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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
⭕️ Saudi, Egyptian, Jordanian, French FMs meet in Paris amid Gaza genocide, call for ceasefire and aid access
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and France met in Paris on Friday to discuss the situation in Gaza, as Israel’s war on the Strip enters its 20th month.
According to Egypt’s State Information Service, the ministers reviewed “international efforts to stop the war” and discussed mechanisms to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. In a joint statement, they also condemned ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinians and stressed the urgency of ending the aggression on Gaza.
⭕️ Israeli poll: Majority of Israelis believe Netanyahu prioritizes power over ending war on Gaza
A new poll by Israel’s Channel 12 reveals that a majority of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more focused on preserving his political power than ending the war on Gaza or securing the release of captives.
According to the survey, 55% of respondents said Netanyahu’s top priority is remaining in office, while just 36% believe he is primarily concerned with bringing the captives home. The results remained largely unchanged when “winning the war” was used instead of “freeing captives.”
When asked why no ceasefire-for-captives deal has materialized, 53% attributed the failure to political motives.
❗️Israeli forces storm the city of Nablus and raid homes in the Balata area in the West Bank overnight, according to local sources.
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❗️BREAKING | US lifts Syria sanctions under General License 25, authorizing investment and transactions with the new government.
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Israel's allies don't care about aid for Gaza. They care about Israel's image.
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❗️Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking from Rome, said the recent round of negotiations with the US was one of the most professional and complex so far. He emphasized that while the US now better understands Iran’s positions, the talks remain too intricate to resolve in just a few rounds.
Araghchi confirmed that Oman’s foreign minister has presented proposals aimed at removing obstacles, which will be reviewed in Tehran before any response is given.
He reiterated that Iran will not compromise on its red lines and that the next round of negotiations will follow internal consultations on the Omani proposals.
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
❗️Gaza doctor discovers nine of her children among casualties while on duty, killed by Israeli airstrike on her home
While on duty at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, pediatrician Dr. Alaa Al-Najjar found the burned bodies of her nine children, killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck her home.
Dr. Al-Najjar and her husband, Dr. Hamdi Al-Najjar, had briefly left the house. Hamdi returned moments before the strike and is now in critical condition. Only their youngest child, Adam, survived with injuries. The nine children killed were Yahya, Rakan, Raslan, Gubran, Eve, Revan, Sadin, Luqman, and Sidra.
⭕️ ‘Israeli army says it bombed Hamas gunmen, Gaza officials say they were aid security’ (Al Jazeera)
An Israeli drone strike on Friday killed six members of an aid protection unit in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. The victims were reportedly securing the delivery of humanitarian assistance when they were targeted.
While Israeli military sources told The Times of Israel the strike was aimed at “armed Hamas operatives” near aid trucks, local authorities strongly rejected that claim. Citing Anadolu and Middle East Monitor, Gaza officials affirmed that the men were part of “aid security and protection teams … performing purely humanitarian tasks.”
❗️Israel has killed at least 76 Palestinians in attacks on the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
(Medical sources to Al Jazeera)
Israeli settlers perform dances and Talmudic prayers on the outskirts of the village of Bruqin, west of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, which has been attack by them for about three weeks—supported by Israeli forces and involving land bulldozing, demolitions, and confiscations.
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In Trump’s second term, the MAGA vs neocons battle heats up
The nationalist MAGA wave is rewriting US foreign policy, but Washington's neocons and neoliberals will do whatever it takes to protect their US global dominance project. Who will win this epic battle fought inside the heart of empire?
By Mohamad Hasan Sweidan
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.