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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Harvard sues White House over foreign student ban
President Trump is seeking to punish US universities for failing to crack down on demonstrations opposing Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza
❗️Palestinian journalist Bilal al-Hatoum was killed when Israeli warplanes targeted a group of citizens in Al-Saftawi area, north of Gaza.
Israel has murdered at least 222 journalists in Gaza since the start of its brutal war.
❗️Rocket fire from Gaza seen over Netivot in the Gaza envelope.
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Multiple Yemeni attacks cause chaos at Ben Gurion Airport
Major airlines have extended their suspension of flights to Israel as a result of Yemen’s pro-Palestine operations
❗️British spy aircraft tracked over Gaza airspace
On 21 May, a British Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft took off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and flew toward Gaza, conducting aerial intelligence-gathering operations.
The presence of British surveillance aircraft over Gaza possibly suggests operational coordination or intelligence-sharing with Tel Aviv, particularly given the RAF’s past involvement in joint operations and the UK’s deep integration in Western security frameworks.
Investigations by Zan National reveal that the surveillance flight was timed just hours after the UK foreign minister labeled Israeli actions “barbaric” and criticized ongoing trade negotiations, exposing yet again the duplicity of Western states that feign outrage while enabling Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
❗️Israeli Army Radio (GLZ):
"The wave of flight cancellations does not stop: British Airways has canceled its flights until the end of July."
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
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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
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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.
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❗️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.
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US roadmap for Syria sanctions removal includes Israel normalization, expulsion of Palestinian factions
A State Department proposal calls for a three-phase plan to lift US sanctions that have devastated the country and plunged millions into poverty
❗️Israeli army:
"Following the alerts that were activated at 17:20 in the Gaza envelope area, the Air Force intercepted one rocket that crossed from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory. No casualties."
❗️US President Donald Trump 'recommends' a 50% Tariff on the European Union.
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❗️"Free Palestine is just today's version of Heil Hitler"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again attempts to smear the Palestinian cause after Israel lost the PR war.
❗️Smotrich: ‘We are eliminating ministers, officials, and money changers’
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"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.
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❗️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.
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