For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, and Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-8-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire, by Wahaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said today, as international mediators raced to complete a ceasefire deal and in Washington . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu vows to ‘achieve all war goals’ in Gaza after Trump meeting. From the Cradle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today his talks with US President Donald Trump focused on securing the release of captives from Gaza, while vowing to continue the genocidal war against the besieged enclave until all of Tel Aviv’s goals are achieved. READ MORE . . .

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Eight aid seekers killed near Rafah. From Middle East Eye. The death toll of aid seekers shot and killed by Israeli forces near an aid centre north of Rafah earlier today has risen from six to eight, Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting, citing medical sources. READ MORE . . .

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Israel eyes ‘voluntary migration’ of Palestinians as ceasefire talks continue, by Enes Canli and Faruk Hanedar | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — As negotiations continue in Qatar over a U.S.-proposed 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange agreement, Israel is reportedly advancing plans to deport Palestinians to third countries through what it calls “voluntary migration” and the construction of a controversial so-called “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 8  Israel outlines plans to pack Gaza’s population into a closed border zone. Here’s a closer look, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister has outlined plans to pack hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a closed zone of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, according to local media reports. It appears to be . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 8  Timeline: Trump’s remarks on the forcible transfer of Palestinians in Gaza, by Syma Mohammed | Middle East Eye  U.S. President Donald Trump’s most outlandish policy proposal concerning the fate of Palestinians in Gaza is aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from the enclave. It is illegal under international law, a war crime and a crime against humanity. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 7-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA, UKRAINE, and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Iran ‘studying’ U.S. request for new nuclear talks: report. From the Cradle. A source told Iran’s Mehr News Agency today that Washington has requested the resumption of nuclear talks with Tehran, and that Iran is “studying” the possibility. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  Iran receives Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries after Israel ceasefire deal, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  Iran has taken possession of Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries as Tehran rapidly moves to rebuild defensives destroyed by Israel during their recent 12-day conflict, sources say. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (YEMEN 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, WEST BANK, GAZA , UKRAINE, and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack a ship in the Red Sea, killing 3, after claiming they sank another, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — An attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said today. The attack follows the Houthis claiming they attacked and sank another vessel Monday. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from Middle East Eye and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK 6-30-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down. IRAN, YEMEN, GAZA, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 6  Palestinians left ‘without shelter and water’ as settlers empty West Bank village, by Katherine Hearst | Middle East Eye  The Palestinian Bedouin village of Al-Mu’arrajat East, which occupies a small patch of land on a rocky hillside, had endured years of escalating attacks from the nearby Israeli Movot Yorihu settlement. On Thursday evening . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  Israel arrests Al Mayadeen’s West Bank bureau chief in midnight raid. From the Cradle. Israeli troops detained Palestinian journalist and chief of Al Mayadeen’s bureau in the occupied West Bank, Nasser al-Lahham, during a raid on his home early Monday. The news channel and other Palestinian media reported that . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eight reports: from the Cradle, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Grayzone, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, YEMEN, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE and HERE or scroll down.) — MCM

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Gaza ceasefire talks stuck at starting line, says Qatar. From the Cradle. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said today that negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire “will need time,” signaling no breakthrough had been achieved in the latest round of indirect talks taking place in Doha. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza ceasefire can be reached but may take more time, Israeli officials say. From Reuters. Gaps in Gaza ceasefire talks under way in Qatar between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas can be bridged but it may take more than a few days to reach a deal, Israeli officials said today. The new push . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Any future Palestinian state a platform to destroy Israel’: Netanyahu. From the Cradle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that any future Palestinian state would serve as a “platform to destroy Israel,” reiterating that “a sovereign power, like overall security, will always remain in our hands.” READ MORE . . .

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Hamas ambush kills five soldiers in Israeli-controlled ‘buffer zone.’ From Middle East Eye. Hamas fighters killed five Israeli soldiers and wounded at least 14 others on Monday in an ambush in Beit Hanoun, near the boundary with Israel in the northern Gaza Strip — in an area that Israeli forces had forcibly emptied of Palestinian residents and . . . READ MORE . . .

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1 in 3 people in Gaza has not eaten for days, says UN. From Middle East Monitor. Nearly one in three people in Gaza has gone without food for days, putting more lives at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations, which accused Israel of continuing to obstruct humanitarian aid efforts in the Strip, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  New footage exposes ragtag U.S. mercenaries firing toward Gaza aid seekers, by Max Blumenthal and Wyatt Reed | The Grayzone / ScheerPost  On July 2, the Associated Press released an exposé containing short videos which appeared to show American mercenaries associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) opening fire on aid-seekers in Gaza during an incident in southern Gaza this May. The footage was supplied by a former employee of UG Solutions, a firm charged with securing GHF distribution sites. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for July 2 report from AP.

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FROM JULY 7  Tony Blair Institute linked to Israeli scheme to ethnically cleanse Gaza: FT. From the Cradle. Staff from the Tony Blair Institute participated in a post-war Gaza real estate venture aiming to turn the enclave into a for-profit trade zone, according to the Financial Times. The project envisioned . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to five reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, and Tass, and to commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Dnipropetrovsk village likely contested despite Russia’s claim of its capture, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  The village of Dachne in the southern part of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast appears to be contested, according to the Finnish Black Bird Group open-source intelligence collective. The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday claimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky reportedly informs top envoy to U.S. of pending dismissal. From Kyiv Post. President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly informed Kyiv’s top envoy to the United States, Oksana Markarova, of his intention to sack her today. The update followed a Bloomberg report on Monday . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent

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Ignore Donald Trump’s ‘political seesaw,’ Russia’s Medvedev says. From the Moscow Times. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev today dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Russia and arms shipments to Ukraine, saying Moscow would continue pursuing its military goals regardless of Washington’s policies. READ MORE . . .

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Kiev loses over 1,305 troops in all frontline areas in past day — Russia’s top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,305 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 7  Trump dead-ends Putin, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Moscow will hold to its currently expressed demands: A new security architecture in Europe; no NATO membership for a neutral Ukraine that must be demilitarized and de-Nazified; and recognition of the four oblasts that voted to join Russia. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (COVID ETC. 6-11-25 is HERE.  IRAN, YEMEN, WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 7 American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds, by Laura Ungar and Jonel Aleccia | AP  The health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression, a new study says. It paints a comprehensive picture by examining . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE to listen to a read July 8 report from NPR.

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FROM JULY 7  Doctors and public health organizations sue Kennedy over vaccine policy changes, by Mike Stobbe | AP  NEW YORK — A coalition of doctors’ groups and public health organizations sued the U.S. government on Monday over the decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE to listen to and read July 8 report from NPR.

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FROM JULY 7  Why experts are concerned about the vaccine study cited by RFK Jr. Reported by Gabrielle Emanuel | NPR  RFK Jr. stunned the global health world when he said the U.S. would halt funding the group that helps provide vaccines to many low-income countries. The study he cited is seen by others as dubious. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JULY 7  RFK Jr. promoted a food company he says will make Americans healthy. Their meals are ultraprocessed, by Amanda Seitz and Jonel Aleccia | AP  WASHINGTON — An Associated Press review of Mom’s Meals meals, including the ingredients and nutrition labels, shows that the company’s offerings are the type of heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed foods that Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. routinely criticizes for making people sick. READ MORE . . .

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First, links to four reports: from the Cradle and Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA 7-4-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  LEBANON, YEMEN, UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Syria wildfires rage for fourth straight day as extremists take credit. From the Cradle. Devastating wildfires continued to burn for the fourth day today in Latakia governorate on Syria’s northern coast, home to many of the country’s minority Alawite population. Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, allegedly a militant offshoot of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), claimed responsibility on Sunday . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 6  UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria after grooming Sharaa for power. From the Cradle. Britain reestablished full diplomatic relations with Syria on Sunday as part UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy visit to Damascus to meet the country’s new de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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FROM JULY 4  Syria unveils new national emblem marking post-Assad era, by Mohammad Sio | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The Syrian presidency unveiled the country’s new national emblem on Thursday during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, accompanied by nationwide celebrations in major city squares — as the country transitions . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to five reports: from Anadolu Agency, the Cradle and Agence France-Presse, to commentary from the Cradle, and to an article from Wikipedia; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (LEBANON 7-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA, YEMEN, UKRAINE and GAZA entries for today, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.) — MCM

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10 including child injured in overnight Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, by Betul Yilmaz | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — At least 10 people were injured in overnight Israeli attacks in Lebanon on Sunday, according to officials. The Health Ministry, cited by the state news agency NNA, said . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. envoy ‘satisfied’ with Beirut’s response to Hezbollah disarmament demands. From the Cradle.  Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun held a meeting in Beirut today with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who was reportedly “satisfied” with the Lebanese response to a roadmap provided by Washington for the disarmament of Hezbollah. A statement from the presidency said Aoun “presented . . .READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 6  Hezbollah chief says will not surrender under threat from Israel. From AFP. BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said today his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats, despite pressure on the Lebanese militants to disarm. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 6  ‘He has not learned from Nasrallah’: Israel threatens Hezbollah chief. From the Cradle. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem today, in response to the Lebanese resistance movement’s rejection of U.S. dictates for disarmament. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 5  Lebanese president affirms coordination with Syria, warns against sectarian tensions, by Naim Berjwi and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Agency  BEIRUT / ISTANBUL — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed Friday that there is continuous coordination with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on several issues, while warning against attempts by “internal enemies” to exploit sectarian tensions. READ MORE . . .

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Tom Barrack’s project to destabilize Lebanon. From the Cradle. U.S. Envoy to Turkiye and Syria Tom Barrack made a declaration last month in Ankara suggesting that Washington was repudiating the colonial-era borders imposed on the Levant in 1916 by Britain and France. But his actual meaning . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for entry from Wikipedia.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Cradle, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (YEMEN 5-30-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA, LEBANON, UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israel launches airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and Houthis launch missile at Israel, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel’s military launched airstrikes early today targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with the rebels responding with missile fire targeting Israel. The attacks came after . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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Israel attacks 3 Yemeni ports and power plant, Israeli military says. From Reuters. ADEN — Israel has attacked Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports and a power plant, the Israeli military said early on Monday, marking the first Israeli attack on Yemen in almost a month — adding that they were due to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 6  Crew abandons Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned ship attacked in the Red Sea, UK military says, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel Sunday night as it took on water, marking the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a monthslong campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels there. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED