For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and a Substack account, followed by links to a piece of commentary from Australia and to two others from the Real News Network; others are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE,) — MCM

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UN leaders say Gaza war must ‘stop now’, as dozens more die, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  GAZA — U.N. agency leaders saying “enough is enough” demanded a humanitarian ceasefire today nearly a month into Gaza’s war, as the enclave’s health authorities said dozens more people were killed in overnight attacks by Israeli fighter jets and troops. Israel has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli forces cut off north Gaza as death toll passes 10,000 in 4 weeks of war, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with intense airstrikes overnight into today, setting the stage for an expected push into the dense confines of Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war. The Palestinian death toll passed 10,000, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said today. The ministry . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel rebuffs calls for ceasefire; Lebanon strike angers Hezbollah, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Ali Sawafta and Simon Lewis | Reuters  GAZA / RAMALLAH — Israel on Sunday rebuffed growing international pressure for a ceasefire and said its forces had encircled Gaza City as the top U.S. diplomat scrambled to contain a crisis that threatened to cause further escalation in neighbouring Lebanon. The Palestinian news agency WAFA said Gaza was under “unprecedented bombardment” from Israel, while . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken shuttles from the West Bank to Iraq trying to contain the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war, by Matthew Lee | AP  RAMALLAH, West Bank — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took his diplomatic push on the Israel-Hamas war to the occupied West Bank on Sunday, trying to assure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the Biden administration was intensifying efforts to ease the plight of Gaza’s civilians and insisting that Palestinians must . . . READ MORE . . .

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The average Palestinian in Gaza is living on 2 pieces of bread a day, UN official says, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The average Palestinian in Gaza is living on two pieces of Arabic bread made from flour the United Nations had stockpiled in the region, yet the main refrain now being heard in the street is “Water, water,” the Gaza director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday. Thomas White described Gaza as a “scene of death and destruction,” where no place . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Israel-Hamas war continues, Secretary Blinken urges humanitarian pauses in Gaza. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his Middle East trip, with a surprise visit to the occupied West Bank and to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, in search of a diplomatic solution to the war. Click HERE to listen and, at some point, read.

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How the hostage crisis could end, by Seymour M. Hersh | seymourhersh.substack.com  A possible breakthrough, if that is the right word, concerning the Israeli hostages emerged in secret talks between Israel and Yahya Sinwar, a onetime prisoner of Israel who now directs the political wing of Hamas. Sinwar publicly announced on Oct. 28 that Hamas was ready for what he said would be an “immediate” prisoner swap with Israel in return for the release of all Palestinian prisoners now in Israeli custody. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. thinks it’s powerless to stop Gaza genocide, by Caitlin Johnstone | CaitlinJohstone.com.au  In a bizarre new article titled “White House frustrated by Israel’s onslaught but sees few options,” The Washington Post reports that the Biden administration believes Israel has gone too far and is killing too many civilians in its assault on Gaza, but are powerless to do anything about it. The Post’s Yasmeen Abutaleb writes . . . Click HERE to read and listen.

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We’re a war machine as a nation. Chris Hedges of The Real News Network speaks with former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich for a discussion of what both call the U.S. war machine — “what it is, how it works, and how it might respond should the war in Palestine spiral into a wider conflagration.” Click HERE to watch, listen, and read.

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Three ways our media is militarizing the civilian population in Gaza, by Adam Johnson | The Real News Network  There are three popular tropes commonly employed by U.S. media, politicians, and pundits tasked with supporting President Biden and his lockstep backing of the Gaza bombing to effectively, ex post-facto, militarize civilians being killed and maimed by Israel:  1. “Terror tunnels” . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, 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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The rift appears to widen between Ukraine’s president and his top generals. Reported by Michel Martin and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Twenty-two months after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, dissension and fatigue are evident among Kyiv’s most senior officials. The war has reached a stalemate. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Anger, sorrow in wake of deadly Russian missile strike against veteran Zakarpatiia brigade. From Kyiv Post.  Waves of anger and shock swept across Ukraine’s far western Zakarpattia region on Monday in the wake of a deadly Russian missile strike that killed or wounded dozens of soldiers in a local unit over the weekend. A three-day mourning period with . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s military coming up with plans to ‘move forward faster,’ Zelensky says. From the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine’s military is considering different options to “move forward faster” and strike Russia “unexpectedly,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News on Sunday.“But bare-handed [this is] impossible to do without . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky bleeped by U.S. TV during impassioned speech on why Ukraine won’t negotiate. From Kyiv Post. President Zelensky has insisted he is “not ready” for negotiations with Russia, in an interview with that saw the visibly exasperated Ukrainian president swear on U.S. television. The Ukrainian president was commenting on reports that US and European officials had spoken with his government about negotiations to end the war, and after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian brigade says 19 killed in Russian missile strike last week. From Reuters. KYIV — A Ukrainian military brigade said today 19 of its soldiers were killed last week in a Russian air strike that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as “a tragedy that could have been avoided”. Ukrainian media reported that the soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony on Friday in the frontline Zaporizhzhia region . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian military officers investigated for holding awards ceremony where 19 soldiers were killed, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine today launched a criminal investigation into military officers who organized a ceremony to honor troops that was hit by a Russian missile strike, killing 19 soldiers in one of the deadliest single attacks reported by Ukrainian forces. The State Bureau of Investigation . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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NEWER  More and more Israelis are calling for a prisoner swap to release the hostages. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  With Israeli troops advancing through Gaza, relatives of Israelis taken hostage — and more of the public — support the idea of a prisoner swap. Click HERE, later to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  Israel says its goal is to remove Hamas from power. What comes next is unclear. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Steve Inskeep | NPR  We look at Israel’s military objectives in Gaza, which is to remove Hamas from power, and what might come next in the war. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Tens of thousands rally in D.C. for Israel-Gaza cease-fire at pro-Palestinian march. Reported by Laurel Wamsley | NPR  Protesters gathered at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the nation’s capital on Saturday. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Protest marches from U.S. to Berlin call for immediate halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza, by Oleg Cetinic and Fatima Hussein | AP   WASHINGTON — From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The marches reflected growing disquiet about the mounting civilian casualty toll and suffering . . . READ MORE . . .

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Arab world, U.S. split on Gaza ceasefire as Israeli offensive presses on, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Simon Lewis and Suleiman Al-Khalidi | Reuters  GAZA / AMMAN — The United States and its Arab allies appeared divided over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza to defeat Hamas, as Washington, alongside Israel, resisted pressure for an immediate ceasefire despite the rising death toll among Palestinian civilians. In a rare display of a public split, Arab foreign ministers . . . READ MORE . . .

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Biden says pogress on humanitarian pause in Gaza war. From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden said Saturday that progress had been made on securing a so-called “humanitarian pause” in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken worked on the same issue in the Middle East. Asked if any progress had been made on the issue, Biden replied “yes” as he left a church in Delaware and offered a thumbs up before . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Biden under pressure for his stance on Israel-Gaza war. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Asma Khalid | NPR  We talk about the White House’s view of the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza, as well as the pressures faced by President Biden on the topic. We also look at some key elections in the coming week. Click HERE to listen and read.

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How two Dartmouth professors are addressing student questions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Scott Simon of NPR talks with two Dartmouth College professors, Susannah Heschell and Tarek El-Ariss, who organized forums to educate students and the public about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Hezbollah takes to the high ground, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The Palestine question, which Benjamin Netanyahu had thought he had all but resolved by incrementally assimilating “all of Israel” as a  Zionist entity, has roared back to the centre stage of West Asian politics and international society, thanks to Hamas, the charioteer of Palestinian resistance. If the Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah is to be believed, Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine war not in ‘stalemate’, more air defense help needed, Zelenskiy says. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied on Saturday that the war with Russia had reached a “stalemate”, and said more work with allies was needed to strengthen air defences. His comments came days after Ukraine’s Commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, said in an article the conflict . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian tank, drone control center near Kupyansk. From Tass. MOSCOW — The units of Russia’s Battlegroup West have eliminated a drone control center and a tank of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kupyansk area, Battlegroup spokesman Sergey Zybinsky said in a statement that included other details but was unspecific on time elements. READ MORE . . .

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A Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in Crimea damages a Russian ship. From AP. The Russian military said a Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in annexed Crimea had damaged a Russian ship. The Russian Defense Ministry said late Saturday that Ukrainian forces fired 15 cruise missiles at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, a city in the east of the Crimean Peninsula. The ministry said air defenses . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from Tass, NBC News, 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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U.S., EU start talking to Ukraine about peace talks with Russia — NBC. From Tass. NEW YORK — U.S. and European officials have started talking to their Ukrainian counterparts about possible peace talks with Russia and what Kiev might have to give up to reach a deal, NBC television has reported, citing U.S. officials. “The conversations . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S., European officials broach topic of peace negotiations with Ukraine, sources say, by Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee and Kristen Welker | NBC News  WASHINGTON — U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, according to a current senior U.S. official and a former senior U.S. official familiar with the discussions. Some of the conversations, which officials described as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Nine killed in Ukraine attack in Russian-controlled part of Kherson, local governor says. From Reuters. A Ukrainian missile attack on Friday on an employment centre in a Russian-occupied town in the southern region of Kherson killed nine people and injured nine, the region’s Russia-appointed governor was quoted as saying. Russian news agencies quoted Governor Vladimir Saldo as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine minister says he wants to turn his country into a weapons production hub for the West, by Hanna Arhirova and Nebi Qena | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s newly appointed head of defense industry says he is working tirelessly to ramp up local arms production and wants to turn the country into a weapons production hub for the West. Oleksandr Kamysyhin, the minister for strategic industries of Ukraine, said . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli strikes kill multiple civilians at shelters in Gaza combat zone, as Blinken seeks more aid, by Najib Jobain, Samy Magy and David Rising | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli military strikes killed multiple civilians today at a U.N. shelter and hospital in the main combat zone in the Gaza Strip as the assault intensified on the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers. Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the target of its offensive to crush Hamas, but today offered a three-hour window for residents trapped by the fighting to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians say Israeli strike hits U.N.-run school; Blinken meets Arab leaders, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Simon Lewis and Suleiman Al-Khalidi | Reuters  GAZA/AMMAN — Palestinians reported a deadly Israeli strike on a U.N.-run school in northern Gaza serving as a shelter on Saturday ahead of talks in Jordan at which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heard Arab demands for a ceasefire in the enclave. Witnesses said the strike hit Al-Fakhoura school in Jabalia, where thousands of evacuees were living. At least 15 people . . . READ MORE . . .

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Open source analysis gives clues on Israel’s ground war in Gaza. Reported by Geoff Brumfiel | NPR  Israel military hasn’t been transparent about what it’s doing in Gaza, but satellite images and social media posts are providing some clues to its actions in the ground war in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Digging into the Israeli-Hamas war’s implications for the broader region. Reported by Mallory Yu, Tinbete Ermyas and Juana Summers | NPR  Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy, talks about the leader of Hezbollah’s speech on Friday. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER Gaza is called an open-air prison. How did it get to this? Scott Simon of NPR speaks with analyst Tahani Mustafa about the history of Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Without Hamas, Gaza would still not be free, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  It shocks me that in my threads I keep coming across variations of the following: “The Palestinians have it within them to rise up against Hamas to free themselves. Or Hamas can willingly surrender. Two real choices there.” This view seems to resonate with ordinary people who presumably know very little about the histories either of Palestine or of settler colonial movements such as the Zionist movement that founded Israel. READ MORE . . .

For today, a link to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally, a link to a previously overlooked letter to the editor of the Berkshire Eagle published on Oct. 24, 2023. (Today’s UKRAINE entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Blinken presses for pause in Gaza fighting on visit to Israel amid fears war could widen, by Najib Jobain, Bassem Mroue and David Rising | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israel’s prime minister today to press American calls for a humanitarian pause in the fighting in Gaza, even as fears grew that the conflict could widen, with Israel warning that it was on high alert for attacks on its border with Lebanon. Israeli troops tightened . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN agency for Palestine refugees is running out of supplies in Gaza. Reported by Linah Mohammed, Tinbete Ermyas and Juana Summers | NPR  UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, says it is running out of supplies in Gaza, where it is sheltering over 600,000 displaced Palestinians. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Palestinian children exposed to violence are suffering from PTSD and depression. Reported by Rhitu Chatterjee | NPR  Years of research on kids in Palestine have found high rates of post traumatic stress and depression as a result of being exposed to chronic ethnic-political violence. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER  In Israel, the tension of the war with Hamas is felt far from Gaza. Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  Israel’s northern port city of Acre, or Akko, has long been home to Jews, Christians and Muslims who believe in living together — not just coexisting. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER  A lucky few are leaving Gaza. Others are forced to return. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Daniel Estrin | NPR  INSKEEP: Israel has blocked the land exits from Gaza. They are the dominant power on three sides. That leaves a crossing on a little bit of border with Egypt. What’s happening there? ESTRIN: That is Gaza’s only portal right now to the outside world, and Egypt has opened that portal, its border crossing, today for a third day in a row. The vast majority of Gazans will not . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ceasefire in Palestinian-Israeli conflict needs to happen as soon as possible – Lavrov.  From Tass MOSCOW — Moscow sees it as a top priority to get the parties in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone to cease fire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. “We consider it necessary to take urgent measures to reach an immediate ceasefire, open humanitarian corridors to avoid new casualties and provide necessary assistance to the affected civilians,” he said at a press conference following talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah. Lavrov said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Relevant history too often ignored in coverage of Israel-Palestine conflict, by John Breasted | The Berkshire Eagle  The history of Israel (known as Palestine before 1948) in the past century has been riddled with tragic mistakes. One was the British Empire’s 1917 Balfour Declaration and subsequent assignment in 1920 of political power in Palestine to the then 10 percent of the population that was Jewish over the remaining non-Jewish 90 percent, in violation . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, a link to a report from Reuters, followed by a link to commentary from Consortium News, via Popular Resistance; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below.. (Today’s GAZA entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia’s biggest drone strike in weeks hits critical Ukrainian infrastructure, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Russia launched a massive drone attack early today, hitting critical infrastructure in the west and south of Ukraine and destroying private houses and commercial buildings in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, officials said. The air force said it shot down 24 “Shahed” drones out of 40 launched by Russia, the biggest drone attack in weeks to target Kharkiv in the northeast, Odesa and Kherson in the south and the region of Lviv on . . . READ MORE . . .

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John Kirby v. Russian military, by Scott Ritter | Consortium News / Popular Resistance  Russia has assumed an offensive posture; the initial reading from the battlefield is that it is enjoying greater success in the first few weeks of its attacks than Ukraine had for its five-month-long counteroffensive. To add . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, followed by an article from Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names and initials below. (The UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Diplomacy to pause fighting and ease siege intensifies as Israeli ground troops advance on Gaza City, by Najib Jobain and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s ground troops advanced toward Gaza City today, as the U.S. and Arab countries intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the siege of the Hamas-ruled enclave and bring about at least a brief stop to the fighting to help civilians. More than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war broke out, health officials said. President Joe Biden suggested . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli settler attacks fuel the fire as Gaza war rages, by John Davison | Reuters  QUSRA, West Bank — Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already at a more than 15-year high this year, has surged further after Israel hurtled into a new war in the separate enclave of Gaza in response to Palestinian militant group Hamas . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  The ICRC aims to meet with the more than 200 hostages held captive by Hamas. A Martínez of NPR talks with Alyona Synenko of the International Committee of the Red Cross, about help for hostages in Gaza, and humanitarian aid amid Israel’s bombardment. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NEWER  What is Gaza’s Ministry of Health and how does it calculate the war’s death toll? by Isabel DeBre | AP  JERUSALEM — How many Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war between Israel and Hamas started? With Israel besieging and bombing territory at a scale never seen before, arriving at a precise answer isn’t easy. The chaos has added to the likelihood of errors. Yet the Gaza-based Ministry of Health — an agency in the Hamas-controlled government — continues to . . . READ MORE . . .

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A look at the laws that govern urban warfare in Gaza and beyond. Reported by Linah Mohammad, Kathryn Fox and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Tom Dannenbaum, who teaches international law at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, talks about the law of armed conflict in the Israel-Hamas war. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Young progressive Democrats are splitting from the party on Israel. Reported by Danielle Kurtzleben | NPR  In March, Gallup found that for the first time in more than two decades of tracking, Democrats sympathized with Palestinians more than Israelis. About half of Democrats said their sympathies are more with Palestinians, compared to about 4 in 10 who said their sympathies are more with the Israelis. That divide is . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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NEWER  Book tells the story of a bus crash that embodies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Reported by Leila Fadel, Majd Al-Waheidi and Barry Gordemer | NPR  Nathan Thrall talks about his book — A Day in the Life of Abed Salama — which explores the Israeli-Palestinian relationship through the story of a tragic bus accident. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Neocon regime change in Gaza will complicate ‘two-state solution’, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  In a powerful speech at a meeting on Monday with members of the Security Council and Government and the heads of security agencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin called out the U.S. and its satellites as “the main beneficiaries of global instability . . . [who] are behind the tragedy of the Palestinians, the massacre in the Middle East in general, the conflict in Ukrain . . . channelling financial resources, including to Ukraine and the Middle East, and fuelling hatred in Ukraine and the Middle East.” READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and Agence France-Presse, followed by a link to an article from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (The GAZA entry for this date is HERE.)  — MCM

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Russian drone hits oil refinery, frontline attacks repelled — Ukraine military. From Reuters. KYIV — A Russian drone attack set ablaze the Kremenchuk oil refinery in central Ukraine and knocked out power supply in three villages, while battlefield reports said Ukrainian forces had repelled Russian attacks in frontline sectors in the east and northeast. The fire at the Kremenchuk refinery, which Moscow . . . READ MORE . . .

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2 more killed as Russian artillery keeps on battering southern Ukraine’s Kherson region, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Russian shelling killed an 81-year-old woman in the yard of her home and a 60-year-old man in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region today, local authorities said. The deaths were the latest civilian casualties in Moscow’s recent ramped-up bombardment of the front-line area. Unconfirmed reports say attacking Ukrainian troops have gained a foothold on the Russian-held side of the Dnieper River during . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces destroy Ukrainian Su-27 warplane at airfield in Poltava Region. From Tass. MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet at the Mirgorod airfield in the Poltava Region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. In addition, Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian Bukovel electronic warfare station near . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin denies ‘stalemate’ in Ukraine conflict. From AFP. MOSCOW — The Kremlin today denied a claim from Kyiv’s most senior military official that the nearly two-year conflict in Ukraine had reached a stalemate. “No, it has not reached a deadlock,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Russia is steadily . . . READ MORE . . .

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Neocon regime change in Gaza will complicate ‘two-state solution’, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  In a powerful speech at a meeting on Monday with members of the Security Council and Government and the heads of security agencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin called out the U.S. and its satellites as “the main beneficiaries of global instability . . . [who] are behind the tragedy of the Palestinians, the massacre in the Middle East in general, the conflict in Ukrain . . . channelling financial resources, including to Ukraine and the Middle East, and fuelling hatred in Ukraine and the Middle East.” READ MORE . . .