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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
US outlines plan for a divided Gaza under Israeli, foreign troop control
The proposal limits reconstruction to Israeli-controlled sectors, while millions of Palestinians remain trapped in Gaza’s devastated coastal strip
VIDEO | Protesters in Seoul, South Korea, denounce Israel's violations of the 'ceasefire' in Gaza.
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VIDEO | Thousands of Palestinian families in displacement tents in Gaza struggle amid cold, mud, and heavy rains.
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VIDEO | Israeli forces burn the belongings of Palestinians, including their tents, in the Al-Wajih al-Shami area in the occupied West Bank.
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BREAKING | Israeli artillery shelling targets the eastern area of Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
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❗️Local reports of Israeli forces infiltrating the village of Maariya, located in the Deraa countryside near the Syrian-Jordanian border, and firing randomly at the western outskirts of the village.
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❗️US lawmakers introduce resolution declaring Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and 20 other legislators have introduced a resolution asserting that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and urging the United States to fulfill its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention.
Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, said the resolution “officially recognizes that Israel has committed the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza” and calls for immediate U.S. action to prevent and punish the crime. She criticized the US government for providing “a blank check for war crimes and ethnic cleansing.”
The measure is supported by 21 House Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Jim McGovern, as well as Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Senator Bernie Sanders.
The resolution cites widespread civilian deaths, deliberate starvation, systematic destruction of infrastructure, and statements by Israeli officials, such as former defense minister Yoav Gallant’s October 2023 call for a “complete siege” of Gaza, as evidence of genocidal intent. Over 100 human rights organizations have endorsed the proposal.
❗️Israel's Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) shows new images from the US command in Kiryat Gat.
The US troops can be seen closely monitoring what is happening in the Gaza Strip, with a focus on the routes through which aid trucks enter Gaza.
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "The Ministry of Health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs who were released yesterday, Friday, by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of received martyr bodies to 330."
– "So far, 97 bodies out of the 330 received have been identified among those released and handed over by the occupation."
– "The Ministry confirms that its medical teams continue to handle the bodies according to medical procedures and approved protocols, in preparation for completing examination, documentation, and delivery to the families."
📹 In newly discovered footage from Israel Tracker, Israeli soldiers stand in the home of a killed Palestinian man, drinking his tea and laughing in the place where his family once lived.
But this isn't the first time Israeli soldiers have been caught using humiliation tactics, even against those they've killed.
Israeli soldiers have been documented rifling through underwear drawers, posing with women’s lingerie, and mocking intimate belongings as trophies.
❗️Gaza may be home to the world’s most concentrated accumulation of unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Gaza continues to pose a lethal threat long after Israel’s bombing campaigns have ended. According to The Economist, Gaza contains over 7,000 tons of unexploded munitions, more per square meter than almost anywhere in the world, and the primary victims including children.
In October, six-year-old twins Yahya and Nabila Shorbasi were severely injured after mistaking a piece of UXO for a toy.
The scale and type of munitions dropped by Israel make the threat worse. Many bombs weighed up to 900 kg and were fitted with delayed fuses that allow them to tunnel underground before detonating. Concrete and rubble often prevent immediate explosions, leaving devices buried and unpredictable.
Disposing of these explosives safely is extremely difficult, expensive, and dangerous, yet Israel severely restricts the expertise and equipment needed for de-mining. Palestinians cannot train in explosives disposal, international specialists are rarely granted entry, and essential tools are often classified as “dual-use” items by Israeli authorities.
As a result, de-mining efforts are improvised and perilous. Unlike in Mosul, Iraq where residents could evacuate during clearance operations, Gaza’s civilians have no safe alternative. Israel’s ongoing blockade and restrictions leave Palestinians living amid a deadly landscape of bombs long after the airstrikes end.
❗️China warns citizens against traveling to Japan amid escalating tensions
China has warned its citizens against traveling to Japan, following comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival‑threatening” situation for Japan. Takaichi made the remarks in parliament on 7 November, suggesting that under Japan’s 2015 security law, such a scenario might trigger a military response.
In response, China summoned Japan’s ambassador, and Tokyo later summoned Beijing’s ambassador, amid strong diplomatic tensions.
Beijing’s advisory cited “significant risks” to the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan, blaming what it called increasingly provocative remarks from Japanese leaders.
❗️Gaza Civil Defense:
"Our teams carried out 40 different missions in the past 24 hours, including 2 firefighting missions, 16 rescue missions, 15 ambulance missions, and 7 other missions."
❗️UNRWA urges entry of shelter supplies into Gaza as winter storms flood displacement camps
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has appealed for the urgent entry of shelter materials into Gaza, warning that heavy winter rains are flooding makeshift tents and worsening conditions for roughly 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
According to Gaza Civil Defense, substantial rainfall has inundated dozens of tents in the Al-Mawasi area near Khan Yunis, leaving families exposed to harsh weather. UNRWA said it has shelter supplies ready for distribution but cannot deliver them without immediate access to the territory.
Israeli authorities continue blocking essential materials, including tents and mobile housing units, despite commitments under the 10 October ceasefire agreement, preventing humanitarian agencies from addressing urgent needs as temperatures fall.
UN officials say the worsening weather is compounding the already extreme humanitarian crisis.
❗️Children in Gaza stand crying in the pouring rain after their makeshift tents were flooded, left without shelter, materials to repair the damage, or any alternative place to go after Israeli attacks and the ongoing siege.
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Tehran confirms seizure of oil tanker transporting 'unauthorized cargo'
The ship, en route to Singapore, was reportedly carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemical products
❗️Iran says IRGC seized tanker in Gulf over alleged violations
Iran announced today that the IRGC had taken control of a tanker in Gulf waters transporting petrochemicals to Singapore, citing alleged violations, according to Iranian state media.
On Friday, a US official and maritime security sources said Iranian forces had intercepted the vessel carrying oil products and redirected it into Iranian territorial waters.
Iran’s state television broadcast an IRGC statement saying that “the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorized cargo.”
No additional information was provided regarding the nature of the alleged violations.
❗️World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reports that more than 900 patients in Gaza have died while waiting for medical evacuation from the Strip.
There are currently at least 16,500 Palestinians, including 4,000 children, who are waiting for medical evacuation from Gaza.
BREAKING | The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that a woman was injured by rubber bullets to the head, and a man was beaten when Israeli forces stormed the city of Dura, south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.
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Trump holds flurry of meetings to discuss 'options' for war against Venezuela
President Nicolas Maduro has warned that a US war could turn Venezuela into a 'new Gaza'
❗️Israel’s Channel 12 correspondent, Nir Dvori, says that Hezbollah has “crossed another red line,” and Israel is ready for a disproportionate response.
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❗️Civil Defense ambulance crews in Gaza transfer the remains of a young child from Abu Hasira Street, west of Gaza City.
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❗️US skips UN human rights review, raising global concerns
On 7 November, Jurg Lauber, president of the United Nations Human Rights Council, announced that the fourth round of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the US could not proceed as scheduled.
The UPR is a key UN mechanism where all member states engage in equal exchanges on human rights issues, but the US chose not to participate, notifying the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in August. The European Union expressed regret at the US decision, calling the UPR a vital instrument for advancing human rights globally.
The absence of the US delegation meant the interactive dialogue could not take place. Lauber submitted a draft decision expressing regret over Washington’s refusal and urging it to resume cooperation, which the Council’s 47 member states adopted by consensus.
Experts noted that while some countries have postponed submissions in the past, it is unprecedented for a state to skip both its report and its review. Critics warned that this move represents a broader pattern of selective participation and double standards in US engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
The Council on Foreign Relations called the move abrupt and unprecedented, while former UN independent expert Alfred de Zayas criticized the US for placing itself “above international law, above the UN Charter, above the Human Rights Council.” Advocacy groups, including the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights, described the decision as egregious and a threat to a world order based on equality, justice, and accountability.
❗️Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri:
– "It is perfectly natural for any party, organization, or political component to rebuild itself and reorganize its internal and organizational affairs from time to time. In the face of any challenge, Hezbollah has the right to do so, especially after the Israeli aggression. As for the claims of smuggling weapons by sea, land, or air, these are false allegations with no basis in reality.”
– “Lebanon is the country of all Arabs, and our hand has always been, and continues to be, extended to all Arab brothers. My relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has never been broken at any time.”
❗️9 killed, 27 injured in accidental explosion at Kashmir police station
At least 9 people were killed and 27 others were wounded when a cache of seized explosives detonated inside a police station in Indian Kashmir, the region’s police chief said on today.
Those killed were police personnel, government employees, and forensic experts who had been inspecting the explosives at the time, according to Nalin Prabhat, director general of police for the federally governed Jammu and Kashmir region, who spoke at a news briefing.
He said authorities were still looking into what triggered the Friday night blast and assessing the full scale of the destruction.
Prabhat emphasized there was no militant link to the event, explaining that forensic and chemical testing of earlier recovered explosive material was in progress when "an accidental explosion" occurred.
"Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary," he added.
❗️Russia says it has no plans to attack NATO, but warns it will respond if provoked
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Maria Zakharova, insisted Moscow has no intention of launching strikes on NATO countries, but warned it is ready to defend itself if provoked. She emphasized that Russia is prioritizing “peace, friendship, and equal cooperation,” while taking “all the necessary measures” to secure its borders as NATO continues to build up its military presence nearby.
Zakharova’s comments came after German Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank claimed, without providing supporting evidence, that Russia could launch a “small‑scale attack against NATO territory [...] as early as tomorrow.” According to Zakharova, such statements are part of a broader campaign by NATO states to “condition their populations,” instill fear, and normalize the idea of an inevitable conflict with Russia in order to deflect from economic and political shortcomings at home.
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Moscow has “never intended” to attack NATO or EU members and expressed willingness to offer non‑aggression guarantees, but only within a framework of “genuine collective security guarantees” that involve Russia.
❗️According to the Wafa news agency, Israeli forces detained 15 Palestinians in predawn military raids across the occupied West Bank earlier today.
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❗️Trump weighs F-35 jet sale to Saudi Arabia ahead of MBS visit, hopes Riyadh will join Abraham Accords
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was weighing whether to approve a deal to provide Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
“They wanna buy a lot of jets,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“I’m looking at that. They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ’35’ — but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets.”
The possible sale coincides with Trump’s plan to receive Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House next week, where the two sides are expected to formalize economic and defense agreements.
When asked about the discussions, Trump said it’s “more than meeting, we’re honoring” Saudi Arabia. He also reiterated that he hopes Saudi Arabia will soon join the Abraham Accords.
❗️Trump says he made up his mind on Venezuela action, refuses to reveal details
US President Donald Trump said he has already decided on potential action against Venezuela, telling reporters on Air Force One that Washington has “made a lot of progress” in efforts to curb drug flows, while refusing to reveal what steps he intends to take.
He claimed US narcotics interdiction is improving despite what he called “a Mexico problem” and “a Colombia problem.”
Over recent weeks, the US military has escalated deadly strikes on vessels it alleges were involved in drug trafficking, killing at least 80 people without presenting evidence to support its accusations. Caracas has since mobilized military units and civilian militias nationwide.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington will now launch “Operation Southern Spear” to remove what he described as “narco-terrorists,” noting that Trump had “ordered action.”
According to US media, senior commanders briefed Trump at the White House on multiple military options for Venezuela, including land-based strikes, as Washington signals further escalation.
❗️An Israeli drone was found crashed in the town of Kfar Kila, south Lebanon.
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