For today, links to eight reports from the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Rivals Hamas and Fatah sign a declaration to form a future government as war rages in Gaza, by Jack Jeffery, Tia Goldenberg and Huizhong Wu | AP  RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a declaration in Beijing vowing to form a government together, the groups said today, in the latest attempt at resolving their long rivalry. READ MORE . . .

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Palestinian control of Gaza ‘won’t happen,’ Israel says after Beijing talks. From the Anadolu Agency Israel today slammed an agreement between Palestinian factions aimed at maintaining control over the Gaza Strip following Israel’s ongoing war. Palestinian groups, including rival Hamas and Fatah movement, agreed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli government quietly sends millions to unauthorized West Bank settler outposts, by Melanie Lidman| AP   JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has budgeted millions of dollars to protect small, unauthorized Jewish farms in the Israeli occupied West Bank, underwriting tiny outposts meant to grow into full-fledged settlements, according to the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 22  Israel sends tanks back into Khan Younis area, 70 killed after new evacuation order, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Ari Rabinovitch and Hatem Khaled | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM / GAZA –Israel sent tanks back into the greater Khan Younis area after ordering evacuations of some districts it said had been used for renewed attacks by militants and at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, Gaza medics said on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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WHO ‘extremely worried’ at prospect of polio, other outbreaks in Gaza. From AFP.  GENEVA — A top World Health Organization official said today he was “extremely worried” over possible outbreaks in war-torn Gaza after poliovirus was detected in the sewage, warning that communicable diseases could cause more deaths than injuries. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Anadolu Agency and Reuters.

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FROM JULY 22  Israeli parliament passes bill to close Unrwa, labels it ‘terrorist organization. From Middle East Eye. Israel’s parliament has passed three bills, in their first readings, to close the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) and designate it a “terrorist organization”. READ MORE . . .

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

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Russian army says killed 50 ‘Western instructors’ in missile attack. From the Moscow Times. A Russian ballistic missile attack on northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed dozens of Western military instructors, according tostate media today citing Russia’s Defense Ministry. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian drone damages ferry in Russian port, one person dead, says regional governor. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Ukrainian drone attack damaged a ferry and killed one person in Russia’s Port Kavkaz in the southern Krasnodar region, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE reports from AFP and Kyiv Post.

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Moscow says captured small village in eastern Ukraine. From AFP. Russia’s military said today it captured another small village, the settlement of Ivano-Dariivka, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where its forces have been making incremental advances for the past several months. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

For now, links to six reports from Reuters, the Moscow Times, the Anadolu Agency, 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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Russian troops mount pressure on Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine’s top commander said today that Russian forces were staging relentless assaults to try to advance towards the town of Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in the east, and that there was active fighting taking place along the entire front line. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian drone attack sets oil refinery ablaze, Russian officials say. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s military said early today that its forces had downed 75 Ukrainian drones overnight, with regional authorities reporting that falling debris set fire to a major oil refinery on the Black Sea coast. Air defense . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Anadolu Agency.

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Ukraine releases nearly 4,000 prisoners to help fortify army. From Tass. LONDON — Some 3,800 prisoners have been released early in Ukraine to buttress the Ukrainian armed forces, The Guardian reported, citing the Ukrainian Justice Ministry. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 21  Civilians killed and wounded as Russia and Ukraine trade attacks. Russia claims gains in the east, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Russia and Ukraine exchanged drone, missile and shelling attacks on Sunday. At least two people were killed in Ukrainian strikes on the partly Russian-occupied Donetsk region, Russian state media said, while Ukrainian officials said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 21  Russian forces hit two Ukrainian echelons in DPR, killing up to 240 militants. From Tass. MOSCOW — Iskander-M crews of the Russian Armed Forces carried out a missile strike on two military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said, releasing relevant footage. The ministry said . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israel orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone, by Wafaa Shurafa and Melanie Lidman | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military today ordered the evacuation of part of an area in the Gaza Strip it has designated a humanitarian zone. The military said it is planning to begin . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and the Anadolu Agency.

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FROM JULY 21  Israel’s latest airstrikes in Gaza kill at least 15 including children, by Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 15 people, including women and children overnight in Gaza, according to hospital officials and a body count by an Associated Press journalist on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 21  Fighting in southern Gaza, Israeli strikes hit central areas, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces battled Palestinian fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday, striking areas in the centre of the coastal enclave where thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes have been seeking shelter. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 20  No safe haven in Gaza Strip: Palestinian Interior Ministry. From Middle East Monitor. The Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza announced Saturday that the Israeli army has been ramping up psychological pressure on residents by urging them to evacuate their homes in northern governorates and move to the south, but “there are no safe areas throughout the Gaza Strip. In recent days . . . READ MORE . . .

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Thousands remain missing in Gaza among the destruction from Israel’s assault, by Maha Hussaini | Middle East Eye  Thousands of Palestinians have gone missing in Gaza since the onset of Israel’s war on the enclave, leaving families in the dark about their loved ones’ fates amid the ongoing ground invasion and bombardment . “After my house . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 20  Israeli settlers court Republican religious right after Hamas attacks, by Jonathan Saul and Simon Lewis | Reuters  ALON SHVUT, West Bank — U.S. delegations’ visits to Jewish settlements in the West Bank are helping align the views of senior Republican Party officials with settlers and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of Oct. 7, according to a settler and Israeli political consultant who often hosts such visits. READ MORE . . .

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

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Zelenskiy calls for long-range weapons after drone attack on Kyiv. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine needs long-range weapons to protect its cities and troops on the frontline from Russian bombs and drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today after a massive overnight drone and missile attack — Russia’s fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks. Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed all . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says captured two villages in East Ukraine. From AFP.  Russia said today its forces had captured two frontline villages in Ukraine, Andriivka in the eastern Luhansk region and Pishchane in the northeast Kharkiv region. They are less than 20 kilometers from each other on a section where Moscow has made grinding advances in recent weeks. READ MORE . . .

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Russian Armed Forces liberate Rozovka in LPR, Peschanoye Nizhnee in the Kharkov region. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian military liberated Rozovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Peschanoye Nizhnee in the Kharkov region in the past 34 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Most Ukrainian POWs haven’t seen Red Cross while in Russian captivity, ombudsman says, by Natalia Yermak | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Saturday that most Ukrainian prisoners of war who were released had never been visited by the Red Cross representatives while in Russian captivity. His post . . . READ MORE . . .

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A Ukrainian POW tells of daily Russian torture, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  At the Taganrog “resort” in Russia — about 110 kilometers (70 miles) from Mariupol — Pietro says he survived four months of hell.“Someone is constantly being beaten somewhere. And you hear it all the time,. They beat me with beams, truncheons, with feet, with fists and anything else they could . . . READ MORE . . .  

For now, a link to a report from Common Dreams and to commentary from World Beyond War; both articles via Consortium News; others may be accessed by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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FROM JULY 19  ICJ says Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal and must end, by Jake Johnson | Common Dreams / Consortium News  The International Court of Justice said Friday that Israel’s decades long occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful and must end. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 20  NATO’s obscure relations with Israel, by Ann Wright | WorldBeyondWar / Consortium News  NATO has a long, close and relatively unknown relationship with Israel that in 2016 resulted in the establishment of an Israel office in the Brussels headquarters of the military alliance. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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

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Israel kills dozens as it steps up Gaza bombardment, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces pounded several areas across the Gaza Strip today, killing at least 30 Palestinians, according to health officials, as tanks advanced deeper into western and northern Rafah. Among those killed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and the Anadolu Agency.

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Palestinian journalist and his family killed in attack on Jabalia camp. From Middle East Eye. Palestinian journalist Mohammed Abu Jasser, his wife and their two children were killed in an attack on their home in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. This raises the death toll of journalists in Gaza since 7 October to 161, according . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 19  Top UN court says Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, by Stephanie van den Berg and Emily Rose | Reuters  THE HAGUE — The United Nations’ highest court said on Friday that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible, in its strongest findings to date on the Israel-Palestinian . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.   

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FROM JULY 19  Secretary of State Blinken on Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reported by Erika Ryan, Sarah Handel and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Aspen Security Forum about a wide range of the most pressing diplomatic questions. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JULY 18  Gaza war forces countries around the world to freeze their arms deals with Israel, by Aziz Mustafa | Middle East Monitor  The world is getting alarmed over the continued war on Gaza and the ongoing crimes committed by the Occupation, despite all international appeals. This . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 11 reports from Agence France-Presse, Le Monde, Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 19  Trump says spoke with Zelensky, pledges to ‘end the war,’ by Robin LeGrand | AFP  U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday he had spoken by telephone with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and pledged to end the European country’s war with Russia. “I appreciate President Zelensky for . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Le Monde, Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.    

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Two killed in overnight strikes on Ukraine. From AFP. At least two people were killed and four wounded in a Russian airstrike overnight on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, the regional prosecutor said today. The prosecuter said two men aged 48 and 69 had been killed and around 50 buildings were damaged in the bombardment, apparently by three Russian Iskander . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones in Rostov region – governor. From AFP.  Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones overnight in the southern Rostov region, several hundred kilometers from the front line, the regional governor said today. Last Saturday an oil depot in the Rostov region caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian ultranationalist Iryna Farion assassinated. From Kyiv Post. Iryna Farion, an ultranationalist figure in Ukraine who was known for her controversial statements on the issue of the Ukrainian language, was murdered on a street in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Friday evening. Authorities said the case had been classified as “intentional homicide,” and investigations . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russian forces destroy two Patriot launchers in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed two launchers of the U.S.-made Patriot missile system and its radar in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 19  Blinken points to wider pledges to support Ukraine in case U.S. backs away under Trump, by Ellen Khickmeyer | AP  ASPEN, Colorado — Ukraine is on its way to being able to “stand on its own feet” militarily, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, noting that more than 20 other countries have pledged to maintain their own military and financial aid to the country even if . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 19  Secretary of State Blinken on Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reported by Erika Ryan, Sarah Handel and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Aspen Security Forum about a wide range of the most pressing diplomatic questions. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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NEWER  Top UN court says Israel’s settlement policy in occupied territories violates international law, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands —  The top United Nations court said Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank and east Jerusalem violates international law, as it delivered a nonbinding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, a ruling that could have more effect on international opinion than it will on Israeli policies. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and the Anadolu Agency, and HERE for a related advisory from Middle East Monitor.

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Israel bombards central Gaza, fighting rages in Rafah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Hatem Khaled | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli forces bombed parts of central Gaza today, killing at least eight Palestinians in the Al-Nuseirat camp area, while fighting with Hamas militants raged in Rafah city in the south, where health officials said another five residents were killed. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Anadolu Agency.

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UK announces it will resume funding UNRWA. From Middle East Eye. The UK government will restore funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the foreign secretary announced today. David Lammy said to parliament that the UK would provide £21 million ($27.1 million) in new funding to the agency, five months after . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN rights office says ‘anarchy’ spreading in Gaza. From Reuters.  GENEVA  — The United Nations human rights office warned today that “anarchy” was spreading in the Gaza Strip, with rampant looting, unlawful killings and shootings as the population faces an acute humanitarian crisis. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 18  Bedwetting, nightmares and shaking. War in Gaza takes a mental health toll, especially on children, by Fatima Khalid and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Anxiety, fear, depression, sleep deprivation, anger and aggression are prevalent among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians after nine months of war, experts and practitioners told The Associated Press. Children are most vulnerable, especially because . . . READ MORE . . .