For now, links to 13 reports: from Anadolu Agency, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press, Reuters, Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 7-6-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA, LEBANON, YEMEN and GAZA and entries for today, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM 

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Ukraine says at least 1 killed, 62 injured in Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv, Odesa, by Burc Eruygur | Anadolu Agency  — ISTANBUL — Ukraine said today that at least one person was killed and 62 others including three children were injured in Russian drone strikes on the cities of Kharkiv and Odesa. READ MORE . . .

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Russian army says it seized first village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region. From AFP. Russia’s military today claimed to have captured its first village in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region after months of grinding advances toward the border, in what could mark a psychological blow for Kyiv as military and diplomatic pressures mount — this after . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chief, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, authorities said today, as the Kremlin dismissed the country’s transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. They said at least 10 civilians were killed and . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, AFP and Anadolu Agency. 

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FROM JULY 6  UN’s Guterres condemns Russia’s largest drone assault on Ukraine. From AFP. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned Russia’s biggest drone and missile attack yet in the three-year war in Ukraine, and also called for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine army says Russian strikes hit two recruitment centers. From AFP. KYIV — The Ukrainian army said today Russian strikes targeted two recruitment centers in separate cities, wounding four people. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Ukrainian drone strike hits major oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, HUR source claims, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Long-range Ukrainian drones struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai today, hitting one of the facility’s technological workshops, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian drones reportedly target Russian chemical plant near Moscow, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian drones struck the city of Krasnozavodsk in Russia’s Moscow Oblast today, possibly targeting the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant, Russian independent media outlet Astra reported. READ MORE . . .

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Russian army gains control of five km of border with capture of Bessalovka — expert. From Tass. LUGANSK — About five kilometers of Russia’s national border at the junction with Ukraine’s Sumy Region is now under the full control of the Russian army after the liberation of the village of Bessalovka, according to military expert Andrey Marochko. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to five reports: from Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-6-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA, LEBANON, UKRAINE and YEMEN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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No reports of Hamas stealing aid in Gaza: EU Commission, by Melike Pala | Anadolu Agency  BRUSSELS — The European Commission said today it has no evidence that Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid in Gaza, and described the humanitarian situation in the enclave as “catastrophic.” READ MORE . . .

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Israel and Hamas are inching toward a new ceasefire deal for Gaza. This is how it might look. From AP. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington today to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for a ceasefire that might lead to an end to the 21-month war in Gaza. Israel and Hamas are considering . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE to listen to report from NPR.

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FROM JULY 6  New details emerge on Gaza ceasefire proposal as Netanyahu heads to the White House, by Wafaa Shurafa, Abby Sewell and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — New details of the Gaza ceasefire proposal emerged on Sunday as Israel sent a negotiating team to Qatar ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s White House visit for talks toward an agreement. Inside the territory . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 6  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits White House to discuss Gaza ceasefire. Reported by Pien Huang | NPR  President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass discusses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House Monday to meet with President Trump, who is pressing the Israel leader for a ceasefire agreement and an end to the war in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli airstrikes kill 38 Palestinians in Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials said today, as Israel’s military said it has struck over 100 targets in the embattled enclave in the past day. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency, and HERE for June 5 report from Middle East Monitor.

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A boy with a brain injury fights for his life in Gaza’s decimated health system, by Sarah el Deeb | AP  BEIRUT — It’s as if the whole weight of Israel’s war in Gaza has fallen on Amr al-Hams. The 3-year-old has shrapnel in his brain from an Israeli strike on his family’s tent. His pregnant mother was killed. His father is paralyzed by grief over the death of his longtime sweetheart. Now . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel rushes to ‘depopulate’ northern Gaza before possible ceasefire: source, by Nour Abuaisha and Ikram Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine / ANKARA — Israel is racing against time to “depopulate” northern Gaza ahead of a possible ceasefire agreement, a Palestinian source said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 5  Netanyahu says Hamas changes to ceasefire ‘unacceptable.’ From Middle East Eye. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Saturday that the amendments proposed by Hamas to the Qatari ceasefire framework were “not acceptable to Israel,” Haaretz reported, but he has agreed to . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM JULY 5  The deadly risk of trying to reach food in Gaza. Reported by Anas Baba and Daniel Estrin | NPR  An NPR journalist in Gaza describes his experience seeking food from a site run by private American contractors, facing Israeli military fire, crowds fighting for rations, and masked thieves. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JULY 5  U.S. firm behind GHF modeled ‘voluntary relocation’ plan to expedite ethnic cleansing of Gaza: FT. From the Cradle. A major U.S. consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group, was tasked by Israeli backers to model the costs of “relocating” Palestinians from Gaza as part of a project “imagining” post-war Gaza reconstruction, a Financial Times investigation published on Saturday revealed. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Independent, Agence France-Presse, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 7-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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NEWER  Russia and Ukraine trade drone strikes, disrupting air travel. From AP. Russia and Ukraine struck each other with hundreds of drones today, throwing Russian air travel in disarray. Russia’s Transport Ministry said hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled due to Ukrainian drone strikes on Saturday and overnight. In Ukraine, large-scale Russian drone strikes today . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 6, injure 25 over past day, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  Russian attacks against Ukraine have killed at least six civilians and injured at least 25 others over the past day, regional authorities said today. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russian forces launched . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says captured 2 more east Ukraine settlements in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. From AFP. Russia said today it had captured two more settlements in east Ukraine, one in the Donetsk region and one in the Kharkiv region. READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine, U.S. agree to ‘significantly’ enhance efforts on drones, by Serdar Dincel | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine and the U.S. reached an agreement to “significantly” enhance efforts on drones, stressing that Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and “one of the leading” U.S. companies . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 5  Ukraine’s top general warns of possible new Russian offensive in northeast, by Max Hunder | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi warned on Saturday of a possible new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, a part of northeastern Ukraine which has seen heavy fighting since Russia invaded in 2022.  READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 5  Russian air defences shoot down four drones headed for Moscow, mayor says. From Reuters. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency services were working at the sites where the drones were downed on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 5  Ukraine attacks Russian airfields. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Pien Huang | NPR  The Ukrainian military says that today it attacked airfields in Russia, where fighter jets used to bomb Ukrainian cities are stored. They say it’s an attempt to weaken the Kremlin’s war machine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JULY 5  U.S. company no longer searching for investors to fund Kiev — Bloomberg. From Tass. NEW YORK — Shortly after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, the U.S. company BlackRock stopped looking for investors for its potential fund, the proceeds of which were to go towards the reconstruction of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Anadolu Agency, and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-4-25 is HERE, or scroll down. IRAN, MEDIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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The spy, private equity baron and ghost of a Trump donor: The revolving door behind a Gaza mercenary firm, by Sean Mathews and Dania Akkad | Middle East Eye  The U.S. mercenary firm overseeing a controversial Gaza aid programme is the creation of a bespectacled Chicago private equity baron and a CIA spy with old ties to a Donald Trump ally who participated in one of the Middle East’s nastiest diplomatic rifts. The story of . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for two July 2 reports from AP.

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UNRWA calls for immediate fuel delivery to Israel-blockaded Gaza before shutdown of basic services, by Betul Yilmaz | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — “Without urgent shipments of fuel into Gaza,” the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said today in a statement, “a complete shutdown of basic services will bring even more suffering: a collective punishment. READ MORE . . .

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Israel receives Hamas’ response to ceasefire proposal, details being discussed: Israeli media, by Zein Khalil and Betul Yilmaz | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL — Israel has received Hamas’ response to a new ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, and discussions for details are underway, Israeli media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 4  Hamas says it has given a ‘positive’ response to the latest ceasefire proposal in Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa, Bassem Mroue and Samya Kullab | AP  DEIR al-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas said Friday it has given a “positive” response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza but said further talks were needed on implementation. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for July 5 report from Reuters.

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NOTE: The link to an interview initially put at the end of today’s entry has been additionally repositioned as the first segment. (Misidentification of interviewer has been corrected.) 

For today, links to two interviews: from Daniel Davis Deep Dive and National Public Radio; to five reports: from Reuters, Anadolu Agency and the Cradle; and to three articles of commentary: from Indian Punchline, the Cradle, and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (IRAN 7-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, MEDIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM LATE JUNE  MIT Professor Ted Postol: Can we believe Trump admin’s narrative narrative on Iran’s nuke sites? Gary Villapiano of Daniel Davis Deep Dive talks with the professor of science, technology and national security about the explanation by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine on June 22 about what the U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear reactor sites in June accomplished. Click HERE for YouTube video of interview.

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U.S.-Iran nuclear talks to resume in Oslo. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University, about the prospect of a new nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Tehran dismisses reports of renewed US talks as ‘incorrect speculation.’ From the Cradle. Iran’s Foreign Ministry today denied reports that Tehran and Washington were scheduled to resume indirect nuclear negotiations, rejecting the claims as baseless. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for July 4 report from the Cradle.

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FROM JULY 4  IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on, by François Murphy | Reuters  VIENNA — The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 3  Iran says it remains committed to nuclear non-proliferation treaty, by Ikram Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — Iran confirmed today that it remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its Safeguards Agreement — this a day after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law passed by the parliament that requires the government to suspend . . .READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM JULY 3  France seeks a role in Iran situation, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Russia and France have underscored the imperative of “settling the crisis around Iran’s nuclear programme and any other differences arising in the Middle East exclusively via political and diplomatic means.” Presidents Putin and Macron have an understanding to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 4  Israel’s war on Iranian science: Inside the targeted murders of nuclear minds, by Fereshteh Sadeghi | The Cradle  In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented wave of aerial attacks on Iranian territory. The first round unleashed the most systematic assassination campaign against Tehran’s nuclear scientists and military commanders in recent history. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 3  Now what? by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  “How can you tell,” Reuters asked in a June 29 report, “if enriched uranium stocks, some of them near weapons grade, were buried beneath the rubble or secretly hidden away?” You cannot, it seems to me. Neither can President Trump or any of his adjutants. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for that Reuters report, and HERE for related YouTube interview cited in article. 

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Links to reports from the Cradle and Middle East Eye; other are accessible by clicking on their names below. (MEDIA 7-1-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, IRAN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 4  Dozens of BBC journos say broadcaster forces them to ‘do PR for Israel.‘ From the Cradle. Over 100 BBC staff signed an open letter on Thursday addressed to Director-General Tim Davie, accusing the broadcaster of failing its own editorial standards and acting as “a mouthpiece” for the Israeli government in its coverage of the war in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 4  Gary Lineker: BBC ‘should hold its head in shame’ over shelved Gaza documentary, by Dalia Anis | Middle East Eye  Veteran BBC presenter Gary Lineker said Thursday that the British broadcaster “should hold its head in shame” after watching Gaza: Medics Under Fire, a documentary originally commissioned, then dropped by the news corporation. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, and Agence France-Presse, and to an article of commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their initials or names below. (UKRAINE 7-4-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, IRAN and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Ukraine says it struck a Russian air base as Russia sent hundreds of drones into Ukraine, by Elise Morton | AP  LONDON — Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base today, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independent and Kyiv Post.

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Zelenskyy asks Trump for air defense munitions amid escalating Russian airstrikes. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Scott Simon | NPR  Ukraine is facing a summer of escalating Russian airstrikes on its cities. The Ukrainian President has called on the U.S. to provide more air defense systems. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Trump says he’s ‘very unhappy’ with Putin call, hints at new sanctions. From AFP.  “It’s a very tough situation,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. “I told you I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it’s no good.” READ MORE .. . .

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FROM JULY 3  France seeks a role in Iran situation, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  On July 1, did you hear the crunching sound of ice cracking on the frozen lake of Russia-France ties? President Vladimir Putin’s decision to take a phone call on that day from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, for the first time since September 2022, signifies that the western narrative to ‘erase’ Russia in the proxy war in Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eight reports: from Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and the Jerusalem Post, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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NEWER  EU says situation around GHF food distribution centers in Gaza ‘untenable,‘ by Melike Pala | Anadolu Agency  BRUSSELS — The European Union today criticized the situation surrounding food distribution centers operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, calling it “untenable” and “not tolerable” and arguing that the bloc is not involved in the initiative. READ MORE . . .

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Dozens of Palestinians killed by airstrikes or shootings while waiting for aid, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samya Kullab | AP  DEIR al-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early today. A hospital said another 20 people died in shootings while waiting for aid. The U.N. human rights office says it has recorded 613 killings in a month in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and as Palestinians try to reach aid at distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli military kills 15 in Gaza as Trump awaits Hamas reply to truce proposal, by Alexander Cornwell and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  TEL AVIV / CAIRO — At least 15 Palestinians were killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to local health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Hamas to respond to his “final proposal” for a ceasefire in Gaza in the next 24 hours. READ MORE . . .

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613 killings recorded at aid distribution sites, near humanitarian convoys in Gaza, says UN. From Middle East Eye. The United Nations human rights office said today that as of June 27 it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and near humanitarian convoys. READ MORE . . .

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Daily GHF massacres turn Gaza’s Nasser Hospital into ‘massive trauma ward’: WHO. From the Cradle. Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis has turned into “one massive trauma ward,” the UN World Health Organization said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 3 Israel arms new ‘anti-Hamas’ militias in Gaza: report. From the Cradle. Hebrew media reported on Thursday the presence of two new, Israeli-backed armed groups operating against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, “one group is active in Gaza City, and the other in Khan Yunis” – where the Israeli military is currently present. READ MORE . . .

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Israel using starvation and aid to inflict genocide in Gaza: Amnesty. From Middle East Eye. In a report released Thursday, Amnesty International condemns Israel for deliberately using starvation as a weapon for war in Gaza, with the Israel-U.S. backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation serving as a tool to deepen the humanitarian catastrophe and sustain the ongoing genocide. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 3  Hamas discussing ceasefire with Palestinian factions as security cabinet discusses positive reports. From the Jerusalem Post. Hamas’s response to the deal has not yet been formally announced but is expected in the coming hours. Hamas confirmed early on Friday morning that it was discussing the U.S.-Qatar ceasefire proposal with other Palestinian factions. READ MORE . . .

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An economy of genocide: Israel and the Albanese report, by Binoy Kampmark | Middle East Monitor  It makes for stark and dark reading.  The report for the UN Human Rights Council titled From economy of occupation to economy of genocide makes mention of “corporate entities” who have been enriched by “the Israeli economy of illegal occupation, apartheid and now genocide.” READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (LEBANON 7-1-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Hezbollah mulls ‘partial disarmament’ as U.S. pressure builds: report. From the Cradle. Sources cited in western media today claimed that Hezbollah is considering a partial disarmament, holding internal deliberations on the matter as U.S. pressure to surrender its weapons continues to build. Three sources familiar with the Lebanese resistance’s internal deliberations told Reuters . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 3  ‘Threats will not work with us’: Hezbollah leader responds to U.S. pressure to disarm. From the Cradle. Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem vowed in a speech on Wednesday that the Lebanese resistance “will not surrender its weapons,” warning that “threats will not work.” READ MORE . . .

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