For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Biden to host Jordan king to discuss Gaza: White House. From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington on Monday for talks on resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict, the White House said. The meeting comes as the United States and regional powers . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israeli destruction to make Gaza ‘buffer zone’ a ‘war crime’: UN. From AFP. Israel’s reported ongoing destruction of all buildings along the border inside Gaza with the aim of creating a “buffer zone” is a war crime, UN rights chief Volker Turk warned today in a statement. Israel’s “extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, amounts to . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Israeli forces intensify strikes on Rafah in southern Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters DOHA / TEL AVIV — Israeli forces bombed areas in the southern border city of Rafah today where more than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering, a day after PrimeeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal to end the war in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu said on Wednesday terms proposed . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israeli strikes kill 13 in a southern Gaza town that could be the next target in the war, by Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed over a dozen people overnight and into today in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’ cease-fire terms and vowed to . . . READ MORE . . .
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Blinken ends latest Mideast mission after new Israeli snub of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan, by Matthew Lee | AP TEL AVIV — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East today with public divisions between the United States and Israel at perhaps their worst level since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began in October. Wrapping up . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 7 AND TODAY Kataib Hezbollah commander killed in Baghdad in U.S. strike, by Ahmed Rasheed and Timour Azhari | Reuters BAGHDAD — A commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon has blamed for attacking its troops, was killed in a U.S. strike on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.”[U.S.] forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region,” a statement . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 7 U.S. drone strike kills a leader of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq. Reported by Jane Arraf and James Hider | NPR A U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed at least one leader of an Iran-backed militia on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. In a nighttime attack Wednesday, the U.S. military “conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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FROM FEB. 7 Gazans are becoming more openly angry with Hamas for the war’s toll on civilians. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR Gazans are increasingly voicing their anger at Hamas’s handling of the war and the heavy costs civilians have paid. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM FEB. 7 Blinken says Hamas’ new ceasefire proposal includes obvious non-starters. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders to discuss a ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM FEB. 7 Congress’ path forward for the border, Israel and Ukraine. Reported by Deirdre Walsh | NPR A bipartisan Senate bill to reduce and manage the surge of migrants approaching the U.S. Mexico border Wednesday was derailed by Republicans. Now, Democrats are moving to Plan B. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.