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Today's top stories
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins today for many countries, without the Israel-Hamas cease-fire that U.S. officials and Arab mediators have been working on for weeks. NPR's Aya Batrawy tells Up First that the main sticking point is the shape of the cease-fire itself: The U.S. backs a six-week humanitarian pause, while Hamas wants an end to the war. Israel agrees with the U.S., but also insists on a military operation into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, now home to more than one million displaced Palestinians lacking basic necessities. Batrawy says "the usual traditions of Ramadan are impossible in these conditions."
