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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️An Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in south Lebanon’s Wadi Khalil road earlier this morning, assassinating one person.
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❗️Hamas: Trump envoy promised Gaza blockade would be lifted after soldier’s release, then abandoned deal
Hamas says Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, pledged that Israel would lift the blockade on Gaza within 48 hours of the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, Drop Site News reports.
The soldier was released on Monday in what Hamas says was a goodwill gesture. No Palestinian prisoners were freed in return, and the blockade remains in place. “It was a deal made by Witkoff himself,” said Hamas official Basem Naim. “They didn’t violate the deal, they threw it in the trash.”
❗️Israeli forces shoot Palestinian in Jerusalem, raid family home following alleged stabbing
Israeli forces shot and wounded a Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday night, after stabbing an Israeli officer, who was later listed in moderate condition. The alleged assailant was shot on the scene.
Following the incident, Israeli forces stormed the perpetrator’s family home and arrested all of his relatives—a common punitive measure increasingly used by Israel across the occupied territories.
❗️BREAKING | Israel says it has launched first stages of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots,' moves to seize territory
The Israeli military spokesperson has announced that occupation forces in Gaza have begun the “first moves” of Operation Gideon’s Chariots over the past 24 hours. They have mobilized to occupy territory and expand their assault in an effort to achieve their purported war goals. This comes as Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians in the past 48 hours.
❗️Israel has killed at least 115 Palestinians in strikes across the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
(Gaza Ministry of Health)
French, Saudi summit on Gaza to serve as 'point of no return for two-state solution': Report
A UN conference on the Gaza genocide will reportedly call for 'sanctions against parties acting contrary' to its final document
The Persian Gulf’s pivot: Betting on India, sidestepping Pakistan
With New Delhi – and Tel Aviv – rising as strategic partners, Arab states of the Persian Gulf are recalibrating their historic ties with Islamabad, revealing a deeper realignment in West Asia's power matrix.
By Mawadda Iskandar
❗️A US military official to Al-Mayadeen:
"US forces did not participate in the Israeli raids on Yemen."
❗️Israeli War Minister Israel Katz:
“We will assassinate Abdul Malik al-Houthi just as we did with Deif and the two Sinwars in Gaza, Nasrallah in Beirut, and Haniyeh in Tehran.”
❗️Israeli warplanes bombed the ports of Hodeidah and Salif in Yemen around an hour ago.
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❗️Russia and Ukraine held first direct peace talks since 2022 in Istanbul
The talks, facilitated by Turkiye, ended with Ukraine rejecting Russia’s ceasefire demands as "unrealistic."
However, both sides agreed to a mutual exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not attend, sending Defense Minister Rustem Umerov instead, while Russia was represented by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky.
❗️Israel fired phosphorous shells in the southern Lebanese town of Odaisseh earlier today.
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⚠️ Warning: Distressing footage
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This is what the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Quds Brigades found on an Israeli Evo Max drone it captured in Gaza: Chilling footage of an unarmed Palestinian being mercilessly targeted and killed.
❗️According to local Lebanese sources, a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy attempted to enter private property in the southern Lebanese town of Jmaijmeh earlier today, they were confronted by the landowners and a number of local residents, who blocked their advance due to the absence of a Lebanese Army escort.
This angered the UNIFIL soldiers, who responded by firing shots into the air and throwing a tear gas grenade. Tensions remained high until a Lebanese Army patrol arrived and worked to resolve the dispute.
❗️Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas arrives in Baghdad to participate in the 34th session of the Arab League summit, scheduled to begin on 17 May.
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❗️Northern Gaza pummeled by Israeli air strikes overnight into Saturday
The Quds News Network reported late last night that northern Gaza was under heavy bombardment overnight into Saturday, with air strikes focused on targets in Beit Lahia and Jabalia.
Israeli soldiers also blew up residential buildings from the ground in addition to the air raids, the Quds News Network said.
❗️Israeli forces assaulted Palestinian worshippers as they exited Al-Aqsa Mosque through Bab Hutta gate, shortly after a reported stabbing of an Israeli officer in Jerusalem’s Old City.
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❗️US plans mass transfer of Palestinians from Gaza to Libya
NBC News reports the Trump administration is developing a plan to permanently transfer up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya in exchange for unfreezing billions in Libyan assets. The deal has reportedly been discussed with Libyan authorities and is being seriously considered, according to five sources including a former US official.
The timing of the leak coincides with Israel’s deepening assault on Rafah and rising talk of “voluntary evacuation,” raising concerns of a coordinated displacement scheme backed by the US and regional allies to forcibly depopulate Gaza citing ‘humanitarian resettlement’.
Russia, Ukraine agree on 'future talks' after Istanbul peace summit
Kiev has described Russian demands to end the war as 'detached from reality'
⚠️ Warning – Distressing footage
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Israeli occupation forces shot and killed a young Palestinian man who carried out a stabbing attack against an Israeli soldier near Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the soldier was injured.
Israel bombs Yemeni ports as Katz threatens assassination of Ansarallah leaders
The Israeli war chief stated that Tel Aviv 'will hunt down' the leader of the Yemeni resistance, citing the killings of Hassan Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, and Yahya Sinwar as examples
❗️Hebrew media reports say that 'Operation Gideon's Chariots' – the Israeli plan to seize all of Gaza and confine its population to a small piece of land south of the strip – is expected to commence in the coming days. Preparations are underway, and five to seven divisions are awaiting orders to enter Gaza.
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❗️An Israeli security official told Yedioth Ahronoth that 20 Israeli aircraft attacked Yemeni ports to 'impose a naval blockade on them.'
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Iran 'exchanges views' with European powers during nuclear summit in Turkiye
Reports say that the E3 are planning to reinstate sanctions against Tehran by August if a nuclear deal between the US and Iran is not reached
Israeli singer Yuval Raphael was booed during her performance in the Eurovision, in Basel, Switzerland.
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Israeli tanks push deep into north Gaza as bombs drop 'every four minutes'
Tel Aviv is preparing for ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots,’ a plan to seize the entirety of Gaza and push the strip’s population into a small piece of land in the south
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "109 martyrs (including 1 martyr who was recovered) and 216 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours."
– "The death toll and injuries since 18 March 2025 has reached 2,985 martyrs and 8,173 injuries."
UAE pledges $1.4tn investment in US as Trump ends West Asia tour
Washington and Abu Dhabi also finalized a deal that will allow the UAE to import hundreds of thousands of AI chips from NVIDIA
❗️Syria intends to have a newly-designed currency printed in the UAE and Germany instead of Russia
Syrian officials began considering the option of printing currency in Germany and the UAE earlier this year, with momentum building after the European Union relaxed some sanctions on Damascus in February.
Syrian authorities are in advanced negotiations with UAE-based company Oumolat for a currency-printing agreement. The talks follow a visit by Syria's central bank governor and finance minister to the company during a trip to the UAE earlier this month.
In Germany, the state-backed firm Bundesdruckerei and the private company Giesecke+Devrient have expressed interest, though it remains unclear which of them might ultimately handle the printing.
(Reuters)
⭕️ US President Donald Trump stated that American journalist Austin Tice, who was captured in Syria over 12 years ago, has not been seen for a long time.
When asked whether he discussed Tice during his meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, Trump responded:
"I always talk about Austin Tice. Now you know Austin Tice hasn't been seen in many, many years," adding, "He's got a great mother who's just working so hard to find her boy. So I understand it, but Austin has not been seen in many, many years."