For now, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM
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NEWER U.S., 17 other countries urge Hamas to release hostages, end Gaza crisis, by Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu | Reuters WASHINGTON — The United States and 17 other countries will call on Hamas today to release hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza, a senior U.S. administration official said. The official called the joint statement an extraordinary display of . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Israeli strikes in Rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden. From AP. Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip killed at least five people. In central Gaza, four people were killed in Israeli tank shelling. A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack today, officials said, the latest . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 24 Another ex-State Department official alleges Israeli military gets ‘special treatment’ on abuses, by Ellen Knickmeyer | AP WASHINGTON — A former senior U.S. official who until recently helped oversee human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance said Wednesday that he repeatedly observed Israel receiving “special treatment” from U.S. officials when it came to scrutiny of allegations of Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians. READ MORE . . .
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Israel says Rafah assault looms; massive Gaza airstrikes end weeks of relative calm, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams | Reuters CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli warplanes pounded the northern Gaza strip for a second day on Wednesday in a fierce assault that has shattered weeks of comparative calm, and Israel said it was moving forward with plans for an all-out assault on Rafah in the south. READ MORE . . .
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Israel’s war and security cabinets continue planning for military operation in Rafah. Reported by Leila Fadel and Aya Batrawy | NPR In response to Israel’s vow to expand its ground offensive to the southern Gaza city of Rafah, residents and refugees consider whether they will attempt to flee. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Hamas official says group would lay down its weapons if a two-state solution is implemented, by Abby Sewell | AP ISTANBUL — A top Hamas political official told The Associated Press the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. Khalil al-Hayya spoke Wednesday amid a . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 24 Israel’s Netanyahu says ‘more has to be done’ to stop pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses. From Middle East Monitor. “What’s happening in America’s college campuses is horrific,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded statement on Wednesday accusing “anti-Semitic mobs” of taking over leading universities. READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 24 Shot by Israeli troops while getting aid, a boy in Gaza fights for his life. Reported by Rob Schmitz and Anas Baba | NPR RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Nimer Saddy al-Nimer is 12. His first name means “Tiger” in Arabic. Wavy locks of sandy brown hair rest just above his large brown eyes. He’s . . . Click HERE to read and listen.
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A hostage video is out of one of the Americans being held by Hamas in Gaza. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Hamas has released a video of one of the Americans held hostage in Gaza, the first such move since the October 7 attack. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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MAY BE CONTINUED