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