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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Egyptian Foreign Ministry says Egypt will host Israeli and Hamas delegations on 6 October to discuss a prisoner exchange under Trump’s proposal.
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❗️Ersin Celik, a Turkish journalist and one of the activists onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, told Turkish CNN that the Israelis tormented Greta Thunberg, dragged her on the ground, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.
Some 137 flotilla participants detained by Israel arrived in Istanbul on Saturday after being deported, 36 of them Turkish nationals.
Election without voters: Most Syrians 'unaware' about Sunday's parliamentary election
Syria's self-proclaimed president has established a shadow religious state to maintain power in Syria indefinitely
Trump's Gaza blueprint and Erdogan's calculated complicity
Few in the region are shocked by Ankara’s quiet participation in a US-led push to dismantle Hamas. What matters now is how far Erdogan is willing to go to prove his usefulness to Washington – at the expense of the Palestinian resistance.
By Musa Ozugurlu
❗️Ireland moves to sanction trade with Israeli settlements despite US backlash
Ireland has spent the past year preparing measures to sanction trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, drawing criticism from Israel, international business lobby groups, and warnings of retaliation from US lawmakers.
Dublin’s move would come ahead of any EU-wide sanctions, raising concerns among local businesses.
Irish business groups have urged the government to postpone the law and narrow its scope, sources told Reuters, fearing it could alienate US companies and investors and reduce Ireland’s attractiveness as an investment destination.
Officials are now set to scale the legislation back to cover only goods, targeting a small number of products from Israeli settlements in Palestinian occupied territories, such as fruit, valued at just 200,000 euros ($234,660) annually. This would exclude services, which opposition parties want included and which the government has weighed adding.
Israel continues bombing Gaza despite Trump's orders to ‘immediately stop'
In coordination with other Palestinian resistance factions, Hamas agreed to part of the US president's ceasefire plan to 'stop the war and massacres'
❗️Netherlands upholds ban on F-35 parts exports to Israel despite court ruling
The Netherlands announced on Friday that it will continue its ban on exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, despite a Supreme Court ruling allowing the government to reconsider its stance.
The Supreme Court gave the government six weeks to review its export license policy, but the decision was made within hours.
“Given the current circumstances, it is unreasonable to resume the export of F-35 components from the Netherlands to Israel at this time,” the government stated.
❗️Member of Israeli Knesset, Opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman and former 'defense' minister Avigdor Lieberman:
Anyone who thinks the incident with Iran is over is mistaken and misleading.Читать полностью…
The Iranians are already working intensively, strengthening their defenses and military capabilities every day. Work at the nuclear sites has resumed. It is not for nothing that leading countries reinstated the "snapback" — the sanctions mechanism against the regime in Iran.
It seems this time the Iranians are trying to surprise us.
I address the citizens of Israel directly: celebrate Sukkot, spend time with your family and friends, but be cautious and stay near protected areas. This government cannot be relied upon. Until we repair the damage they have caused, we must rely on the IDF and ourselves.
⭕️ Tesla launches Cybertruck sales in Qatar
Tesla announced on Friday that it has started selling its Cybertruck in Qatar, following the launch of its operations in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
Tesla entered Saudi Arabia in April, showcasing the Cybertruck and a refreshed Model Y at an event in Riyadh. The company said regional sales would be supported through online ordering, temporary showrooms, Supercharger stations, and service centers.
The Saudi launch also symbolized a thaw in relations after tensions with the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, which had pulled back from Elon Musk’s 2018 “funding secured” bid to take Tesla private.
Tesla first entered West Asia in 2017 with its UAE debut. With Qatar now on board, it joins the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the company’s initial wave of Cybertruck sales outside North America.
⭕️ 36 Turkish nationals from Global Sumud Flotilla to return home today
The Turkish foreign ministry stated that thirty-six Turkish nationals from vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, seized by Israeli forces, are set to return to Turkiye on a special flight Saturday afternoon. The ministry added that citizens of other countries are also likely to be on the flight.
"The final number has not yet been confirmed," the ministry noted. The flight, operated by Turkish Airlines, is expected to arrive at Istanbul Airport after 14:30 local time (11:30 GMT). Efforts are ongoing to finalize arrangements for the remaining Turkish citizens as soon as possible.
❗️Saudi Arabia pushes for major OPEC+ output hike, Russia urges modest increase
Eight OPEC+ members are expected to push for another oil production increase on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia advocating a significant hike to reclaim market share while Russia favors a smaller adjustment, according to Reuters.
Moscow is proposing a rise of 137,000 barrels per day starting in November—matching October’s increase, to avoid pressuring prices and because sanctions limit its capacity to boost output.
Saudi Arabia, however, is seeking a much larger hike, potentially 274,000, 411,000, or even 548,000 barrels per day, given its ability to scale up production quickly and its aim to expand market share, according to the sources.
"OPEC has no plans to raise output by 500,000 bpd," the group said on Tuesday.
❗️Israeli strikes kill at least six in Gaza despite Trump’s ceasefire order
Gaza’s Civil Defense said Israel carried out dozens of overnight air strikes and shelling on Gaza City after US President Donald Trump demanded an immediate halt, AFP reported. Twenty homes were destroyed, with Al-Ahli Hospital confirming four killed in a strike on the city’s Tuffah neighborhood.
In Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, two children were killed and eight others wounded when a drone hit a tent in a displacement camp. The deaths were the first confirmed since Trump told Israel to stop bombing following Hamas’s conditional acceptance of his plan.
(AFP / Al Jazeera)
❗️Israel continues ‘defensive operations’ under Trump plan
Israel’s army has been ordered to stop 'offensive operations' in Gaza City as part of US President Donald Trump’s push to advance his plan.
The military said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir instructed troops to maintain “defensive operations” and to 'remove any threats' while preparing for the first stage of Trump’s plan.
Palestinian media, however, reported ongoing strikes in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood, as well as shelling in Bureij and Khan Yunis.
(Times of Israel)
❗️Smotrich and Ben Gvir excluded from Netanyahu's overnight consultation over Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency consultation overnight following Hamas’s response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza 'peace' plan, according to Hebrew media reports, but did not invite ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.
The unsourced reports, carried by several outlets, indicate the meeting included security chiefs, War Minister Israel Katz, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
According to the reports, Smotrich and Ben Gvir were excluded from the meeting.
(Times of Israel)
❗️Syrian military reinforcements arrive at the lines of contact with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of Aleppo.
(SOHR)
❗️Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem:
– "We must all confront this danger; no one should say our country is far from the issue — everyone is targeted. The step now is in Gaza, and other steps may occur one day according to the Israeli perspective."
– "We must confront Israel each from our position according to our capacity and plan, and at the very least be convinced to remove the danger from ourselves, because the project will reach us according to Israel’s stated targeting."
– "Trump put forward a plan for the Gaza Strip, and it is a plan full of dangers."
– "Trump’s plan was initially presented in draft form to some Arab states, and meetings were held with Netanyahu in which amendments were introduced to make it fully suitable to Israel, with changes to a number of its points serving Israel’s ‘Greater Israel’ project — a project it seeks to achieve politically after failing to accomplish it by aggression and massacres."
– "We are facing a plan full of question marks, which some Arab officials themselves acknowledged, surprised by its content and demanding clarifications."
– "According to Trump’s plan, when administration is handed to an international party and responsibility is taken from the people of the land for running their affairs, and when captives are taken in the early days, then what have we achieved after all these battles?"
– "Trump’s plan aligns with the five principles Israel set out to end the war — it is an ‘Israeli’ plan dressed in American clothing."
– "There are four reasons behind the presentation of Trump’s plan: first, to absolve Israel before the global wave that condemned it, especially at the United Nations; second, because of the rising popular movement in American and European countries — the plan came as a way to soften the image."
– "We witnessed the Global Sumud flotilla that sailed from many countries, which exposes the moral decadence Israel has reached; we give a special salute to Spain for carrying this cause more prominently than other countries."
– "We will await the final word from the Palestinians, because what was presented is a plan, not an agreement, and nothing can happen except by agreement."
– "Through direct American intervention, they sought to build on the assumption that Hezbollah is weak and preoccupied with its situation and the destruction — therefore it would be possible to sideline us. But they were surprised that we participated in the state actively."
– "They expected us to respond with overreactions and to reciprocate insults in ways that would allow them to escalate, so they could say we were the reason for expansion, but we prevented that step."
– "Lebanon is at the heart of the storm because of Israeli aggression and overreach, the killing of children and engineers, and the targeting of any form of life, because they want to pressure the resistance and its people and make Lebanon powerless — and this is supported by the United States with all its capabilities."
– "They interfered in the structure of the state to achieve by politics what they failed to do by war, but it became clear that this was not possible because we have broad popular representation — that was a surprise to them."
– "They wanted a rift with the Lebanese Army, but the Army acted wisely and showed that there is a reasoned mind building Lebanon. Therefore the position of the Army and the resistance was clear: sedition is cursed and must never be between us."
– "True, there is no military parity between us and Israel, but we will surpass them because we are attached to our homeland, ready to sacrifice and wage jihad, and steadfast in the option of resistance. We have a great and historic people who cannot be defeated, and we have created a state of parity that enables us to confront their bullets and projects."
– "Reconstruction must be done, and the government committed to this in its ministerial statement — this is a responsible commitment and clear programs must be put in place to implement it."
❗️Israel has killed at least 46 Palestinians in its attacks across Gaza, 37 of them in Gaza City, according to medical sources.
Meanwhile, Trump "appreciates" that Israel has "stopped" bombing, and threatens Hamas.
‼️ Seventeen Palestinians, including seven children, were killed in a massacre in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood, as Israel ignored US President Trump’s call to halt strikes.
Instead, Trump has praised Israel for stopping its bombing, even as it continues, and warned he would not tolerate “delays” from Hamas.
Netanyahu ordered drone attack on Sumud Flotilla in Tunisia: Report
US envoy Thomas Barrack previously revealed Israel was behind the attack on the flotilla vessels off the Tunisian coast
❗️Senior Israeli official speaking to Israel's Channel 12:
– "Hamas accepted Trump’s plan as a result of pressure from Arab states and Ankara."
– "The hostages will be released within a few days before Israel withdraws from Gaza — such an agreement has never before been placed on the table."
– "Until now, Hamas had insisted on releasing the final hostages only after Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza."
– "Now, however, Israel will carry out only a tactical withdrawal, and even if all hostages are released, the Israeli army will remain deployed across much of Gaza."
– "Hamas has been more vulnerable to pressure than in the past, and pressure from Arab leaders played a role in its acceptance; Turkey also played an important role. As a result, a new proposal was prepared aimed first and foremost at securing the release of all hostages."
– "After the prisoner exchange, Hamas will disarm, Gaza will be demilitarized, and ‘the day after’ discussions will take place in Gaza."
– "This sequence of the Trump plan gave Israel a great advantage because Israel will both retrieve the hostages and keep the army in much of Gaza while negotiations on future steps continue."
– "Regarding Israel-US coordination, the possibility that Hamas might respond to Trump’s proposal with ‘yes, but’ was discussed in the Netanyahu-Witkoff-Kushner meeting in Washington, DC."
– "As Trump stated when announcing the plan at the White House on September 29, he also clearly conveyed in a phone call with Netanyahu yesterday that ‘if Hamas does not release all hostages, Israel could restart the war.’"
❗️Erdogan tells Trump Turkiye welcomes peace efforts but urges Israel to halt attacks
Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan told US counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call on Friday that Turkiye welcomed efforts to achieve 'peace' in the region, but stressed that Israel must halt its attacks for those efforts to succeed, the Turkish presidency said.
In a statement, the presidency said the two discussed bilateral relations during the call, with Erdogan underscoring the importance of advancing cooperation, particularly in the defense industry.
The presidency noted that Erdogan told Trump Turkiye was making strong efforts to achieve regional peace and welcomed initiatives aimed at that goal.
"Erdogan emphasized that Turkiye had increased its diplomatic contacts for peace, that it would continue to support [Trump's] vision for global peace, and that Israel stopping its attacks is important for the success of initiatives aimed at achieving peace in the region," the statement said.
⭕️ Pakistan proposes US-backed port deal to tap mineral wealth
Advisers to Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, have approached US officials with a proposal to build and operate a port terminal on the Arabian Sea, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing a plan it reviewed.
The project would give US investors access to Pakistan’s critical minerals through the port town of Pasni, located in Gwadar District, Balochistan — a region bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The proposal, according to the FT, was shared with Munir ahead of his late September meeting at the White House with US President Donald Trump, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also sought US investment in agriculture, technology, mining, and energy.
The blueprint excludes any military use of the port and instead envisions development finance for a rail link to Pakistan’s mineral-rich western provinces.
Reuters noted it could not independently verify the report. The US State Department, White House, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, and the army have not yet commented.
(Reuters / Financial Times)
⭕️ UAE stock markets edge higher on crude rebound
Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates ended slightly higher on Friday, supported by a rebound in Dubai’s West Asia crude benchmark spot premium after it had dropped to a 22-month low in the prior session.
Energy stocks drove Abu Dhabi’s benchmark index higher for a third straight day, edging up 0.1%.
ADNOC Logistics & Services rose 1.7% and ADNOC Gas added 0.6%, while Multiply Group, owned by IHC, advanced 2.3%.
NMDC Group, an energy infrastructure contractor, gained 1.3% after signing a $610.1 million contract with Pasay Harbor City Corporation for dredging and land reclamation works in Manila Bay.
Separately, Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company (IHC) will acquire a 43.5% stake in Sammaan Capital for 88.50 billion rupees ($997.7 million), marking a significant investment in India’s rapidly expanding housing finance sector.
❗️Israel Hayom quotes a political source who says that the “halt to the attacks” in the Gaza Strip is not a ceasefire and not the beginning of a withdrawal.
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❗️Hamas leader Osama Hamdan to Al-Araby TV:
– "We are ready to enter into direct negotiations immediately to arrange the prisoner exchange and the on-the-ground conditions for it."
– "This matter [prisoner exchange] requires entering into direct negotiations for its arrangements... we believe that upon entering into the details, there will be a need for more time than [72 hours]."
– "We do not accept that the affairs of Gaza, as a part of Palestine, be managed by any non-Palestinian party."
– "The entry of foreign forces or a foreign administration into the Gaza Strip is an issue that is not acceptable to Palestinians."
– "We renew our approval for the administration of the Gaza Strip to be handed over to a Palestinian body of technocrats."
– "Future issues related to the Palestinian state must be answered within a broad national framework ... Hamas does not monopolize the right to answer them alone."
– "We do not accept any party other than Palestinians managing Gaza’s affairs."
– "There is an on-the-ground reality concerning living captives and bodies that must be taken into account."
– "We do not accept a foreign administration of the Gaza Strip, and an independent national body must be formed for this task. There is a Palestinian national agreement for Gaza to be administered by a Palestinian body."
– "There is a Palestinian national agreement that a national Palestinian body, linked to the Palestinian Authority, will manage the Gaza Strip."
– "Attempts to exclude Hamas from the Palestinian political process will not succeed."
❗️Australia and New Zealand move to enforce revived UN sanctions on Iran
Australia and New Zealand announced they will implement reimposed UN sanctions on Iran, following France, Germany, and the UK’s decision to trigger the snapback mechanism over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran International reported.
Both governments cited obligations under international law, with Canberra and Wellington preparing regulatory changes while voicing concern over Iran’s alleged non-compliance.
The measures include curbs on nuclear and military activities, asset freezes, and restrictions on trade.
(Iran International)
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "In the past 24 hours, 66 martyrs and 265 injuries have been recorded at hospitals in the Gaza Strip."
– "Since March 18, 2025, the total number of martyrs and injuries has reached 13,486 martyrs and 57,389 injuries."
– "An additional 720 martyrs have been added to the cumulative martyrs statistics after their data was completed and verified by the Judicial Committee following the notifications and missing persons file."
– "In the past 24 hours, hospitals have received 6 martyrs and 40 injuries from aid-seeking victims, raising the total to 2,603 martyrs and over 19,094 injuries."
– "In the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health in Gaza recorded two child deaths due to famine and malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition to 459 martyrs, including 154 children. Since the IPC announced famine in Gaza, there have been 181 deaths, including 39 children."
❗️Video tracking of flight paths shows a UK spy plane flying daily over Gaza and relaying real-time intelligence to the Israeli army.
(Journalist Matt Kennard)
❗️A senior Hamas official told AFP on Saturday that Egypt will convene a conference of Palestinian factions to discuss the post-war future of Gaza, following the group’s acceptance of a US-backed ceasefire plan that includes the release of captives.
The official said the talks would focus on “Palestinian unity and the future of Gaza, including its administration.”
❗️Footage shows an Israeli drone dropping incendiary material on a single tent in the Gaza Strip, deliberately setting it ablaze.
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