Blinken arrives in Middle East seeking Gaza ceasefire U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday on another Middle East tour to push for a ceasefire in Gaza but Hamas raised doubts about the mission just hours after he landed by accusing Israel of undermining his efforts. The Palestinian militant group said it holds Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for "thwarting the mediators' efforts", delaying an agreement and exposing Israeli hostages in Gaza to the same aggression faced by Palestinians. On his ninth trip to the region since the war began in October, Blinken will…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Kiev ‘regime’ poses threat to all of Europe – Moscow The international community should resolutely respond to reports about alleged plans by Kiev to attack the nuclear power plant in Kursk, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday. Earlier, Russian journalists reported on the plot, and the Defense Ministry vowed a swift and harsh response if these plans come to fruition. The Ukrainian military launched a cross-border incursion into the Russian border region where the plant is located last week. The facility is 90km from the border, which has become the arena of fierce clashes in…

Israel kills two Hamas militants in West Bank air strike Israel said it killed two senior Hamas militants in an airstrike on their car in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, claiming they were involved in the killing of an Israeli. A joint statement from the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Defense Forces identified the militants as Ahmed Abu Ara and Rafet Dawasi, both from the West Bank's northern district around Jenin. In a statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades military wing said it was mourning the deaths of two fighters in an Israeli air strike on their vehicle…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Ukrainian attack ruined ‘secret’ peace talks – WaPo The Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region has derailed secretive Qatar-mediated talks between Moscow and Kiev that could have paved the way for a “partial ceasefire,”the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing sources. An unnamed diplomat told the paper that both sides intended to send delegations to Doha to negotiate a landmark deal that would halt mutually devastating strikes on energy infrastructure. However, when Ukrainian troops launched a large-scale attack on Russian territory last week, the planned talks were thrown into doubt, the article said. According to one WaPo source,…