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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
‼️ Israel’s Channel 13 reports that the Israeli security level recommended to the political level to proceed to the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s ‘peace’ plan for Gaza.
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❗️Israel’s Channel 12, citing a senior US official, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is open to US Vice President JD Vance’s message regarding giving the Gaza ceasefire a chance.
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Hadhramaut autonomy: Local aspiration or a Saudi–UAE tug-of-war?
The eastern Yemeni governorate of Hadhramaut has become a testing ground for regional rivalries, as Saudi Arabia and the UAE compete for control under the guise of supporting local autonomy.
By Mawadda Iskandar
Hamas prepares 'largest' crackdown on Israeli-backed militias in Gaza: Report
Israeli-affiliated armed groups in Gaza have stolen aid, killed civilians, and collaborated with Israeli troops against the resistance
❗️Reuters: Majority of US citizens support recognition of Palestinian State
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a majority of US citizens, including 80% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans, believe their government should recognize Palestinian statehood.
The six-day survey, which concluded on Monday, showed that 59% of respondents supported US recognition of a Palestinian state, 33% were opposed, and the remainder were uncertain or declined to answer.
Among Republicans, about half (53%) opposed recognition, while 41% expressed support for it.
No aid looting reported in Gaza since start of ceasefire: WFP
Although the overall flow of aid remains severely limited, organized deliveries have resumed without incident under Hamas’s renewed control
VIDEO | Israeli occupation forces begin demolishing the house of the two Palestinian prisoners in the town of Bruqin, west of Salfit, in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Hind Rajab's mother Wissam Hamada to Al Jazeera:
– “I hope that organizations and international institutions will work to achieve justice for Hind and the paramedics [killed by Israel]."
– "After denial, the [Israeli] occupation soldiers admitted to committing the crime of killing Hind, which strengthens the [legal] case [against them]."
– "I am communicating and following up with international institutions on Hind's case to work on stronger measures."
❗️Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in Jerusalem:
Israeli settler gangs have uprooted over 200 fruitful olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers, aged over 30 years, in the town of Mukhmas, northeast of Jerusalem.
❗️Hamas prepares 'largest yet' crackdown on Israeli-backed militias in Gaza: Mondoweiss
Hamas is preparing to launch what it calls its “largest yet” security campaign against Israeli-backed militias operating in Gaza, according to Interior Ministry security sources who spoke to Mondoweiss.
The upcoming operation will target armed groups funded and supplied by the Israeli army, including the most powerful, the Abu Shabab militia in eastern Rafah, as well as smaller factions like the so-called “Popular Army” led by Ashraf al-Mansi in northern Gaza.
Hamas has already cracked down on several groups since the 10 October ceasefire, including disarming the Dughmush clan in Gaza City.
According to the sources, Israeli-backed militias have been receiving weapons, vehicles, money, and logistical support from the Israeli army.
Confessions from captured members revealed they were tasked with security sweeps, kidnappings, attacks on resistance fighters, and looting aid.
The Abu Shabab group is believed to number around 2,000 members and is described by Hamas officials as the most dangerous faction, enjoying extensive protection from Israeli forces. Other groups, like Mansi’s, are less equipped but operate close to Israeli positions, making operations against them more complicated.
The sources also claimed that Israeli funding is channeled not only directly but through regional actors and Palestinian Authority-linked entities, under Israeli military supervision. Hamas has seized weapons and vehicles from these militias, but officials declined to provide details, saying further revelations “will shock everyone.”
The movement had previously offered amnesty to collaborators who surrendered, excluding those involved in killings, but the window has since closed.
While the campaign has faced criticism from some international actors, tribal leaders in Gaza have publicly supported Hamas’s efforts to eliminate collaborators.
“We continue to monitor and arrest members of these groups,” the security source told Mondoweiss, adding that the next phase of the operation will unfold “on multiple fronts” where these militias remain active.
VIDEO | Amid rising Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian farmers endure harassment, assaults, theft, and armed threats while harvesting olives, which is an emblem of their livelihood and ancestral heritage. Their olives are often looted and destroyed by Israeli settlers with impunity.
(Sahat)
Trump calls off 'waste of time' Putin summit, Kremlin responds
Moscow stressed it 'remains ready' for dialogue, dismissing Trump's comments
❗️UAE-backed Yemeni forces repel Al-Qaeda attack in Abyan
Yemeni forces in Abyan, affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), announced they repelled an Al-Qaeda attack that killed four of their soldiers and five militants.
Nasr Atif al-Mashoushi, commander of the First Support and Reinforcement Brigade, said: “Our forces managed to thwart a massive terrorist attack launched this morning by elements of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization on the government complex in Al-Mahfad,” adding that four fighters were killed defending the site.
A medical source confirmed four soldiers were killed and 15 injured. Al-Qaeda fighters used two car bombs; the first was detonated near the main gate, while others tried to infiltrate. STC forces killed five suicide bombers wearing explosive belts.
The brigade is part of the UAE-backed STC, which calls for secession from northern Yemen. STC forces have been central in counterterrorism efforts in the south.
Founded in 2017, the STC is part of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Yemen’s internationally recognized authority based in the south.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was formed in 2009 through the merger of Saudi and Yemeni branches, prior to the Saudi-led coalitions war on Yemen, which it launched against Ansarallah in 2015.
❗️Washington establishes military-civilian coordination center in Israel to oversee Gaza
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has inaugurated a new military-civilian coordination center in Israel, which it claims is intended to bolster stability in Gaza. Launched on 17 October, the center will reportedly serve as the primary hub for coordinating aid to Gaza.
CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper emphasized that the facility will oversee the implementation of the ceasefire agreement through a dedicated operations room, enabling real-time assessment of developments in Gaza. Israeli sources reported that the United States is closely monitoring activities in Gaza via the command center established in Kiryat Gat.
VIDEO | 54 unidentified bodies were buried in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, released by Israel as part of the exchange deal.
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⭕️ Red Sea Global eyes international expansion, first project in Italy
Luxury resort developer Red Sea Global (RSG) intends to expand internationally, with its first project abroad targeting tourism and hospitality in Italy, CEO John Pagano told Reuters. He also revealed on Wednesday that he will join the board of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM mega project.
“Our ambitions are beyond just the Saudi Arabian market,” Pagano said in an exclusive interview at the Reuters NEXT Gulf summit in Abu Dhabi, noting that the Italian project aligns with RSG’s model.
When asked about the progress of the overseas deal, he replied, “That’s done, done, done, done.”
❗️Israel’s Knesset has advanced legislation to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
The bill, which passed 25–24 despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition, marks an official step toward annexation and would effectively end prospects for a future Palestinian state.
Likud removed Yuli Edelstein from his positions on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees after he supported the bill. His dissenting vote was the decisive one.
This was the first of four required readings for the law’s approval and is separate from the symbolic annexation vote passed in July. Palestinian factions strongly condemned the move.
❗️Russia to ship 750,000 barrels of oil and condensate to Syria’s Banias port
Russia is preparing to ship roughly 750,000 barrels, equivalent to 100,000 metric tons, of a blend of Arctic heavy ARCO crude and gas condensate, a light oil variety, to Syria’s Banias port, according to traders and LSEG data.
Russian and Syrian representatives held talks in Moscow in October to explore possible energy cooperation.
LSEG data indicates that the tanker Antarktika, an Aframax-class vessel capable of carrying about 700,000 to 800,000 barrels, is currently anchored near Banias after loading oil and condensate from areas near Russia’s Murmansk and Ust-Luga ports.
❗️Israel’s Channel 12 reports that US Vice President JD Vance will meet tomorrow with Israeli Minister of War Israel Katz, and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, as well as senior army officials.
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❗️Netanyahu signals opposition to Turkish security role in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today hinted at his opposition to including Turkish security forces in Gaza.
When asked about the possibility of deploying Turkish forces, Netanyahu remarked: “I have very strong opinions about that. Want to guess what they are?”
❗️International Court of Justice (ICJ) releases official advisory opinion on Israel's obligations in relation to the Occupied Territories:
– "The State of Israel, as an occupying Power, is required to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law."
– These obligations include ensuring the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has the essential supplies of daily life, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter, fuel, medical supplies and services.
– Israel is obligated to respect the prohibition on forcible transfer and deportation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
– Israel is to respect the prohibition on the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.
❗️British-Palestinian NHS physician Dr. Rahmeh al-Adwan responds on X to her arrest by UK police, claiming that this was a coordinated act of political theater:
– "An officer explicitly informed me the police would be 'reporting the arrest to the General Medical Council (GMC).' This is a non-reportable event. This admission reveals the direct channel of communication between the police and my regulator."
– Custody conditions included denial of water for 6 hours, refusal of essential medication, and being held in a freezing cell.
– "This arrest was a coordinated act of political intimidation, designed to create a media spectacle and pressure the GMC and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS)."
❗️Gaza Government Media Office:
"We confirm that the total number of humanitarian aid trucks that entered the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire took effect stands at only 986 out of 6,600 trucks that were supposed to arrive by Monday evening, October 20, 2025, in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
These convoys included 14 trucks loaded with cooking gas and 28 diesel trucks allocated to operate bakeries, generators, hospitals, and other essential sectors — amid a severe shortage of vital materials on which the population relies for daily survival after months of siege and systematic destruction caused by the Israeli occupation’s genocidal assault on Gaza.
The average daily entry is only 89 trucks, far below the agreed 600 trucks per day, reflecting the continuation of Israel’s policy of strangulation, starvation, and humanitarian blackmail against more than 2.4 million people in Gaza.
These limited quantities do not meet even the minimum humanitarian and living needs. The Strip urgently requires the immediate and regular entry of at least 600 aid trucks daily, including food, medical supplies, relief materials, fuel, and cooking gas, to ensure basic living conditions."
Rubio stresses ‘urgency’ of disarming Iraqi resistance in call with Sudani
Iraq’s Coordination Framework coalition is drafting a response to the statements made by the US secretary of state
❗️US envoy Barrack: Lebanon faces Israel war if Hezbollah not disarmed
US envoy Tom Barrack warned that if Lebanon “fails to act now” and Hezbollah remains armed, the country could face a “major confrontation with Israel,” saying that unilateral Israeli action would carry dire consequences.
He revealed that Washington had proposed a plan called “One More Try,” offering phased disarmament under US and French supervision in exchange for economic incentives but, he claimed, Beirut declined due to Hezbollah’s influence within the government.
Barrack also criticized Lebanon’s divided leadership, saying mixed signals undermine the authority and funding of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and warned that the looming conflict could destabilize the country further.
⚫️ Saraya Al-Quds spokesman Abu Hamza delivered a speech today, October 22nd, 2025, during which he recounted the war, announced the martyrdom of hundreds of Saraya Al-Quds cadre, rejected disarmament, affirmed the strength of their relationship with all resistance factions, and affirmed full commitment to the ceasefire agreement.
We have subtitled the speech here.
❗️New spokesman for PIJ's military wing, the Quds Brigades (bearing the same name, Abu Hamza):
– "We stand at a critical and difficult station in the Arab and Islamic struggle, and our battle started in response to the [Israeli] enemy's crimes against Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and the prisoners."
– "We crossed historically into our occupied lands and stormed the "Gaza envelope" in the largest and most successful complex military operation in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict."
– "We were an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle from the first hour."
– "We announce our full commitment to the ceasefire and we will monitor the [Israeli] enemy's adherence to what has been agreed upon."
– "We will remain a project to fight the [Israeli] enemy on our land even if any battle lasts for years, and we will not leave our weapons, and we confirm the strength of the relationship with all resistance factions."
Vance says US officials in Israel to advance ceasefire, not ‘monitor a toddler’
The vice president held talks with Netanyahu, a day after threatening Hamas with ‘obliteration’ upon arrival in Israel
❗️Israel's Shin Bet chief erases 'West Bank' from official vocabulary
In a notable political move, the new head of Israel’s internal security service (Shin Bet), David Zini, has instructed agency personnel to stop using the term “West Bank” in official communications and reports, and to use only the biblical term “Judea and Samaria.”
According to Israel’s i24NEWS, the directive was issued during an internal meeting with regional coordinators.
Zini interrupted one participant who used the phrase “operation in the West Bank,” firmly saying: “What West Bank? From now on, delete this term from your vocabulary — we only have Judea and Samaria.”
Sources who attended the meeting said Zini’s move was meant to send a clear message: he intends to entrench a new approach aligned with the Israeli nationalist narrative, diverging from that of his predecessors in leading the agency.
BREAKING | Israeli occupation forces shoot and kill a Palestinian in Gaza City's Al-Tuffah neighborhood, according to local medical sources.
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