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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
BREAKING | French President Macron: "We will decide in the next few days whether we need to further toughen our tone and take concrete steps against Israel."
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❗️Israeli Army Radio:
New details on Israel’s cooperation with the ISIS-linked "Yasser Abu Shabab" militia based in Gaza:
– Israel has transferred weapons to members of the militia, many of which were confiscated from Hamas or seized in the Strip, primarily Kalashnikov rifles.
– The militia operates mainly in the Rafah area, which the Israeli army has occupied and cleared. Abu Shabab’s men are now active there.
– The militia’s tasks include preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza and fighting Hamas.
– This initiative was developed in coordination with security agencies and presented to the political echelon, which approved the plan. According to informed sources, the decision did not require cabinet approval.
– The ISIS-linked Yasser Abu Shabab militia is currently the only group Israel is cooperating with. No other factions in Gaza are engaged in similar collaboration.
❗️The Israeli military censor admits that the army supplied Kalashnikov rifles to Yasser Abu Shabab’s criminal ISIS affiliated gang as part of a broader initiative to bolster Hamas opposition factions in Gaza.
(Times of Israel)
❗️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.
❗️Gaza's Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital doctor: ‘No choice’ but to keep working after eighth Israeli attack
Dr. Fadel Naim, speaking from Gaza City, said the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was struck by Israeli forces for the eighth time on Wednesday, just two weeks after it had resumed operations.
The drone attack killed six people, including three journalists and two of their relatives, and left around 40 others injured. “We suddenly heard a huge explosion,” Naim said, adding that despite the risks, the medical team is continuing its work. “We have no choice, we are the only functioning hospital left in northern Gaza.”
Israeli opposition leader says Netanyahu arming 'ISIS-linked gangs' in Gaza
Palestinian media reported last month that ISIS-linked bandit chief Abu Shabab has recently set up a fortified base in Israeli-controlled Rafah
❗️The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has condemned the massacre after an Israeli drone strike targeted the courtyard of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, killing three journalists.
Those killed were identified as Sulaiman Hajjaj and Ismail Badah of Palestine Today TV, and Samir al-Rifai of Shams News Agency. Several others were wounded in the attack, including Imad Daloul, a correspondent with Palestine Today TV, who remains in critical condition, and Islam Badr, a journalist with Al-Arabiya TV.
❗️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.