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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Israel inflicts ‘unprecedented’ destruction in Tulkarem Camp
Over 12,000 have been displaced from Tulkarem Camp as health and education services remain at a standstill
❗️Media Committee in Tulkarem Camp, occupied West Bank:
○ "The brutal Israeli aggression on Tulkarem city and its camp continues, entering its second consecutive month today, while the violent assault on Nour Shams camp has now reached its 17th day."
○ "Occupation forces expelled residents under the threat of arms, triggering a massive wave of displacement among the inhabitants of both camps—over 15,000 displaced—who have been scattered to shelters and the homes of relatives in the city, its suburbs, and surrounding villages."
○ "The assault has caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, including electricity, water, sewage, and communications networks, significantly impacting the lives of those remaining in some neighborhoods of the Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps, and worsening their suffering due to severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and infant formula."
○ "The aggression has resulted in the martyrdom of 12 Palestinians, including a seven-year-old child, two men—one of whom was eight months pregnant—and another who was killed after an occupation military vehicle struck his car on Nablus Street in the city."
○ "More than 20 people have been injured, some by live ammunition and shrapnel, and others by being struck by military vehicles."
○ "During the ongoing aggression, occupation forces have arrested at least 165 Palestinians, in addition to dozens who were subjected to field investigations."
○ "We call for an increased focus on supporting and assisting the residents of the city and its camps, and on shedding light on the genocide being committed by the occupation army against the Palestinians."
❗️Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s conservative party and a likely future chancellor, stated on Monday that he would welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Berlin, even in light of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During a press conference in Berlin, Merz revealed that Netanyahu had called him on Sunday to congratulate him on his election victory, and they discussed the possibility of meeting once the new German government is formed.
“You know that we know each other well and I also told him that we should see each other soon after the government is formed and in case he plans to visit Germany,” Merz told reporters.
“I also promised him that we would find ways and means for him to be able to visit Germany and leave again without being arrested. I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany, he will be able to visit Germany,” he added.
❗️According to The Telegraph, Iran has put its defense systems around its nuclear sites on high alert amid fears of an attack by Israel and the United States.
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Iraqi intel chief raises alarm about ISIS resurgence in Syria
Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri stated that 'what is happening in Syria directly affects Iraq, and vice versa'
❗️Israeli occupation forces storm the area surrounding Jenin Government Hospital on the 36th day of the invasion of Jenin Camp, occupied West Bank.
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❗️Director of Field Hospitals in Gaza Dr. Marwan al-Hams:
○ "The number of children who died due to the severe cold has risen to 6."
○ "The Gaza Strip needs a new health system, and most hospitals are destroyed and cannot provide the necessary treatment to the people."
○ "The hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are not enough to provide services to citizens after they return to their places of residence."
○ "We need generators urgently, and oxygen stations, to operate intensive care units."
○ "We have a long list of patients who need treatment outside the Strip, and the number that has been transferred to Egypt does not exceed 1% to date."
○ "Some medical teams have entered the Strip, but the period during which the specialists remain and their number is insufficient."
US Treasury sanctions Iranian 'shadow fleet' under Trump's maximum pressure scheme
Washington has sanctioned dozens of vessels in recent months, aiming to reduce Iran's crude exports to zero
❗️Israeli settlers are attacking residents in the Shalal al-Awja settlement north of Jericho, occupied West Bank, assaulting them with batons and driving sheep among the residents’ homes and farmlands.
(Al-Aqsa Voice Radio)
❗️Palestinian baby girl, Sham al-Shambari, tragically lost her life due to the harsh cold inside a displacement tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
(Photo: Palestinian Press Agency Safa)
WATCH | A Fighter, A Leader, A Martyr: Lebanon Holds The Funeral Of The Century
Watch on YouTube
❗️Hamas:
○ "Clarification regarding the statements attributed to Dr. Musa Abu Marzouk in the press interview published by the New York Times on February 24, 2025"
○ "We confirm that the media statements attributed to Dr. Musa Abu Marzouk in that interview are incorrect and were taken out of context. The interview was conducted several days ago, and the statements that were published did not reflect the full content of the answers, and were taken out of context in a way that does not serve the true meaning of the content presented in the interview."
○ "Dr. Abu Marzouk confirmed that the blessed October 7 operation is an expression of our people's right to resistance and their rejection of the siege, occupation, and illegal settlement."
○ "He also stressed that the criminal occupation is the cause of the war crimes and genocide it committed against our people in the Gaza Strip, which constitute a violation of international laws and were shocking to the entire world."
○ "He stressed the movement's commitment to its firm positions and the right of our people to resist until the occupation is removed from all of our land."
○ ""Dr. Abu Marzouk also stressed the movement's firm position in adhering to our people's right to resistance in all its forms, until liberation and return, and at the forefront of which is armed struggle. He explained that the weapon of resistance belongs to our people, and its goal is to protect our people and our sanctities, and it is not permissible to relinquish it or give it up as long as there is an occupation of our land."
A video captures an Israeli military bulldozer demolishing a commercial store in the town of Qabatiya.
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Senior Hamas leader and director of international affairs, Moussa Abu Marzouk, stated in an interview with The New York Times that he would not have supported Operation Al-Aqsa Flood had he known the extent of destruction caused by Israel's war on Gaza.
“If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been October 7,” he said.
When asked by the interviewer, Abu Marzouk also expressed willingness to discuss the group's weapons, stating, “We are ready to speak about every issue. Any issue that is put on the table, we need to speak about it.”
"Kill them back.”
The Resistance Axis must establish assassination deterrence, says Cradle columnist and editor
Sharmine Narwani in an interview with Al Manar.
❗️According to Bloomberg, Israel seeks to create buffer zones in the north and east of the Gaza Strip and completely dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities during the second phase of the ceasefire negotiations.
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❗️A polar front that has affected the Eastern Mediterranean basin over the past few days has brought frost and snow to the occupied West Bank, destroying most of the crops in Jenin and areas east of Nablus. Initial losses are estimated at tens and hundreds of thousands of US dollars.
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❗️Israeli reconnaissance planes fly over the city of Deraa, coinciding with a demonstration rejecting Netanyahu's statements regarding disarmament in southern Syria.
(Anadolu Agency correspondent)
Sharaa calls for ‘state monopoly’ on weapons during Syrian dialogue conference
The new government’s official dissolution of all armed factions in Syria has not stopped violence and instability from plaguing the country
"I'll burn all of them, even the last one of them."
Israeli singer Ofer Levi talks about how he wants to burn all the Palestinian prisoners alive, and describes the atrocities he committed during the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon (1982 - 2000).
⭕️ Irish MEP Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan, who chairs the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Palestine, was denied entry into Palestine by Israel on Monday.
Detained at Ben Gurion Airport along with French MEP Rima Hassan and two senior civil servants, the four-person group was on an official mission to monitor EU policies, support dialogue, and oversee EU funds in Palestine. They remained in East Jerusalem until Thursday.
Boylan said they were held for nearly two hours without explanation and described the move as an "insult to all members of the EU." Notably, her Irish diplomatic passport was held and not returned until she returned to Belgium.
She expressed concerns about Israel’s handling of her personal data after her phone and tablet were seized, and dismissed suggestions that her support for BDS was the reason for the incident, noting that if so, they had months to refuse her admission.
❗️An Israeli soldier points a loaded gun towards a Palestinian prisoner, forcing him to paint the walls of his cell as a 'punishment' for finding written phrases on them.
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⭕️ A piece published by pro-Israel, DC-based think tank The Washington Institute pushes a proposal to tackle Syria’s energy crisis by funneling gas from Israel’s Leviathan field through the Arab Gas Pipeline. The report examines technical obstacles, such as reversing gas flows currently destined for Egypt, and sidesteps the politically explosive issue of Syrians having to accept Israeli gas—often masked as “Egyptian” or “Jordanian” to avoid public outcry. The proposal is framed as a pragmatic fix for Syria’s dire electricity shortages, but could be interpreted as an attempt to advance the agenda of normalization.
The piece concludes with the mention of self-appointed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's upcoming visit to Jordan, and the European Union's announcement that it is lifting energy sanctions on Syria.
⭕️ In Washington, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth to discuss bolstering "defense cooperation" and addressing pressing "regional and international developments."
During the meeting, ways to further strengthen military and defense ties for enhanced "security and stability" were explored.
This engagement comes on the heels of Saudi Arabia hosting senior US and Russian officials to discuss the war in Ukraine and work toward restoring broader bilateral relations.
(Reuters)
❗️Israeli artillery shelling and gunfire reported east of Al-Bureij Camp, central Gaza Strip.
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❗️Israeli forces detonate a residential building during their ongoing assault on Qabatiya town, south of Jenin, occupied West Bank.
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Hamas is "committed to its resistance weapons as they are legitimate weapons":
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem:
"The statements attributed to Dr. Musa Abu Marzouk do not represent Hamas’s position. The movement remains committed to its resistance weapons as they are legitimate weapons, and this is not up for discussion as long as our Palestinian land remains under occupation.
Resistance in all its forms will remain a legitimate right of our people until liberation and return. The events of 7 October will continue to be a defining moment in the history of all occupied nations and a strategic turning point in the course of the Palestinian national struggle.
The occupation’s aggressive and destructive behavior in all its wars against the peoples of the region is the cause of the devastation in Gaza, and it is now continuing its policy of destruction in the West Bank."
❗️Israeli forces start fire near Qabatiya town, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.
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Syrian Druze form military council 'distinct' from HTS-led Syrian army
The Israeli government is pushing for Druze autonomy in southern Syria, similar to that for Kurds in the country's northwest
Future German chancellor vows to shield Netanyahu from ICC arrest warrant
Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won German elections this weekend, paving the way for him to become the country's next chancellor