Gaza, 12-26-24

For today, links to eight reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HEREHERE and HERE.) — MCM

   

Gaza medics say Israeli strike kills five journalists, Israel says it hit militants, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ramadan Abed | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Gaza authorities said an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian journalists in a vehicle outside a hospital on Thursday but the Israeli army said the victims were Islamic Jihad militants posing as media workers. Medics said the five were among at least 26 . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says 38 killed in 24 hours. From AFP. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Thursday that 38 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 45,399. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC 25  A baby froze to death overnight in Gaza as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire delays, by Sam Mednick, Tia Goldenberg and Fatma Khaled | AP  JERUSALEM — A baby girl froze to death overnight in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war. Doctors said . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

   

FROM DEC. 25  At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, medics say. From Reuters. At least 10 people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza early on Thursday, medics with the Gaza health authorities said. In a separate incident, five journalists were killed when . . . READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 25  In Christmas address, Pope urges silencing of weapons from the Holy Land to Ukraine. From AP. Pope Francis on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find the courage “to silence the sounds of arms” and overcome divisions plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. Click HERE for video report.

   

FROM DEC 24  Global monitor says famine is weeks away in north Gaza. A U.S. diplomat calls warning ‘irresponsible, by Ellen Knickmeyer | AP  WASHINGTON — Deaths from starvation will likely pass famine levels in northern Gaza as soon as next month owing to Israel’s “near-total blockade” of food and other aid, the U.S.-created global food-crisis monitor said on Tuesday. The finding . . . READ MORE . . .

Syria, 12-26-24

For today, links to three reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HEREHERE and HERE.) — MCM

   

Syria’s new rulers declare crackdown as tensions flare in coastal area. From Reuters. Syria’s new authorities launched a security crackdown today in the coastal region of Tartous, where 14 policemen were killed on Wednesday, vowing to pursue “remnants” of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government accused of the attack, state media reported. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 25  Christians in Syria celebrate the first Christmas since the end of the Assad regime. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Christians in Syria are struggling with how publicly to celebrate Christmas this year. There is a lot unknown about the interim government ruling Syria and their tolerance of religious minorities. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

FROM DEC. 24  Kurdish-led forces push back Turkish-backed Syrian rebels in a tense offensive, by Kareem Chehayeb and Hogir al Abdo | AP  QAMISHLI, Syria — Kurdish-led fighters in Syria, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, said Tuesday they have launched a counter-offensive against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkey. The Kurdish-led SDF is Washington’s . . . READ MORE . . .

Ukraine, 12-26-24

For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, the Moscow Times, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZASYRIA and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE and HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

   

Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning. The strikes included . . .  READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for Dec. 25 reports from Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.

   

Ukraine cleans up after Christmas Day attacks by Russia on energy infrastructure. Reported by Brian Mann and Sarah McCammon | NPR  Crews in Ukraine were cleaning up this morning after a massive attack launched by Russia on Christmas, with drones and missiles appearing to target Ukraine’s energy grid. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

FROM DEC. 25  4 killed in Ukrainian attack on Kursk region, governor says. From the Moscow Times. At least four people were killed and five others were injured in a Ukrainian attack on the town of Lgov in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, local authorities said Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 24  Woman killed after drone crashes into shopping mall in North Ossetia. From AFP.  A woman was killed in a fire after a drone crashed into a shopping mall in Russia’s republic of North Ossetia early Wednesday, local authorities said. Another drone was downed . . . READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 25  On Christmas Day, Pope Francis calls for talks to end Ukraine war. From Reuters. In his Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and world) address, Pope Francis mentioned the Ukraine conflict directly and called for “the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation”. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for video report from AP.

   

FROM DEC. 24  Inside a secret Ukrainian drone command post, where Russian soldiers are seen as prey. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR  NEAR POKROVSK, Ukraine  In the driveway of a rundown house, two soldiers work quickly under the glow of headlamps, loading weapons from a shed into the back of a battered truck. A technician says they’ll take one of the drones into the field. Click HERE to listen and read.

9/11 truth, 12-26-24

For now, links to Episode 162 of the podcast 9/11 War Room and to an essay in the October issue of the digital International Fire & Safety Journal; other information is accessible by clicking on their names below. NOTE: After clicking on the link in the aforementioned digital journal’s archives for its October issue, No. 40, visitors will find, instead, the December issue, No. 42; at least for now, however, the article in issue 40 about WTC Building 7’’s collapse is available to visitors to this website, just below. (9/11 TRUTH, 12-24-24, entry, is HERE. GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for today’s date, 12-26-24, are HERE, HERE and HERE.} — MCM

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FROM DEC. 22  9/11 truth reaches top levels: Curt Weldon demands action. From the 9/11 War Room.  Gene Laratonda and Sandra Jelmi host talk with a number of guests in this nearly three-hour Episode 162, beginning with retired Seattle Fire Department captain Raul Angelo (see link below). Former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., is another guest. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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FROM OCT. 15  Did World Trade Center Building 7 really collapse due to an office fuel load fire? by retired  Capt. Raul A. Angelo of the Seattle Fire Department | International Fire & Safety Journal  WTC 7 was a 47-story steel highrise that stood at 610 ft. (190 m) and was clad in red granite masonry. WTC Tower 1 was the first tower hit by a jetliner at 8:46 a.m. [on Sept. 11, 2001] and collapsed at 10:28 a.m. The collapsing debris of Tower 1 was claimed to have started . . . Click HERE for 8,000-word illustrated essay.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Gaza, 12-24-24

For today, links to five reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, Middle East Monitor, and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

   

Looting cripples food supply in Gaza despite Israeli pledge to tackle gangs, sources say, by David Gauthier-Villars, Nidal al-Mughrabi and John Davison | Reuters  Israel has failed to crack down on armed gangs attacking food convoys in Gaza, despite a pledge to do so in mid-October to help ward off famine in the Palestinian enclave, according to three U.N. and U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The commitment, made . . . READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 23  Two UN agencies talk about the obstacles in providing aid in Gaza. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  Palestinians across Gaza say they’re starving and cold without enough food or shelter. Aid groups say Israel is not letting enough supplies into Gaza. Armed gangs are also stealing aid. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

Israeli air strike on Gaza fire station kills civil defence worker. From Middle East Monitor. A member of Gaza’s civil defence forces, Najeeeb Sakkar, was killed in an Israeli air strike this afternoon while preparing food for his son Mohamed, Gaza’s civil defence service said. Mohamed and another worker were wounded. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 23  October Israeli strike in Gaza was much deadlier than reported, according to testimony. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  The U.S. says it has not received answers from Israel about an October strike in Gaza. A list of the dead, compiled by survivors and provided to NPR, indicate this strike was deadlier than reported. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

Netzarim corridor: Israel’s ‘axis of death’ for Palestinians, by Ruwaida Amer | Middle East Eye  GAZA — The so-called Netzarim Corridor is a 6km stretch of land south of Gaza City that divides the strip into its northern and southern parts. It stretches from the Israeli boundary with Gaza City in the east to the Mediterranean Sea. READ MORE . . .

   

The perks for genocide in Gaza, by Ramona Wadi | Middle East Monitor  A report in Ynet News describes the construction of “a small beachfront retreat” which “offers soldiers a rare break from their gruelling missions in the Gaza Strip.” READ MORE . . .

Syria, 12-24-24

For today, just one link: to a report from Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HEREHERE and HERE.) — MCM

   

FROM DEC. 23  Erdogan says Turkey in close dialogue with Syria’s de facto leader. From Reuters. ISTANBUL — “In the future of Syria and our region,” President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, “there is no place for any terrorist organisation, including Daesh and the PKK.” He added that Turkey’s unwavering line is to protect Syria’s territorial integrity and unity under all circumstances. READ MORE . . .

Ukraine, 12-24-24

For today, links to four reports: from the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, Tass, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.)  — MCM

   

Russia strikes apartment building in Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve, at least 9 injured, by Natalia Yermak | The Kyiv Independent  Russia attacked a residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast today, injuring at least nine people, Gov. Serhii Lysak said. Preliminary reports say … . . READ MORE . . .

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Is Ukraine’s strategy to use more drones in the war against Russia working? Reported by Brian Mann and Asma Khalid | NPR  Facing a desperate manpower shortage, Ukraine is relying more and more on unmanned flying attack drones. The weapons are deadly and efficient — but will they be enough? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

Russian forces pound Ukrainian military airfields, ammo depots over past day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfields, ammunition depots and amassed enemy manpower and military hardware in more than 140 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 23  Ukraine says it received $1.1 bln from IMF in latest funding. From Reuters. Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday the country had received $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund, which would be used for key budget expenditure. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said . . . READ MORE . . .

 

9/11 truth, 12-24-24

Links to podcasts from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and Box Alarm Awakening America; other information is accessible by clicking on  highlighted names. (GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE.) – MCM

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FROM DEC. 21  Former Congressman Curt Weldon leads charge for an unbiased 9/11 investigation. From AE911Truth.  Andy Steele of 9/11 Free Fall and former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., talk with AE911Truth CEO Roland Angle and emeritus professor Leroy Hulsey of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Subjects include World Trade Center destruction on Sept. 11, 2001, and intelligence failures before the attacks on that date. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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FROM SEPT. 10  Box Alarm Awakening America, Episode 2  Host Dann Cuellar and former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., talk with author Doug Stanton; former Pennsylvania Gov. Jim Gilmore; Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, and other guests. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Gaza, 12-23-24

For today, links to eight reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

   

Cats eat Palestinian corpses in Gaza amid devastating Israeli onslaught, by Ahmed Aziz and Ahmed Dremly | Middle East Eye  GAZA STRIP, occupied Palestine  The Gaza-based government media office today condemned the “horrific war crimes” committed by Israeli forces in its latest ground assault on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, in which 17 tanks and other military vehicles stormed the camp under the cover of drones and air strikes, according to local media. READ MORE . . .

   

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza kill at least 20 people, Palestinian medics say. From AP. One of the strikes overnight hit a tent camp in the Muwasi area, an Israel-declared humanitarian zone, killing eight people, including two children, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, which received the bodies today. READ MORE . . .

   

Some gaps have narrowed in elusive Gaza ceasefire deal, sides say, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible Gaza ceasefire have narrowed, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials’ remarks on today, though crucial differences have yet to be resolved. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 22  Israel orders evacuation of northern Gaza hospital; ‘next to impossible’ to obey, say medics, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israel ordered the closure and evacuation on Sunday of one of the last hospitals still partly functioning in a besieged area on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, forcing medics to search for a way to bring hundreds of patients and staff to safety. READ MORE . . .

   

PA intensifies siege on Jenin camp as Israeli ‘deadline’ for West Bank operation nears. From the Cradle. Fierce clashes between resistance fighters and Palestinian Authority forces continued today in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where Ramallah’s security services maintain a brutal siege against the city’s camp. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Dec. 22 report from Middle East Eye.

   

FROM DEC. 22  Hezbollah contends with rising resentment in Lebanon. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  After signing a sweeping ceasefire with Israel, the Lebanon-based paramilitary organization and political party is falling out of favor with some of its most ardent supporters.. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

What the Israel-Hezbollah war did to Lebanon’s cultural heritage sites. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  TIBNIN CASTLE, Southern Lebanon — The walls of a limestone citadel towering over olive groves near the frontiers of Lebanon, Syria and Israel tell the history of various civilizations that ruled here. Click HERE to listen or read.

Syria, 12-23-24

For today, links to seven reports: from the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, and Reuters, and to commentary from commentary from the Cradle and via ScheerPost, MOATS; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.)

   

FROM DEC. 22  Israel threatens residents of south Syria as troops expand occupation. From The Cradle.  Residents of the town of Baath in the southern Syrian governorate of Quneitra — currently under occupation by Israel’s military — have been ordered by Israeli forces to surrender all weapons present in the town or face invasion. Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported . . . READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 22  Israeli forces fire on Syria protesters, establish permanent positions in south. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli occupation forces have established seven permanent military positions along the “disengagement line” in southern Syria, spanning Damascus, Daraa, and Quneitra, reports Al-Mayadeen citing a local source. The posts, located . . . READ MORE . . .

   

FROM DEC. 22  Inside the first mass protest in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad fled Syria. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Syria has a new interim government, but there is concern about how it will govern following contradictory remarks. Some groups, including women’s rights advocates, are already testing the terrain. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

FROM DEC. 20  U.S. diplomats talk ‘vision’ for Syria with ex-Al-Qaeda chief. From The Cradle. The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and former commander of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Ahmad al-Sharaa, held a meeting with a senior U.S. diplomatic delegation in Damascus on Friday. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf led . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Syria’s Christians fearful of new Islamist leaders as Christmas approaches, by Amina Ismail and Firas Makdesi | Reuters  Syrian church leaders are advising Christians to scale back Christmas celebrations this year despite assurances from the Islamists who have just taken power that they are free to practice their religion. The self-imposed constraints . . . READ MORE . . .

   

What the Israel-Hezbollah war did to Lebanon’s cultural heritage sites. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  TIBNIN CASTLE, Southern Lebanon — The walls of a limestone citadel towering over olive groves near the frontiers of Lebanon, Syria and Israel tell the history of various civilizations that ruled here. Click HERE to listen or read.

   

FROM DEC. 22  Hezbollah contends with rising resentment in Lebanon. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  After signing a sweeping ceasefire with Israel, the Lebanon-based paramilitary organization and political party is falling out of favor with some of its most ardent supporters.. Click HERE to listen and read.

   

FROM DEC. 20  Syria’s next chapter: Fragile unity or permanent fragmentation? by Mohamad Hasan Sweidan | The Cradle  For years, discussions of Syria’s Balkanization have lingered as a realistic option that could be imposed on the country one day. The ousting of president Bashar al-Assad has brought the break-up of the Syrian Arab Republic back into focus. Click HERE for article with maps.

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FROM DEC. 22  Catastrophe for the Palestinians and the region. George Galloway of MOATS talks with journalist Chris Hedges about some of Syria’s recent history and the some of the consequences of the Assad regime’s downfall. Click HERE to listen and read.