For today, links to a podcast via Middle East Monitor recorded over the weekend, to 13 reports: from Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, the Cradle, and Middle East Eye, and to articles of commentary from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 10-19-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  MEDIA, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Jasim Al-Azzawi and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti discuss Gaza war. Via Middle East Monitor. Al-Azzawi worked for several media organisations and covered significant conflicts, interviewed world leaders, and taught media courses. Barghouti, a Palestinian physician, activist and politician, is general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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Israel to reopen Gaza crossings under U.S. pressure amid strikes: media. From Middle East Monitor. Israel has agreed to reopen crossings into the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday morning following pressure from the United States, after a decision to suspend the entry of humanitarian aid drew widespread criticism, according to Hebrew media reports. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. envoys arrive in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire after a major flare up, by Sam Mednick, Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  TEL AVIV — Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Israel today to shore up the tenuous ceasefire that’s holding in Gaza. Israel is threatening to halt aid transfers after it said Hamas militants had killed two soldiers. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel strikes Hamas targets as both sides accuse the other of violating ceasefire. Reported by Leila Fadel and Rob Schmitz | NPR  Israel says it struck dozens of Hamas targets across Gaza Sunday in response to attacks on its troops, threatening to unravel a fragile ceasefire that has been in place for less than a week. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Monitor and the Cradle.  

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Trump claims Gaza ceasefire in full effect, says violations will be ‘handled toughly.’ From the Cradle. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed late on Sunday that the Gaza ceasefire is still in full effect despite deadly Israeli airstrikes across the strip hours earlier. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. says Hamas is violating ceasefire with its attempts to retain control in Gaza. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Still under a ceasefire with Israel, Hamas has waged a new war against its rivals in Gaza. Hamas says the crackdown is meant to restore stability, but the U.S. says it violates the ceasefire deal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Gaza power vacuum adds new hurdles to Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Reported by Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Stephen Farrell, co-author of Hamas: The Quest for Power. How does the power vacuum in Gaza complicate the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 19  Renewed fighting tests Gaza ceasefire and Israel briefly halts aid, by Josef Federman and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — Gaza’s fragile ceasefire faced its first major test Sunday as Israeli forces launched a wave of deadly strikes, saying Hamas militants had killed two soldiers, and an Israeli security official said the transfer of aid into the territory was halted. The military later said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Middle East Eye.

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FROM OCT. 19  Fighting resumes in Gaza, threatening a fragile nine-day ceasefire. Reported by Greg Myre and Andrew Limbong | NPR  Israel and Hamas exchange fire in southern Gaza, leaving several Palestinians dead and raising new doubts about the fragile ceasefire. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza expose the fragile illusion of peace, by Ronny P Sasmita | Middle East Monitor  Barely days after the so-called Gaza Plan was endorsed in Cairo as a new framework for postwar reconstruction and governance, the region is back to the grimly familiar cycle of escalation. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  The world must ensure Israel does not resume a slow genocide, by Majed Abusalama | Middle East Eye  The “Trump deal” on Gaza, like many similar agreements, does not acknowledge the roots of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. This is not peace — far from it. It is Oslo 2.0. READ MORE . . .

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