For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, followed by three pieces of commentary via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Gaza’s main hospital goes dark in intense fighting as Israel’s attacks put it at odds with allies, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magy and David Rising | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s prime minister pushed back today against calls from Western allies to do more to protect Palestinian civilians, as troops encircled Gaza’s largest hospital where doctors said five patients died, including a premature baby, after the last generator ran out of fuel. Israel has portrayed Shifa Hospital as Hamas’ main command post, saying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Attacks on Gaza’s biggest hospital intensify. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  Israel’s counterattacks on Gaza have pummeled the territory’s largest hospital. The Israeli military says Hamas’ command center lies beneath it. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Gaza official says two patients, including baby, died at hospital besieged by Israel, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  GAZA — A baby died in an incubator at Gaza’s largest hospital after the facility lost power, and another person was killed by an Israeli shell in intensive care, a spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry said today. Residents said Israel’s military had been fighting Hamas gunmen all night in and around Gaza City where. . . READ MORE . . .

Gaza’s largest hospital sheltering thousands is rocked by an explosion. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  An explosion rocks the courtyard in the largest hospital in Gaza. Also, Israeli troops surround several other hospitals as it accuses Hamas of hiding in tunnels below the medical facilities. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  Hospitals in Israel move underground to keep working amid rockets from Lebanon. Reported by Elissa Nadworny, Claire Harbage and Sawsan Khalife | NPR  NAHARIYA, Israel — When you visit the Galilee Medical Center in northern Israel, you can hardly tell you’re underground. There are nursing stations, hospital beds and a separate neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. There are familiar . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER Why it’s so hard for journalists to report from Gaza. Scott Simon of NPR  speaks with Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, about the difficulties in reporting in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Who’s to blame for the war between Israel and Hamas? Jordanian women look to America. Reported by Erika Ryan, Matt Ozua, Courtney Dorning and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Kelly talks with four women who are social influencers in Amman, Jordan — where the majority of the population is of Palestinian origin — about their thoughts on the war in Israel. Click HERE to listen and read.

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The right of self-defense, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  Israel does have the right of self-defence, but only in precisely the same way other countries do. In fact, the only unique factor about Israel here is that it is the only country to have been found by the International Court of Justice specifically to have abused and exceeded the concept of right of self-defence, in its treatment of the Palestinians. In 2004 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Are you human like us? by Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research / Consortium News  Israeli tanks have begun to encircle Gaza City, whose population was 600,000 a month ago but whose neighbourhoods are now largely vacant due to the desperate flight of its inhabitants to Gaza’s southern shelters and due to Israel’s killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians in their homes. Israel has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blades of grass, by Elizabeth Murray | Consortium News  A dangerously sociopathic attitude is prevalent whether cloaked in a cheap joke or reflected in the failure by the State Department spokesman to condemn or even acknowledge the criminality of Israel’s latest aerial and sea-based bombardment of Palestinian civilians, at least 18 of whom have been killed in the past 48 hours. Three Israelis also have died in retaliatory . . . READ MORE. . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, Tass, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Today’s GAZA entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia renews missile attacks on Kyiv, pounds Ukraine’s east and south. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the nearby region for the first time in weeks today and pounded the east and south of the country with drones, Ukrainian officials said. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said . . . READ MORE . . .

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One year after liberation, Ukrainians in Kherson hold on to hope amid constant shelling, by Samya Kullab | AP  KHERSON, Ukraine — One year since Ukraine retook the city of Kherson from occupying Russian forces, residents have grown accustomed to hearing outgoing fire from the left bank of the Dnieper river, where Russian troops are positioned. They know that familiar crackle means they have seven seconds to find a shelter, or a sturdy wall to hide behind. Their lives are . . .  READ MORE . . .

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The 5 frontline flashpoints. From Kyiv Post. Here are the main flashpoints between Russian forces and Ukraine’s army, which has been trying to puncture deep Russian defensive lines in recent . . . READ MORE . . .

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EU should prepare to compensate for U.S. aid to Kiev, which could be cut — Borrell. From Tass. MADRID — U.S. aid to Ukraine is likely to decrease, so EU countries should be politically ready to compensate for it, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. “European countries, which have the means to do so, should be politically willing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine has taken another small step toward joining the European Union. Reported by Nate Rott | NPR  Ukraine is pressing for EU membership as its counteroffensive against Russia has stalled, according to its military chief of staff. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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A program helps Ukraine’s veterans find sexual healing after the trauma of war, by Brian Mann | NPR  One of the most complicated parts of wounded soldiers’ recovery can involve sexuality and intimacy. One says others have asked him, “How you struggle [with this], how you stand it?” Veterans Hub, a support group headquartered in Kyiv, has launched a project called ReSex aimed at helping veterans — and healthcare providers — grapple with those questions. READ MORE . . .

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The Kyiv Independent celebrates its 2nd anniversary. From The Kyiv Independent. The Kyiv Independent marks its 2-year anniversary today. Exactly two years ago, the company’s co-founders officially announced the decision to launch a new English-language media publication covering all things Ukraine for foreign audiences. The core group . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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The Israel-Hamas war is at risk of spreading out into the Middle East. Reported by Jane Arraf and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Concern about a spread of the Israel-Hamas war ripples across the Middle East – as does growing anger at the U.S. for supporting Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Palestinian death toll has passed 11,000, by Najib Jobain, Bassem Mroue and David Rising | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the Palestinian death toll in the war has surpassed 11,000 people. The ministry said today that 11,078 people had been killed since hostilities began Oct. 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, primarily in the initial Hamas attack, and 41 Israeli soldiers . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Palestinian officials say Israeli air strikes hit Gaza hospitals, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  GAZA — Israeli air strikes hit Gaza’s biggest hospital, the Al Shifa, today, killing one person and wounding others sheltering there, Palestinian officials said, one of several hospitals reported struck as Israeli troops battled Hamas in the heart of the enclave. Officials said . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel gives civilians several hours a day to flee fighting in north Gaza. Reported by A Martínez and Daniel Estrin | NPR  Tens of thousands of Palestinians are fleeing Gaza City on foot. Israel is giving civilians several hours a day to flee the fighting in northern Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  There is a huge humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Bob Kitchen of the International Rescue Committee, one of the organizations warning of infectious disease outbreaks if humanitarian conditions in Gaza don’t improve. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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

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EU has ‘Plan B’ if Hungary vetoes 50 billion euro aid for Ukraine, by Gabriela Baczynska and Krisztina Than | Reuters  BRUSSELS / BUDAPEST — The European Union will be able work around any Hungarian veto and give Ukraine 50 billion euros ($53.4 bln) in aid, officials in the bloc said, as Kyiv struggles to push back Russia’s invasion 21 months into the war. The bloc’s executive has proposed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin and top military leaders visit southern military headquarters to assess his war in Ukraine. From AP. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don as he assessed the state of his country’s forces in Ukraine as the war drags on toward winter. It was his second public visit in less than a month to the headquarters, less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Ukraine’s southeastern border. Almost 21 months of war . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian Marines still holding Dnipro bridgehead, special ops busy, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Kyiv’s nearly month-old presence on the left bank of Dnipro River was still holding fast today with sides trading air, mortar and artillery strikes, and some Kremlin-associated bloggers declaring Moscow cannot eliminate the Ukrainian Marine-held bridgeheads without . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainians step up efforts to cross Dnipro, tie up Russian forces in Kherson Oblast, by Alexander Query | The Kyiv Independent  Pressure is mounting on Russian forces across the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian forces have reportedly stepped up their attacks on Russian positions to try and secure a beachhead and bring heavy armor . . .  READ MORE . . .

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Russia delivers 11 precision strikes on Ukrainian army airfields, arms arsenals over week. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered 11 strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on Ukrainian military airfields, arms arsenals and fuel depots over the past week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. Then, via Consortium News, a link to commentary from Indian Punchline. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes pound Gaza City as ground forces battle Hamas near major hospital, by Najib Jobain, Samy Magy, and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight into today as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban neighborhoods near a hospital where tens of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering. Gaza’s largest city is the focus . . . READ MORE . . .

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Displaced pack Gaza hospitals, others flee as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters clash, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maytaal Angel | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — Israeli forces fought Hamas militants among ruined buildings in the north of the Gaza Strip today, inching their way closer to two big hospitals as the plight of civilians in the besieged Palestinian territory worsened. Thousands more Palestinians . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken urges united future Palestinian government for Gaza and West Bank, widening gulf with Israel, by Ellen Knickmeyer and Josef Federman | AP  WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken called today for a united and Palestinian-led government for Gaza and the West Bank after the war ends, as a step toward Palestinian statehood. That vision sharpens U.S. differences with ally Israel on what . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel seems to be planning for the longterm in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israel will have to take security control of Gaza “indefinitely.” Retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor talks about what that might look like. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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2 negotiators with peace plan experience have a plan to kickstart peace talks. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Hiba Husseini and Yossi Beilin, who were negotiators from different sides, for a peace plan. Earlier this year they proposed a new peace plan for the region. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  U.S., Israel to open a second front in Lenanon, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline / Consortium News  The announcement late Sunday night by the U.S. Central Command [CENTCOM] headquartered in Doha about the arrival of a Ohio-class American nuclear submarine in its “area of responsibility” presages a significant escalation of the situation around the Palestine-Israel conflict. It is very rare that . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Russia reportedly is using Ukrainian POWs to fight in their homeland on Moscow’s side, by Emma Burrows | AP  Russia is sending Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front lines of their homeland to fight on Moscow’s side in the war, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. The news agency said . . .READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine claims responsibility for killing a Russia-backed official in Luhansk by a car bomb, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s intelligence agency claimed responsibility for a car bombing today that killed a member of the Russia-backed authority in the illegally annexed Luhansk region. Mikhail Filiponenko, a member of the local legislature and previously police chief, had organized . . . READ MORE . . .

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Initial reports say 5 civilians killed in Ukraine’s missile strike on Kherson Region city. From Tass. GENICHESK — Five residents of Skadovsk, a city in the Kherson Region, were killed in a missile strike by Ukrainian troops, according to initial reports, the press service of the emergencies ministry’s department for the region said today. Kherson Region governor Vladimir Saldo said 11 people were taken to hospitals after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Some Ukraine drone pilots fear early advantage over Russia now lost, by Max Hunder | Reuters DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — The soldiers piloting Ukraine’s fleet of small, cheap assault drones are voicing concerns that, despite pioneering their use, they are now being leapfrogged by their adversary as Moscow pumps money and resources into its drone sector. The use of agile First Person View (FPV) drones in battle . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press. National Public Radio, Reuters, Common Dreams (via Consortium News), Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Israel pressured by allies over plight of civilians in Gaza as thousands flee enclave’s north, by Jajib Jobain and Samy Magy | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel faced mounting pressure from some of its closest allies today over the plight of civilians in Gaza, where thousands streamed on foot out of the enclave’s north because of dwindling food and water and fear of approaching Israeli forces. Over 70% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have already left their homes, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  The violence in Gaza appears to have spread to the West Bank. Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  A closer examination of the rise in settler violence, and the recent death of a Palestinian olive farmer in the West Bank. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  Thousands of civilians flee north Gaza as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters clash, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maytaal Angel  | Reuters  GAZA / JERUSALEM — Thousands of Palestinian civilians trudged in a forlorn procession out of the north of the Gaza Strip today seeking refuge from Israeli air strikes and fierce ground fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants. The exodus took place in a four-hour window of opportunity announced by Israel. However, the central and southern . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel to ‘vet’ U.S. corporate media embedded in Gaza, by Brett Wilkins | Common Dreams / Consortium News  U.S. corporate media outlets have granted Israeli military commanders pre-publication review rights for “all materials and footage” recorded by their correspondents embedded with the Israel Defense Forces during the invasion of Gaza, a precondition condemned by press freedom advocates. “Journalists embedded . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel fights Hamas deep in Gaza City and foresees control of enclave’s security after war, by Najib Jobain and Samy Magy | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel said Tuesday its ground forces were battling Hamas fighters deep inside Gaza’s largest city, and its leaders foresee controlling the enclave’s security after the war. Comments from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about controlling Gaza’s security for “an indefinite period” pointed to the uncertain . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel hunts Hamas in tunnels after encircling Gaza City, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maytaal Angel | Reuters  Israel’s ground forces in the Gaza Strip aimed today to locate and disable Hamas’ vast tunnel network beneath the enclave, the next phase in an Israeli offensive that has killed thousands of Palestinians. Gaza City, Hamas’ main stronghold in thE territory, is encircled. Israel says . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Source close to Hamas says talks underway for release of 12 hostages. From AFP.  Talks are underway for the release of a dozen hostages held by Hamas, including six Americans, in return for a three-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a source close to Hamas claims. READ MORE . . .

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In Gaza, 18 hospitals forced to close their doors. From Tass. RABAT, Morocco — A total of 18 hospitals in the Gaza Strip were forced to end their work in the Gaza Strip amid heavy Israeli shelling and air raids, the healthcare authority of the Palestinian exclave has told Al Jazeera. “The situation in Gaza hospitals is catastrophic,” the channel quoted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Chief surgeon with describes 11 days in Gaza. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  A European surgeon with the International Committee of the Red Cross describes what he’s seen in 11 days at a Gaza hospital. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Tass, and Reuters, followed by commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. (Today’s GAZA entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine’s president rules out holding elections next spring and calls for unity in fighting Russia, by Illia Novikov and Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Monday ruled out holding a presidential vote in the spring and urged his countrymen to avoid political divides, saying they must concentrate all resources on fighting Russia.“Now, in wartime, when . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. House committee supports draft bill on transfer of Russian assets to Kiev. From Tass. WASHINGTON — The Foreign Affairs committee of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress has approved a bill to transfer a part of Russian assets frozen by the U.S. to the Kiev government. According to a live broadcast on YouTube, 40 members of the committee supported the move, while two voted . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Ukraine hails ‘historic step’ as EU takes Kyiv closer to membership amid war with Russia, by Gabriela Baczynska and Marine Strauss | Reuters  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised as a “historic step” a recommendation by the European Union executive today to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it fights to repel Russia’s war. The Commission said the talks should formally be launched once Kyiv satisfies . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian command post in Zaporozhye area over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian army’s integrated command post in the Zaporozhye area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today, in a more general statement. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Is an End Game in Sight for Ukraine? by Tony Kevin | Consortium News  There’s been talk in Western media the past week of an alleged “stalemate’” on the Ukrainian battlefront. However, the Oxford Dictionary definition of stalemate does not apply to Ukraine: “A situation in which further action or progress by opposing or competing parties seems impossible.” Russia has . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. Then, via Consortium News, commentary by a Britain-based observer. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Netanyahu says Israel will have an ‘overall security’ role in Gaza indefinitely, by Najib Jobain and Samy Magy | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel will take “overall security responsibility” in Gaza indefinitely after its war with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview, the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the coastal enclave one month into a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and leveled whole swaths of the territory. He expressed openness to “little pauses” in the fighting to . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  A month after Hamas attacked Israel, is the Israeli military achieving its goals? Steve Inskeep of NPR asks retired Israeli Brigadier General Amir Avivi if his country is achieving its military objectives in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  Netanyahu’s references to violent biblical passages raise alarm among critics. From NPR. How should the world interpret Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent allusions to the Hebrew Bible, when discussing his country’s war on Hamas? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel’s spy agency is one of the best. How did it not foresee Hamas’ attacks? Reported by Linah Mohammad, Erika Ryan, Kat Lonsdorf, Courtney Dorning and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Former Mossad agent Sima Shine talks about the intelligence failure that the Oct. 7 attacks represent for security services in Israel. Click HERE to watch, listen, and read.

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What we’re not hearing about Oct. 7, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  Western media have not been willing to raise even a single question about what happened on Oct. 7. They have enthusiastically attributed every horror that day to Hamas. They have ignored the reality of utter chaos that reigned for many hours and the potential for . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Zelenskiy calls for Ukrainian unity after rift with top general, by Tom Balmforth | Reuters  In a speech late Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Ukrainians to remain united, days after a rift emerged between his office and the country’s commander-in-chief as the war with Russia grinds on. He said it was not the right time for wartime elections, entreated Ukrainians to . . . READ MORE . . .

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A top aide to the commander of Ukraine’s military is killed by a grenade given as a birthday gift, by Illia Novikov and Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV, Ukraine — A top aide to the commander of Ukraine’s military was killed by a grenade given to him as a birthday gift and not in a targeted attack, the interior minister said. Maj. Hennadii Chastiakov died Monday in the tragic accident Monday that badly injured his 13-year-old . . . . READ MORE . . .