For today, links to 14 reports: from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Bloomberg, Tass, and Middle East Eye and to commentary from the Ron Paul Institute via Antiwar.com; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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U.S. Defense Secretary Austin confirms North Korea has sent troops to Russia, by Hyung-Jin Kim | AP  SEOUL — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there is evidence that North Korea has sent troops to Russia on Monday, and South Korea’s spy chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops are in the country receiving training on drones and other equipment before being deployed to battlefields in Ukraine. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent.

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North Korea sent 1,500 more troops to Russia, South Korea’s spy agency tells lawmakers. From AFP. North Korea sent an additional 1,500 troops to Russia, South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers today, with around 10,000 soldiers total expected to be deployed by December. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM OCT. 22  South Korea warns it can send arms to Ukraine after reports of North’s troops in Russia, by Hyung-Jin Kim | AP  SEOUL — South Korea warned Tuesday it could consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea allegedly dispatching troops to Russia, as both North Korea and Russia denied the movements. NATO’s secretary general said that would mark a “significant escalation.” READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate Serebryanka, Nikolayevka communities in Donetsk area over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces liberated the settlements of Serebryanka and Nikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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BRICS leaders must tell Putin to end Ukraine war: EU. From AFP.  The European Union today urged leaders attending the BRICS summit in Russia to tell President Vladimir Putin to “immediately end the war” in Ukraine. Putin is hosting around 20 world leaders, including . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 22  Russia summons German ambassador over NATO Baltic Sea command center. From AFP.  Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said it summoned Germany’s ambassador to protest a new NATO naval command center along the Baltic Sea coast, inaugurated by Germany on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 22  Ukraine’s population has fallen by 10 million since Russia’s invasion, UN says, by Thomas Escritt | Reuters  Ukraine’s population has declined by 10 million, or around a quarter, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion as a result of refugees leaving, collapsing fertility and war deaths, the United Nations said on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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What lies behind Turkey’s ties with Russia and bid to join BRICS? by Huseyin Hayatsever and Jonathan Spicer | Reuters  ANKARA — Here are some of the issues underpinning ties between Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, who were set to meet today in Russia on the sidelines of the summit of the BRICS grouping which NATO-member Turkey has voiced interest in joining. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for two paragraphs of Oct. 21 report from Bloomberg, an Oct. 23 report from Tass, and a June 8 report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM OCT. 21  Why should we fight wars for Ukraine and Israel? by Ron Paul | Ron Paul Institute / Antiwar.com  When you take on the role of the world’s policeman, don’t be surprised when countries who cannot fight their own wars call “911.” That is happening to the United States on two fronts and it is bankrupting our country, depleting the military that should serve our own national interest, and . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from Antiwar.com, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from To The Point Analyses and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initals below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM OCT. 21  Dozens of Palestinians killed as Israel intensifies attacks on northern Gaza, by Dave DeCamp | Antiwar.com / ScheerPost  Dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in northern Gaza on Monday as Israel is intensifying its attacks on the area in an effort to forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of civilians as part of an ethnic cleansing plan. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Anadolu Agency report.

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War has knocked Gaza back to the 1950s, UNDP says, by Thomas Escritt | Reuters  BERLIN — The war between Israel and Hamas has devastated the Palestinian economy and left nearly all of Gaza’s population in poverty, with quality of life indicators such as health and education knocked back 70 years, the United Nations’ development agency said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 21  Israel says more strikes are coming against a Hezbollah-run financial institution, by Sarah el Deeb and Samy Magdy | AP  BEIRUT— Israel said late Monday it planned to carry out more strikes in Lebanon against a Hezbollah-run financial institution that it targeted the night before and which it says uses customers’ deposits to finance attacks against Israel. At least 15 branches . . . READ MORE . . .

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What is the Hezbollah-linked financial institution Israel is targeting in Lebanon? by Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — The Israeli military has carried out a wave of airstrikes targeting branches of a financial institution affiliated with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, saying the quasi-banking system is being used to fund the militant group’s military wing. They destroyed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken in Israel in last big ceasefire push before U.S. election, by Humeyra Pamuk, Maayan Lubell and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  TEL AVIV / JERUSALEM / CAIRO — Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in the first big U.S. push for a Middle East ceasefire since Israel killed the leader of Hamas last week — and the last attempt before a presidential election that could upend U.S. policy. He faces . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM OCT. 21  Blinken heads off on another visit to Middle East as conflict spreads. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Israeli forces killed the Hamas leader in Gaza last week and they’ve been pressing their offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon too. Israel is also poised to strike Iran. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 8  One dimensional reporting, by Lawrence Davidson | To The Point Analyses / Consortium News  The mainline media is managed by people acculturated to their society’s dominant storyline — and all the myriad prioritized sub-storylines that are supposed to explain events both domestic and foreign. What are the consequences? READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 21  Netanyahu arrest warrant and the ICC: Is the delay a denial of justice? by Sondos Asem | Middle East Eye  It has been five months since the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, requested an arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s war on Gaza and the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Anadolu Agency, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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EU Parliament approves nearly $38B loan to Ukraine, backed by Russian assets, by Necva Tastan Sevinc | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The European Parliament today approved a loan of up to €35 billion (approximately $37.8 billion) for Ukraine, which would be financed through revenues generated by frozen Russian assets in the European Union. The new . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian drone attacks kill 3, including child, in Ukraine’s Sumy region. From AFP. Russian overnight attacks left three people dead in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, where Moscow has stepped up its bombardments in recent months, local officials said today. Sumy lies across the border from the Kursk region in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine reportedly strikes 4 alcohol distilleries in Russia in drone attacks. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian drones struck two alcohol distilleries in the Tula region, one in the Tambov region, and an industrial facility in the Voronezh region in an overnight attack Oct. 21-22, Russian officials and media reported. Kyiv had . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Kostin resigns, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin submitted his resignation today amid reports of prosecutors illegally obtaining disability status. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate Novosadovoye community in Donbass region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup West liberated the settlement of Novosadovoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and inflicted more than 470 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 21  U.S. consults allies about North Korea troops in Ukraine, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters  NEW YORK – It would be a “dangerous and highly concerning development” if North Korea was sending troops to help Russia in Ukraine, the United States said on Monday as South Korea and Britain warned of the high price Moscow would likely have to pay Pyongyang. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Pyongyang . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initals below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli forces storm shelters, detain men, as north Gaza raid deepens, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces blew up homes and besieged schools and shelters for displaced people today as they deepened their operations in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, residents and medics said. They also . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN agency says Israel still preventing aid from reaching northern Gaza. From Reuters.  GAZA — Israeli authorities are still preventing humanitarian missions from reaching areas of northern Gaza with critical supplies including medicine and food for people under siege, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said today. READ MORE . . .

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Lebanon assesses damage after Israel strikes Hezbollah-run financial institution, by Sara el Deeb and Samy Magdy | AP  BEIRUT — Lebanese were surveying the damage today after overnight Israeli strikes hit nearly a dozen branches of a Hezbollah-run financial institution that Israel says is used to fund attacks but where many ordinary people keep their savings. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE to listen to NPR report.

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FROM OCT. 20  Leaked documents describe possible Israeli strike on Iran. Reported by Rob Schmitz and Tom Bowman | NPR  A former U.S. intelligence official has confirmed with NPR that highly classified U.S. intelligence documents that appeared on a pro-Iranian site are authentic. The documents describe preparations by Israel in advance of a possible strike on Iran. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE to listen to Oct. 21 NPR report, and later read.

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FROM OCT. 14  ‘It’s like we’re watching Auschwitz on TikTok.’ Gabor Maté of Middle East Eye, a Canadian physician, speaks with French activist and film producer Frank Barat about witnessing atrocities in Gaza and Palestine, and about future implications of the normalisation of violence. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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The IDF and ISIS are two sides of the same coin as agents of chaos, by Adam Warden | Middle East Monitor  The parallels between Zionist militant groups and notorious organisations like ISIS share a disturbing commonality rooted in religious extremism and a quest for ethno-religious supremacy. READ MORE . . .

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The West’s support for Israel’s genocide is destroying the world as we know it, by Jonathan Cook | Middle East Eye  The year-long genocide in Gaza is entirely a Western co-production. The U.S. and Europe send the weapons, provide the diplomatic cover, orchestrate support from their pliant state- and billionaire-owned media, and . . . READ MORE . . .

 

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

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Russia hits Kyiv with drone attacks for second night in a row, Ukraine says. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with several waves of drones for the second night in a row, damaging residential buildings and injuring at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said today. Two civilian were killed and . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. announces $400 million defense aid package for Ukraine, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  The U.S. has allocated a new military assistance package for Ukraine worth $400 million, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during his to Kyiv today, Ukrinform reported. Austin said it would include ammunition, military equipment, and . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for earlier AP report.

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Seoul summons Russian ambassador to protest North Korean troop deployment. From AFP. South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul today in protest over claims that Pyongyang sent thousands of soldiers to fight in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the troop deployments. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM OCT. 20  Attention: This is how world wars begin, by Jonathan Sweet and Mark Toth | Kyiv Post  In September 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his North Korean “arsenals of evil” cohort Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in Vladivostok, Russia. The two dictators finalized plans for North Korea to supply desperately needed . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  With U.S. elections looming, Biden’s Berlin swan song was all talk, no action on Ukraine, by Dinara Khalilova | The Kyiv Independent  Joe Biden’s likely last European visit as president was billed as a final chance before the upcoming U.S. presidential election to meet with key world leaders, solidify long-term support for Ukraine, and work towards ending Russia’s full-scale invasion . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from nader.org, the Washington Post and, via Consortium News, the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initals or website addresses below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel intensifies offensive in Gaza, Lebanon after Hamas leader’s death, by Amina Ismail and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  BEIRUT / CAIRO — Israel said it had struck Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut today, while officials in Gaza said they were still trying to recover bodies from the rubble after an Israeli strike that killed dozens. READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli troops in two Lebanon border villages. From AFP. Hezbollah said it launched rocket salvos today at Israeli troops in two villages inside Lebanese territory, near the southern border, nearly three weeks after Israel announced ground incursions into Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strikes on northern Gaza leave at least 87 dead or missing, Palestinian officials say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on homes in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday left at least 87 people dead or missing, the territory’s Health Ministry said. It said another 40 people were wounded in the strikes on the town of . . . READ MORE . . . 

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The U.S .is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans, by Zeke Miller,   Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Tara Copp | AP  WASHINGTON — The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate. They are attributed to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  Israel air strike kills 73 Palestinians in northern Gaza, Hamas media office says, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — At least 73 Palestinians, including many women and children, were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on Saturday that hit several houses in Beit Lahiya town in northern Gaza Strip, medics and Hamas media said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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Nearly 1,400 illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate Sukkot, by Aysar Alais and Zein Khalil | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Some 1,390 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem today to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to a Palestinian agency. READ MORE . . .

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Egyptian president urges immediate end to wars in Gaza, Lebanon, by Ibrahim Khazen | Anadolu Agency  CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday called for an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, urging stronger efforts towards cease-fire and the exchange of hostages in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  After Yahya Sinwar’s killing, journalist reflects on interviewing him. Rob Schmitz of NPR talks with Italian journalist Francesca Borri, who recounts interviewing the late Yahya Sinwar in 2018, when he said Hamas was trying to “reach a compromise” with Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Australia reviews military export permits to Israel: Report. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — Australia is carrying out a review of all the 66 military export permits for Israel that were approved before the invasion of Gaza last year, the Guardian reported on Saturday, citing Defense Ministry sources. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  ‘Goodbye Lebanon’ – high Israeli official. Biden says OK, so far, by Ralph Nader | nader.org  Biden’s bombs and missiles, dropped daily on Lebanon, a U.S. ally, by his puppet master Netanyahu, are wreaking havoc in this small defenseless country. The . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 17  What Hamas hoped would happen after Oct. 7, by David Ignatius | The Washington Post  As Israel moves ever closer to all-out war with Iran, newly released documents suggest that this broad regional conflict is precisely what the group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, had dreamed about when . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  How to do a conjunctural analysis, by Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental Institute for Social Research / Consortium News  Reading legacy Western media – which dominates the world information order – is painful. For instance, these media outlets (such as CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde and Bild) have been unable . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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U.S. writer Anne Applebaum appeals for arms for Ukraine as she accepts German peace prize, by Vanessa Gera | AP  WARSAW — The prominent American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum urged continued support for Ukraine as she accepted a prestigious German prize today in Frankfurt, arguing that pacifism in the face of aggression is often nothing more than appeasement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine strikes key Russian explosives manufacturer. From Reuters. Ukraine struck a manufacturer of military explosives deep inside Russian territory overnight, as well as storage infrastructure at a military airfield in the Lipetsk region, Kyiv’s General Staff said in a statement today. Russian air defence units downed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AFP, Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukrainian forces lost up to 460 troops in Battlegroup Center responsibility zone. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Battlegroup Center defeated five brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk People’s Republic in one day and repelled nine counterattacks, the Ukrainian army lost up to 460 servicemen, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ receives mixed reactions from Western allies, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan to end Ukraine’s nearly three-year war with Russia has received mixed reactions from Western allies so far. It includes a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western long-range . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Zelensky’s nuclear arms comments ‘dangerous provocation’ – Putin. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s suggestion that Kyiv would seek nuclear weapons if it could not join NATO was a “dangerous provocation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday. The Ukrainian leader made the comments . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  U.S. laments ‘disappointing’ Swiss decision not to fully adopt latest EU sanctions against Russia, by Jamey Keaten | AP  GENEVA — The United States is expressing disappointment over a decision by the Swiss government not to adopt all measures in the latest round of European Union sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Australia gives 49 ageing Abrams tanks to Ukraine. From AP. MELBOURNE — Australia will give 49 of its ageing M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine months after Kyiv requested the redundant fleet, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to a panel discussion from the Middle East Institute, and to links to 10 reports from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and the MAPS entry from Oct. 18 are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM OCT. 18  The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: A turning point in the war? Moderator Zena Al-Shaib is joined by Khaled Elgindy, Nimrod Goren, Brian Katalis and Charles Lister of  the Middle East Institute. Weeks after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, the killing of Hamas leader Sinwar this week in Gaza marks a significant development. Click HERE for video, which has subtitles.

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A drone targets Israeli prime minister’s house while strikes in Gaza kill over 50, by Adam Schreck and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s government said a drone targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house today, with no casualties, as fighting with Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Gaza -based Hamas showed no pause . . . READ MORE . . .

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7 Palestinians, including children, killed in Israeli air strike on school sheltering displaced in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. At least seven Palestinians, including children and women, were killed on Saturday in an Israeli air strike targeting a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in western Gaza that was providing shelter to displaced families, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israel must comply with international law, Germany’s Scholz says during Türkiye visit. From Anadolu Agency. BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today renewed his call on Israel to comply with international law while fighting resistance groups Hamas and Hezbollah.. READ MORE . . .

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After Sinwar’s death, Israel aims to lock in strategic gains before U.S. election, by Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry and James Mackenzie | Reuters  DUBAI / JERUSALEM — The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, marked a major triumph for Israel. But Israeli leaders are also seeking to lock in strategic gains that go beyond military victories – to reshape the regional landscape in Israel’s favour and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Israel and Hamas signal resistance to ending Gaza war after Sinwar’s death, by Julia Frankel and Abby Sewell | AP  JERUSALEM — Hamas confirmed Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and reiterated its stance that hostages the militant group took from Israel a year ago will not be released until . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  What’s next for Hamas after its leader Yahya Sinwar’s death? by Abby Sewell | AP  BEIRUT — The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces in Gaza this week leaves the Palestinian militant group considering new leadership for the second time in less than three months. Will Hamas now . . . READ MORE . . .

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The killing of Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar may escalate war in Lebanon. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Scott Simon | NPR  The future of Hamas and the war in Gaza now that the organization’s leader is dead. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes about love, life and loss in Gaza. Scott Simon of NPR asks Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha about his new collection, Forest of Noise, and about the conflict in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 18  North Gaza is starving as humanitarian aid declines. Reported by Gus Contreras, Ari Shapiro and Tinbete Ermyas | NPR  Antoine Renard, the World Food Programme Country director for Gaza, talks about how people in north Gaza are starving and aid shipments reached their lowest level in September. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 18  The challenges of vaccinating 590,000 kids against polio in the war zone of Gaza. Reported by Ari Daniel | NPR  Public health officials are hoping to reach the more than half a million Gaza children who received their first dose a few weeks back. But a shifting battlefield is making everything more challenging. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 18  Was Yahya Sinwar the obstacle to peace the U.S. made him out to be? by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  WASHINGTON —  The U.S. has dubbed the late Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar an “insurmountable obstacle” to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but Sinwar’s killing is likely to lift the veil on Israel’sambitions to continue its war on Gaza. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, 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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Russia says captured another village in eastern Ukraine. From AFP.  Russia said today it has taken the village of Zoryane in eastern Ukraine, enabling its troops to approach the industrial hub of Kurakhove. READ MORE  . ..

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1 dead, 8 injured in Russians’ attack on Shostka. From Kyiv Post. One man was killed and eight people were wounded after the Russians struck the center of the Sumy-region-city of Shostka just after midnight, Ukrainian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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At least 102 Ukrainian POWs executed by Russia, ombudsman says, by Natalia Yermak | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces have executed at least 102 Ukrainian prisoners of war since 2022, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in an interview on Friday, citing data from the Prosecutor General’s Office. READ MORE. . .

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Investigation: Russians carry out systemic terror in occupied part of Kherson Oblast, by Danylo Mokryk | The Kyiv Independent  In the course of our investigation into Russian terror in the occupied territories, we interviewed dozens of people who managed to leave — some as recently as the summer of 2024. Most asked for anonymity or refused to be interviewed out of fear of . . . READ MORE . . .

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France vows support for Ukraine’s plan to end Russian invasion, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — France’s foreign minister today pledged his support for Ukraine’s plan for ending the war with Russia, telling reporters in Kyiv that he would work with Ukrainian officials to secure other nations’ backing for the proposal. READ MORE. . .  Click HERE for Reuters report.

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Russian air defenses down several aerial targets heading towards Belgorod. From Tass. BELGOROD — Russian air defenses have downed several aerial targets heading toward the city of Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Russia, Ukraine each bring home 95 prisoners of war in swap brokered by UAE. From Reuters. Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Russia returns 500 dead soldiers to Ukraine as world leaders mull next steps, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia on Friday returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers, Ukrainian authorities said, in what appeared to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. READ MORE . . .

Links to five maps found online; others are accessible by clicking on their sources’ website addresses below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Six online maps. From mapsland.com, worldatlas.com, maps-of-the-world.net, and ontheworldmap.com. Events in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, and Lebanon are usually reported without accompanying maps. For six, click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.