For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters published on Dec. 1 and 7, followed by commentary from this weekend’s Berkshire Eagle related to the first two items’ subject matter, and then links to more recent reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, and Tass; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukrainian spy agency stages train explosions on a Russian railroad in Siberia, Ukrainian media say, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s spy agency staged two successive explosions on a railroad line in Siberia that serves as a key conduit for trade between Russia and China, Ukrainian media reported on Dec. 1. Ukrainska Pravda and other news outlets claimed the Security Service of Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia detains man it accuses of blowing up trains at Ukraine’s behest. From Reuters. MOSCOW— Russia’s FSB security service said on Thursday it had detained a Belarusian man who had blown up two trains in Siberia on the orders of the Ukrainian intelligence services as part of a sabotage campaign against Russia’s critical infrastructure. The two attacks in Russia’s Buryatia region, which borders Mongolia, occurred on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30. A Ukrainian . . . READ MORE . . .

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Reaching across Russia, Ukrainians blow up cargo trains, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  Ukrainian saboteurs blew up two Russian cargo trains last week in an effort to block military supplies coming from China and North Korea. In a one-two punch . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Winter setting in raises questions about Ukraine’s next stage in its counteroffensive. Scott Simon of NPR talks with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, and war studies expert, Phillips O’Brien, about Ukraine. There’s a stalemate on two fronts, the battlefield and funding. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukrainian troops train in Poland for harsh winter warfare, by Kuba Stezycki | Reuters  WEDRZYN, Poland – In a snow-covered field in western Poland, Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in trench warfare, days before being sent to the front in the war of attrition against Russia. The training is conducted by soldiers from Poland, France and Belgium, in Wedrzyn, around 40 kilometres from the German border. Such exercises have been held in 24 out of the European Union’s 27 member states. READ MORE . . .

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Russian drone strike in Kherson Oblast kills 1, injures 1. From Reuters  KYIV — One civilian was killed and another wounded after Russian forces dropped an explosive from a drone on a town in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, authorities said today. Prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation into the incident, which occurred . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian army loses up to 80 troops in South Donetsk area — Russian top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 80 troops killed and wounded in the South Donetsk area in the past 24 hours, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported. “Near the settlement of Novodonetskoye . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine condemns Russian plans for elections on occupied territory. From Reuters KYIV — Ukraine today strongly condemned Russian plans to hold presidential elections next spring on occupied territory, declaring them “null and void” and pledging to prosecute any observers sent to monitor them. Russia’s upper house set the country’s presidential election this week for next March, and chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko said residents in four occupied Ukrainian regions would be able . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Tass, Al Jazeera and, via Popular Resistance, Common Dreams; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Israel sharply ramps up Gaza strikes, U.S. alarmed, by Bassam Masoud and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  Israel has sharply increased strikes on Gaza, pounding the length of the Palestinian enclave and killing hundreds in a new, expanded phase of the war that the United States said veered from Israeli promises to do more to protect civilians. The Israeli military said that it had struck more than 450 targets in Gaza from land, sea and air over the past 24 hours — the most since. . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  The Israeli military keeps pushing into central and southern Gaza. Reported by Michel Martin and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  As Israel seeks to destroy Hamas, the massive displacement of Palestinians in Gaza continues. They’re being pushed farther and farther south, into smaller and smaller spaces. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  Palestinians live in dire conditions in Gaza despite Israel’s safe zone. From AP. Israel has designated a safe zone in southern Gaza, but its widening air and ground offensive has left Palestinians packed together in dire humanitarian conditions. United Nations monitors said Thursday that . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Netanyahu, his accomplices must be punished for genocide in Gaza — Erdogan. From Tass. ISTANBUL — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration should be prosecuted for genocide in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said upon his return from an official visit in Greece. The Anadolu news agency quotes Erdogan as saying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel designates safe zone in Gaza. Palestinians and aid groups say it offers little relief, by Wafaa Shurafa, Jack Jeffrey and Isabel DeBre | AP  MUWASI, Gaza Strip — Israel has designated a small slice of mostly undeveloped land along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast as a safe zone — a place where waves of people fleeing the war can find protection from airstrikes and receive humanitarian supplies for their families. The reality? The area . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hundreds more Palestinians killed in Israel’s assault on Hamas in south Gaza, by Bassam Masoud and Maayan Lubell | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — Hundreds more Palestinians were killed as Israel fought Hamas militants in thE Gaza Strip’s biggest cities on Thursday, and almost 2 million displaced Gazans facing shortages of food struggled to find safe refuge. Residents reported . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel demands UN investigate charges of sexual violence by Hamas fighters. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Michele Kelemen | NPR  Israel wants the United Nations and international community to do more about its evidence of sexual violence by militants in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Palestinians demand end to Israel’s Gaza onslaught, by Ted Regencia and Alastair McCready | Al Jazeera  Rabbi Miriam Grossman says the demonstrators who gathered in New York City on Thursday night are “horrified by Israel’s brutal siege, denying children food and water, and by decades of occupation and dispossession done in our name”. Grossman said activists are mourning the . . . READ MORE . . .

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40+ White House interns decry Israel’s ‘genocidal’ assault on Gaza, by Jake Johnson | Common Dreams / Popular Resistance  Dozens of White House interns sent a letter late Tuesday urging President Joe Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, echoing the calls of a growing number of lawmakers, congressional staffers, administration officials, and ordinary Americans. “We heed the voices of the American people and . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links reports from Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters and the Associated Press; 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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NEWER  Ukraine says downed 14 out of 19 Russian cruise missiles overnight. From AFP. Kyiv said today that Russia had launched more than a dozen cruise missiles at Ukraine overnight in Moscow’s latest aerial barrage that left two dead and several wounded. Officials in Kyiv say Russian forces stockpiled drones and missiles for attacks on Ukraine’s struggling energy grid over winter. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Ukraine shells Russia’s Belgorod Region nearly 25 times over day. From Tass. BELGOROD — The Ukrainian armed forces fired almost 25 different munitions at Russia’s Belgorod Region over the past 24 hours, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said today. “In the Krasnoyaruzsky district, the village of . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Official: Ukraine updating killer missile that sank Russia’s Moskva, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  Ukrainian militarytechnicians are working on “Long Neptune,” an updated version of the killer missile that sank the Russian navy cruiser Moskva, once the most powerful warship on the Black Sea, news reports said. Deputy Minister of Defense Lt. Gen. Ivan Havrylyuk said . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Germany hands over shells, drones, other equipment in latest delivery to Ukraine, by Nate Ostiller and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Germany today handed over its latest delivery of military aid to Ukraine, including vehicles, drones, artillery shells, and other equipment. The items included 11 reconnaissance drones, six border protection vehicles, eight . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine to make shells with U.S. firms as it seeks to develop defence sector. From Reuters. Kyiv has agreed with two American firms to jointly manufacture vital 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine, a Ukrainian minister said on Thursday, although production will not start for at least two years. Demand for . . . READ MORE . . .

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After failed test vote, prospects dim for new Ukraine aid in U.S. Congress, by Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan | Reuters  WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate leaders vowed on Thursday to keep trying to reach an agreement to provide billions of dollars in new security aid to Ukraine, but faced uncertainty about doing so quickly after Republicans blocked a sweeping foreign security assistance bill. Senate Republicans voted unanimously . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN: Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities, worsening humanitarian conditions, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Intensifying Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities are worsening humanitarian conditions across the war-torn country, where heavy snow and freezing temperatures have already arrived, U.N. officials said Wednesday. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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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Strikes on Gaza’s southern edge sow fear in one of the last areas to which people can flee, by Najib Jobain and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces struck the southern Gaza town of Rafah twice overnight, residents said today, sowing fear in one of the last places where civilians could seek refuge after Israel widened its offensive against Hamas to areas already packed with displaced people. United Nations officials say there are . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli tank fire killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon, by Maya Gebeily, Anthony Deutsch and David Clarke | Reuters  An Israeli tank crew killed a Reuters journalist and wounded six reporters in Lebanon on Oct. 13 by firing two shells in quick succession from Israel while the journalists were filming cross-border shelling, a Reuters investigation has found. The two strikes killed Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse photographer Christina Assi, 28, just over a kilometre from . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, and Tass; 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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Senate fails to advance Ukraine aid despite dire warnings from Biden, by Lexie Schapitl and Eric McDaniel | NPR  Senate Republicans have voted to prevent the Senate from starting debate on a $110 billion national security finding, including money for Ukraine and Israel, over demands that Democrats include immigration policy measures in the package. President Biden said on Wednesday that Congress needed to approve funding for Ukraine before it leaves Washington for the holidays or . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s latest weapons request includes THAAD air defenses and F-18s, by Mike Stone | Reuters  WASHINGTON — Ukraine’s latest list of U.S. weapons it says it needs to fight the Russian military includes sophisticated air defense systems, F-18 “Hornet” fighter jets, drones, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters, according to documents seen by Reuters. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense officials on Wednesday presented a list that has a few surprises including big-ticket items like . . . READ MORE . . .

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China calls on sides of conflict in Ukraine to redouble efforts to achieve peace. From Tass. UNITED NATIONS — China is calling on all sides of the conflict in Ukraine to take a pragmatic stance and intensify efforts to achieve peace, said Geng Shuang, China’s deputy envoy to the UN. “China’s position . . . READ MORE . . .

First, a link to details of an online Zoom event this evening — Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. EST — featuring a former New York Times correspondent whose columns on Russia and Ukraine for the Berkshire Eagle have been linked on this blog since before Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Then, links to reports from Reuters, National Public Radio, Tass, and the Kyiv Independent, followed by links to an editorial in the Kyiv Post and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Update on Ukraine with James Brooke. An online discussion with the former New York Times foreign correspondent and former Ukraine reporter is to be held today, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. EST. The online event is free and open to all. Brooke, a veteran foreign correspondent, will offer in-depth analysis of the war in Ukraine drawing on 14 years living and working Kyiv and Moscow as a reporter for the Times, Bloomberg, Voice of America, and several business news outlets. Online registration required. Click HERE for other details and to register.

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Ukraine prepares for a long war. Will the West stay the course? by Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KYIV — More than 21 months into the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two, fighting rages with no end in sight and neither side has landed a telling blow on the battlefield. Ukraine is going into a second winter of full-scale war with a resource-rich, nuclear-armed superpower that has more than triple Ukraine’s population. Ukrainians know . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine approaches another winter of war with U.S funding stuck in Congress. Reported by Michel Martin and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukraine’s counteroffensive has resulted in little gain on the battlefield. Some EU members and some members of Congress are questioning whether aid to Ukraine should continue. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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 A plan to fund Ukraine’s defense is blocked in the Senate. What happens next? Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut about the ongoing fight in Congress over additional funding for Ukraine and border security. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine sees ‘big risk’ of losing war if U.S. Congress postpones vital aid, by Jonathan Landay and Tom Balmforth | Reuters  WASHINGTON / KYIV —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff said on Tuesday that the postponement of U.S. assistance for Kyiv being debated in Congress would create a “big risk” of Ukraine losing the war with Russia. Andriy Yermak’s remarks were some of the frankest yet from a senior Kyiv official as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces wipe out command posts of two Ukrainian army brigades over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed command posts of two Ukrainian army brigades over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. Also, in the areas of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine holds back Russian assault on Avdiivka as long winter battle looms, by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent  DONETSK OBLAST — “Our working hours are as follows: first you do a 12-hour shift, then another one, until you’ve done seven of these 24-hour-shifts, and that’s your week” said Oleksandr Kolesnikov, a 47-year-old surgeon, sitting . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia claims nighttime seizure of U.S. Bradley fighting vehicle from Ukraine. From Reuters. Russian television has shown footage of what it says is a U.S.-built Bradley infantry fighting vehicle captured on the front line in Ukraine’s Luhansk region after it was immobilised by Russian fire and abandoned by its Ukrainian crew. The news item featured interviews with several unidentified masked members of two recovery crews, who said. . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Kyiv says organized killing of fugitive Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva near Moscow. From Reuters. Kyiv said it orchestrated the assassination of a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician today, after the body of ex-lawmaker Illia Kyva, who had defected to Russia, was found outside Moscow. A source in Ukraine’s defense sector told Agence France-Presse that its SBU security services had orchestrated the assassination. Kyva was kicked out of parliament and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv Post salutes armed forces of Ukraine. An editorial. December 6 is Armed Forces of Ukraine Day. Because of Russia’s relentless aggression against Ukraine, this date has become more significant than ever. The importance of the AFU in defending Ukraine’s freedom and territory in this deadly war cannot be overstated. The AFU is the savior and reliable protector of the country, inspiring . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine war is undergoing mutation, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky’s video conference with the U.S. senators on Tuesday [Dec. 5] was expected to be a turning point in the Ukraine war for three reasons. First, the Biden Administration has not written him off completely, and, more important, is not playing favourites in the game of thrones in Kiev. Second, Biden Administration hasn’t given up hopes that all is lost in the war. Third, most important, the U.S. is . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Heavy fighting in Gaza halts most aid delivery and leaves civilians with few places to seek safety, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces battled Hamas militants across Gaza today in intense fighting that has prevented the distribution of vital aid in much of the territory and brought some of the devastation and mass displacement seen in the north to the south. On the Gaza side of the border with Egypt . . . READ MORE . . .

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Dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza grow worse as Israel widens its offensive. From AP. Israel’s widening air and ground offensive in southern Gaza has displaced tens of thousands more Palestinians and worsened the territory’s dire humanitarian conditions, with the fighting preventing distribution of food, water and medicine outside a tiny sliver of southern Gaza and new military evacuation orders squeezing . . . READ MORE . . .

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In a rare action against Israel, U.S. says extremist West Bank settlers will be barred from America, by Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — In a rare punitive move against Israel, the State Department said Tuesday it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel is expanding its offensive in Gaza, forcing more Palestinians to flee south. Reported by Scott Neuman and Daniel Estrin | NPR  JERUSALEM — Israel’s military on Tuesday appeared to be encircling Gaza’s second largest city, Khan Younis, pushing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians deeper south and hobbling international relief groups already struggling to deliver aid to the besieged territory. While the Israel Defense Forces expanded its offensive in northern and central Gaza . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER  Israel approves new homes in east Jerusalem settlement: NGO. From AFP.  JERUSALEM: Israeli authorities have approved the construction of more than 1,700 new homes, a non-governmental organisation said Wednesday, a move constituting the expansion of settlements in occupied east Jerusalem. Half the “new neighbourhood” comprising 1,738 housing units will be in the city’s annexed east, the Israeli NGOPeace Now said. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Erdogan sees Netanyahu balancing on brink of collapse.  From Tass. ANKARA, December 6. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing on the verge of collapse, something that he may indicate any time soon, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said upon returning from Qatar, according to the  state-run Anadolu agency. “And then there is the West, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  An exodus of Palestinians from Gaza would be ‘catastrophic’: UN refugee chief. From AFP.  An exodus of Palestinians from Gaza into neighbouring countries would be “catastrophic”, the United Nations refugee chief Filippo Grandi said today, stressing the need for a ceasefire. “It is very, very important to address [the humanitarian crisis and insufficient aid going into Gaza] to prevent . . . READ MORE . . .

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An Israeli man remembers his Gazan friend. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  A Palestinian living in Gaza and a Jewish Israeli bonded over their hopes for peace and dreamed of one day getting a coffee together. But with one killed in the war in Gaza, that’s now impossible. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, Agence France-Presse, and 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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NEWER  Israel storms Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing scores, by Bassam Massoud and Ibraheem Abu Mustafa| Reuters  GAZA— Israeli forces stormed the main city in the southern Gaza Strip today and hospitals struggled to cope with scores of Palestinian dead and wounded. In what appeared to be the biggest ground assault since a truce collapsed last week, residents said Israeli tanks had entered . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Putin to discuss Israel-Hamas war during a quick trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. From AP MOSCOW — Seeking to reassert Russia’s role in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin will make a one-day trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to focus on the Israeli-Hamas war and then will host Iran’s president in Moscow this week, the Kremlin said today. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday’s talks in both countries will focus on bilateral relations, the war, and Issues related . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel strikes in and around Gaza’s second-largest city in a bloody new phase of the war, by Najib Jobain and Samy Magdy | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel intensified its bombardment in and around Gaza’s second-largest city early today, sending ambulances and private cars racing into a local hospital carrying people wounded in a bloody new phase of the war. Under U.S. pressure to prevent further mass casualties in the conflict with Hamas, Israel says . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli military storms West Bank city of Jenin — TV. From Tass. RABAT — The Israeli Defense Forces launched an offensive on the West Bank city of Jenin early today, Al Jazeera television reported. According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli military using 50 military hardware, including heavy armored bulldozers. Israeli snipers are on their positions in various parts of the city. Among the targets of the Israeli assault units are . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel orders evacuations as it widens offensive, but Palestinians are running out of places to go, by Najib Jobain, Samy Magdy and Jack Jeffrey | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes heavily bombarded an area around Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday as the military ordered mass evacuations from the town in the face of a widening ground offensive that is pushing Palestinians into a progressively shrinking portion of the besieged territory. The expanded assault posed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel intensifies southern Gaza offensive; U.S., UN urge civilian protections, by Arafat Barbakh and Mohammad Salem | Reuters  GAZA — Israeli forces pressed ahead with their air and ground bombardment of southern Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, even as the United States and the United Nations repeatedly urged them to protect civilians. Israel’s closest ally the United States has said . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  UN says ‘not possible’ to create ‘safe zones’ in Gaza. From AFP. GENEVA — The United Nations warned today that it was impossible to create so-called safe zones for civilians to flee to inside the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s bombing campaign. A spokesman for UN children’s agency UNICEF said, “The so-called safe zones… are not scientific, they are not rational, they are . . . READ MORE . . .

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For children living with war, every day threats lead to trauma. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Zlatina Kostova, a clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, about the trauma children experience when living through war. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER  Qatar emir slams ‘shameful’ inaction on Gaza war.  From AFP. Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, today hit out at what he labeled “shameful” international inaction over the Israeli war on Gaza as he opened a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Doha. “It is shameful for the international community to allow this heinous crime to . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. officials warn Israel to protect Palestinian civilians, but Biden says little. Reported by Fatma Tans, Courtney Dorning and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for the New York Times, talks about whether Biden’s open support for Israeli military action in Gaza may be nearing its limit. Click  HERE to listen and read.

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How U.S. alignment with Israel in Gaza could be undermining American interests. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  The U.S. is aligned with Israel as it responds to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Some say supporting Israel is undermining U.S. interests as Israel airstrikes have killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER  Israel’s actions in Gaza pose threat to entire region, Turkish president says. From Tass. ISTANBUL — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration is using the military operation in Gaza to extend its political life, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a summit of Persian Gulf countries in Doha. “The Netanyahu administration is committing crimes against humanity, war crimes, in a bid . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel army says 80 soldiers killed in Gaza offensive.  From AFP. The Israeli army said today that 80 soldiers had been killed since the start of its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. After weeks of heavy bombing, Israel launched a ground offensive in the territory on Oct. 27 aimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Inside Biden’s Israel-Hamas war cabinet, by Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Phil Stewart | Reuters WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden is relying on a small group of veteran advisers to help navigate the Israel-Hamas conflict that has killed thousands, split Western allies and risks spiraling into a wider war. A long-serving foreign policy adviser to Biden, Antony Blinken, 61, . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio and, via Popular Resistance, +972 and Local Call — two media organizations in Israel; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel orders Gazans out of swathes of Khan Younis, by Arafat Barbakh| Reuters  GAZA — Israel ordered people out of swathes of the main southern city in the Gaza Strip today as it pressed its ground campaign deep into the south, sending desperate residents fleeing even as bombs fell on areas still described as safe. Its military posted a map on X this morning with around a quarter of the city . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel says ground forces operating across Gaza Strip as offensive builds, by Arafat Barbakh and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  GAZA / CAIRO — The Israeli military said its ground forces were operating against Hamas across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, its clearest indication yet that a planned ground offensive in the enclave’s heavily crowded south had begun as Israeli bombing killed and wounded dozens of Palestinians. The Hamas Palestinian militant group said its fighters clashed with . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, says efforts in south will be ‘no less strength’ than in north, by Najib Jobain and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military said Sunday its ground offensive had expanded to every part of Gaza, and it ordered more evacuations in the crowded south while vowing that operations there against Hamas would be “no less strength” than its shattering ones in the north. Heavy bombardment followed the evacuation orders, and Palestinians said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza’s civilians struggle to find safe places to take refuge post cease-fire, by Miles Parks and Brian Mann | NPR  The ceasefire in Gaza ended on Friday. While Israel says they’re making progress against Hamas, civilians in Gaza are struggling to find safe places to take refuge. Click HERE to listen and read.

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‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza, by Yuval Abraham | +972 and Local Call / Popular Resistance  Conversations with seven current and former members of Israel’s intelligence community have provided insight into the nature of one of the deadliest military campaigns against Palestinians since the Nakba of 1948. Three factors, including the Israeli army’s expanded authorization of non-military targets, the loosening . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  What would it take for Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace?  Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Yohanan Plesner of the Israel Democracy Institute about White House efforts to revive talks toward a two-state solution in the Middle East. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  More than 100 Gaza heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. Reported by Chloe Veltman | NPR  Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and destroyed thousands of homes in the territory. There have also been tremendous losses to the region’s ancient and globally significant cultural heritage. The region was a hub for commerce and culture under Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine rule. A recent survey . . . Click HERE to listen and read.