43030
The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Smotrich: ‘We are eliminating ministers, officials, and money changers’
——
"The IDF is finally conducting a campaign against the civilian rule of Hamas and not just focusing on the military infrastructure. We are eliminating ministers, officials, money changers, and elements of the economic and governmental system of Hamas. In a few days, the American company will, with God's help, start working."
❗️New Syrian interim government pressures Palestinian factions to leave Damascus
Palestinian sources confirmed to AFP on Friday that several leaders of Palestinian resistance factions formerly based in Syria have recently left the country following growing pressure from Syrian HTS authorities, including the confiscation of properties.
A senior figure from one of the affected factions, speaking anonymously, said that most leaders have departed Damascus for countries such as Lebanon. According to him, these groups were forced to surrender their arms to the Syrian state under Ahmad al-Sharaa (Julani). A second source from a smaller faction confirmed that their departure came amid increasing restrictions by Damascus.
❗️World Health Organization says 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza damaged and destroyed
“Hospitals must never be militarized and are #NotATarget,” the UN organisation said in a post on X, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
According to the WHO:
– At least 94 percent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed.
– Only 19 of 36 hospitals remain functional, “although only partially”.
– Four major hospitals have closed in the last week “due to attacks, evacuation orders, and increasing hostilities”.
– Northern Gaza “has been stripped of nearly all healthcare”.
– The few remaining hospitals in the south are “overwhelmed and at imminent risk of shutting down”.
Over 80 percent of Israelis endorse 'forced expulsion' of Gaza's population: Poll
Israel’s premier says his condition for ending the genocidal war against Gaza is the implementation of a US plan to expel the residents of the strip
❗️Over 80% of Gaza is under forced expulsion orders
The United Nations reports that 81% of the Gaza Strip is now classified as either a military zone or an Israeli-designated ‘evacuation’ area. Nearly one-third of Gaza’s population has been displaced again in just the last month, as space for shelter continues to shrink. While the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing has been closed for most cargo since 19 May, around 90 truckloads of aid were allowed through for humanitarian groups on 21 May. The crossing remains open only for limited aid and staff rotations.
(Al Jazeera)
❗️The process of disarming Palestinian camps in Lebanon will begin in mid-June.
(AFP, citing a government source)
⭕️ Few Gaza bakeries resume operations, WFP chief says
A number of bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) are up and running again in Gaza, says the UN organisation’s chief, Cindy McCain.
“But we need more wheat flour, more fuel, more safe access – so more ovens can fire back up to feed families desperately in need,” McCain said in a post on X.
⭕️ Israeli soldier in Gaza learns father was killed fighting for Ukraine against Russia
Artem Nelipa, an Israeli soldier serving in the Golani Brigade, learned while deployed in Gaza that his father, Ukrainian actor and soldier Maksym Nelipa, was killed in action last week while serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to Hebrew media, Maksym Nelipa died on 12 May.
❗️Al-Hadath TV channel reports that the Lebanese government will begin confiscating weapons from Palestinian refugee camps in June.
Читать полностью…
❗️Hamas has welcomed the joint statement by 80 countries acknowledging Gaza’s dire humanitarian crisis and condemning the use of aid for political or military purposes. The group called for immediate international pressure to ensure relief reaches civilians without obstruction.
Читать полностью…
❗️At least 11 Palestinians, the majority of them children, were killed early Friday when Israeli warplanes bombed the al-Dughma family home in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip.
Читать полностью…
❗️Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director General of Health in Gaza, revealed that Israeli forces have intentionally killed 12 of the Ministry of Health’s most skilled nurses and paramedics within a single week. Many of the victims were intensive care specialists, and some were killed alongside their entire families. The losses, he said, have crippled Gaza’s already overwhelmed medical system amid ongoing bombardment.
Читать полностью…
❗️Ahmad al-Sharaa (Julani) handed over Mossad’s Eli Cohen archive to Israel in deal to win Trump’s favor
New revelations by The Times of Israel suggest that Syria’s de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa authorized the quiet handover of Israeli spy Eli Cohen’s personal archive to Tel Aviv as a political offering to US President Donald Trump in hopes of easing Western pressure and gaining legitimacy.
The archive, long held by Syrian intelligence, was reportedly discovered after Sharaa’s forces ousted Bashar al-Assad. Instead of preserving the legacy of Syrian resistance against Israeli occupation and illegal territorial expansion, Sharaa allegedly chose to return the files, including over 2,500 documents and personal items to Israel via UAE-mediated backchannels. Sources say the move was part of a broader effort to eventually normalize ties with Israel, including talks over returning the remains of Israeli soldiers. For many Syrians, the gesture is seen as a betrayal of the sacrifices made over decades of confrontation with the Israeli entity.
❗️On Thursday, a convoy of 31 humanitarian aid trucks passing through Salah al-Din Street near Deir al-Balah came under coordinated attack by looters reportedly enabled by Israel, according to local sources. The armed group opened fire in an attempt to seize the desperately needed supplies. Palestinian security personnel intervened to stop the looting, only to be targeted by Israeli airstrikes, which killed multiple members of the protection team.
The attacks continued as civilians rushed to rescue the wounded, only to be struck themselves. Ambulances and rescue vehicles were also targeted in a series of at least eight consecutive airstrikes. The assault left a heavy toll of martyrs and injuries.
⭕️ Defying a direct order from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the appointment of the Israeli military's Maj. Gen. David Zini as the next Shin Bet chief.
This move came just one day after the High Court ruled Netanyahu's dismissal of outgoing Shin Bet head Ronen Bar was "improper" and "unlawful," citing a conflict of interest. Baharav-Miara had explicitly barred any new appointment while the legal implications were being assessed.
Despite this, Netanyahu insisted the government has the authority to make such appointments, calling it essential to national security.
The attorney general condemned the appointment, warning it was made under a potential conflict of interest and through a flawed process.
Israel bombs Palestinian security guarding Gaza aid convoy
As part of its effort to starve Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has regularly intervened to assist looters attacking aid convoys
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "60 martyrs and 185 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals in the past 24 hours. (The statistics do not include hospitals in the North Gaza Strip Governorate due to the difficulty of accessing them.)"
– "The death toll and injuries since 18 March 2025 has reached 3,673 martyrs and 10,341 injuries."
⭕️ Israeli officials are playing a direct role in shaping the US approach to ongoing nuclear talks with Iran
——
According to Axios citing Israeli sources, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad chief David Barnea are set to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff in Rome today to 'coordinate positions' and receive immediate briefings on the sidelines of the fifth round of nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Amid threats from Iran to move nuclear materials to undeclared sites and accusations that Israel is planning a strike, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with President Trump, and both reaffirmed their shared goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
(Photo: Jerusalem Post)
⭕️ Turkish police arrest 44 in corruption probe targeting Istanbul mayor
On Friday, Turkish police arrested 44 individuals as part of a corruption investigation involving Ekrem İmamoglu, the suspended Mayor of Istanbul since late March, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. Authorities have also detained the head of Istanbul Municipality’s media office and placed 13 municipal employees in pretrial detention.
❗️The Israeli army is deploying reservists with PTSD to serve in Gaza, and at least two have died by suicide.
Since the war began, around 35 active-duty soldiers have taken their own lives, 28 of them by the end of last year. The army has not disclosed figures for the current year.
"I can cautiously estimate that among the tens of thousands who reported for reserve duty over the last two weeks, hundreds of mentally injured soldiers have turned to us, maybe thousands," a Defense Ministry source stated.
(Haaretz)
⭕️ Hamas warns of Israeli 'detention camps' masquerading as aid zones
——
In a statement issued last night, Hamas condemned Israel’s continued “engineering of starvation” in Gaza, saying the minimal aid allowed in is merely “a drop in the ocean of humanitarian needs.” The group warned of an Israeli plan to establish “detention camps” in southern Gaza “under the guise of aid,” a “colonial scheme” that “will not succeed” and “will be met with our people’s will.” It described the current strategy as “a crime portrayed as a humanitarian solution” and urged the international community to reject “the engineering of hunger and humiliation” by securing a “free and permanent humanitarian corridor.”
❗️UN rights office: Israeli attacks killed hundreds in houses and tents
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says 629 Palestinians have been killed in the last week in Gaza.
At least 358 of those were killed in attacks on houses and tents for displaced people, with children and women comprising at least 148 of the victims, it added.
Nine Palestinian journalists were also killed last week, making it one of the deadliest for the profession since the conflict began in October 2023, the agency added.
❗️Israeli forces have once again targeted the Interior Ministry headquarters west of Gaza City in a new air raid, local sources report.
Читать полностью…
❗️Photos reveal the aftermath of a violent raid by Israeli settler militias last night on the town of Bruqin in the central occupied West Bank. The attack took place just hours after Israeli forces ended a week-long offensive and lifted a military curfew, leaving the town exposed to settler violence.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ The Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard University revoking its exchange visitor program certification following a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation. The decision barred the university from enrolling international students and required current foreign students to transfer to another institution or risk losing their legal status.
DHS Secretary Krisiti Noem has accused Harvard of supporting anti-Semitism, and cooperating with the Communist Party of China.
(NYT)
Illegal Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes in newest West Bank attack
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the ‘flattening’ of two West Bank towns following the killing of a settler in a nearby settlement
❗️Israel’s Attorney General Office has charged two Israelis with collaborating with Iranian intelligence, according to a statement issued on Friday. Israeli authorities claim that one of the defendants was contacted by Iranian agents via Telegram, while the second was actively recruited and invited to cooperate.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent stated on Thursday that a paramedic survived the Israeli massacre that left 15 aid workers dead on 23 March because he pleaded for mercy in Hebrew to Israeli soldiers. He expressed hope that the survivor's account would contribute to achieving justice.
Читать полностью…
❗️The Gaza Ministry of Health announced Thursday that 29 children and one elderly person have died from starvation in recent days, warning that thousands more face the same fate. “In the last couple of days we lost 29 children,” said Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan during a press briefing.
While Israeli authorities reportedly allowed limited aid trucks to enter Gaza after an 11-week blockade, both Palestinian and international officials say the supplies are woefully insufficient, calling the gesture a symbolic drop in the ocean amid a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
Heavy Israeli strikes hit south Lebanon ahead of final vote in municipal elections
The last round of municipal elections will be held on Saturday in Nabatieh and other war-ravaged areas of southern Lebanon