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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️The Chargé d'Affaires of the Qatari embassy in Syria, Khalifa Abdullah al-Mahmoud al-Sharif:
"A proposal to provide approved natural gas supplies to Syria via Jordanian territory for a specific period, with the goal of contributing to generating electrical power starting from 400 megawatts and gradually increasing, presented by the Qatar Fund for Development."
❗️Israeli occupation forces arrest a young Palestinian man during a raid on Al-Fawwar camp, south of Hebron, occupied West Bank.
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⭕️ Turkish sources inform The Cradle that the accounts of prominent journalists and influencers speaking up about the targeted massacres of Alawites and other minorities on Syria's coast—perpetrated by Turkish-backed, HTS-led Syrian government forces—are being censored in Turkiye. Several accounts have been "withheld" based on local laws, following legal demands.
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❗️Israeli War Minister Israel Katz claims responsibility for the bombing of Damascus and threatens self-appointed Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa that Israel will attack "terrorist targets" everywhere.
"Islamic terrorism will not have immunity in Damascus nor anywhere else."
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
○ “9 martyrs (7 recovered martyrs, 2 new martyrs) and 14 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours."
○ “A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them."
○ “The death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 48,524 martyrs and 111,955 wounded since 7 October 2023."
Gaza facing ‘humanitarian disaster’ due to Israeli blockade, power cuts
Ninety percent of Gaza’s population has no access to clean drinking water due to Israel cutting off the flow of electricity to the strip
❗️During US President Donald Trump's meeting with Irish PM Micheál Martin, Trump said that US Senator Chuck Schumer "used to be Jewish" and calls him Palestinian as if it is a derogatory term.
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Lebanon, Israel move forward with 'indirect talks' to resolve border dispute: Report
Reports in Israeli media claimed the new US-sponsored negotiations aim to pave the way for normalization between Beirut and Tel Aviv
❗️According to two sources who spoke to Reuters, Qatar will start supplying Syria with gas via Jordan following US approval.
The Qatar-Turkiye natural gas pipeline project, previously opposed by former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2009, aims to transport Qatari gas to Turkiye and then Europe.
⚠️Warning: Distressing footage
Video shows the bodies of Alawites dumped in the orchards of the village of Bsmaqa in Tartous countryside, filmed 12 March 2025, according to the Syrian Coast Observatory.
According to the man filming the video and other eyewitnesses, the HTS-led General Security forces are responsible for the massacres—a security checkpoint was established at the Dreikish junction in Bsamaqa, but they did not answer calls for help. They also detained the young man Mohammad Melhem from the village of Ain Baluj. His body was later found on 12 March.
❗️The Lebanese Army announces the return, through the International Red Cross, of one of its soldiers kidnapped by the Israeli army on Sunday.
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❗️Statement issued by the Union of Municipalities of the Gaza Strip:
○ “Gaza is facing a comprehensive humanitarian disaster due to ongoing power outages and the closure of crossings.”
○ “In light of the continuous humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, caused by the devastating Israeli aggression that has lasted for 16 months, the Union of Municipalities of the Gaza Strip reiterates the urgent need for a sustainable and sufficient supply of water and electricity. This is particularly critical after the central desalination plant was forced to shut down due to power outages caused by the Israeli occupation. This has put the lives of Palestinians at risk and exacerbated both the health and environmental crises.”
○ “We condemn the recent decision by the Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, as well as the ongoing power outages in Gaza since the beginning of the aggression. These actions have deprived the residents of Gaza of their primary energy source, paralyzing essential services, particularly in the sectors of health, water, and sanitation. Desalination plants, sewage treatment facilities, and many other municipal services have ceased operation, increasing the risk of epidemics and the spread of diseases.”
○ “We assert that the continuation of these punitive measures against civilians constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It only serves to worsen the suffering of Gaza’s residents, who are already enduring the worst humanitarian crisis in history.”
○ “The denial of entry for construction materials, spare parts, machinery, and alternative energy systems has severely limited the municipalities’ capacity to find effective solutions, deepening the crisis and threatening the collapse of vital services.”
○ “The Union of Municipalities of the Gaza Strip urgently calls on the international community, humanitarian organizations, and all relevant parties to intervene immediately. We demand the secure and sustainable supply of electricity, fuel, and water, as well as the entry of essential equipment and materials necessary to keep municipalities operational and to prevent further health and environmental disasters that threaten the lives of more than two million people trapped in Gaza.”
❗️Al-Mayadeen correspondent:
"Occupation forces are firing heavily at the vicinity of the eastern cemetery area east of Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip."
❗️UK Deputy Representative to the UN:
We are concerned by reports of Iran's production of highly enriched uranium.
❗️Spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, Hikmat al-Hijri:
○ “There is no agreement or harmony with the authorities in Damascus."
○ “We work for the benefit of our sect."
○ “We are at a stage of either existing or not existing."
○ “We will move in a direction that is suitable for the sect."
⭕️ Chinese company Tianjin Dredging Company (TDC) is actively dredging the quay wall, port basin, and navigation channel at Iraq's Grand Faw Port. This port serves as the starting point for Iraq's ambitious $17 billion Development Road project.
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Israel strikes Damascus, vows further attacks on ‘terror targets everywhere’
The attack on an alleged PIJ site in the Syrian capital follows a recent string of heavy Israeli airstrikes on the country’s south
⭕️ An Israeli soldier who spoke to Haaretz in August stated that Israeli senior army officials are well aware that Palestinians are used as human shields saying "It's done with the knowledge of the brigade commander, at the least." He said that soldiers were told, "Our lives are more important than their lives."
One soldier recounted an incident in which two civilians were brought to his unit. When another soldier questioned this, the commander responded, "Don't you agree that the lives of your comrades are far more important than their lives?"
According to another soldier, some of these Palestinians are used by the army for extended periods, transferred between units. They sleep in stairwells of military buildings, are guarded by soldiers, rarely receive food, and are made to carry heavy loads for the troops.
❗️Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha to Al-Araby al-Jadeed:
○ “We appreciate the efforts and endeavors of the mediators, which emphasize the necessity of the occupation's commitment to moving to the second phase of the agreement.
○ “We are committed to the agreement and its implementation and remain open to all issues that serve our people and their rights."
○ “We hope that the outcomes of the negotiations in Cairo and Doha will facilitate the implementation of the agreement and compel the occupation to adhere to the agreed terms."
○ “Hamas's principles remain the necessity of withdrawal, a ceasefire, efforts toward reconstruction, and addressing the consequences of the aggression."
UPDATE | Israeli Channel 14's Hallel Bitton Rosen reports that the Israeli army targeted a site belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Damascus, Syria.
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BREAKING | Israel bombs Damascus. Details are not yet clear.
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'No one is expelling anyone from Gaza': Trump backpedals from ethnic cleansing plan
Trump's recent remarks arrive as Tel Aviv officials have expressed outrage over Washington's direct ceasefire discussions with Hamas
❗️Safa (Palestinian Press Agency) correspondent:
"191 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards this morning."
❗️Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman:
○ “If US President Trump's statements indicate a retreat from any idea of displacing the people of the Gaza Strip, then they are welcome."
○ “We call for completing this position by obligating the occupation to implement all ceasefire agreements."
○ “We call on the US President not to align with the vision of the extreme Zionist right."
❗️Spokesman for Hamas, Dr. Abdul Latif al-Qanou:
○ “In the coming days, there will be a shortage of essential materials and food items in the Gaza Strip, which will increase the suffering of the population and exacerbate their crisis.”
○ “The people of the Gaza Strip are suffering from a severe blockade for the second week, with the occupation preventing the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and essential materials in a new act of starvation.”
○ “If the international community does not take responsibility for the Gaza Strip, its residents will face famine again during the holy month of Ramadan.”
○ “We call on mediators to exert more pressure on the occupation to open the crossings, allow the flow of humanitarian aid, and stop the policy of collective punishment against our people.”
❗️Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
○ "Tehran will not negotiate under maximum pressure because such negotiations will not achieve its demands."
○ "Iran will not enter into direct talks with the US unless its national interests are guaranteed and the talks are free of pressure and threats."
○ "Europeans have previously played the role of mediator with the United States and can do so again."
○ "Iran's strategy to counter the US 'maximum pressure' policy is maximum resistance."
A Palestinian farmer Hosni Farouni was injured after Israeli settlers attacked his farm in the town of Burqa, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Heavy gunfire from Israeli military vehicles east of Jabal al-Rayes area, east of Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
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❗️Hadashut Israel:
Initial details of the shooting near Ariel: A gunman opened fire, after which an injured settler arrived at the Ariel industrial zone and joined security forces at the scene. The settler is currently receiving medical treatment.
Military forces have begun pursuit operations in the area, clearing the airspace.