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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Israeli drone strike kills special needs Palestinian man with cerebral palsy, not Hamas fighter
An Israeli drone strike in Khan Yunis on 30 May killed a Palestinian man identified by the army as a Hamas fighter, but who was, in fact, a civilian with cerebral palsy, Haaretz has reported. Mohammed al-Farra, who was disabled following a childhood car accident, was confirmed to be unaffiliated with any militant group after the newspaper reviewed the strike’s location and spoke with his relatives.
According to the report, seven members of the Al-Farra family have been killed since the war began. A Channel 12 journalist shared drone footage of the strike on Telegram, prompting a flood of supportive reactions from Israeli users, including flag emojis and “likes.”
❗️Complete blackout in Gaza as Israel targets communications infrastructure
Internet and communications services have been cut off in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority confirmed on 12 June. The authority attributed the outage to systematic Israeli attacks on vital communications infrastructure, warning that the resulting “digital isolation” threatens to sever Gaza’s remaining connection to the outside world.
“The dangerous escalation against communications infrastructure threatens to cut Gaza off from the outside world,” the regulator said, as the enclave endures intensified Israeli military operations and a disastrous humanitarian crisis.
Waving Mexican flags in the streets of the USA is a problem but plastering the Israeli flag all over US government buildings is apparently normal.
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Trump says 'less confident' on Iran deal as Tehran fires back at US threats
Iran dismissed the latest US nuclear offer, saying it lacks meaningful sanctions relief, as officials doubled down on threats of regional retaliation
❗️Another 'incident' reported in Khan Yunis by Israeli media:
Two Israeli soldiers were recently moderately injured as a result of anti-tank fire on a tank.
⭕️ French medical charity Medecins du Monde says Israel violated international law with a drone strike on a Gaza building that housed one of its offices, killing eight people.
The organization stated that Tuesday’s strike “constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which protects both civilian populations and humanitarian organizations operating in conflict zones.”
The charity reported that the building in Deir al-Balah was targeted around 11:00 AM local time.
“At least eight people were killed in the bombardment. All were on the last floor of the building,” it added.
(AFP)
'We'll smash your head against the wall': Israeli police threaten detained EU parliamentarian
Volunteers jailed over Gaza aid mission face threats, hunger strikes, and legal battles after Israel seized their ship in international waters
❗️Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on Israel to immediately and unconditionally release French journalist Yanis Mhamdi, who remains in custody after the Israeli navy intercepted the Gaza-bound Madleen aid ship in international waters.
Mhamdi, who works with the French outlet Blast, refused to sign a deportation agreement that included admitting the mission was illegal and pledging never to return to Israeli-controlled areas. Journalist Omar Faiad of Al Jazeera, also detained, was released after 24 hours and forced to sign similar documents.
“These practices by the Israeli authorities are illegal and abusive,” said Martin Roux, head of RSF’s crisis desk, praising the journalists’ efforts to break Israel’s media blockade on Gaza.
❗️US House Speaker to address Israeli Knesset on 22 June
US House Speaker Mike Johnson will travel to Jerusalem later this month to deliver a speech before the Israeli Knesset, according to Reuters. The visit, scheduled for 22 June, comes amid heightened US support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
“Ties between the US and Israel run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements,” said Johnson, a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
❗️US President Donald Trump says that he is getting "less confident" that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in nuclear deal with the US.
"I don’t know," Trump told the "Pod Force One" podcast on Monday when asked if he thought he could get Iran to agree to shut down its nuclear program. "I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more, less confident about it."
❗️Israeli vote to dissolve Knesset over draft bill expected today
Israeli opposition parties have placed a bill to dissolve the Knesset on today’s agenda, declaring in a joint statement that the decision was “made unanimously and is binding on all factions.”
They added: “In coordination between all factions, it was decided to remove opposition legislation from the agenda in order to concentrate all efforts on one goal: to overthrow the government.”
The motion threatens to bring down Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, already under pressure from internal rebellion over the ultra-Orthodox military draft law.
❗️Palestinian child survivor of Israeli strike that killed his entire family heads to Italy for treatment
An 11-year-old Palestinian boy who survived an Israeli air strike that killed his father and nine siblings is set to arrive in Milan, Italy, for medical treatment, Italian officials announced. Adam al-Najjar suffered severe burns and lost a hand when Israeli warplanes struck his family home in Khan Yunis on 23 May. His mother, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a pediatrician, was at work during the bombing. She later discovered the charred remains of her children and her wounded husband, who succumbed to his injuries last week.
Adam will travel to Milan alongside his mother, aunt, and four cousins on a medical evacuation flight carrying wounded Palestinians. Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed their expected arrival on Wednesday. In an interview published ahead of the trip, Adam said he hopes to “live in a beautiful place” where “there are no bombs” and where his mother “is not sad.”
‘All US bases within our reach’: Iran responds to threats from Washington
The Iranian defense minister’s comments came a day after the CENTCOM chief said he has provided the US government with a ‘wide range of options’ for an attack on Iran
❗️Hamas kills over 50 members of Israeli-backed Gaza militia
Hamas has killed more than 50 members of an armed group in Gaza led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a clan leader accused of collaborating with Israel, according to a statement issued by the militia. The group claimed its members were “guarding aid convoys and redistributing supplies” and accused Hamas of targeting them to “maintain control over humanitarian assistance.”
The statement comes amid reports from Israeli media that the army has directly intervened to assist Abu Shabab’s group. Channel i24 said an Israeli drone strike targeted Hamas fighters clashing with the militia, calling it the first Israeli strike in Gaza aimed solely at aiding Abu Shabab’s men. Separately, Ynet reported that the militia killed six members of Hamas’ internal security force responsible for pursuing suspected collaborators with Israel.
❗️ Al-Aqsa Voice Radio – Source in the Palestinian resistance’s security apparatus told media outlets:
"A Zionist suicide drone targeted security personnel on Tuesday at the detention site of (A.N.), who had been arrested on charges of collaborating with mercenary gangs and other security and criminal offenses. Several security officers were injured in the strike, while the detainee’s fate remains unknown."
❗️Israeli drone strike kills special needs Palestinian man with cerebral palsy, not Hamas fighter
An Israeli drone strike in Khan Yunis on 30 May killed a Palestinian man identified by the army as a Hamas fighter, but who was, in fact, a civilian with cerebral palsy, Haaretz has reported. Mohammed al-Farra, who was disabled following a childhood car accident, was confirmed to be unaffiliated with any militant group after the newspaper reviewed the strike’s location and spoke with his relatives.
According to the report, seven members of the Al-Farra family have been killed since the war began. A Channel 12 journalist shared drone footage of the strike on Telegram, prompting a flood of supportive reactions from Israeli users, including flag emojis and “likes.”
❗️Netanyahu narrowly averts government collapse over ultra-Orthodox conscription dispute
A motion to dissolve Israel’s parliament failed to pass on 11 June. The opposition-led motion, which sought to capitalize on deep divisions within Netanyahu’s coalition, reached a compromise, and only 53 voted in favor of the bill, against a majority of 61 who opposed it following hours of mediation.
The vote followed heightened friction over the conscription of Haredi men, a sensitive issue reignited by Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the army’s increased demand for soldiers.
The failure of the dissolution bill temporarily stabilizes Netanyahu’s government for now.
A narrative shatters: Syrian refugees refuse to return despite Assad's ouster
The fall of Damascus has not led to mass repatriation – Syrians abroad remain unconvinced by promises of reform amid insecurity, economic collapse, and fragmented governance under Syria's new, unelected, foreign-backed leaders.
By Mohamad Hasan Sweidan
Iran’s intel breach involves Israeli nuke plans, surveillance, organ trafficking: Report
Tehran has also reportedly obtained access to a ‘secret Mossad archive’ and private information from Netanyahu’s office
Washington warns Syrian president 'at risk of assassination'
US officials claim Sharaa's western ties have made him a target of his extremist allies
⭕️ New evangelical head of GHF and Rabbi meet Syria’s Sharaa, discuss peace prospects with Israel
Peace between Syria and Israel is "very possible," according to evangelical pastor Rev. Johnnie Moore, who was appointed head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) last week, following a meeting in Damascus with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Moore was accompanied by Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a US Jewish human rights organization, have long worked to promote Israeli normalization in Western Asia.
The pair met with Sharaa late Monday at the presidential palace. While the trip was not specifically intended to address Syria-Israel relations, the subject did arise during their discussion.
"I think peace is very possible, if not probable, but the first priority has to be Syria focusing on Syria," Moore said.
Sharaa "articulated issues of concern he has, but also the potential for a very positive future," he added.
(Reuters)
❗️Detained Madleen activist refuses Israeli demands to deny ‘illegal kidnapping’
Yasemin Acar, a humanitarian activist detained by Israeli forces aboard the Gaza-bound Madleen ship, has refused to sign documents that would legitimize her detention and deny her forced transfer to Israeli territory. The message was conveyed by her brother on her behalf.
❗️Qassam Brigades announces sniping of Israeli soldier near Khan Yunis
Hamas's armed wing the Qassam Brigades announced on 11 June that its fighters sniped an Israeli soldier near Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
The announcement comes amid ongoing clashes in the Khan Yunis area, where Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Quds Brigades also reports engaging Israeli occupation forces.
‘Not in our lifetime’: US rejects Palestinian statehood
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Arab states could ‘carve something out’ for a Palestinian state
❗️Claire Manera, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), has revealed that just four trucks of medical supplies have entered the Gaza Strip since 2 March, a figure far below the urgent needs of the health sector.
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❗️At least 61 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on 11 June, according to hospital officials. Among the dead are 39 aid seekers shot near distribution centers.
Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital received 27 bodies, while seven were taken to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat and two to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. In the southern city of Khan Yunis, Nasser Hospital recorded 25 fatalities.
BREAKING | Nine Palestinians killed near aid center in southern Gaza
Israeli forces just killed at least nine Palestinians near humanitarian distribution points in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to medical sources at the Nasser Medical Complex.
❗️PIJ's Quds Brigades announces that its fighters were able to destroy an Israeli military vehicle by detonating a previously planted highly explosive barrel bomb in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, on 3 June 2025.
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❗️ BREAKING: Israel is threatening EU Parliament member Rima Hassan and other activists aboard the Madleen Freedom Flotilla.
According to testimony from Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad, who was recently released, Israeli forces are pressuring activists who refuse to sign the “papers.”
“For example, MP Rima Hassan is still there,” he said. “She refuses to sign the papers and was directly threatened by an officer who said: ‘I’ll smash your head against the wall if you don’t sign. We’ll handle this our own way.’”
❗️ Doctors are performing surgeries by phone light in Gaza hospitals due to power outages due to Israel's ban on fuel imports.
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