For today, links to eight reports from Reuters, the Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Israeli forces step up bombardment across Gaza, amid fierce fighting, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters CAIRO — Israeli forces pounded Rafah and other areas across the Gaza Strip and engaged in close-quarter combat with fighters led by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, residents and Israel’s military said [sometime last night or today]. Residents said . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Anadolu Agency.
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Israeli army releases 33 Palestinian detainees from Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The Israeli army released 33 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to medical sources, Anadolu Agency reports. “The freed detainees were admitted to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital with thin bodies and signs of torture,” the sources said. READ MORE . . .
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Armenia recognises Palestinian statehood, says Armenian foreign ministry. From Reuters. — Armenia has officially recognised a Palestinian state, the Armenian foreign ministry said today. A ministry statement said Armenia supports a United Nations resolution on an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and favours a two-state solution to . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israel’s pledge to guard an aid route into Gaza falls flat as lawlessness blocks distribution, by Julia Frankel | AP JERUSALEM — An apparent breakdown in law and order has made unusable the anticipated corridor to get aid into southern Gaza, the United Nations and international aid organizations say. Thousands of truckloads of aid are piled up as groups of armed men . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian foreign minister says Israeli actions pushed settlement with Palestine far back, by Elena Teslova | Anadolu Agency The Collective Security Treaty Organization adopted four statements after its June 20-21 meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with one of them on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today. READ MORE . . .
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Israel and Hezbollah faceoff raises risk of wider conflict. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — Regular puffs of smoke from missile intercepts over northern Israel and fires from air strikes in southern Lebanon are outward signs of a fear that the Gaza war may be expanding into a wider conflict, which analysts say poses risks for both sides. The stark threats on Wednesday from Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 20 Israeli protesters demand Netanyahu accept a ceasefire deal to bring back hostages. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR Thousands across Israel have been protesting daily this week demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a ceasefire deal to bring back the remaining hostages inside Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Gaza war has exposed hollow nature of Palestinian citizenship of Israel, by Abed Abou Shhadeh | Middle East Eye More than eight months into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, a defining moment for Palestinian people the world over, it is important to examine the specific situation of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Living . . . READ MORE . . .