For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Responsible Statecraft via Popular Resistance; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Deadly strikes hit Gaza as Israel prepares return to ceasefire talks, by Andrew Mills and Maayan Lubell | Reuters  DOHA / JERUSALEM – At least 61 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli bombardments in Gaza, as Israel prepared to send a delegation to Qatar for new ceasefire talks on a hostage deal with the militant group Hamas. This comes as the main United Nations aid agency operating in Gaza said on Saturday that acute malnutrition was accelerating in the north of the Palestinian enclave. Shelling and  . . . READ MORE . . .

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How should Israel bring to justice the perpetrators behind the worst attack in its history? by Tia Goldenberg | AP  TEL AVIV — Hamas’ unprecedented raid on southern Israel has prompted a legal predicament: How does a country scarred by the deadliest attack in its history bring the perpetrators to justice? Israel is holding hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza accused of taking part in the Oct. 7 attack that . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 13  Mission creep: Will pier become beachhead for U.S. in Gaza? by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos | Responsible Statecraft / Popular Resistance  The Pentagon’s plan for floating piers and a causeway to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza is drawing fire from military experts for its lack of detail, potential danger to U.S. troops, and risk of mission creep. Bottom line, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher. “Biden is committing the United States military to . . . READ MORE . . .