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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️UK PM Keir Starmer condemns recent Israeli actions in Gaza but resists arms ban
On Wednesday, Starmer described Israel’s recent conduct in Gaza as “appalling, counterproductive and intolerable,” following the deaths of dozens of civilians at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation food distribution sites in recent days.
Speaking to MPs on Wednesday, the prime minister said the UK is weighing the option of sanctioning Israeli government officials but has, for now, held off on calls for a full arms sales ban or the immediate recognition of Palestine.
WATCH | Israeli settlers torch homes with families inside in West Bank attack
Israeli settlers set fire to several homes with residents still inside in a village in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian media reported. The arson attack footage circulating online shows flames engulfing homes as panicked residents attempted to put out the fire and escape. The extent of casualties remains unclear.
❗️Israeli airstrikes kill Gazan boy Hussein on eve of Eid al-Adha
Palestinians mourn the death of a young boy named Hussein, killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, just one day before Eid al-Adha. Heart-wrenching footage shows relatives screaming in grief as they carry his lifeless body through the rubble.
Protesters gathered in Brussels yesterday to express solidarity with Palestine and call for an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
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❗️UN agencies warn that aid reaching Gaza has been critically insufficient for over three months
– World Food Programme reports over 70,000 children facing severe malnutrition.
– UNRWA cautions that further delay in addressing the crisis risks pushing Gaza’s population into an endless abyss, as escalating violence threatens to bring relief operations to a near-total halt.
Hamas slams fifth US veto for Gaza ceasefire as 'green light for war criminal Netanyahu'
Washington’s representative said a UNSC vote to end the genocidal war and deadly aid blockade would be ‘rewarding Hamas’s intransigence’
❗️Jerusalem Post reports that Israel plans to seize the "Madleen" ship - part of the Freedom Flotilla sailing to break the siege on Gaza - and arrest the 12 activists on board.
The report says a direct warning will be sent to the ship, instructing it not to approach. If the activists refuse, Israeli forces are expected to intercept the vessel and detain those aboard.
‼️ Devastating scenes from Israel's bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, deliberately targeting a tent sheltering journalists.
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❗️Israeli warplanes bomb Al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City, alongside simultaneous artillery strikes east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.
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⭕️ The Internal Security Directorate in the Syrian town of Qusayr, Homs countryside, intercepted a truck carrying anti-tank guided missiles and 30mm rounds intended for smuggling into Lebanon. The driver was arrested and referred to the judiciary.
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❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "The laboratories and blood banks in the remaining hospitals are operating with only 40% of their equipment, under immense pressure due to the high volume of laboratory tests."
– "The equipment is functioning without any regular maintenance systems, and spare parts are not available."
– "60% of the equipment has been destroyed, with the Israeli occupation deliberately causing malfunctions."
– "Hospital laboratories are in urgent need of enhanced lab equipment to meet the departments’ needs in conducting tests for patients and the wounded."
❗️Trump revives and expands travel ban
US President Donald Trump has issued a broad executive order that prohibits entry from 12 countries and imposes travel limitations on seven additional nations, effectively reinstating and broadening the travel bans implemented during his first term.
As stated in the proclamation, citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen will face a “full” ban on entering the United States. In contrast, individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will be subject to partial restrictions.
❗️Freedom Flotilla continues sailing toward Gaza despite Israeli threats
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says it will continue its journey to Gaza despite Israeli threats to intercept the vessel Madleen, which seeks to break the blockade on the besieged enclave.
The group reported that drones circled the ship on 4 June, raising suspicions of surveillance by Greece or the EU on Israel’s behalf. The ship, carrying 12 crew members including climate activist Greta Thunberg, is expected to reach Gaza on 7 June.
❗️GHF extends Gaza aid site closure after mass shooting
The US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has extended the closure of its aid distribution sites for a second consecutive day, citing ongoing “maintenance and repair work,” according to a statement posted on Facebook.
The announcement comes after Israeli forces opened fire near a GHF site in southern Rafah on 5 June, killing at least 27 Palestinians and wounding around 90 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
❗️Israeli military raids continue across occupied West Bank
Israeli forces carried out a series of raids overnight across the occupied West Bank, according to WAFA news agency.
Troops stormed the Balata refugee camp and the Rujeib area east of Nablus, surrounding a home without making arrests. Separate raids were reported in the town of Tuqu’ near Bethlehem, and in Bruqin, west of Salfit, where soldiers opened fire on homes and vehicles.
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "70 martyrs (including 3 martyrs who were recovered) and 189 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours."
– "Since 18 March 2025, the death toll has risen to 4,402 martyrs, with 13,489 others wounded."
⭕ Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office did not deny claims by MK Avigdor Liberman that the government is arming militias in Gaza that oppose Hamas, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In an interview on Thursday, Liberman said weapons were being sent to criminal groups linked to ISIS, possibly without cabinet approval. He said the Shin Bet chief was aware, but it’s unclear if the army chief knew. KAN reported the weapons were meant to help these groups fight Hamas. The Shin Bet did not respond.
⭕️ US approves potential $325 million sale to Kuwait for Abrams tank support
The US State Department has given the green light for a possible sale to Kuwait involving equipment and services to support the maintenance of M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks, with an estimated value of $325 million, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
General Dynamics has been named as the primary contractor for the deal, the Pentagon added in its statement.
❗️Israeli politician accuses Netanyahu of arming Gaza gangs linked to ISIS
Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman has exposed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the transfer of weapons to armed gangs in Gaza affiliated with ISIS, in an effort to loot humanitarian aid and counterbalance Hamas. Speaking to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the Yisrael Beiteinu party leader claimed the move was carried out without cabinet approval.
Lieberman added that it was unclear whether the Israeli army’s chief of staff was even informed, warning that the weapons could eventually be turned against Israel. The explosive accusation raises serious concerns over Netanyahu’s war-time decision-making and internal oversight.
⭕️ Iraq's oil ministry states that it considers the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally accountable for the ongoing smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region abroad.
The ministry also noted that it "reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter."
❗️Israel using flawed tech to justify bombing populated civilian areas, falsely designating Gaza areas as ‘empty’ to justify bombing
The Israeli army has been bombing residential neighborhoods in Gaza it claims are evacuated, relying on a faulty algorithm to determine civilian presence, according to a report by +972 Magazine and Local Call. Intelligence sources revealed that the military marks areas “green” (presumed empty) based on wide-area phone usage patterns, and does not conduct follow-up assessments to verify civilian casualties.
A military source said that entire areas, including those in Khan Yunis, were falsely marked as cleared despite being visibly populated. The method, used to justify more frequent airstrikes, allegedly enables the army to argue adherence to proportionality principles, despite evidence that many bombed homes are still filled with civilians.
❗️Hospital director says Israeli strike is eighth on Al-Ahli Hospital
Israeli forces bombed the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on 5 June, killing at least three people and wounding several others, as reported earlier.
The hospital’s director added that this marks the eighth time the facility has been targeted by Israel since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023.
❗️At least 23 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since dawn
At least 23 people have been killed in Gaza since dawn, according to medical sources.
The toll combines the number of casualties registered by the Nasser, Al-Ahli, and Al-Shifa hospitals.
⭕️ Turkish and Syrian airlines to begin operating flights
AJet, a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines, announced that it will begin operating flights to Damascus International Airport from both Istanbul and Ankara starting mid-June. According to the airline, flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport will commence on 17 June, initially running four times a week before increasing to daily service in July.
Flights from Ankara to Damascus are set to begin on 17 June, with three weekly departures, the airline added.
Meanwhile, Syria’s national carrier, Syrian Air, will launch direct flights from Damascus to Istanbul on 10 June, according to the state-run news agency SANA.
❗️A man survived a drone strike that attempted to target his vehicle in the town of Qalawih in southern Lebanon.
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❗️Three journalists killed in Israeli attack on Gaza City hospital
An Israeli drone strike hit the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City in the north of the enclave. At least three among those killed were journalists, including Isamail Badah and Sulaiman Haja.
Both used to work for the Palestine Today channel and were killed inside the hospital.
BREAKING | At least 12 Palestinians were killed on the morning of 5 June in separate Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources.
Three people were killed in an airstrike targeting a house in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, while six others were killed when an Israeli drone struck tents sheltering displaced people in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza. Additional casualties were reported elsewhere as Israeli attacks continue across the enclave.
Israeli occupation forces re-arrested freed prisoner Abdul Rahman al-Khatib during a dawn raid on his home in Hebron’s al-Jami'a neighborhood today.
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❗️CNN investigation links Israeli gunfire to Rafah food aid massacre
A CNN investigation has linked Israeli gunfire to the deadly shooting of Palestinians in Rafah on 2 June, where at least 31 were killed and nearly 90 wounded as they sought food near the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution point.
Based on geolocated videos, eyewitness accounts, and ballistic analysis, the report indicates Israeli forces opened fire in sporadic bursts near a roundabout in Tal al-Sultan, some 800 meters from a militarized aid site. Weapons experts cited by CNN said the gunfire matched Israeli army machineguns, and bullets retrieved from victims were consistent with Israeli ammunition.
❗️Bodies of two Israeli captives recovered in Khan Yunis
The Israeli army announced on Wednesday it had recovered the bodies of two captives, Judy Weinstein-Hagi and Gadi Hagi, in southern Khan Yunis. The couple, aged 70 and 72.
According to the military, the two were held by the Mujahideen Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement. Their bodies were identified at the National Forensic Institute before their family was notified.