For today, links to two reports from National Public Radio, and to commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM OCT. 10  People under Israeli siege plea for help in Gaza, U.S. says conditions ‘must change.’ Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  Suggested web headline: People under Israeli siege plea for help in Gaza, US says conditions “must change” Critical aid lifelines have been cut to north Gaza as Israeli forces besiege the area and order hospitals shut, prompting U.S. concerns about Israel’s endless military operations there. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 10  DOJ silent as families of Americans killed in West Bank and Gaza demand it investigate. Reported by Ryan Lucas and Daniel Estrin | NPR  The Justice Department vowed to investigate the deaths of Americans killed in the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel. But four families of U.S. citizens who say they were killed in the West Bank and Gaza by Israelis argue DOJ isn’t investigating their loved ones’ deaths.. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 10  IDF in ‘outrageous threat’ to Irish UN troops in Lebanon, by Mick Hall |  Special to Consortium News   An Irish-Israeli diplomatic crisis has been defused after Israel withdrew its invasion force from firing positions metres from a U.N. post in south Lebanon staffed by Irish peacekeepers. Irish President Michael D. Higgins . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM OCT. 10  Ukraine’s Zelenskyy city-hops across Europe promoting ‘victory plan’ to allies, by Jill Lawless | AP  PARIS  — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was city-hopping across Europe on Thursday to promote a “victory plan” that he said “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war” against Russia, detailing the proposals to European allies after a scheduled summit involving U.S. President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Reuters report.

For today, links to eleven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, the Anadolu Agency, and (via ScheerPost) Democracy Now!, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Consortium News; other published matter is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli strike kills 28 people sheltering in a school in central Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza killed at least 28 people, including women and children, on Thursday, while three hospitals in the north were told to evacuate putting patients’ lives at risk, medics say. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and AFP.

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Lebanon: Israeli forces shoot at UN peacekeepers, wounding two, by Alex MacDonald | Middle East Eye  Two UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have been wounded by Israeli fire, the mission said today, as Israel’s military ground operations in the country continued. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP.

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How a year of war in Gaza has spilled into the West Bank. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  A look at the Israeli-occupied West Bank in the year since the Oct. 7 attacks and an increase in violence against Palestinians by both Israeli settlers as well as the military. Click HERE to listen and read.

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On the Lebanon border with Israel the sound of explosions persist. Reported by Eyder Peralta and Michel Martin | NPR  Israel says its ground operations into Lebanon are limited, targeted raids. In Marjayoun, a town on Lebanon’s border with Israel, rocket fire and raids backed by airstrikes haven’t let up. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 9  U.S. calls out Israel at UN for ‘catastrophic conditions’ in Gaza, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters — UNITED NATIONS — Israel needs to address urgently “catastrophic conditions” among Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and stop “intensifying suffering” by limiting aid deliveries, its ally the United States told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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FROM OCT. 9  Al Jazeera exposes war crimes filmed by Israeli troops themselves. Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh of Democracy Now! talk with Gaza-based correspondent Youmna ElSayed of Al Jazeera and Richard Sanders, director of Al Jazeera’s new documentary film, “Gaza,” based in part on audio-video material recorded by Israeli soldiers. Click HERE for introduction, excerpts from the film, and transcript of interview.

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FROM OCT. 9  Conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah threaten Netanyahu’s grip on power. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  In 1996, Israel voted in prime minister Benjamin Netanyah as it battled Hamas and Hezbollahu. Nearly 30 years later, Netanyahu’s own grip on power is threatened over fights with the same two groups. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Netanyahu preaches to the world as if it is a basic human right to commit genocide, by Ramona Wadi | Middle East Monitor  On the first anniversary of the cross-border incursion on 7 October 2023 and the start of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, all that the UN can boast of can be summed up in one word . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 8  The fall of Israel, by Scott Ritter | Special to Consortium News  The Hamas-Israeli conflict has morphed into a conflict between Israel and the so-called axis of resistance involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansarullah (the Houthi of Yemen), the Popular Mobilization Forces, i.e. militias of Iraq, Syria and Iran. It is a regional war in every . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, the Kyiv Post, Tass, Bloomberg, the Moscow Times, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine confirms strike on Russian airbase in North Caucasus housing Su-34, Su-27 jets, by Martin Fornusek and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian forces carried out a successful strike against Russia’s Khanskaya military airfield in the Adygea Republic, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed today shortly after Adygea Republic authorities . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s military says it struck airfield in Russia’s North Caucasus. From Reuters KYIV — The Ukrainian military said today it had struck an ammunition depot overnight at an airfield in Russia’s Adygeya region in the North Caucasus, about 450 km (280 miles) from the frontline in eastern Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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Death toll rises to eight in Russian missile attack on Odesa port. From Kyiv Post. The death toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in Ukraine‘s southern Odesa has risen to eight, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration. Initially, six people . . . READ MORE . . .

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Unfolding situation in Kursk Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops repelled two enemy attacks in the Lyubimovka and Kamyshevka area and five Ukrainian military personnel have surrendered as prisoners of war, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 9  U.S. believes Ukraine can hold Russian territory for months, by Natalia Drozdiak and Anthony Capaccio | Bloomberg  The U.S. assesses that Ukraine will be able to hold onto the territory its forces have claimed in Russia’s Kursk region for at least several months if not longer, according to senior American officials. READ MORE . . .  

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Crimea oil depot burns 3 days after Ukraine strike. From the Moscow Times. A major oil terminal in the city of Feodosia in Russian-annexed Crimea was still burning three days after Ukrainian missile strikes, media reported Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 9  Macron inspects Ukraine troops at a French military camp  ahead of a meeting with Zelenskyy, by Sylvie Corbet | AP  A FRENCH MILITARY BASE, FRANCE — French President Emmanuel Macron inspected the training of Ukrainian troops at a military camp in eastern France on Wednesday, a show of support a day before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travels to Paris as part of a European tour meant to encourage support for his victory plan. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 9  Zelenskiy awaits new summit date after Biden postpones Germany trip, by Miranda Murray and Sabine Siebold | Reuters  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he expected a new date for a summit of key allies to be agreed soon following the postponement of a planned gathering in Ramstein, Germany, because U.S. President Joe Biden was unable to join. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, a link to commentary from Substack; and a link to a report from an institute at Brown University; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli offensive in hard-hit northern Gaza kills dozens and threatens hospitals, by Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — A large-scale Israeli operation in northern Gaza has killed dozens of people and threatens to shut down three hospitals over a year into the war with Hamas, Palestinian officials and residents said today. Heavy . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Hezbollah reports clashes with Israeli troops along Lebanese border, by James Mackenzie and Maya Gebeily | Reuters  JERUSALEM / BEIRUT  —Hezbollah said today its fighters had pushed back advancing Israeli troops in clashes along the length of the border, a day after Israel said it had killed two successors to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant movement’s slain leader. READ MORE . . .

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U.N. to keep peacekeepers in southern Lebanon despite Israel’s ground operation. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  There are around 10,000 U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon. The U.N. says they will remain at their posts in southern Lebanon — even as Israel conducts ground operations against Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 8  A view from the ground: Monday’s intense strikes in Gaza. Reported by Anas Baba | NPR  Monday marked one year since the war between Israel and Hamas began. It was also a day that saw some of the most intense strikes in Gaza in the last year. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 8  A year in the life of a mom and baby from Gaza. Reported by Elissa Nadworny | NPR  Raneem Hijazi was eight months pregnant when an Israeli airstrike hit the apartment where she lived, killing her son and seven family members. She delivered her daughter via C-section shortly after. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 8  Gaza after a year of war, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  Last week Al Jazeera released “Investigating War Crimes in Gaza.” The 81-minute documentary is a searing indictment of the treatment of those who always suffer most in war—women and children—during Israel’s retaliation for the horrid murders Hamas inflicted inside Israel a year ago this week. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 7  U.S. spending on Israel’s military operations and related U.S. operations in the region from Oct. 7, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, by Linda J. Bilmes, William D. Hartung, and Stephen Semler | Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University  In just one year, the U.S. has spent at least $22.76 billion on military aid to Israel and related U.S. operations in the region (through Sept. 30). This was true, even before . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to seven reports: from Agence France-Press, Reuters, Tass, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine claims strike on depot storing North Korean ammo. From AFP. Kyiv said today it had struck a Russian arms depot in the border region of Bryansk that was storing hardware and ammo including munitions supplied to Moscow by North Korea. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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2,300 Ukrainian soldiers being trained in France as part of new brigade, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  The French military is training and equipping Ukraine’s Anne de Kyiv brigade in France, the first instance of a foreign country training a Ukrainian brigade on its territory, the French Embassy in Kyiv said today. READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskiy says battlefield situation ‘creates opportunity’ to bring an end to war in 2025. From Reuters. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today that the battlefield situation ‘creates opportunity’ to take steps to end the war in Ukraine no later than 2025. READ MORE . . .

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Situation in Kursk Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops have liberated the settlements of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky in the Kursk Region, the Defense Ministry said. Over the past 24 hours . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 8  Ukraine could be facing toughest winter since invasion began, NATO chief says. From Reuters. BRUSSELS — Ukraine could be facing its toughest winter since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, as Moscow continues to attack the country’s critical energy infrastructure, new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday. “NATO must and will . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 8  U.S. scrambled to urge Putin not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Woodward book says. From AP. WASHINGTON — Journalist Bob Woodard’s new book, “War,” describes how, months into Russia’s war in Ukraine, the United States had intelligence pointing to “highly sensitive, credible conversations inside the Kremlin” that President Vladimir Putin was seriously considering . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Hezbollah leader says more Israelis will be displaced as the militants extend their rocket fire, by Bassem Mroue and Tia Goldenberg | AP  BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s acting leader said today that even more Israelis will be displaced as the militant group extends its rocket fire deeper into Israel, in a defiant televised statement marking the anniversary of fighting that escalated into war last month. READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah supports ceasefire efforts in Lebanon, deputy leader says, by Maya Gebeily | Reuters  BEIRUT — Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has suffered major blows from Israel in Lebanon, on Tuesday left the door open to a negotiated ceasefire after its arch-foe raised the stakes with fresh incursions in the south of the country. For the first time . . . READ MORE . . . 

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Hamas faces dissent in Gaza as heavy toll weakens support for war, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta | Reuters  Reuters spoke to dozens of residents of Gaza, all of whom asked not to be identified by their full name to avoid retribution. For some . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, the Kyiv Post, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russian forces reach another key frontline city, Ukraine’s military says, by Oleksandr Kozhukhar and Lidia Kelly | Reuters   Russian forces have entered the outskirts of the eastern Ukraine frontline city of Toretsk, Ukraine’s military said late on Monday, less than a week after the fall of the bastion town of Vuhledar. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Over 1K evacuated after Ukraine hits annexed Crimea’s ‘larrest’ oil depot. From the Moscow Times.  More than 1,000 people were evacuated in the annexed Crimean city of Feodosia after Ukrainian strikes sparked a large fire at a major oil terminal there the day before, Russian-installed authorities said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says Russian missile strikes civilian ship in Odesa port, killing one. From Kyiv Post. Ukraine said Monday that a Russian missile struck a civilian ship flying the Palauan flag in the port of Odesa, resulting in one fatality—the second attack on a civilian vessel in the region within days. READ MORE . . .

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UK slaps sanctions on Russian forces for chemical weapons use in Ukraine. From the Kyiv Independent. The United Kingdom issued sanctions against Russian units involved in the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine, the country’s Foreign Office said today. READ MORE . . .

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Russia hammers Ukrainian military airfields by Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered a strike by Kinzhal hypersonic missiles at Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, followed by links to eight reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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War rages on multiple fronts as Israel marks a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, by Tia Goldenberg and Melanie Lidman | AP   RE’IM, Israel — Israelis held somber ceremonies today to mark a year since the deadliest attack in the country’s history, a Hamas-led raid that shattered its sense of security and ignited wars on two fronts with no end in sight. Hamas and Hezbollah . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel steps up Gaza bombing on war’s first anniversary, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Hussam Al-Masri | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israel stepped up air and ground attacks on Hamas in Gaza, killing at least 52 people according to Palestinian medics, on the first anniversary of a war that has left most of the territory in ruins and shattered the lives of its people. Hamas said it struck Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv with . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza is in ruins after Israel’s yearlong offensive, by Joseph Krauss and Sarah el Deeb | AP  In the Gaza Strip there are hills of rubble where apartment blocks stood, and pools of sewage-tainted water spreading disease. City streets have been churned into dirt canyons and, in many places, the air is filled with the stench of unrecovered corpses. Israel’s yearlong offensive against Hamas . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel marks Oct. 7 anniversary under shadow of escalating war, by Manuel Ausloos | Reuters  RE’IM, Israel – Israel held solemn memorials against the backdrop of continued fighting on the first anniversary of the deadliest day in the country’s history – the Hamas-led attacks on Oct 7, 2023. Israel’s enemies – the Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah – marked the day by raining rockets across Israel . . . READ MORE . . .

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A year later, an Israeli village grieves the biggest loss from Oct. 7. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  The Israeli kibbutz grieving the biggest loss from the Hamas attacks reburies its dead and contends with questions of memory, guilt and revenge. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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A year into Israel’s war in Gaza, a woman’s grief exposes a possible war crime. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Steve Inskeep | NPR  A woman survives a year of Israeli bombardment on Gaza after an airstrike destroys her life. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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A rabbi in Detroit talks about her feelings on the war and the U.S. election. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  For Jewish American voters in Michigan it’s been a difficult year. Today marks a year since Hamas attacked Israel. In Detroit, Rabbi Ariana Silverman guides her community through this dark time. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 6   Remembering life in Gaza before Oct. 7. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Scott Detrow | NPR  The Middle East has changed dramatically in the year since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 6  Where the conflict stands, a year after the Hamas attacks in Israel. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf and Ayesha Rascoe | NPR  It’s been almost a year since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7th. We look at how that conflict has grown. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 6  In north Lebanon, those fleeing Israeli strikes say they have no safe place to go. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  We look at the uptick in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon after and overnight Israeli strike in Beirut. Click HERE to listen an read.

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FROM OCT. 6  Is the U.S. at risk of getting drawn into war in the Middle East? Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Mara Liasson | NPR  We look at how the possibility of the U.S. getting drawn into a wider conflict in the Middle East could affect the presidential race, as well as how the candidates are doing in swing states. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 6  Where Gaza protest voters stand ahead of early voting. Reported by Clay Masters and Scott Detrow | NPR  Donald Trump or Kamala Harris or a third-partly candidate, or no one — options for U.S. protest voters. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for today is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine says Russian missile strike damaged vessel carrying grain in Pivdennyi port. From Reuters. A Russian missile strike damaged a civilian Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged vessel loaded with corn in the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi on Sunday, Ukraine’s restoration ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine strikes Russian oil hub as Zelenskyy says war is in ‘a very important phase,‘ by Illia Novikov and Hanna Arhirova | AP KYIV — Ukraine’s military said it struck a major oil terminal today in Crimea that provides fuel for Russia’s war effort. Both sides are facing the issue of how to . . . READ MORE . . .