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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️“Well, they’re very close to an agreement on Gaza.”
US President Donald Trump says a deal in Gaza is “very close,” and that a deal with Iran is also possible.
⭕️ Reuters: UN nuclear watchdog confidential report says Iran conducted undisclosed nuclear work involving undeclared nuclear material at three sites
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded that “these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material,” as stated in the “comprehensive” report commissioned by the IAEA’s Board of Governors last November.
❗️Quds Brigades announces that it shelled a gathering of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles with a barrage of 60mm mortars southeast of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
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❗️Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi says that the SDF has been in direct contact with Turkiye, and that he is open to meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkiye, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said.
"I am not opposed ... We are not in a state of war with Turkiye and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this," he added.
(Shams TV)
WATCH | Quds Brigades releases footage of its fighters booby-trapping and blowing up a house where Israeli troops were holed up east of the Shujaiya neighborhood in Gaza City.
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❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "60 martyrs, including 1 martyr who was recovered, and 284 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during 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 4,117 martyrs and 12,013 injuries."
❗️Saudi Arabia denies 2025 Hajj visas to Palestinian refugees with Syrian travel documents
Saudi Arabia will not grant Hajj visas in 2025 to Palestinian refugees carrying Syrian travel documents, according to the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria.
The decision effectively bars thousands of displaced Palestinians from performing the pilgrimage, deepening concerns over their growing statelessness and restricted mobility.
⭕️ Michele Emiliano, President of Italy’s Puglia region, has issued a powerful letter accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians and calling for an immediate suspension of all relations with its representatives.
The letter, released after a regional council motion opposing commercial ties with Israel, directs all regional officials and employees to sever contact with Israeli government representatives, except those working to end the massacre in Gaza. Bari’s city council also voted to exclude Tel Aviv from future editions of the Fiera del Levante, a major economic fair. Emiliano condemned the Gaza blockade and denounced global silence on the humanitarian crisis as “irresponsible.”
❗️Thousands gathered yesterday in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, for a mass rally in support of Gaza, mobilized by Ansarallah.
Protesters waved large Palestinian flags and chanted slogans against Israel, referred to as the “criminal entity.” The demonstration came hours after Ansarallah launched a ballistic missile toward Israel in response to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, intercepted by Israeli forces.
⭕️ UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has warned that the limited aid entering Gaza “makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding” and urged political action to end the ongoing starvation.
In a post on X, Lazzarini said the UN and its partners must be allowed to operate freely to assist those in need and uphold their dignity. He added that the aid reaching Gaza currently covers just over 10 percent of the population’s daily requirements.
❗️Over 12,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office.
The monitor says 700 people were arrested in May alone, with more than 3,500 still held in Israeli prisons. At least 44 detainees from Gaza have died in custody. Israel is currently holding 1,846 people as “unlawful combatants,” denying them legal rights, and 3,577 others under administrative detention without charge, many of whom have reported torture and starvation.
❗️One person was killed and three others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, according to Syrian state media.
SANA reported that the Israeli military targeted three locations in the countryside of Latakia and Tartous governorates.
❗️A child was rescued just moments before Israeli warplanes bombed near his location in Gaza.
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❗️UN states conditions in Gaza have reached lowest point since war began
"Any aid that gets into the hands of people who need it is good," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. But, he added, the aid deliveries so far overall have had "very, very little impact."
"The catastrophic situation in Gaza is the worst since the war began," he said.
❗️Israel will reportedly block a planned visit by a delegation of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkiye to the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.
The ministers were expected to meet Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah to push for Palestinian statehood ahead of a UN conference spearheaded by Saudi Arabia and France. But Israeli outlets Walla and The Times of Israel report the government will bar the visit, as part of its broader rejection of the 'Two-State Solution'.
❗️Palestinian woman buries husband alone after two months under siege in Gaza
Aziza Qishta, 65, buried her husband with her bare hands in a garden in southern Gaza after two months trapped under Israeli siege. With no shroud, she wrapped his body in a curtain and laid him to rest alone.
Her husband, Ibrahim Qishta, 70, was killed by shrapnel during Israel’s assault on Rafah. The couple had refused to flee their home in Khirbet al-Adas, enduring relentless bombardment and dwindling supplies. Since Israel broke the ceasefire in March, nearly 4,000 Palestinians have been killed.
❗️Press statement by the Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "Technical teams in hospitals are operating under limited and depleted options to maintain electricity supply to vital departments."
– "The occupation has destroyed a large number of electric generators, the latest of which was the bombing and burning of three high-capacity generators."
– "The remaining generators in hospitals have been in operation for over a year and a half, and maintaining them is difficult due to the lack of spare parts; several are at risk of going out of service."
– "Operating rooms, intensive care units, emergency departments, and neonatal incubators cannot continue functioning without electricity."
– "We appeal to all institutions and concerned bodies to urgently provide electric generators with the necessary capacities, as well as the spare parts required for maintenance."
‼️ Al-Arabiya reports that Hamas will accept latest Witkoff proposal under 2 conditions:
– Releasing the captives in small groups over 60 days, instead of 2.
– A 'real guarantee' from the US that Israel will comply with the agreement.
❗️Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reports that Hamas submitted its response to the mediators this morning regarding the proposal it had received:
– Hamas held intensive communications and meetings with leaders of various Palestinian factions in Qatar and other capitals, including Beirut, in an effort to form a unified Palestinian position.
– According to Hamas leadership and the factions, the response can be described as positive, despite including some remarks that must be addressed to ensure the proposal’s successful implementation, particularly given its many shortcomings and clear bias in favor of the Israel.
– All comments on the proposal were made with factional consensus, and there is a likelihood they will be accepted if there is a genuine US will to pressure Israel.
– One of the key points in the response aims to prevent the handover of Israeli captives over just two days in the first week, as stipulated in Witkoff’s proposal. Instead, Hamas is insisting on a phased release, similar to the previous deal, to ensure the full implementation of the agreement over the designated 60-day period.
‼️ "Peace will lead to normalization, or normalization is part and parcel of the peace."
In an interview with CNN, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that normalizing relations with Israel is inevitable if a peace agreement is reached.
❗️An Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced civilians in the Shanti area, north of Gaza, has killed five Palestinians: a man, his wife, and their three children.
Local sources identified the father as Arafat Deeb. The entire family was killed in the assault.
❗️Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza:
– "Al-Shifa Medical Complex is operating at 20% capacity due to the occupation's destruction of the health system in the Gaza Strip."
– "We are facing a tragic situation, and kidney patients die every day due to the inability to treat them."
– "International organizations are striving to provide assistance, but the occupation is preventing the entry of aid."
❗️Israeli military vehicles deliberately rammed a bus transporting pilgrims early Saturday in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
The incident occurred near Jenin Governorate Square as the bus was getting ready to head to Jericho. From there, the pilgrims were expected to cross the Karama Bridge into Jordan on their way to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.
No injuries were reported.
(WAFA)
Iran summons Austrian envoy citing 'baseless claims' over nuclear program
Vienna issued a report claiming Iran's nuclear program has reached an 'advanced stage and cannot be stopped'
❗️Around 110 trucks loaded with flour for the World Food Programme (WFP) were raided in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
The aid was intended for distribution starting tomorrow, Sunday.
Israeli authorities also changed the convoy’s route at the last moment from the Netzarim corridor to the Kerem Shalom crossing.
❗️Reuters: UN nuclear watchdog may formally censure Iran for first time in nearly 20 years
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to distribute its quarterly reports on Iran to member states ahead of the board meeting scheduled to begin on 9 June. One of these will be a more detailed, "comprehensive" report addressing issues such as Iran's level of cooperation, as required by a board resolution passed in November.
"We expect the comprehensive report to be tough, but there were already no doubts over Iran not keeping its non-proliferation commitments," one European official said.
Following the release of the report, the United States is set to draft a resolution declaring Iran in violation of its safeguards obligations.
The draft will be discussed with other board members in the coming days before being formally introduced by the four Western powers during the quarterly session.
⭕️ Qatar has condemned Israel’s approval of 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling it a clear violation of international law.
In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the move breaches UN Security Council resolution 2234 and undermines Palestinian rights. It urged Israel to end its settlement expansion and reaffirmed support for a 'Two-State Solution'. The Arab Parliament and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also issued condemnations earlier in the day.
❗️Two Palestinian men were shot and killed outside a restaurant in Kafr Qasim, a city inside the Green Line with a majority Palestinian population.
According to Wafa news agency, the killings reflect ongoing Israeli police inaction and the absence of serious efforts to address rising crime affecting Palestinian citizens of Israel. The death toll from such shootings has now reached five in the past 24 hours, and 99 since the start of the year. Last year, 221 Palestinians were killed in similar incidents, 222 the year before.
❗️Ansarallah has declared air routes used by Israeli warplanes to target Yemen as dangerous zones, warning all airlines to avoid them. The group says the decision is meant to protect air and maritime navigation in areas where its forces are active.
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Supreme Political Council, told the Saba news agency that directives have been issued to mark these paths as unsafe. He also hinted at upcoming operations, promising “good news” soon and claiming Israeli aircraft involved in the aggression will become “a source of mockery.”
❗️An Israeli drone attacked a car in Deir al-Zahrani, south Lebanon, at dawn today, killing one person.
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