For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Hamas says cease-fire talks to resume next week, making a truce before Ramadan unlikely, by Samy Magdy and Abby Sewell | AP  CAIRO — Hamas said today that its delegation has left Cairo and that talks on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release will resume next week, making it extremely unlikely that mediators will broker a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Egyptian officials had said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli tank ‘likely’ fired machine gun at reporters after deadly shelling, report finds, by Maya Gebeily and Anthony Deutsch | Reuters  An Israeli tank crew “likely” opened machinegun fire on an identifiable group of journalists near the border with Lebanon who were also targetted by shelling, a report on the Oct. 13 attack has found. Published today by . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Palestinians face famine, why is it so hard for help to reach Gaza? Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  Israel says it’s not restricting food or medicine from trickling into Gaza. Aid and rights organizations counter that Israel has systematically made it harder for help to reach the enclave. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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The myth of Israel as ‘U.S. aircraft carrier’ in Middle East, by Jean Bricmont and Diana Johnstone | Special to Consortium News  Why does the United States give total support to Israel? In answer, there is a common myth shared by both champions and radical critics of the Zionist state. The myth is that Israel is a major U.S. strategic asset, a sort of . . . READ MORE . . .