For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered, by Joseph Krauss, Samy Magdy and Melanie Lidman | AP JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said today it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid, but the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said no aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side. READ MORE . . .
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26 EU member states call on Netanyahu for a ceasefire. From Middle East Monitor. Foreign ministers of 26 member countries of the European Union today issued a joint statement reacting to Israel’s evacuation order to the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. They called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to continue with the attack. READ MORE . . .
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U.S. pauses some weapons to Israel as battles rage around Rafah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Steve Holland and Mohammad Salem | Reuters CAIRO/WASHINGTON/RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The United States has halted a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel, a U.S. official said, as Washington puts pressure on its ally to avoid a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip’s crowded southern city of Rafah and give more time for ceasefire talks. Hamas said its fighters . . . READ MORE . . .
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More universities join pro-Palestine protests. From Middle East Monitor. New universities in the Netherlands, Spain, France and Bangladesh have joined the student movements triggered by American and Western universities in solidarity with the Palestinians. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 7 The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind for Palestinians in Rafah. Reported by Linah Mohammad and Patrick Jarenwattananon | NPR Israeli tanks rolled into the southern Gaza city of Rafah Tuesday, taking control of the territory’s border crossing with Egypt. Click HERE to listen and read.
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FROM MAY 7 What’s next for Rafah. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR Israeli tanks rumbled into southern Gaza and seized control of the critical Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israel and Hamas are trying yet again to work out a ceasefire in Egypt’s capital Cairo. Click HERE to listen and read.