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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️ Al-Masriah reports 25 US airstrikes in Al-Tuhayta Governorate in Yemen since dawn.
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Hamas willing to ‘halt military ops, cede control’ of Gaza if truce succeeds: Report
The resistance group has recently stated that its weapons are a ‘red line,’ as it faces pressure to disarm from Israel and Egypt
⭕️ Nearly 600 Palestinian children have been killed and over 1,600 injured, since Israel resumed its genocidal war on Gaza on 18 March, according to UNRWA.
The organization estimates that conditions in Gaza have deteriorated to their worst point since October 2023.
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
– "The ongoing war is a renaissance war, a historic war."
– "We will undermine Hamas in Gaza, return the abductees, and achieve all our goals."
– "We will launch a massive attack on the enemy until we destroy it."
– "I have said repeatedly that we will change the face of the Middle East, and this is what we are actually doing now."
– "Thanks to the decisions and steadfastness of my government, we have broken the axis of evil in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere."
– "Don't believe the propaganda channels."
– "We will not accept the establishment of any caliphate on the Mediterranean coast."
– " Israel will not witness any civil war."
– "The Houthis boasted about launching a drone called Yaffa, and I tell them Yaffa is not occupied, and our firm response to you is coming."
⭕️ 49 young people who were detained during the Imamoglu protests appeared before a judge today at the Istanbul 27th High Criminal Court.
During the hearing, Mahsuni Kahraman, one of the youths brought in handcuffed, said in response to a question from his lawyer that the last time they ate was at midnight the previous night. His lawyer told the judge, "When was the last time you ate?" and explained that the youths were being kept waiting downstairs without food. The judge responded, "They can eat dry bread just this once. The hearing will be over in an hour; they can eat then."
Following public backlash, the hearing was paused and sandwiches were brought into the courtroom for the youths, who had not eaten since the previous night.
❗️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.
Lebanon’s disarmament dilemma: The battle for Palestinian camps
The Lebanese government’s rush to disarm Palestinian factions is a prelude to a broader campaign against Hezbollah, with Washington and Ramallah playing key backstage roles.
⭕️ The Palestinian Red Crescent today demanded a "serious investigation" into the Israeli massacre of the 15 paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza on 23 March, following the Israeli army's statement released yesterday.
Younis al-Khatib, chairman of the Palestinian Red Crescent, said the actions taken by the Israeli military—which included the dismissal of one officer and a reprimand for another—were inadequate.
"This looks like the management of a company taking administrative measures against its employees who made some kind of a mistake," he told Reuters. "When you kill 15 medical staff and civil defense personnel, these can't be called 'measures.'"
"There has to be proper accountability and a stop to impunity that Israel has taken for granted for so many years," he added.
China signs major LNG deals with UAE to replace US supply
Beijing imposed high levies on US-sourced LNG imports following Trump's initiation of a trade war
⭕️ Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa met with US Congressman Marlin Stutzman at the People’s Palace in Damascus today
“The Syrians are very friendly, and there are many possibilities for cooperation with the new Syrian government,” Stutzman said.
He expressed hope that “the Syrians would enjoy more economic opportunities and prosperity.”
Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida became the first US lawmakers since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit Damascus, on an unofficial trip organized by a "Syrian-American nonprofit."
During their visit, the representatives met with Syrian officials and notably visited the site of a historic synagogue in the suburb of Jobar and the Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma, where they spoke with religious leaders.
❗️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