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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Nine Palestinian abductees arrive at Gaza hospital after release from Israeli captivity
Nine Palestinian detainees were transferred this morning to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah after months in Israeli detention. Abducted from various areas during the ground invasion, the detainees arrived in visibly dire condition, with several showing signs of severe torture. Medical staff confirmed at least one was unable to move due to the extent of abuse.
❗️Embarrassing NYT exposé reveals failed US campaign against Houthis in Red Sea
A New York Times investigation has revealed that President Trump’s plan to bomb the Houthis into submission and reopen Red Sea shipping lanes collapsed within a month, leaving the US military entangled in yet another costly and inconclusive Middle East operation. Despite launching a heavy air campaign, the US failed to achieve air superiority, with the Houthis downing several American Reaper drones and continuing attacks on naval vessels, including a US aircraft carrier. Two $67 million fighter jets even tumbled off the carrier into the sea.
With nearly $1 billion in weapons burned through in just the first month, Trump pulled the plug on 5 May after Omani officials offered a face-saving exit.
❗️Gaza Health Ministry:
“The Ministry of Health condemns the heinous crime committed by the occupation forces at dawn today against patients and the wounded, by directly targeting the surgical building at Nasser Medical Complex.”
“The bombing led to the martyrdom of two and the injury of others among the patients and the wounded while receiving treatment, in addition to the working medical staff.”
“The repeated targeting of hospitals, the pursuit of the wounded, and their killing inside treatment rooms confirms the occupation’s intention to inflict greater damage on the health services system and threaten the treatment opportunities for the wounded and sick, even on hospital beds.”
❗️Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) receives US President Donald Trump in Riyadh.
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⭕️ Gaza mourns beloved Palestinian journalist Hassan Aslih, who was brutally assassinated by Israel overnight while in his hospital bed at Nasser Hospital, where he was receiving treatment after being targeted and wounded on 7 April.
Hassan Aslih has been a target of the Israeli military since the start of the war on Gaza.
The Trump-Netanyahu dogfight: A clash of colossal egos begins
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❗️According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, freed US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander refuses to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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❗️Highlights from Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem's latest speech:
– “We want Syria to remain united and whole, and we strongly condemn the repeated Israeli aggression."
– “What we hear today about the war on Gaza is essentially the killing of people in tents—children, women, men, and the general population."
– “It is impossible for Netanyahu, even with the whole world behind him, to strip the Palestinians of their land and their rights."
– “Since 1982 and up until before the current aggression, the resistance has prevented Israel from annexing Lebanese territory."
– “Had Israel been able to gradually nibble away parts of Lebanon every few years, where would Lebanon be today?"
⭕️ US President Donald Trump said that he might ease US sanctions on Syria in response to a query from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We may take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start," Trump said.
(Reuters)
❗️Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander seen with the Red Cross and members of the Qassam Brigades in Khan Yunis, Gaza, during the handover.
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China, US agree to suspend most tariffs under 90-day 'economic reset'
President Trump imposed heavy tariffs on Chinese imports in April, in an effort to reduce the US trade deficit
❗️Israel continues its demolition of homes in Tulkarem's Nour Shams Camp, in the occupied West Bank.
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India and Pakistan lock horns: Who won and why?
In the biggest aerial dogfight since World War II, two nuclear-armed rivals test the boundaries of conflict and deterrence – with some jaw-dropping surprises in the mix.
⭕️ Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched 'Humain,' a new AI company under the Public Investment Fund, as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy and become a global hub for artificial intelligence.
The move coincides with US President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom, where AI is expected to be a key topic at Tuesday's Saudi-US investment forum. Humain will offer AI services including data centers, cloud infrastructure, and advanced models.
Earlier this year, cloud software giant Salesforce announced a $500 million AI-related investment in the kingdom.
⭕️ Israel asked ICC to withdraw Netanyahu arrest warrant
Israel has requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) revoke potential arrest warrants for its prime minister and defense minister as the court considers Israel's objections to its jurisdiction over its brutal war on Gaza.
According to documents released on the ICC website late Sunday, Israel has also urged the court to instruct prosecutors to halt their investigation into its war crimes committed in Gaza.
The documents are dated 9 May, and signed by Israeli Deputy Attorney General Gilad Noam.
❗️Turkish-American political commentator Hasan Piker said he was held by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Chicago O’Hare Airport and interrogated for nearly two hours about his political views. According to Piker, CBP officers questioned him specifically about his stance on Donald Trump and Israel’s genocide in Gaza, raising concerns over political profiling and freedom of expression at US borders.
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❗️Brigadier General Ahmad al-Qedra, 44, head of Gaza’s Anti-Narcotics Police and a senior member of the Police Command Council, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Yunis early this morning, according to the Palestinian Interior Ministry.
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❗️Iran’s Foreign Minister: “We are ready to turn the page with Europe”
In an exclusive op-ed published by Le Point, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized Europe’s declining role in Middle East diplomacy and called for a reset in Iran-Europe relations. Araghchi accused the E3 (France, Germany, UK) of strategic passivity and warned that their alignment with US sanctions, particularly after Washington withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, had undermined European credibility. He cautioned that further misuse of the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism could spark an irreversible escalation and end Europe’s role in the agreement entirely.
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for his "diplomatic pressure," claiming that without Israel’s military pressure, Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander would not have been released today, and that the two efforts together formed a "winning combination."
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❗️RT correspondent in Gaza Saed Swerki reports that at least 36 Palestinians were killed by Israel in Gaza today, including 16, among them women and children, who were massacred in an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia.
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❗️Since November, and with the support of UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have redeployed to more than 120 permanent positions south of the Litani River.
The full deployment is hindered by the presence of Israeli forces on Lebanese territory.
Peacekeepers have discovered over 225 weapons caches and referred them to the LAF.
(UNIFIL statement)
⭕️ Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas lifted the ban on Qatar’s Al Jazeera television network today, allowing it to resume operations in the Palestinian territories starting Tuesday, according to the network’s bureau chief in Palestine, Walid Omary.
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❗️Israeli PM Netanyahu and US envoy Steve Witkoff agree that the Israeli negotiating team will remain in Doha, Qatar until at least Thursday, coinciding with Trump's visit.
(Yedioth Ahronoth)
❗️The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Quds Brigades reports that its fighters succeeded in downing an Israeli 'Super Heron' drone while it was flying over Gaza City.
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❗️ Senior Israeli army official to Israel's Channel 14:
"From the moment Edan [Alexander] enters Israeli territory, we will firmly continue with the operational plan—unless the political leadership decides otherwise."
BREAKING | Hamas announces in a statement that it has released Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander.
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Netanyahu sends delegation to Qatar for prisoner exchange talks, claims Trump ties 'excellent'
Reports in western media have revealed that the US president is 'no longer waiting' for Israel to pursue US goals in West Asia
⭕️ Israel asked ICC to withdraw Netanyahu arrest warrant
Israel has requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) revoke potential arrest warrants for its prime minister and defense minister as the court considers Israel's objections to its jurisdiction over its brutal war on Gaza.
According to documents released on the ICC website late Sunday, Israel has also urged the court to instruct prosecutors to halt their investigation into its war crimes committed in Gaza.
The documents are dated 9 May, and signed by Israeli Deputy Attorney General Gilad Noam.
❗️Netanyahu dismisses reports of tensions with US President Trump, calling their relationship "excellent" in a video posted to his X account.
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