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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Turkish war chief says ‘too early’ to discuss Syria withdrawal
The Turkish military has been occupying the country since 2016 and supports several extremist groups that have recently been integrated into the new Syrian army
⭕️ Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital struck by Israeli drones three times in one day
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The Gaza Government Media Office announces that Israeli forces have bombed Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for the 11th time since its war on Gaza began, including three drone strikes on the hospital’s rooftop today alone.
UPDATE | Norway's parliament has voted down a proposal that called for the country's $1.9 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, to withdraw investments from all companies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said "We divest from the companies that contribute to Israel's breach of international law, but we do not divest from all companies that are present on the ground."
⭕️ A new survey of Israeli Jews shows increasing acceptance of the idea of forcibly removing Palestinians, both from the occupied Palestinian territories (Gaza and the West Bank) and the '48 territories. The poll also indicated that a large portion of the respondents supports the large-scale killing of innocent civilians in cities captured by the Israeli military.
According to the findings, 82 percent supported removing Gaza’s population, while 56 percent favored expelling Palestinian citizens of Israel. These numbers reflect a significant increase from a 2003 poll, where support for these measures was at 45 percent and 31 percent, respectively.
⭕️ Reuters: Turkiye to push allies for access to EU defense funds
Turkiye intends to urge its European allies to relax rules that currently mandate most of that spending be confined within the EU, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said ahead of a NATO summit.
Guler also expressed hope that a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could lead to tangible progress in removing US sanctions that led to Turkiye's exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program.
❗️Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa says he is open to peace with Israel
US Congressman Marlin Stutzman, who recently held a meeting with Sharaa, said that "he (Sharaa) is open to peace with Israel."
According to Stutzman, the conditions were that "Syria remains whole and stays within its current borders."
When asked if Sharaa's conditions include the Golan Heights, he responded: "No, he said there could be negotiations over the Golan Heights. So again, he's open to discussing the Golan, which I felt was a good sign. I hope this indicates a real desire to build Syria into a state of commerce and prosperity. But to do that, he must distance himself from his old allies. That is my hope. I care that every sect and individual in Syria is protected. There must be human rights, religious freedom, and minority rights."
(Israel Hayom)
⭕️ UK fears Trump may sanction Amal Clooney over ICC Israel case
British officials believe the Trump administration may impose sanctions on human rights lawyer Amal Clooney for her role advising the International Criminal Court (ICC) on arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, Middle East Eye has reported.
In April, the UK Foreign Office warned British lawyers involved in the case of potential US sanctions. This follows Trump’s February move to sanction ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan after the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges.
BREAKING | Israeli strike on site west of Hama military airport in Syria.
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❗️The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), claimed responsibility for targeting a group of Israeli soldiers east of Jabalia in northern Gaza with two missiles.
The attack reportedly took place on Monday at 6 pm local time, according to a statement published on the group’s official channel. PIJ says its fighters “confirmed their success” in hitting the target.
❗️Israeli children taught to play ‘terrorist’ hunters at mock Palestinian town dubbed ‘Fauda Base’
An Israeli facility named “Fauda Base” is teaching children as young as six to simulate military raids on Palestinians, according to a report by HaMakom. Critics say the initiative reinforces a mindset where Palestinian identity is equated with terrorism, further entrenching dehumanization and occupation. Located in central Israel, the site mimics a Palestinian town and trains children and youth to act as undercover agents, use firearms, dress as “terrorists,” and carry out mock abductions and raids.
The facility is operated by former members of elite Israeli units and was launched in 2021 in collaboration with YES, the producer of the controversial Netflix series Fauda. The program is framed as a rescue mission and espionage training, drawing condemnation for militarizing Israeli youth and glorifying operations in occupied Palestinian territories.
❗️Greta Thunberg’s Gaza-bound flotilla issues distress call over drone threat
Activists aboard the Madleen aid ship, including Greta Thunberg, issued a mid-sea distress call last night after reporting a drone hovering above their vessel. “There’s a drone on top of our ship!” the crew warned late Tuesday, as the ship continued its journey toward Gaza.
The Madleen, which departed Sicily on 1 June, is carrying an aid cargo in a bid to challenge Israel’s blockade. The 12-person crew includes Greta Thunberg, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, and MEP Rima Hassan. The source of the drone remains unknown, raising concerns over surveillance or possible attempts to obstruct the mission, or bomb the ship, as was done to the Conscience flotilla in April.
Spain cancels Israeli missile contract, looks to US arms dealers for alternative
Madrid continues to cooperate with Israel on defense and has facilitated the shipment of thousands of weapons via its ports since October 2023
⭕️ Iran’s oil shipments to China have dropped significantly due to tightening US sanctions and weakening refinery demand, according to Bloomberg.
Preliminary data from Vortexa Ltd. shows Iranian crude and condensate flows to China fell to just over 1.1 million barrels per day in May; about 20% lower than a year earlier.
The decline comes amid heightened scrutiny, with tankers increasingly turning off their transponders and rebranding shipments as Malaysian after ship-to-ship transfers.
China’s independent refineries, or “teapots,” are the primary buyers of discounted Iranian crude but have slowed processing due to delayed maintenance, now expected to extend through July. Vortexa analyst Emma Li notes that earlier stockpiling and cheaper Russian alternatives like Sokol and Novy Port are also displacing Iranian barrels in the Chinese market.
❗️Local sources in southern Lebanon report that the fisherman who was kidnapped by the Israelis near Ras al-Naqoura is the citizen Ali Fneish.
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WATCH | Quds Brigades shares footage of its fighters detonating a highly explosive device in an Israeli Hummer jeep at a newly constructed military site east of Gaza City.
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❗️Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini:
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"There has been no safe, dignified & significant aid in Gaza for more than 3 months now.
People’s suffering is unconscionable, deepening further on a daily basis.
We have got to and must go back to bringing in aid at scale to people wherever they are and deliver it safely.
The only way to do this is through the United Nations including UNRWA.
We have the expertise, experience and ressources.
We demonstrated tangible impact during the ceasefire, when obstacles were lifted.
Delaying the decision to properly respond to the deepening hunger will further push down people in Gaza to an endless bottom and deepen dehumanization."
❗️Qassam Brigades announces that its fighters targeted a D9 military bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell the day before yesterday, Monday, in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza.
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GHF temporarily suspends work as UN warns less than 80 percent of pre-cleared shipments reach Gaza
The US-Israeli aid scheme lost support from a major consulting firm, as Israeli troops have repeatedly massacred dozens of Palestinian aid seekers
❗️Qassam Brigades announces that its fighters struck an Israeli Merkava tank with a Yassin 105 shell on Tuesday, setting it ablaze, and observed the landing of a military helicopter for evacuation near the Murtaja junction in the Maan area, south of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
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❗️The ten elected members of the UN Security Council have called for a vote today on a draft resolution urging "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties."
The draft also calls for the release of all captives held by Hamas and others, as well as the immediate removal of all restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza and its large-scale, safe, and unobstructed distribution across the enclave, including by the UN.
(Reuters)
⭕️ Majority in UK back arms embargo and sanctions on Israel: Poll
A new poll commissioned by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign shows that 57 percent of British respondents support a full arms embargo on Israel, with only 13 percent opposed. The survey, conducted by Opinium Research from 30 May to 2 June, also found that over half of respondents back expelling Israel from the UN and boycotting Israeli goods.
Fifty-four percent supported sanctions on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over his role in the Gaza blockade, which has pushed more than 93 percent of Palestinians into acute food insecurity.
❗️BBC rejects White House criticism over Gaza aid center report
The BBC has defended its coverage of a deadly incident near the US-Israeli aid center in Gaza, after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the broadcaster of “taking the word of Hamas” and demanded it retract its report.
At least 31 Palestinians were killed near the center on Sunday, according to Gaza’s civil defense. Israel denied responsibility, claiming Hamas spread false rumors. In a statement on Wednesday, the BBC said it had not removed any stories and stood by its reporting, which cited multiple sources including medics, the Gaza Health Ministry, and the Red Cross.
Khamenei rebuffs proposal for 'limited' uranium enrichment under US oversight
Iran is reportedly open to the establishment of a regional nuclear consortium, a key element of the new US proposal, as long as it is based ‘on Iranian soil’
❗️Nine freed Palestinian detainees arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, after months of being subjected to brutal conditions in Israeli prisons.
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⭕️ Norway could withdraw investments from Israeli companies in the occupied Palestinian territories
Norwegian lawmakers are discussing today whether Norway’s $1.9 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, should withdraw investments from all companies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.
A formal vote was scheduled for around 3 PM, with Parliament anticipated to reject a complete boycott.
(Reuters)
❗️Israeli coalition at risk as ultra-Orthodox party threatens to withdraw over draft dispute
Israel’s ruling coalition is facing potential collapse after senior rabbis instructed the United Torah Judaism alliance to withdraw from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over a dispute on military conscription.
The alliance’s exit would reduce Netanyahu’s majority to just 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The crisis comes amid growing tension over the lapsed exemption from compulsory military service for the ultra-Orthodox Haredi community, an issue the government has yet to resolve through legislation.
❗️Israeli arms exports hits new peak in 2024 for fourth consecutive year
Israeli military exports reached a level twice as high as five years ago, based on data published today by the Defense Ministry.
The ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate, known as SIBAT, reported that defense exports climbed to nearly $14.8 billion last year, up from the previous record of $13 billion in 2023. From 2018 to 2020, annual exports ranged between $7.5 billion and $8.5 billion.
BREAKING | Three Palestinians killed and several wounded in an Israeli raid on Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, according to medical source at Al-Shifa Hospital.
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⭕ UN: Fewer than 80% of aid trucks cleared by Israel have reached Gaza
The UN warned on 3 June that aid deliveries to Gaza remain critically obstructed, with less than 80 percent of pre-cleared trucks making it through Israeli checks. Of over 1,200 truckloads approved since mid-May, only about 620 reached the Palestinian side—and just 370 were distributed inside Gaza.
UN officials blamed scanning delays, lack of access for monitors, and repeated Israeli denials of humanitarian movement.