For today, links to 11 reports from Agence France-Presse, Le Monde, Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 19  Trump says spoke with Zelensky, pledges to ‘end the war,’ by Robin LeGrand | AFP  U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday he had spoken by telephone with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and pledged to end the European country’s war with Russia. “I appreciate President Zelensky for . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Le Monde, Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.    

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Two killed in overnight strikes on Ukraine. From AFP. At least two people were killed and four wounded in a Russian airstrike overnight on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, the regional prosecutor said today. The prosecuter said two men aged 48 and 69 had been killed and around 50 buildings were damaged in the bombardment, apparently by three Russian Iskander . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones in Rostov region – governor. From AFP.  Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones overnight in the southern Rostov region, several hundred kilometers from the front line, the regional governor said today. Last Saturday an oil depot in the Rostov region caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian ultranationalist Iryna Farion assassinated. From Kyiv Post. Iryna Farion, an ultranationalist figure in Ukraine who was known for her controversial statements on the issue of the Ukrainian language, was murdered on a street in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Friday evening. Authorities said the case had been classified as “intentional homicide,” and investigations . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russian forces destroy two Patriot launchers in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed two launchers of the U.S.-made Patriot missile system and its radar in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 19  Blinken points to wider pledges to support Ukraine in case U.S. backs away under Trump, by Ellen Khickmeyer | AP  ASPEN, Colorado — Ukraine is on its way to being able to “stand on its own feet” militarily, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, noting that more than 20 other countries have pledged to maintain their own military and financial aid to the country even if . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 19  Secretary of State Blinken on Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reported by Erika Ryan, Sarah Handel and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Aspen Security Forum about a wide range of the most pressing diplomatic questions. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to eight reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Anadolu Agency, and Middle East Eye, and to an advisory from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Top UN court says Israel’s settlement policy in occupied territories violates international law, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands —  The top United Nations court said Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank and east Jerusalem violates international law, as it delivered a nonbinding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, a ruling that could have more effect on international opinion than it will on Israeli policies. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and the Anadolu Agency, and HERE for a related advisory from Middle East Monitor.

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Israel bombards central Gaza, fighting rages in Rafah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Hatem Khaled | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli forces bombed parts of central Gaza today, killing at least eight Palestinians in the Al-Nuseirat camp area, while fighting with Hamas militants raged in Rafah city in the south, where health officials said another five residents were killed. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Anadolu Agency.

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UK announces it will resume funding UNRWA. From Middle East Eye. The UK government will restore funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the foreign secretary announced today. David Lammy said to parliament that the UK would provide £21 million ($27.1 million) in new funding to the agency, five months after . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN rights office says ‘anarchy’ spreading in Gaza. From Reuters.  GENEVA  — The United Nations human rights office warned today that “anarchy” was spreading in the Gaza Strip, with rampant looting, unlawful killings and shootings as the population faces an acute humanitarian crisis. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 18  Bedwetting, nightmares and shaking. War in Gaza takes a mental health toll, especially on children, by Fatima Khalid and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Anxiety, fear, depression, sleep deprivation, anger and aggression are prevalent among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians after nine months of war, experts and practitioners told The Associated Press. Children are most vulnerable, especially because . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges Britain to help it strike deeper inside Russia as he addresses UK Cabinet, by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless | AP  LONDON — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Britain’s new government today to help Ukrainian forces attack deeper inside Russia to stop deadly missile strikes on his country, as he gave a rare address by a foreign leader to a U.K. Cabinet meeting. READ MORE , , , Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and AFP.

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FROM JULY 18  UK defence firms discuss boosting support for Ukraine with Zelenskiy. From Reuters.  LONDON — Senior executives from British defence firms including BAE and Babcock met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday to discuss the need to boost military support for the country in its conflict with Russia. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine downs Russian Su-25 warplane in Donetsk Oblast, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft in the Pokrovsk sector of the front in Donetsk Oblast, the Khortytsia group of forces said today. The plane was downed by . . .  READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 18  The Ukrainian army pulls out from another eastern village as Russia smashes defensive posItions, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s army has pulled out from the village of Urozhaine in the eastern Donetsk region, an official said Thursday, surrendering another front-line position as Russian forces. . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 17  On the Kharkiv front, Ukrainian soldiers are galvanized by thwarted Russian offensive, Western arms, by Joseph Roche | The Moscow Times  Despite weeks of intense combat showing on the faces of one Territorial Defense Brigade, morale is returning. Commander Vyacheslav, 45, knows the region well. “The fighting . . .  READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 18  Russian troops strike Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops struck Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure, enemy manpower and military hardware in 127 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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European leaders discuss migration and Ukraine at a UK summit amid worries about Trump, by Jill Lawless | AP  WOODSTOCK, England — Leaders from across Europe gathered at a grandiose English country mansion today for a summit clouded by worries about whether the United States would remain a reliable ally if Donald Trump wins a second presidency. READ MORE . . .

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UK’s Starmer calls for deeper cooperation on Ukraine and Europe’s problems, by Alistair Smout and Andrew Macaskill | Reuters  Opening a meeting of the European Political Community of more than 40 nations at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, Starmer made his bid for a reset in post-Brexit ties with the European Union. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, the Anadolu Agency, and National Public Radio, to an interview from Middle East Monitor, and to related July 3 and March 6 reports from that publication and Yes! Magazine; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel bombards central Gaza as tanks advance deeper in Rafah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces bombarded the Gaza Strip’s historic refugee camps in the centre of the enclave and struck Gaza City in the north on Thursday, killing at least 13 people, and tanks pushed deeper into Rafah in the south, health officials and residents said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 17  U.S. military pier for carrying aid to Gaza will be dismantled after weather and security problems, by Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp | AP  WASHINGTON — The U.S. military-built pier to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza will be dismantled and brought home, ending a mission that has been fraught with repeated weather and security problems that limited how much food and other supplies could get to starving Palestinians. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Middle East Eye.

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Israel’s parliament passes bill rejecting Palestinian statehood. From Middle East Eye. Israel‘s parliament today overwhelmingly passed a resolution that rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to visit to the United States and address Congress. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Al Jazeera.

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Far-right Israeli minister visits sensitive Jerusalem holy site, a threat to Gaza cease-fire talks, by Melanie Lidman | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s far-right national security minister visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site today, a move that could disrupt the delicate Gaza cease-fire talks. Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader, said . . . READ MORE . . .

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UNRWA says only 10 of its 26 health centers in Gaza are operational, by Merve Berker | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees announced today that only 10 of its 26 health centers in the Gaza Strip are operational. “Over 1,000 attacks . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 17  Another Israeli attack hits a UN school in Gaza that was sheltering families. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Israeli airstrikes have hit several UNRWA schools wherE people are sheltering, The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 23 people, many of them women and children, were killed and more than 70 wounded. Click HERE to listen and read.

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How rape sold a genocide: A conversation. Nasim Ahmed of Middle East Monitor speaks with Arun Gupta, an investigative journalist, about his latest article, titled “Israel has manufactured an industrial-scale version of Jim Crow rape hoaxes.” Click HERE to listen and watch, and to read an introduction to the interview.

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FROM JULY 3  Israel has manufactured an industrial-scale version of Jim Crow rape hoaxes, by Arun Gupta | Middle East Monitor  Forget everything you have read about Israel’s claim that Hamas carried out a premediated campaign of mass rape on Oct. 7. So far, every act of rape or sexual violence alleged to have happened on that day is fabricated or completely unsubstantiated. The real story . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 6  Claims of mass rape by Hamas unravel upon investigation, by Arun Gupta | Yes! Magazine  Following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks that resulted in at least 1,163 deaths, rumors began circulating that Israeli women were experiencing horrific mass rape and sexual violence. Months later. . .  READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is. HERE. — MCM

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Germany to halve military aid for Ukraine despite possible Trump White House, by Maria Martinez and Holger Hansen | Reuters  Germany will cut in half its military aid for Ukraine next year, even with the possibility that Republican candidate Donald Trump could return to the White House and curb support for Kyiv. German aid go from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine faces twin challenges of fighting Russia and shifting political sands in the U.S., by Barry Hatton and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — After almost 30 months of war with Russia, Ukraine’s difficulties on the battlefield are mounting even as its vital support from the United States is increasingly at the mercy of changing political winds. A six-month delay in military assistance from . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia and Ukraine swap 95 prisoners of war each in their latest exchange, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine and Russia exchanged 95 prisoners of war each, officials in both countries said today, three weeks after their last swap and as part of what have been occasional agreements to send captured troops home. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russian troops wipe out Ukrainian missile/artillery armament depot over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops destroyed a Ukrainian missile/artillery armament depot 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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Russia plans reinforcements with two brigades for Toretsk Sector assaults, AFU says, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  Russia plans to reinforce its units with two additional brigades for active offensive operations in the Donetskregion’s Toretsk sector, Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops, told Kyiv Post. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel pounds central Gaza, sends tanks into north of Rafah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces hit areas in the central Gaza Strip today, killing at least nine Palestinians, according to healtH officials, while Israeli tanks carried out a limited advance further into Rafah in the south. Over the past 24 hours . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Gaza’s doctors struggle to save lives, many lose their own in Israeli airstrikes, by Sarah el Deeb | AP  BEIRUT — Earlier this month, an Israeli airstrike killed Dr. Hassan Hamdan, one of the few trained plastic surgeons in Gaza long with his wife, son, two daughters, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, six grandchildren and one other person, as his family . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli delegation arrives in Cairo for Gaza cease-fire talks. From AP. An Israeli delegation has arrived in Egypt to continue cease-fire talks as Israel and Hamas consider the latest proposal. That’s according to . . .  READ MORE . . .

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Pain, loss, fear, panic, anger: Gaza’s Palestinians are suffering psychological torment, by Victoria Brittain | Middle East Eye  The first detailed report of the mental health impact of the war has just been released by the Gaza Community Health Programmer. “Nine Months of Israel’s War on Gaza: the Mental Health Impacts and the GCMHP’s Response” represents another . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli ministry funding multi-million-dollar disinformation campaign spreading Islamophobia. From Middle East Monitor. The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs is funding a multi-million-pound disinformation campaign spreading hatred of Muslims, Al Jazeera has revealed. The campaign, which targeted U.S. lawmakers and spread . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 16  Food aid is piling up inside Gaza. Here’s why it’s not reaching those in need. Reported by Greg Myre and Aya Batrawy | NPR  KEREM SHALOM CROSSING, ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER — Much of the food and medicine in humanitarian aid headed for the more than 2 million Palestinians trapped inside Gaza is piling up on the Gaza side of the border instead of traveling the last few miles to . . . Click HERE to read and listen.

Today’s entry begins with a link to an interview with Theodore Postol, professor emeritus of science, technology and international security at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — from Consortium News. It is followed by links to six reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and the Kyiv Post. Other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 14  Destabilizing the U.S.-Russian nuclear balance, by Natylie Baldwin | Special to Consortium News  With the Biden administration having given Ukraine permission to use U.S.-made weapons to strike military targets inside Russian territory and Ukraine reportedly having hit a radar in southern Russia that is part of its nuclear early warning system at least once in recent weeks, a new level of escalation threat has aisen between the U.S. and Russia. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 15  Ukraine needs 25 Patriot air defense systems and more F-16 warplanes, President Zelenskyy says, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine needs 25 Patriot air defense systems to fully defend its airspace and protect the entire country from Russian missile attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, adding that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainians struggle with scorching heat amid power crisis, by Yurii Kovalenko and Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey | Reuters  Millions of Ukrainians are struggling amid a record heat wave compounded by regular power cuts that make household appliances like air conditioning units and refrigerators useless. Regular Russian air strikes . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia needs to understand what Zelensky means by ‘peace summit’: Kremlin. From AFP.  Russia first needs to understand what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky means when he says “peace summit” before accepting any invitation to talks, the Kremlin said today. Zelensky said on Monday that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia withdrew its last patrol boat from occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s navy says. From the Kyiv Independent. The last patrol ship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet left occupied Crimea on Monday, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, has confirmed. READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces hammer Ukrainian manpower, equipment in 124 areas over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units and military hardware in 124 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

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Moscow special units filter detained Ukrainians in occupied regions. From Kyiv Post. Russia’s occupation forces are creating special filtration units in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Center for National Resistance said on Monday. It said . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to four reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Far-right groups that block aid to Gaza receive tax-deductible donations from U.S. and Israel, by Uri Blau, Milan Czerny of Shomrim and Josef Federman | AP  JERUSALEM — Under American pressure, Israel has pledged to deliver large quantities of humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. But at the same time, the U.S. and Israel have allowed tax-deductible donations to far-right groups that have blocked that aid from being delivered. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 17, Palestinian health officials say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ramadan Abed | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli forces battled Hamas-led fighters in several parts of the Gaza Strip today, and Palestinian health officials said at least 17 people were killed in Israeli bombardments of southern and central areas. . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 15  Israel allows UN to bring in more equipment amid Gaza lawlessness, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters  UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations said on Monday that it will start bringing in more armored vehicles and personal protection equipment for its humanitarian aid operations in the Gaza Strip after receiving approval from Israeli authorities. The approval . . . READ MORE . . .

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Waste crisis deepens misery in Gaza as war rages, by Hatem Khaled | Reuters  GAZA — Garbage is piling up in the impoverished enclave — one of the world’s most densely populated places — which has been reduced mostly to rubble. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED