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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
BREAKING | Five Palestinians were killed and several others wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit a tent housing displaced civilians in the Remal neighborhood, west of Gaza City, according to medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital cited by Al Jazeera.
At least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip have been killed in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
❗️Footage shows the extent of the destruction in the Tal al-Zaatar neighborhood, east of Jabalia camp, north of Gaza.
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⭕️ The UN human rights office stated today that deliberately blocking civilians in Gaza from accessing food and humanitarian aid could amount to a war crime, condemning the targeting of people seeking aid as unacceptable.
"For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'," said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
❗️Israeli settlement minister and Cabinet member Orit Strook:
"Iran's continued uranium enrichment poses a danger to the free world and to Israel and Trump must offer it an agreement that prevents it from enriching uranium."
❗️Lebanese President Joseph Aoun after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
– “Lebanon is looking to strengthen state-to-state relations with Iran."
– “Internal dialogue is the key to resolving disputed issues, as is dialogue between countries, away from violence."
– “Rebuilding what was destroyed by the Israeli war on Lebanon is among the priorities we are working on with the government, in cooperation with brotherly and friendly countries, in accordance with applicable laws."
⭕ Netanyahu said ‘I don't remember’ 1,788 times during interrogation, says Israeli prosecution
Israeli prosecutors revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told investigators “I don’t remember” nearly 1,800 times during questioning over corruption allegations.
Pressed on details of his early meetings with billionaire Arnon Milchan, Netanyahu claimed not to recall which film premiere he attended with his wife. He also dismissed details about a large Bugs Bunny doll Milchan had testified he searched for in New York, saying only, “I remember there being talk” but “have no idea how the doll came to be by us.”
⭕️ AFP: Azerbaijan quietly engaged in diplomacy between Turkiye and Israel
Azerbaijan’s senior foreign policy official, Hikmet Hajiyev, has confirmed that Baku has facilitated over three rounds of dialogue between Turkiye and Israel over "security concerns" in Syria.
“Azerbaijan is making diplomatic efforts for an agreement,” Hajiyev told Turkish reporters in Baku during a visit arranged by the Istanbul-based Global Journalism Council.
“Both Turkiye and Israel trust us," he added.
Farid Shafiyev, head of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations, said that “Syria, and especially its northern territories, is the Turkish security concern because of the presence of terrorist groups."
He also adds that Turkiye wants to control northern Syria and “have a stronger presence” around the Palmyra and T4 airbases.
❗️US President Donald Trump says he will "not allow [Iran] any enrichment of uranium."
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BREAKING | Israeli airstrikes killed four Palestinians in separate attacks on Tuesday across Gaza City and Jabalia, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera.
Two were killed in a strike on Al-Shaaf Street in the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital. Another two were killed and one injured in an air raid on Al-Nuzha Street in Jabalia Al-Balad, northern Gaza, as reported by staff at Al-Shifa Hospital.
⭕️ Public opinion of Israel in Western Europe plunges
Public backing and sympathy for Israel across western Europe have fallen to their lowest levels since YouGov began tracking the issue, with under 20% of respondents across six countries expressing a positive view of the country.
The poll revealed that Israel's net favourability ratings reached record lows in Germany (-44), France (-48), and Denmark (-54) since polling began in 2016. In Italy (-52) and Spain (-55), ratings were at their lowest or tied with previous lows, primarily dating back to 2021.
In the UK, net favourability stood at -46, slightly above its lowest point of -49 recorded late last year.
Across all countries surveyed, only 13% to 21% of people viewed Israel favorably, while between 63% and 70% held negative views.
❗️An Israeli drone strike targeted the Rafei School in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Tuesday morning, killing a Palestinian man and leaving his young children orphaned.
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⭕️ Canada investigating Israeli-Canadian soldiers for Gaza war crimes
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has launched a war crimes investigation targeting Israeli soldiers with Canadian citizenship accused of participating in the Gaza genocide. The probe, part of Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program, focuses on dual nationals who served in the Israeli military during the assault that began in 2023, according to the Toronto Star.
The investigation, active since 2024, is being conducted in coordination with Canada’s justice, immigration, and border agencies. While no public updates have been issued, officials say the process could involve evidence collection, international cooperation, and possible indictments. The Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation is pursuing similar legal action in 14 countries with universal jurisdiction.
❗️US-Israeli GHF denies role after Israeli army justifies killing 27 Palestinians at Gaza aid site
The US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied responsibility for Tuesday’s massacre near one of its aid distribution sites in Rafah, where Israeli forces killed at least 27 Palestinians. The denial comes despite the Israeli military earlier admitting it opened fire at civilians seeking food and aid near the area, and attempting to justify it.
In a statement, the GHF insisted its deliveries were “conducted safely and without incident,” adding: “We don’t control the area outside of our distribution sites … and have no knowledge regarding IDF activities beyond our perimeter.” The group said the incident occurred “well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area,” and referred further questions to the Israeli military.
⭕️ HTS and SDF conduct second prisoner swap under integration deal
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have carried out a second prisoner exchange as part of an “integration” agreement signed on 10 March.
According to SDF-affiliated Ronahi TV, 469 captives were released in Aleppo, including 293 Kurdish fighters and 176 individuals linked to the newly formed transitional administration in Damascus. Syrian state media outlet SANA reported the total number of released detainees as approximately 400.
The first prisoner exchange between HTS and the SDF took place in early April.
❗️Israeli forces arrest at least 9 Palestinians across occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have arrested at least nine Palestinians during overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, according to a statement by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Media Office.
The arrests include one person from Ya’bad in the Jenin governorate, four from Dura in the Hebron governorate, two from the Umm al-Sharait neighborhood in Ramallah, and two from Beit Sahour in the Bethlehem governorate.
WATCH | The moment Israeli tanks opened direct fire on civilians seeking aid west of Rafah.
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⭕ Iran launches trade policy council to boost investment in Iraq
Iran formally launched a Trade Policy Council for Iraq on 2 June, aiming to cut the trade imbalance by half and deepen private sector engagement. This follows Iran’s growing interest in expanding its footprint across 14 Iraqi provinces.
Officials said the council will streamline joint ventures, transport, and customs operations while addressing investor concerns around ownership, banking, and guarantees. Iraq's ambassador to Iran highlighted $70bn in potential projects, with energy, housing, and industry topping the list.
(Tehran Times)
❗️WATCH | Two children rescued from rubble after Israeli strike on Gaza City
A five-year-old boy, his infant brother, and their mother were pulled out alive after spending hours trapped beneath the rubble of their home, which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City late Monday. Rescue workers managed to extract the family despite widespread devastation in the area.
Trump says ‘no enrichment allowed’ in any nuclear deal with Iran
Reports from this week say Iran is planning to reject a new US proposal for a nuclear agreement
⭕️ Turkiye’s inflation drops to 35.4%, lowest since late 2021
Turkey’s annual inflation fell to 35.4 percent in May, its lowest level since November 2021, according to official data released Tuesday, continuing a year-long trend of easing price pressures and raising prospects for a central bank rate cut.
The Turkish central bank had hiked interest rates to 46 percent in April amid political tensions and currency volatility. But with inflation declining for the 12th consecutive month, some analysts now expect monetary easing to resume as early as June.
The ENAG group of independent economists disputes the official figure, estimating May’s inflation at a much higher 71.2 percent.
❗️Gaza Civil defense: Baby formula, medicine among essentials missing
Mahmoud Basal, the Gaza civil defense spokesperson said:
– “We don’t find baby formula or medicine.”
– “There is absolutely no food in the Strip and we are struggling to get drinking water.”
– “We demand that blood units be sent from outside the Gaza Strip to save the wounded, as most donors suffer from malnutrition.”
(Al Jazeera)
❗️Statement by Hamas:
"The massacre committed by the occupation in the “Alam area” in Rafah is a deliberate act of genocide added to its dark record.
The occupation is using the "Israeli-American mechanism" as death traps to starve, kill, and forcibly displace our people.
The number of martyrs at aid distribution centers has risen to 102 in just 8 days, in one of the most heinous mass killing crimes.
This mechanism, which degrades human dignity, turns a food package into a deadly gamble that could cost a person their life.
We call on the United Nations to halt this deadly mechanism and to open safe humanitarian corridors under international supervision, away from occupation control.
We urge leaders of Arab and Islamic nations, and all free people of the world, to take immediate action to force the entry of aid and stop the massacres."
GHF denies involvement after Israel commits new massacre near Gaza aid site
At least 27 Palestinians were shot dead and nearly 100 others injured in a new Israeli attack on the GHF distribution site in Rafah
⭕ Iranian foreign minister arrives in Beirut, reaffirms support for Lebanon amid Israeli strikes
Today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beirut, voicing strong support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and stressing Iran’s stance of non-interference. He called Lebanon’s independence crucial for the region, especially as Israeli violations continue.
His visit comes as Israel continues its attacks across Lebanon. Iran condemned the attacks, criticized global silence over ceasefire breaches, and urged regional states to push back against Israeli aggression.
⭕️ US house republicans call for sanctions on Iraq over ties to Iran
On 28 May, US house republicans Joe Wilson and Greg Steube urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose sanctions on Iraqi officials and entities, including Finance Minister Taif Sami Mohammad, for allegedly aiding Iranian control of Iraq’s political system.
The lawmakers also proposed conditioning all US aid to Iraq on Baghdad’s rejection of “Iranian involvement in its internal affairs.”
❗️New video footage has surfaced showing an Israeli tank advancing toward a group of starving Palestinians at a US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid site in Rafah before opening fire on them Sunday morning.
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❗️Gaza Government Media Office: Israel lured Palestinians to aid sites before killing 102 in 8 days
Gaza’s Government Media Office has accused Israel of deliberately targeting starving civilians at aid sites operated by the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), calling the killings “a deliberately repeated crime.” The office said Israel used the promise of food to lure people into what it described as “exposed and dangerous red zones” under full military control.
Since 27 May, 102 Palestinians have been killed and 490 injured at GHF distribution points in Rafah and along the Netzarim Corridor, including at least 27 deaths reported today.
❗️‘Israel is fighting a proxy war in Gaza on behalf of the UK,’ says British minister
“Israel is fighting a proxy war [in Gaza] on behalf of the UK,” Conservative MP and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said during a Sky News interview.
She added that the UK and other western powers “aren’t just supporting Israel against Hamas,” but are “willing that fight and helping to direct it,” viewing it as “centrally important to their national interests.”
Her comments expose Britain’s ongoing role in the war on Gaza, with both Conservative and Labour governments supplying arms to Israel and facilitating weapons transfers from the US and Germany.
⭕️ Palestinian Mujahideen Movement condemns Rafah aid site killings as ‘American-Zionist massacre’
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement has denounced the killing of civilians at the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site in Rafah as “an American-Zionist crime,” accusing Israel and the US of pursuing a “systematic policy” of starvation and collective punishment in Gaza.
In a statement, the group condemned what it called international silence over “the ongoing crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing,” describing the Rafah attack as a “heinous Zionist massacre of starving and besieged people” on their way to receive aid in the Al-Mawasi area.
❗️Gaza sisters with disabilities face worsening conditions in Shati camp
In Gaza’s Shati refugee camp, 30-year-old Raneem Abu al-Eish cares for her sisters Aseel, 51, and Afaf, 33, who suffer from celiac disease and intellectual disabilities that affect their speech, comprehension, and behavior.
The war and forced displacement have worsened their condition. Raneem says they are often overwhelmed by their environment, and while she is unsure of the medical term, their symptoms at times resemble Tourette syndrome.