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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Israeli singer Yuval Raphael takes a photo posing as Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland, ahead of her performance in the finals.
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❗️Israel continues targeted assassinations of Gaza police leadership
This morning, Israel assassinated Zaher Olayyan, the police chief of Beit Hanoun in an airstrike on his home in northern Gaza, killing his nephew as well.
Gaza’s police condemned the killing as a war crime. The attack is part of Israel’s broader campaign to eliminate civil institutions and destabilize any remaining order in the Strip, with the aim of destroying structures that enforce law, prevent looting, and protect aid.
Breaking | Light aircraft crashes south of Tel Aviv with several passengers on board
A light aircraft has crashed in southern Tel Aviv, according to initial reports. Several passengers were reportedly on board at the time of the incident. The pilot was rescued, and a 15-year-old Israeli is still trapped inside the plane. Further details are still emerging.
(Al-Araby)
❗️US President Donald Trump thanks Emirati officials before leaving Abu Dhabi.
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❗️Hamas:
– “Settler gangs, with the support of the occupation army, continue to carry out attacks in several villages in the Salfit Governorate and northwest of Nablus.”
– “The continued destruction in the town of Burqin and attacks around Bir al-Masoudiya reflect a dangerous escalation.”
– “We call for escalating resistance and confronting settler violence and the occupation’s plans to steal land and displace residents.”
🇾🇪 Yemeni Armed Forces announced yesterday at night that it targeted Ben Gurion Airport with a ballistic missile, forcing operations to stop for at least an hour.
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BREAKING | Dozens of Palestinian families have been forced to flee the west of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza amid relentless Israeli bombardment and reports of a new ground operation launched early Friday.
Israeli tanks have advanced into the area, escalating fears of a broader incursion as heavy shelling continues in the northwest.
⭕️ US backs controversial Gaza aid group tied to Israeli control
The US State Department has voiced support for the newly formed “Gaza Relief Foundation,” a group reportedly backed by both Washington and Tel Aviv. The foundation plans to distribute aid in Israeli-designated zones of Gaza under private security, bypassing the UN and established relief agencies.
Critics say the initiative is a political cover, not a genuine humanitarian effort, allowing Israel to control and limit aid under the guise of relief. The US has refused to clarify whether its support is financial or political, as famine worsens under Israel’s ongoing blockade.
❗️Morning Recap: 16 May, 2025
– At least two people have been killed by Israeli shelling that targeted housing areas for displaced Palestinians in Beit Lahia, according to Al Jazeera Arabic
– The Israeli army killed five Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after an Israeli settler was killed in a shooting there Medical sources in Gaza say at least 21 people are now confirmed killed by Israeli attacks in the five hours since midnight local time in Gaza. Israeli settlers have raided town of Bruqin, west of Salfit, in the occupied West Bank and set fire to a Palestinian flag and Palestinian-owned vehicles.
– In the west of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, at least two people have been killed and more injured after the Israeli military bombed a home in al-Fakhoura.
– An Israeli aerial assault on the Beit Lahia area of northern Gaza over recent hours. Hundreds of Beit Lahia residents have fled the area to escape Israel’s bombardment.
⭕️ US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Syrian FM, backs Syria–Israel thaw
Rubio met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Antalya on Thursday—the first high-level US-Syria meeting in 15 years.
Rubio welcomed Syria’s outreach toward Israel, its pledge to curb Iranian influence, and efforts to resolve US missing persons cases. The meeting followed Trump’s announcement to lift sanctions and was held alongside Turkish mediation efforts.
⭕️ France sues Iran at UN court over detained citizens
France has filed a case against Iran at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Tehran of violating international obligations by detaining two French nationals, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, for the past three years. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the pair are being held in conditions amounting to torture and labeled them “state hostages.”
Kohler and her partner were arrested in May 2022 during a tourist visit to Iran on charges of espionage. The case comes as Iran prepares to meet with European powers in Turkey for talks on its nuclear program.
⭕️ China reaffirms support for Iran nuclear talks
China reiterated its backing for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran nuclear issue ahead of Tehran’s talks with the UK, France, and Germany in Istanbul on Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China respects Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and opposes all illegal unilateral sanctions. He added that China remains committed to working with all parties to reach a balanced and fair solution.
⭕️ Iraq offers support for ongoing Iran–US negotiations
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid expressed his country’s readiness to support ongoing talks between Iran and the United States.
“We welcome the negotiations between Iran and the US,” he told Al-Sharq TV. “We fully support their success and are prepared to provide whatever is needed to help achieve constructive outcomes.”
⭕️ US President Donald Trump announced over $200 billion in deals with the United Arab Emirates and pledged to strengthen bilateral ties, including expanded cooperation in artificial intelligence. The agreements feature a $14.5 billion investment by Etihad Airways in Boeing aircraft and the launch of a major AI campus, alongside the establishment of a US-UAE AI partnership framework.
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⭕️ Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s refugee camps are speculative about reported plans by Mahmoud Abbas to push for their disarmament during his upcoming visit to Beirut.
With no official communication confirming such intentions, some factions remain unmoved by what they describe as media speculation rather than a concrete policy initiative.
Last week, Abbas was reportedly set to visit Lebanon on 19 May and call on all Palestinian factions to disarm, including his own Palestinian National Liberation Movement, more commonly known as Fatah.
❗️❕Using new, internationally banned weapons, Israel has slaughtered 250 Palestinians in just 36 hours.
According to the Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, over 150 injured have been admitted to Al-Awda and the Indonesian Hospital, as Israel continues to systematically target medical and civilian facilities. Officials report a rise in birth deformities linked to these new weapons and are calling for an urgent international investigation into Israel’s use of chemical and experimental arms throughout its ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign.
⭕️ The United Arab Emirates announced on Friday its intention to raise the value of its energy investments in the United States to $440 billion over the next ten years.
The investment plan was unveiled by Sultan al-Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi’s oil giant ADNOC, in a presentation to Trump during the final leg of his regional visit.
❗️Yesterday, a Palestinian family was assaulted by illegal Israeli settlers who trespassed on their land in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Three foreign Palestine activists injured in settler attack in Masafer Yatta
Three international Palestine solidarity activists were injured after being attacked by Israeli settlers (shown in photo) in the village of Susiya, located in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. The area has seen a surge in settler violence amid intensified efforts to displace Palestinian communities.
❗️Palestinian citizens search for missing under rubble after Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia camp
Residents of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza are searching for missing loved ones beneath the rubble of homes leveled by Israeli warplanes overnight. Local efforts continue amid a lack of rescue equipment and ongoing bombardment.
US Secretary of State says Syria faces ‘two choices, transformation or civil war’
Rubio made the comments during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart, coinciding with reports of talks between Damascus and Tel Aviv
❗️Gaza Civil Defense: Over 50 bodies recovered as Israeli attacks intensify
Gaza Civil Defense teams have recovered the bodies of more than 50 people from homes struck by Israeli attacks today, including 11 members of a single family.
“Our teams are overwhelmed and can no longer keep up with the volume of emergency calls,” the spokesperson said, adding that many remain trapped under rubble and unreachable, while anyone moving in northern Gaza is being targeted.”
❗️US senators urge Trump to act against Israeli blockade on Gaza aid
Several US senators have called on the Trump administration to use “all diplomatic tools” to pressure Israel to lift its blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Senator Peter Welch said children are starving to death while the US debates political priorities, calling the crisis a direct result of Israel’s deliberate policy to withhold food and medicine. He cited the recent death of four-month-old Jinan Iskafi as “entirely avoidable and preventable.”
⭕️ New York University is withholding a student’s diploma after he spoke out against Israel’s brutal war on Gaza during his graduation speech
On Wednesday, Logan Rozos, the undergraduate student speaker from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, said in his address: “The only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine.”
In response, NYU issued a statement condemning what it called the student’s decision “to misuse his role as student speaker to express his personal and one-sided political views.”
❗️UK politicians attend secret Israeli event at British Museum
A covert Israeli embassy event held at the British Museum on Tuesday drew top UK political figures, including Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage, and comedian Jimmy Carr, to celebrate Israel’s 77th so-called “Independence Day,” widely known as Nakba Day. The event was not publicly disclosed, and museum staff were reportedly asked to leave early under the pretext of a “large corporate event.”
Inside, Labour ministers mingled with Conservative and Reform UK figures, while Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, known for denying the Nakba and opposing the creation of a Palestinian state, delivered the keynote speech. The gathering came just hours after the UK government faced legal scrutiny over the export of F-35 parts that could be used in Israeli warplanes, and as Israel approved a plan to seize and hold territory in Gaza.
❗️Trump in Abu Dhabi: Iran’s nuclear program will be handled “one way or another”
Speaking at the US-UAE Business Council in Abu Dhabi, US President Donald Trump said the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program will be resolved “either nicely, through an agreement, or not nicely,” hinting at the possibility of military action. “We’re talking to them — I think they’ve come a long way,” he added.
While both Washington and Tehran publicly back diplomacy, key red lines continue to divide negotiators. Iran, denies seeking nuclear weapons.
⭕️ Ethiopia and Iran sign intel-sharing agreement
Ethiopia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on 6 May to boost cooperation between their national police forces. The deal focuses on intelligence sharing, joint training, and combating cross-border crime.
Ethiopia’s federal police highlighted the agreement’s built-in monitoring mechanisms to ensure its implementation. The move follows a series of recent security engagements by Ethiopia, including talks with a UAE police delegation in March.
❗️A Palestinian child wounded in Israeli attacks is brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, on May 15, 2025.
(Hani Alshaer/Anadolu)
⭕️ Microsoft says: “no evidence Israeli military used our tech to harm civilians in Gaza”
The US tech conglomerate announced on Thursday that following an interview review, it found “no evidence” that its technology has been used by the Israeli military to harm civilians during its war on Gaza.
The review came following months of protests and allegations from Microsoft employees that the company is complicit in international law violations through its commercial relationship with the Israeli military.
Microsoft provides software, cloud infrastructure and AI services to Israel’s Ministry of Defence and Israel’s government.
❗️Iran’s UN envoy slams disinformation on Gaza war
Iranian Ambassador to the UN, Amir-Saeed Iravani, accused Israel and the US of promoting false narratives aimed at flipping the roles of victim and aggressor in the Gaza war.
He warned that these disinformation campaigns seek to legitimize Israeli actions and obscure the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Strip.