WEBVTT

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Good morning everyone. Thank you for
tuning in today. We know how valuable

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your time is, so I'll aim
to provide a concise, yet insightful rundown

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of several pressing updates across the Middle
East for you. Whether the ongoing tragedy

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in Gaza, escalating air strikes in
Yemen, or emerging diplomatic visions for the

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region. These developments impact global security
and economic stability for anyone. Following the

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hostage crisis still gripping families. We
have a revealing interview with a mother newly

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freed in Gaza. I'll summarize the
latest verified details around key areas, from

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conditions for aid workers and civilians in
Gaza to deadly West Bank raids by Israeli

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forces overnight. My goal is to
equip listeners with up to date coverage on

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events shaping the Middle East crisis.
I believe you will find plenty here that

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enhances your awareness and understanding. Now, without further ado, let's dive into

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these vital stories. Multiple aid organizations
working inside Gaza are reporting extremely dangerous condition

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as the communication blackout continues into its
seventh day. Juliet Tuma, a spokesperson

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for the UN Relief and Works Agency
stated it is nearly impossible to carry out

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critical humanitarian operations without phones or Internet. Civilians have no way to call for

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emergency services, Ambulances cannot respond to
incidents quickly, and families separated between Gaza

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and the West Bank have no means
of verifying if loved ones are alive or

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dead. Israel has previously faced accusations
of deliberately cutting off Gaza's connectivity. While

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the specific causes remain unconfirmed, initial
statements from Telecom Company or Redu suggested the

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main fiber optic lines into Gaza have
suffered physical damage on multiple occasions. The

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current blackout is the longest single outage
since the war began in October. An

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Israeli military spokesperson reminded that Gaza remains
an active conflict zone with only partial control

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of infrastructure. In additional strike on
Yemen this week, the US targeted a

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small number healthy anti ship missiles preparing
to launch at international shipping lanes. The

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attack marked the fifth US operation against
the Iran backed rebels in the past seven

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days, beginning with coordinated US and
UK strikes on approximately thirty sites last week.

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So far, President Biden says the
strikes have removed offensive capabilities, but

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not clearly deterred continued hoothy aggression in
the region. A new report from the

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Committee to Protect Journalists reveals Israel now
jails the sixth most reporters in the world,

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tied with Iran at seventeen incarcerated journalists
each. The tally dates from December

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first, twenty twenty two. China
imprisoned the most at forty four, followed

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by Mayanmar and Belarus. The organization
stated this marks Israel's highest number of Palestinian

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media arrests since CPJ began keeping records
in nineteen ninety two. Most of those

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detained by Israeli authorities remain in administration
detention indefinitely without public charges. In operations

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across the occupied West Bank overnight,
Israeli security forces killed at least eleven Palestinians,

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according to officials. The israel Defense
Forces said fighters engaged armed terrorists in

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exchanges of fire, including a clash
at the Tolkarmbe refugee camp, resulting in

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eight militant deaths. However, the
Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated two medical personnel

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were wounded in an Israeli drone strike
on their ambulance. Local organizations also claim

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multiple civilian arrests and beatings during the
raids on West Bank towns and camps.

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As the Gaza war continues, Saudi
Arabia's ambassador to Washington reinforced urgent calls for

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a ceasefire and cautioned that further escalation
risks plunging the region into utter turmoil.

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Princess Rima bent Bandar al Saoud questioned
openly how many more children need to die

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before the violence stops. She firmly
reiterated that any Israeli confidence building require hires

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tangible progress on Palestinian rights and conditions. The ambassador described the Middle East as

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a hot and volatile area that will
regress dramatically if stray attacks spiral into worsening

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retaliations. In discussions at the World
Economic Forum summit, Israel's President Isaac Herzog

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promoted a vision for Gaza reconstruction involving
regional allies. He expressed willingness to rebuild

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the territory in a way that protects
Israel's security while also benefiting Palestinians. Herzog

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also characterized normalization between Israel and Saudi
Arabia as a potential game changer to enable

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broader Middle East advancement after the war
ends. He described the diplomatic process as

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delicate and gradual, but worthwhile for
the future. As the youngest Israeli hostage

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in Gaza reaches one year old in
captivity, his family will hold a public

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birthday commemoration in Tel Aviv appealing for
his release. Little b was abducted as

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an infant alongside his parents and older
brother when Palestinian militants attacked their kibbutz.

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While the Israel Defense Forces continue investigating
Hamas claims that Kfeir has died, the

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militant group provided no evidence to verify
the allegation of his death by airstrike in

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November. Recently freed Israeli mother Sharon
Alonei Cunio, still desperately misses her husband,

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who remains a hostage in Gaza.
In her first American interview since release,

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she described debilitating depression while struggling to
independently parent the couple's three year old

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twin daughters. Alone Cunio recounted being
hidden by captors with other hostages inside Gaza

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hospitals. She alleges three rooms at
Nasser Hospital each sheltered ten to twelve prisoners

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attended by a single nurse periodically.
If true, her account lends credibility to

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previous US and Israeli government suspicions that
medical facilities illegally harbored hostages. And that

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concludes our briefing on the latest development
spanning the turbulent Middle East region, from

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the communications blackouts impairing Gaza AID operations
to Israel's expanded air campaign targeting Yemen rebels.

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We hope you found this summary both
concise and insightful. If you are

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hungry for additional in depth geopolitical coverage
and interviews, please consider subscribing to future

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editions brought to you by Quiet.
Please. We aim to deliver timely updates

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and balance perspectives on unfolding global events. Thank you all again for listening to

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day. We recognize and cherish your
time. This was a Quiet Please production.

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We wish you a safe and pleasant
remainder of your day. Join us

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next time for more essential headlines made
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