For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio and to commentary via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE. ) — MCM
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Israeli strikes kill multiple civilians at shelters in Gaza combat zone, as Blinken seeks more aid, by Najib Jobain, Samy Magy and David Rising | AP RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli military strikes killed multiple civilians today at a U.N. shelter and hospital in the main combat zone in the Gaza Strip as the assault intensified on the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers. Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the target of its offensive to crush Hamas, but today offered a three-hour window for residents trapped by the fighting to . . . READ MORE . . .
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Palestinians say Israeli strike hits U.N.-run school; Blinken meets Arab leaders, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Simon Lewis and Suleiman Al-Khalidi | Reuters GAZA/AMMAN — Palestinians reported a deadly Israeli strike on a U.N.-run school in northern Gaza serving as a shelter on Saturday ahead of talks in Jordan at which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heard Arab demands for a ceasefire in the enclave. Witnesses said the strike hit Al-Fakhoura school in Jabalia, where thousands of evacuees were living. At least 15 people . . . READ MORE . . .
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Open source analysis gives clues on Israel’s ground war in Gaza. Reported by Geoff Brumfiel | NPR Israel military hasn’t been transparent about what it’s doing in Gaza, but satellite images and social media posts are providing some clues to its actions in the ground war in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Digging into the Israeli-Hamas war’s implications for the broader region. Reported by Mallory Yu, Tinbete Ermyas and Juana Summers | NPR Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy, talks about the leader of Hezbollah’s speech on Friday. Click HERE to listen and read.
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NEWER Gaza is called an open-air prison. How did it get to this? Scott Simon of NPR speaks with analyst Tahani Mustafa about the history of Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Without Hamas, Gaza would still not be free, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News It shocks me that in my threads I keep coming across variations of the following: “The Palestinians have it within them to rise up against Hamas to free themselves. Or Hamas can willingly surrender. Two real choices there.” This view seems to resonate with ordinary people who presumably know very little about the histories either of Palestine or of settler colonial movements such as the Zionist movement that founded Israel. READ MORE . . .