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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️US President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire agreement, as well as the nuclear talks with Iran, according to Axios.
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❗️Qassam Brigades announces that its fighters lured an Israeli engineering unit to the entrance of a rigged tunnel east of Al-Tuffah in Gaza City, where they detonated the tunnel entrance, causing casualties and injuries among the troops.
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⭕️ Gaza’s Christian community expressed deep sorrow over the death of Pope Francis.
"We lost a saint who taught us every day how to be brave, how to keep patient and stay strong. We lost a man who fought every day in every direction to protect this small herd of his," said George Antone, head of the emergency committee at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, speaking to Reuters.
According to Antone, Francis began calling the church just hours after Israel's war on Gaza started in October 2023, initiating what Vatican News Service described as a nightly tradition.
"We know that he is leaving behind a church that cares for us and that knows us by name - every single one of us," Antone said, referring to Gaza’s Christian population, which numbers around 700 according to WAFA.
The Pope made his final call on Saturday night, according to Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of Holy Family parish, who told the Vatican News Service:
"He said he was praying for us, he blessed us, and he thanked us for our prayers."
⭕️ Palestinian political analyst, expert in Israeli affairs, and Hebrew teacher, "The Translator" Azzam Abu al-Adas, was abducted from his home by Palestinian Authority (PA) Security Forces in his hometown of Nablus in the occupied West Bank this morning.
Abu al-Adas, a former political prisoner in Israeli jails, has been repeatedly interrogated by the PA in the past six months, with his wife and autistic son left alone during his absences.
According to his family, the Nablus Prosecution has extended his detention for 48 hours pending investigation.
US war chief faces calls to resign over new 'Signalgate' scandal
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared classified details of US plans to bomb Yemen in a group chat with family members
⭕️ Israel revoked the visas of 27 French left-wing lawmakers and local officials just two days before their planned visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank, the group said.
This decision followed a similar move days earlier, when Israel barred entry to two British MPs from the ruling Labour party. It also occurred as French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would soon recognize a Palestinian state.
According to Israel's interior ministry, the visas were cancelled based on a law permitting authorities to deny entry to individuals deemed likely to act against the state of Israel.
"For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities cancelled our entry visas that had been approved one month ago," the group said.
"We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment," they added.
⭕️ US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaked information about an attack on Yemen in a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, an anonymous source told Reuters on Sunday.
In the group, Hegseth shared similar details to those later reported by The Atlantic, following an incident in which its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally added to a Signal chat that involved President Donald Trump’s top national security officials.
The source said the group chat consisted of roughly a dozen members and was originally set up during Hegseth’s confirmation process to handle administrative matters, not military operations. However, the chat included specifics about the timing of the airstrikes.
⭕️ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to travel to China on Tuesday, according to a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei today. The visit comes ahead of the third round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, set to take place Saturday in Oman.
"It is natural that we will consult and brief China over the latest developments in Iran-US indirect talks," Baghaei said, noting that Beijing is capable of playing a constructive role in the negotiations.
⭕️ China has warned it will take "resolute and reciprocal" countermeasures against countries negotiating with the US if they strike deals at China’s expense in the ongoing trade war.
Responding to reports that Donald Trump is pressuring nations to limit trade with China in exchange for tariff exemptions, China’s commerce ministry stated, "China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests."
The ministry added that "appeasement will not bring peace," warning that seeking temporary selfish interests at the expense of others will ultimately fail and harm everyone involved.
⭕️ Spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza's Deir al-Balah, Khalil Dakran:
– "The lives of around one million children in the Gaza Strip are at risk due to the spread of malnutrition-related diseases."
– "Even fetuses in their mothers' wombs are not spared from the occupation's siege and the deprivation of adequate food and medicine."
– "Pregnant women in Gaza are giving birth to underdeveloped babies due to malnutrition, and the hospital’s neonatal units are full."
– "If the occupation continues to close the crossings and prevent the entry of polio vaccinations, about 600,000 children in the Gaza Strip will remain at risk, with the possibility of the disease spreading to neighboring countries."
'Air raids will not deter us': Yemen targets US aircraft carriers in response to deadly attacks
At least a dozen people were killed by Washington’s air raids on Yemen overnight, days after a US attack which left over 170 casualties
❗️Israeli settlers set fire to an agricultural facility in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that "39 martyrs and 62 injuries arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours."
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❗️The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Monday the seizure of a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, including missiles, inside a vehicle intended for smuggling into Suwayda.
The ministry stated, "The driver of the vehicle was arrested while attempting to smuggle it into Sweida province."
The seized items included anti-tank missiles, heavy machine guns, Katyusha rockets, and large quantities of ammunition.
⭕️ A security source revealed to Ultra Palestine on Sunday that 300 Palestinian Authority (PA) security personnel will be sent to Egypt this week as part of an agreement between the Egyptian leadership and the Palestinian Authority, based on the Egyptian plan presented at the Arab Summit.
The group includes 100 police officers, 100 National Security personnel, 50 Preventive Security personnel, and 50 intelligence officers.
The personnel will undergo two months of training in Egypt, with strict instructions issued to them, emphasizing the importance of the mission and forbidding any refusal to participate under penalty of liability. The personnel are required to be graduates of Egyptian police colleges, and their tasks remain unclear, though there is speculation about the Palestinian Authority taking control of Gaza's Rafah crossing.
Additionally, President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on March 17, restructuring the General Administration of Border Crossings into the General Authority of Border Crossings, granting it a legal and financial role under the Ministry of Interior.
❗️At least two Paslestinians were killed and four injured in an Israeli airstrike on tents of displaced Palestinians Mawasi, Khan Yunis.
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Israeli army stopped designating Gaza 'safe zones' after restart of genocide
Nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in one month, as Gaza remains besieged and deprived of humanitarian aid
Wael Ghafri, 48, died due to suffocation from tear gas bombs fired by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry reports.
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⭕️ A Times of Israel report claims, citing anonymous officials, that Hamas has offered to enter a long-term truce with Israel, halting all military operations, including the development of weapons and tunnel digging, as part of a comprehensive deal to end the war on Gaza.
The movement is also willing to cede control of Gaza to an independent Palestinian technocratic body, as proposed by Egypt, and has indicated a potential 5 to 15-year duration for the truce, according to these sources.
While Hamas is open to having its weapons placed in a guarded warehouse, the offer still falls far short of Israel’s demand for complete disarmament, making the proposal a "nonstarter."
❗️Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated today that retrieving the captives from Gaza is not the most important priority of the government.
In an interview with Radio Galey Israel, he said, “We have to say the truth, returning the hostages is not the most important thing.”
Smotrich added, “It is obviously a very important goal, but if you want to destroy Hamas so that there can’t be another 7 October, you need to understand that there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains in Gaza.”
Palestinian civil defense crews recover the burned bodies resulting from the Israeli occupation forces' bombing of the Al-Jazira Club camp in Gaza City.
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WATCH | Excerpt from 'Breaking the Sword' ambush in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, published by Hamas's military wing the Qassam Brigades.
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❗️Another "difficult security incident" in Gaza has been reported by Hebrew media. Details are not yet confirmed.
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❗️Medical sources tell Al Jazeera:
"18 martyrs in Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn today, 15 of them in the southern Gaza."
⭕️ Pope Francis called for Gaza ceasefire a day before his death
A day before his passing, Pope Francis delivered his final Urbi et Orbi message on Easter Sunday, urging an “immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip” and calling the Holy Land “wounded by conflict.”
Expressing solidarity with Gaza’s Christian community, he warned that “the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.”
This was far from his first appeal—throughout his papacy, Francis consistently spoke out for Gaza and Palestine.
❗️Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in an affidavit to the Supreme Court accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of corruption following efforts by the premier to fire Bar, as reported by Yedioth Ahronoth:
– "The Prime Minister spoke to me repeatedly about his expectation that the Shin Bet take action against civilians involved in protests against the government. I was told to provide details about the identity of civilians, activists in the protest movement, who had been following elected officials."
– "The expectation that I would surveil 'funders of the protests' was made clear to me. It was also made clear, in discussions on the protests, that if there was a constitutional crisis, I was to obey the prime minister and not the Supreme Court."
– On the Shin Bet having knowledge of Operation Al Aqsa Flood prior to 7 October: "I will stress that no none estimated such an attack would take place, certainly not at that time."
⭕️ The first-ever bilateral air force drill between China and Egypt, named "Eagles of Civilization 2025," took place with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) deploying its KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to Egypt.
This marks a significant step in China's overseas air operations, as the KJ-500 makes its international exercise debut.
The KJ-500, one of PLAAF's most advanced platforms, is equipped with a modern phased-array radar system and is based on the Y-9 medium transport aircraft. It offers 360-degree radar coverage, capable of detecting and tracking multiple targets at extended ranges, making it vital for network-centric warfare. The KJ-500's role includes acting as a flying command and control node, essential for coordinating complex operations.
(Global Defense News)
Hundreds of PA officers to ‘undergo training’ in Egypt for post-war Gaza plan: Report
Israel has repeatedly rejected the idea of PA governance in Gaza, a crucial element to Egypt’s post-war plan for the strip
BREAKING | Yemeni Armed Forces announces two military operations: Its drone air force targeted Israeli sites in Ashkelon and Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat), while missile and naval forces targeted US aircraft carriers Truman and Vinson in the Red and Arabian Seas.
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❗️Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Kan):
"Due to a shortage of soldiers, soldiers from the Golani and Givati Brigades (elite forces) joined the army four months ago, did not complete their training, and are being sent to the Gaza Strip."