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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Israeli army opens fire on foreign diplomats in occupied West Bank
Tel Aviv issued an apology, 'regretting the inconvenience' as EU officials demand an investigation into the incident
⭕️ Released Israeli captive Yarden Bibas said he met late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who, after informing him of the death of his wife and two children, asked how he could help and granted his request.
“When Sinwar arrived at the tunnel, I said to him that this is my best friend and I want to stay with him. He said there was no problem, you can stay with him. After around two weeks, they separated us. I don’t know why,” Bibas said in an interview on Israeli Channel 12.
Lebanese, PA presidents commit to ‘disarming’ Palestinian factions during Beirut meeting
Beirut has been under heavy US pressure to disarm Hezbollah and Palestinian resistance groups based in Lebanon
❗️Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says that he has just instructed the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the Israeli Ambassador to Rome in order to "obtain official clarification" on what happened in Jenin.
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❗️Hamas in a press statement:
"The direct gunfire by Israeli occupation soldiers toward 25 Arab and European ambassadors and diplomats during their visit to Jenin Camp is a blatant display of the occupation’s arrogance, brutality, and violation of all international norms and conventions.
The ongoing Israeli aggression against Jenin and its camp for the fifth consecutive month, alongside continued attacks on Tulkarem, Nablus, and other West Bank governorates, reflects a frenzied attempt to carry out plans of annexation and displacement through intensified settlement expansion and the theft of land from its rightful owners."
US-sponsored ceasefire falls apart in north Syria as clashes reignite between SDF, govt forces
There are key disagreements between the SDF and Damascus over a recent deal to integrate the Kurdish group into the Syrian army
❗️Pope Leo XIV says the situation in Gaza has become "increasingly worrying and painful," and calls on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Strip.
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⭕️ Doctors forced to prioritise amid Israeli attacks, blockade
Speaking from Nasser Hospital, Palestinian physician Ahmed al-Farra says medical staff at the health facility are consistently forced to choose which patient’s life to prioritise amid the ongoing Israeli attacks and lack of resources.
“My doctor in the paediatric ICU asked me what to do in this situation. I told her, please try to prioritise those with the best chance of survival,” he noted. “If someone can survive, we try to help them. For others, we simply can’t do anything.”
❗️Joint Lebanese-PA statement – Key points:
– Lebanon and Palestine reaffirmed their strong bilateral ties and called for a just "peace" based on international resolutions. They condemned Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza and urged the international community to act swiftly to protect Palestinian civilians.
– Both sides stressed their rejection of resettlement or displacement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, reaffirming the right of return under UN Resolution 194. They called for continued support to UNRWA and agreed to form a joint committee to improve camp conditions while respecting Lebanese sovereignty.
– The two presidents emphasized that weapons must be exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese state and declared that the era of arms outside state authority must end. They pledged to coordinate on camp security, prevent extremism, and ensure Palestinian factions do not use Lebanon for military activity:
"The Palestinian side affirmed its commitment not to use Lebanese territory as a launchpad for any military operations, and to respect Lebanon’s stated policy of non-intervention in other countries’ affairs and its position of avoiding regional conflicts.
Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism, and to ensure that Palestinian camps do not become safe havens for extremist groups."
❗️An Israeli warplane targeted an unarmed Palestinian civilian while walking from Shujaiya, eastern Gaza City, this morning.
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❗️Israeli forces opened fire toward a European Union diplomatic delegation at the eastern entrance of Jenin refugee camp, which has been under a strict Israeli siege since 19 January, according to a QNN correspondent. No injuries were reported, but the incident marks a serious escalation against international presence in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Al-Awda Hospital in Tal al-Zaatar, northern Gaza Strip, reported that Israeli artillery directly targeted the third floor of its Building B.
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❗️Al-Arabi TV reporter Abdul Qader Abdul Halim says Israel is routing aid through areas prone to looting, exacerbating chaos in Gaza
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"Despite Israel's portrayal of its necessity to allow aid into Gaza to 'prevent starvation,' the Israeli army continues to route the very limited aid through paths susceptible to looting by gangs affiliated with the occupation. These groups played a significant role in seizing much of the aid before the crossings were closed, under the army's protection—a fact previously acknowledged in a Haaretz investigation, which was already known within Gaza.
Even when Israel permits aid entry, it is not genuinely concerned with ensuring it reaches Palestinians in need. Instead, it aims to exacerbate chaos and hunger as tools of political pressure. If it could maintain a complete closure without embarrassment, it would do so unhesitatingly. However, this stance has become increasingly difficult to justify to its allied nations, as evidenced by Smotrich's remarks following the announcement of aid entry."
⭕️ Iraq declares US energy deals with Kurdistan “null and void,” deepening dispute over resource control
Iraq’s Oil Ministry has declared recent multi-billion dollar energy agreements between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and US firms HKN Energy and WesternZagros legally invalid. The $110 billion deals, announced by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Washington and aimed at developing the Miran and Topkhana-Kurdamir gas fields, were signed without Baghdad’s consent. The ministry emphasized that Iraq’s natural resources belong to all its citizens and must be managed through federal channels. The move follows a 2022 Iraqi court ruling that deemed the Kurdish oil and gas law unconstitutional, and comes as efforts to restart halted oil exports through Turkiye remain stalled.
⭕️ Spain’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution on Tuesday calling for a full arms embargo on Israel, citing its actions in Gaza as genocide. The motion, approved by a slim majority of 176 to 171, urges the government to halt all military-related exports—including protective gear and dual-use items like fuel.
“Spain cannot cooperate with a state that commits genocide or war crimes,” the motion states. The vote follows Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s call to bar Israel from international events such as Eurovision over its ongoing assault on Gaza.
The World Bank and the path to devouring Syria’s assets
With tacit US approval and key Persian Gulf financing, the World Bank is re-entering Syria under the guise of technical cooperation – signaling the start of a new phase of austerity, privatization, and foreign control over state assets.
❗️The British government announces that it is committing $5.4 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza.
"The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent. Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza," UK Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said.
"The UK is clear - Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people," she added.
❗️Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, uprooted olive trees near the fence area in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus.
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❗️UAE unveils new Arabic-language artificial intelligence (AI) model
Developed by Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the model, Falcon Arabic, seeks to reflect the full linguistic richness of the Arab world using a "high-quality native (non-translated) Arabic dataset," according to a statement it released.
The model also delivers performance comparable to others up to ten times larger, the statement added.
❗️The United States plans to name Thomas Barrack, President Donald Trump’s longtime advisor and the current US ambassador to Turkiye, as special envoy for Syria.
(Reuters)
❗️Three UK ministers have been summoned by Parliament’s export oversight committee to explain potential loopholes in the arms export rules to Israel.
Committee chair Liam Byrne is demanding urgent clarification from the trade, foreign, and defense ministers amid concerns that companies may be exploiting a partial arms ban to continue supplying weapons for use in Gaza.
This follows new data showing the UK approved £127.6 ($171.2) million in arms exports to Israel in late 2024, more than the total approved between 2020 and 2023.
(The Guardian)
⭕️ Twenty Palestinians detained in latest West Bank raids
Israeli forces have rounded up 20 people in raids throughout the occupied West Bank since last night, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. Among those detained are three women and numerous former prisoners, it said.
Since October 7, Israeli forces have made about 17,000 arrests in the West Bank, according to the group’s tally, holding many without formal charge.
⭕️ "Every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy. The enemy is not Hamas."
Spoken by former Israeli Knesset member Moshe Feiglin in a live interview aired on Channel 14 on 20 May 2025.
His call to "conquer Gaza and not leave a single Gazan child" is part of a broader pattern of Israeli political rhetoric that embraces the logic of total erasure.
It echoes the Old Testament concept of 'ḥerem' — the divinely sanctioned annihilation of entire populations — now repurposed to justify mass violence and ethnic cleansing in Palestine.
❗️The mayor of Yater in south Lebanon announces the death of a citizen, Ali Hassan Sweidan, as a result of an Israeli attack on his bulldozer while he was removing the rubble from his home.
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❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– “82 martyrs and 262 injuries were admitted to Gaza Strip hospitals in the past 24 hours.”
– “The death toll and injuries since March 18, 2025 has reached 3,509 martyrs, 9,909 injuries.”
EU to review cooperation deal with Israel over ‘catastrophic’ situation in Gaza
The UK, France, and Canada said this week that Israel will face ‘concrete actions’ if it does not halt its new Gaza operation, amid mounting international pressure on Tel Aviv
❗️Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas lands at Beirut airport today for official meetings with Lebanese officials, reportedly focused on the disarmament of Palestinian resistance fighters based in Lebanon’s refugee camps.
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❗️Israel blocks Gaza aid for third day amid deepening starvation policy
Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that Israeli authorities have prevented the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive day. The office condemned the blockade as part of Israel’s ongoing policy of deliberate starvation, targeting over 2.4 million Palestinians already enduring catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
❗️Scabies outbreak, starvation tactics, and assaults reported in Israel’s Gilboa Prison
The Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office reports a scabies outbreak among Palestinian detainees in Gilboa Prison, particularly in sections 1 and 2, amid total medical neglect. Detainees are reportedly receiving just one combined meal per day, insufficient and served in filthy plastic containers, forcing them to eat it all at once out of hunger. The office also documented the violent assault of four prisoners, who suffered head injuries and bleeding during forced transfers, alongside repeated cell raids involving tear gas and batons.
EU sanctions red. media in latest attack on anti-genocide voices
European nations have escalated their crackdown on criticism of Israel, raiding journalists' homes and arresting several under 'terrorism' accusations