of Rafah in Gaza after Israeli troops withdrew following the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM JAN. 20  First Palestinian detainees released in ceasefire deal. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Monday marks the first full day of a new ceasefire in Gaza. Sunday night, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees hours after Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages. Click HERE to listen and read.

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436,000 homes destroyed in Gaza, reconstruction will cost $40bn. From Middle East Monitor. Some 92 per cent of homes in the Gaza Strip, or about 436,000, were destroyed or damaged as a result of the Israeli aggression on the enclave, while 90 per cent of citizens were displaced, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to three reports: from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Wafa; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, SYRIA and COVID entries are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israel launches major offensive in Jenin days after Gaza ceasefire, by Muhammad Ateeq and Fayha Shalash | Middle East Eye  JENIN / REMALLAH  — The Israeli military bombed and stormed Jenin today as it launched a major assault on the northern occupied West Bank city, killing at least seven Palestinians and wounding 35 others, according to . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Cradle and Wafa.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, a link to a report from Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK and COVID entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 14  Stealing water: Israel’s covert war on Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, by Mohamad Hasan Sweidan | The Cradle  At the beginning of January, Israeli occupation forces in Syria launched an unchallenged advance extending to the vicinity of the Al-Mantara Dam — a critical water source for Deraa and the largest dam in the region, located . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK and SYRIA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Trump orders U.S. exit from World Health Organization, by Patrick Wingrove, Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge | Reuters  NEW YORK / GENEVA — The United States will leave the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump said on Monday, saying the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to eight reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Wafa, and Middle East Monitor, and to two article of commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Palestinian rescue workers begin search for people under rubble on day two of ceasefire, by Hatem Khaled, Mohammed Salem and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  GAZA / CAIRO — Palestinian Emergency Services said today a search is underway for thousands of Palestinians believed buried under rubble, as Gaza’s residents expressed shock at the devastation on the second . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM JAN. 19  Palestinians trek across rubble to return to their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes hold, by Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Even before the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was fully in place on Sunday, Palestinians in the war-battered Gaza Strip began to return to the remains of the homes they had evacuated during the 15-month war. READ MORE . . .

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How do people in war zones feel as Trump takes office? Reported by Joanna Kakissis, Charles Maynes and Greg Myre | NPR  President-elect Trump has promised to end two foreign conflicts. NPR correspondents in Israel, Russia and Ukraine asked people about their hopes and fears as Trump takes office. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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First Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza ceasefire deal. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and A Martínez | NPR  A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has gone into effect. Three women were returned to Israel after more than a year in captivity, and families of 90 Palestinians celebrated the release of prisoners. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for report from Wafa via Middle East Monitor.

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FROM JAN. 19  Gaza resident discusses life there on the first day of ceasefire. Scott Detrow of NPR talks with a Gazan student journalist who is returning to her home and neighborhood after more than a year of war between Hamas and Israel. Click HERE TO listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 19  Three hostages arrive in Israel for tearful reunions as fragile Gaza ceasefire passes first hurdle, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdi and Melanie Lidman | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The first three hostages released from Gaza arrived in Israel on Sunday for tearful reunions with families, hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold following 15 months of war. Palestinians waited for the first release of prisoners held by Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 17  Biden and Blinken bow out as embodiments of a genocidal status quo, by Oscar Rickett | Middle East Eye  The gaping chasm between how they see themselves and how the world at large views them was on display again on Monday when Biden and Blinken appeared at the State Department to give a valedictory address on foreign policy. . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 15  Gaza ceasefire: After 15 months of brutality, Israel has failed on every front, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  Every Israeli journalist who covered the negotiations has reported that Netanyahu rejected all previous deals and was responsible for the delay in coming to this one. It fell to one short meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to . . . READ MORE . . .

Link to commentary from Lionel Nation; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 18  SCOTUS, TikTok, China, Trump and what the hell it all means, by Lionel | Lionel Nation  The decision by the United States Supreme Court in TikTok, Inc. v. Garland underscores the intersection of First Amendment rights with national security concerns regarding foreign government surveillance. The Court upheld the federal law mandating that . . . READ MORE . . .