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

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Settlement tracking group says Israel has made largest West Bank land seizure in 3 decades, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades, a settlement tracking group said today, a move that could further worsen already soaring tensions linked to the ongoing war in Gaza. Authorities recently approved . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Israel carries out new strikes in Gaza, warns Lebanon’s Hezbollah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mohammad Salem | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Many Palestinians were seeking shelter today after fleeing their homes in southern Gaza and complained of water shortages as Israel pressed on with its military offensive in the densely populated enclave. Israeli forces . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN rapporteur calls on all to ‘wake up’ regarding Gaza, by Merve Berker | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — The UN’s special rapporteur on Palestine today called on people from all over the world to “wake up” regarding the atrocities in Gaza.“Only a deep-seated dehumanization of Palestinians in Gaza . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s state prosecutor seeks probe of security minister for anti-Gazan incitement: report, by Zein Khalil | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Israeli State Prosecutor Amit Aisman is seeking to open a criminal investigation into National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians in Gaza in order to show the International Criminal Court that it is holding Israeli officials to account for such actions, local media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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12 former gov’t officials call Biden’s Gaza policy ‘failure,’ ‘threat to U.S. national security,’ by Rabia Iclal Turan | Anadolu Agency  WASHINGTON — Twelve former U.S. government officials who resigned over the Biden administration’s policy on Gaza released a statement Tuesday, calling it a “failure and a threat to US national security.” “America’s diplomatic cover for, and continuous flow of arms to, Israel, they said in a joint statement, “has. . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 1  2 U.S. military members discuss why they resigned over the war in Gaza. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  The number of resignations among Biden administration officials and American military service members over U.S. policY in Gaza is small, but growing. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JULY 2  Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 270? From the Jerusalem Post. IDF forces began demolishing the house of Ahmed Duavsha, a terrorist from the village of Duma, according to Israeli media reports on Tuesday. Duavsha had been responsible for the murder of Binyamin Achimair, a 14-year-old shepherd, in April. READ MORE . . .

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The Israeli plan has now been exposed, by Abdul Majeed Swailem | Middle East Monitor  The only guaranteed path for Israel after nearly nine months of its criminal war on the Gaza Strip, and the accompanying aggressive battles along the southern border of Lebanon, is to reduce the pace of the war there and wait . . . READ MORE . . .

NOTE: TO FIND THIS WEBSITE USING A SEARCH ENGINE, TYPE XMAWALKER.

For today, links to five reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and Reuters, and to an interview from the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and  ASSANGE entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russian missiles and drones strike eastern Ukraine’s Dnipro in a daylight attack that kills 5, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — A Russian missile and drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro today killed five civilians and injured 47 others, including a 14-year-old girl, authorities said. Blasts . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and the Kyiv Independent.

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Russian troops destroy first Tunguska anti-aircraft missile system in Ukraine operation. From Tass. MOSCOW — In a statement on the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today that in the last day its Battlegroup North repulsed a Ukrainian counterattack, inflicted roughly 140 casualties on enemy troops and destroyed the first Tunguska . . . READ MORE . . .

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At field hospital in Ukraine’s battered east, the wounded keep coming, by Anna Voitenko and Alina Smutko | Reuters  Ukrainian forces have begun to receive billions of dollars worth of Western military aid that has eased acute shortages of ammunition and armour, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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The road to how Russia loses in Ukraine. Jason Jay Smart of Kyiv Post interviews U.S. Air Force veteran Jake Broe about a scenario for Russian defeat. Click HERE to watch and listen, and read introduction.

Links to three pieces of commentary from Truthdig, Declassified UK, and the Flautist, all via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM 

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FROM JUNE 28  Julian Assange is free: Here’s what he’s given us, by Marjorie Cohn | Truthout / Consortium News  After a 14-year struggle, including five years spent in Belmarsh, a maximum-security prison in London, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange is finally free.  Although the U.S. government alleged that WikiLeaks’s publication of information had caused “great harm,” Assange’s attorney Barry Pollack said at at June 26 press conference in Australia they “admitted there was not a single person anywhere that they could produce that was harmed . . .  READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 26  The media kept Assange behind bars, by Jonathan Cook | Declassified UK / Consortium News / Popular Resistance  The establishment media acted as a willing tool in the demonising narrative the U.S. and British governments carefully crafted against Assange. Even now, the BBC and others are peddling the same long-discredited lies. Those include the constantly repeated claim by journalists that . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY  1  The state failed to break Assange, by Patrick Lawrence | The Flautist / Consortium News  Even during the darkest moments of his years under house arrest, in asylum at Ecuador’s London embassy, and at Belmarsh, he never surrendered his sovereignty. He remained ever the captain of his soul, and never did he . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Defense Secretary Austin says the U.S. will provide $2.3 billion more in military aid to Ukraine, by Tara Copp | AP  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today the U.S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with Austin . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says strikes destroy several Ukrainian fighter jets. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s Defense Ministry said today its missile strike on the Myrhorod airfield in central Ukraine destroyed five active Su-27 multipurpose fighter jets and damaged two under repair. Ukraine’s former Air Force speaker Yuriy Ihnat confirmed the strike but accused the Russian military of exaggerating the extent of the damage. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Russian forces strike nine Ukrainian Su-27, MiG-29 fighter jets over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck nine Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter jets over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a general statement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s air force says it destroyed Russian ammunition depot in Crimea. From Reuters. Ukraine’s air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, said today the military had carried out a “destructive strike” on a Russian ammunition depot in Moscow-occupied Crimea on Monday. “Once again . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hungary’s Orban, in Kyiv, proposes ceasefire to speed up peace talks, by Anastasiia Malenko and Anita Komuves | Reuters KYIV — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy today to consider a ceasefire to accelerate an end to the war with Russia and also said he wanted a big cooperation agreement with Kyiv. Orban, an outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, held talks with Zelenskiy during . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP, and HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass. 

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Lukashenko sounds alarm on Ukrainian troop movements near Belarusian border. From Tass. MINSK — Opponents of Belarus and Russia are trying to pull both countries into a conflict and escalate the situation to such an extent that “the entire world will shudder,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Monday. “They are itching,” he said, “to get us involved . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Overnight strike kills 9 in Khan Younis, hours after Israel ordered a mass evacuation. From AP. An Israeli strike has killed at least nine people in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Palestinian health officials said today, less than a day after Israel ordering parts of the city to evacuate ahead of a likely ground operation. The overnight strike hit a home near . . . READ MORE . . .

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Thousands flee their homes as Israeli forces bomb southern Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mohammad Salem | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli forces bombarded several areas of the southern Gaza Strip today and thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in what could be part of a final push of Israel’s intensive military operations in nine months of war. Health officials said eight Palestinians were killed and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Released doctor says Palestinians in Israeli jails died under torture, medical negligence, by Nour Abu Eisha and Mustafa Habboush | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine — The director of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has said several Palestinians in Israeli jails died during interrogation, torture, medical negligence, and deprivation of medicine. Speaking at a press conference following his release on Monday, Mohammad Abu Salmiya said . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Palestinian militants fire rockets into Israel, tanks advance into Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mohammad Salem | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of rockets into Israel today as fighting raged in Gaza and Israeli tanks advanced deeper in parts of the enclave, residents and officials said. The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed ally of Hamas, said its fighters fired . . . READ MORE . . .

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Another journalist killed in Israeli attack in Gaza as death toll rises to 153 since Oct. 7, by Mustafa Haboush | Anadolu Agency  GAZA City, Palestine — A Palestinian journalist died today of wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, taking the death toll to 153 since last October, local authorities said. Mohammad Mahmoud Abu Shareeah, a journalist with  . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel releases 55 Palestinians it had detained from Gaza, including hospital director. From AP. A Palestinian health official says Israel released 55 Palestinians today whom it had detained from Gaza, including the director of the territory’s main hospital. Mohammed Abu Selmia was released without charge or trial, after being detained in November when . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel releases director of hospital it says was used as a Hamas base. He alleges abuse in custody, by Mohammad Jahjouh. Samy Magdy, and Julia Frankel | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel released the director of Gaza’s main hospital today after holding him for seven months without charge or trial over allegations the facility had been used as a Hamas command center. He said he and . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Israeli finance minister threatens to build new settlements for each country recognizing Palestine, by Abdelraouf Arnaout | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened today to establish a new settlement in return for each country recognizing Palestine as a state. “For every country that unilaterally recognizes a Palestinian state, we . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why is Argentina becoming a ‘great friend’ of Israel amid its war crimes in Gaza? by Jodor Jalit | Middle East Eye  When Hamas launched its offensive against Israel last October, Argentine voters were heading to the first round of the presidential election. Politicians and candidates across the political spectrum quickly took to X to share their thoughts. The centre-left outgoing president, the continuity candidate and others, including two centre-right politicians and the right-wing Javier Milei, currently president, expressed their solidarity with Israel and condemned the Palestinian group. None made any mention of Gaza, Palestine, or the Palestinians. READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to six reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, 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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FROM JUNE 30  Russia attacks Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv. From Reuters. Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s two largest cities on Sunday, with missile fragments falling on a suburban Kyiv apartment building and a guided bomb killing one person in Kharkiv. Russian forces have maintained regular attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP, and HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independent and Kyiv Post.

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Russia border regions report power cuts after Ukraine attacks. From the Moscow Times. Officials in Russian regions bordering Ukraine reported power cuts and water supply issues on Monday after deadly drone attacks by Kyiv. The attacks and shelling on the border region of Belgorod over the past day . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate two communities in Kharkov region, DPR, over past day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the settlements of Stepovaya Novosyolovka in the Kharkov Region and Novopokrovskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader report. READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli tanks advance into areas in north and south Gaza, fighting rages, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Kamel Hamdan | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA —Israeli forces advanced further today into the Shejaia neighbourhood of northern Gaza and also pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south, killing at least six Palestinians and destroying several homes, residents said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  The UN starts to move tons of aid from U.S.-built pier after security fears suspended work there, by Julia Frankel and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  JERUSALEM — Humanitarian workers have started moving tons of aid that piled up at a U.S.-built pier off the Gaza coast to warehouses in the besieged Palestinian territory, the United Nations said Saturday, an important step as Washington considers whether . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. lawmakers vote to censor Palestinian death toll in Gaza to cover Israel war crimes. From Middle East Monitor. Lawmakers in the United States this week voted to prevent the government from citing the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza killed by Israel, in the latest effort to directly censor facts and criticism of the occupation and its war crimes. In a 269 – 144 vote in favour of the bipartisan amendment at the U.S. House of Representatives . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Gaza death toll nears 37,900 as Israel kills 43 more Palestinians, by Ikram Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed 43 more Palestinians, pushing up the overall death toll since last October to 37,877 people, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said today. A ministry statement added . . . READ MORE . . .

NOTE: A JUNE 29 REPORT WAS BELATEDLY ADDED TO THIS ENTRY.

For today, links to 12 reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, UkrInform,  and National Public Radio, and to commentary from an Upstate New York commentator; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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7 killed and dozens wounded after missiles slammed into a town in southern Ukraine, officials say. From AP. KYIV — Russian missiles slammed into the town of Vilniansk in southern Ukraine, killing seven civilians, including three children, and wounding 36 more, local authorities reported after the Saturday evening attack. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Russia’s defense ministry says destroys 36 Ukrainian drones. From AFP. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed three dozen Ukrainian drones in areas near the border, Moscow’s Ministry of Defense said today. These reportedly included fifteen UAVs over Kursk region, nine UAVs over Lipetsk region, four UAVs each over Voronezh and Bryansk regions and two UAVs each over Oryol and Belgorod regions. READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims two more east Ukrainian villages. From AFP. Russia today claimed two more east Ukrainian villages, Novooleksandrivka and Spirne, as its forces have had the upper hand over Kyiv on the battlefield for months. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

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FROM JUNE 28  Russia releases 10 Ukrainian civilian prisoners – Zelensky. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday 10 civilians, including a politician and two priests, taken prisoner in Russia and Belarus had been freed in a deal mediated by the Vatican. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners throughout their . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  Russian strike on south Ukraine town kills seven – Kyiv. From AFP. A Russian strike on the south Ukrainian town of Vilniansk killed at least seven people, Kyiv said, in an attack that came hours after Russia said a Ukrainian drone killed five people on its border village. Both countries said two children were killed in each attack. Kyiv also said four people were killed in eastern frontline villages in the Donetsk region. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  Moscow claims east Ukrainian village in offensive on Toretsk. From AFP. Russia on Saturday claimed another village, Shumy, in eastern Ukraine as it pushes towards the city of Toretsk in a fresh local offensive in the embattled Donetsk region. Toretsk lies north-west of the city of Gorlivka, which has been under separatist control since 2014. It . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky: Russia used over 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine this week, by Elsa Court and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine this week alone, President Volodymyr Zelensky said today. Guided aerial bombs are precision-guided munitions that have a shorter range than missiles, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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OSCE Assembly recognizes Russia’s genocide of the Ukrainian people. From UkrInform. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has adopted a resolution recognizing Russia’s actions as genocide of the Ukrainian people and the need to decolonize Russia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, Pavlo Frolov, said Friday. It was the opening day of the summer session in Bucharest. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 28  Joe Biden catches cold, by James Howard Kunstler | Clusterfuck Nation  Maybe ninety-seconds into last night’s long-awaited debate spectacle, the consensus must have jelled among the woke-and-broken news media mavens that their champion, “Joe Biden,” was not quite killing it out there at the podium. CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash acted like . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for a JUNE 29 report from NPR.