Displaced Palestinians return to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, shortly before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was implemented. AFP
Displaced Palestinians return to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, shortly before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was implemented. AFP

2023 - Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and the Oct. 7 attacks

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2023 - Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and the Oct. 7 attacks

2023 - Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and the Oct. 7 attacks
  • Surprise assault on Israel by Hamas triggers massive war on Gaza, reshapes the Middle East and raises questions about future of the territory

RIYADH: The year 2023 began with signs of shifting regional dynamics. On March 10, senior security officials from China, Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing to formalize an agreement restoring diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Tehran after more than four decades of tensions.

While both sides described the rapprochement as cautious, the deal marked a turning point. Previous rounds of talks, hosted by Iraq and Oman, had paved the way for dialogue but the final agreement signaled a broader shift toward diplomacy and direct engagement over longstanding hostility.

In the months that followed, Iran and Saudi Arabia reestablished diplomatic missions, with Tehran reopening its embassy in Riyadh and the Kingdom resuming operations in the Iranian capital. The agreement provided a framework for the two countries to focus on shared regional challenges rather than their history of rivalry. For Riyadh, in particular, the easing of tensions with Iran was a crucial step toward achieving the stability needed for its long-term development goals.

This momentum toward regional realignment was further reflected in reports of ongoing Saudi-Israeli normalization talks, brokered by the US. Speculation intensified until Sept. 21, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed, in an interview with Fox News, that Saudi Arabia was moving “closer” to a deal with Tel Aviv, describing it as “the biggest historical agreement since the end of the Cold War.” However, he also stressed that the Palestinian issue remained a key factor in any potential accord.

In hindsight, his words seemed to foreshadow what would come next. Two weeks later, on Oct. 7, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, shattering hopes of a breakthrough in Saudi-Israeli relations.

More than that, the attacks represented a seismic event that left Israelis and Palestinians, and the rest of the Middle East, badly bleeding. The scars will remain on the two peoples and their societies, and many others far beyond their borders, for decades to come.

How we wrote it




Arab News reported the unprecedented attacks with two main images comparing Oct. 7 to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. 

The brutality of the Hamas attacks, during which more than 1,200 people were killed and about 250 abducted, followed by the relentless nature of Israel’s massive military response, have left a legacy of death and destruction that spread to other countries in the Middle East.

It remains to be seen what the two societies, and the others directly or indirectly involved, have learned from this. But the first lesson must surely be that allowing a conflict to fester without meticulously addressing its root causes is a disaster waiting to happen, the consequences of which will be considerably more dire than any painful efforts to resolve them.

The second lesson that must be internalized by those involved in the conflict is that the concept of “status quo” can be dangerously misleading and ends only in bloodshed.

Thirdly, setting unrealistic war objectives, especially maximalist ones, will only result in a never-ending war, inevitably with large numbers of victims.

Moreover, underestimating the capabilities, determination and intentions of the enemy can only have disastrous consequences; both sides in this conflict are at fault for that.

Finally, decades of mutual demonization and dehumanization can only result in a complete loss of empathy and legitimize the kind of carnage we have witnessed during this war.

Key Dates

  • 1

    Following days of discussions in Beijing, Saudi Arabia’s National Security Advisor Musaed Al-Aiban and Iran’s security official Ali Shamkhahni declare the resumption of diplomatic relations.

    Timeline Image March 10, 2023

  • 2

    Hamas stages unprecedented attacks on Israel on multiple fronts, killing more than 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

    Timeline Image Oct. 7, 2023

  • 3

    Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, orders complete siege of Gaza amid intense retaliatory strikes.

    Timeline Image Oct. 9, 2023

  • 4

    Iran-backed Houthis hijack Galaxy Leader, an Israeli-linked cargo ship, in the first of many attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. The group says it is acting in protest against the war in Gaza.

    Timeline Image Nov. 19, 2023

  • 5

    First ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel takes effect, lasting a week; 70 Israeli hostages released in exchange for 210 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

  • 6

    Israel intensifies aerial campaign against Lebanon in a crackdown on Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border fire exchange.

    Timeline Image Sept. 23, 2024

  • 7

    Lebanon and Israel sign ceasefire agreement.

  • 8

    Israel and Hamas agree on ceasefire deal after 14 months of stalled negotiations, which takes effect three days later.

  • 9

    Arab leaders adopt Egyptian plan to reconstruct Gaza without displacing Palestinians, countering US President Donald Trump’s ‘Middle East Riviera’ vision.

    Timeline Image March 4, 2025

  • 10

    Israel resumes war on Gaza, shattering the ceasefire agreement.

    Timeline Image March 18, 2025

It is still unknown whether Hamas, and the others who joined their attacks, expected to be able to execute the massacre they committed on the scale that unfolded, or whether they were surprised by the complete lack of Israeli preparedness for such an incident. Regardless, nothing can excuse the brutality that was on display that day.

Israel’s response was as much expected as it was condemnable, even allowing for the trauma and sense of grief that engulfed the country. It entered into this war as a red mist descended on the entire nation, including its leaders, who neglected any thoughts of morality and had no political vision for ending the war or its aftermath, nor any consideration for their country’s international reputation.

Depicting the entire population of Gaza as culprits complicit in the attacks, and simply collateral damage in the war against Hamas, legitimized, in their eyes, the mass killing of civilians.

Israel initially garnered the sympathy and support of the world to go after Hamas — but never to kill more than 48,000 people, more than half of them women and children, or reduce the entire Gaza Strip to rubble.

The Israeli government — the most far-right in the country’s history, led by a prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was thoroughly compromised by being a defendant in a corruption trial — was ill-equipped to protect its people in the first place, and then set two unachievable objectives: the elimination of Hamas, and the rescue of the hostages through the application of military pressure.




Iran’s FM Hossein Amir- Abdollahian (R) and Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan (L) meet in Beijing in the first formal meeting of the two countries’ top diplomats in seven years. AFP 

Israeli authorities ended up negotiating with their sworn Islamist enemy, at a very heavy price, a ceasefire agreement that included the return of the remaining hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees.

Still, the ceasefire deal, reached during the final days of the Biden administration in Washington, with the active encouragement of the incoming Trump administration, presented an opportunity to establish a horizon for the reconstruction of Gaza. However, a genuine peace process between Israelis and Palestinians is under threat from US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and relocate the Palestinians there to Egypt and Jordan.

In response, Egypt proposed an alternative plan, calling for $53 billion to rebuild Gaza without displacing its population. However, the resistance in Israel and Washington to the Egyptian plan, which Arab leaders adopted during the Cairo Summit on March 4, compounded by unanswered questions about the fate of Hamas and who will rule Gaza, means the future of the enclave remains uncertain.

The Arab gathering to discuss Egypt’s plan reflects the impact that Oct. 7 had, and will continue to have, on the rest of the Middle East.

The hostilities were not confined to Gaza; they spread across the Middle East as old enmities bubbled back up to the surface, mainly among Iran and its “Axis of Resistance” allies.




Palestinians salvage belongings from a UN-run school damaged in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, during the Israel-Hamas conflict. AFP

It is true that Hezbollah, the military threat Israel most feared along its immediate borders and was probably the best-prepared to deal with, proved hesitant when the Israelis were at their most vulnerable in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, and offered only halfhearted support for Hamas.

However, the continual barrage of missiles and rockets from southern Lebanon rendered northern Israel too dangerous for much of the population to remain there and forced their displacement, eventually leading to a powerful, if delayed, response by Israeli authorities in late September 2024.

The resultant elimination of much of the Hezbollah leadership, in particular its chief Hassan Nasrallah, and the severe damage inflicted on its military capabilities changed the equation of fear between this Shiite movement and the Jewish state, giving Israel the upper hand. Their ceasefire agreement on Nov. 27 has the potential to ensure the Israeli-Lebanese border remains quiet in the long term.

Combined with this truce, the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanese president on Jan. 9, after two years of a power vacuum that followed the end of his predecessor’s term, marked the start of a journey of political change in the country.

However, it remains to be seen what the lasting effects of the Oct. 7 attacks will be on the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well as the wider Middle East.

One can only hope diplomacy will prevail and peaceful resolutions to conflicts can be reached. The alternative, as we saw during this most recent war, is immense suffering, mainly among innocent civilians.

  • Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and senior consulting fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. 


Military says not concerned about Pakistan becoming ‘next target’ after Iran conflict 

Military says not concerned about Pakistan becoming ‘next target’ after Iran conflict 
Updated 7 min 5 sec ago
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Military says not concerned about Pakistan becoming ‘next target’ after Iran conflict 

Military says not concerned about Pakistan becoming ‘next target’ after Iran conflict 
  • Israel, USA launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, leading to conflict and tensions in the Middle East
  • Pakistan military spokesperson says seeking conflict with a nuclear power is “absurd, sheer stupidity and inconceivable“

ISLAMABAD: Army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Wednesday there is “absolutely no concern” among the military establishment that Pakistan could be the “next target” of attacks, especially with regards to its nuclear program, following last month’s conflict between Israel and Iran.

Last month, Israel and USA launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities after Tel Aviv claimed Tehran was close to developing nuclear weapons, a charge the Islamic country denied. 

Pakistan condemned the Israeli and American strikes, calling them a violation of international law. Islamabad has frequently assured the international community that its nuclear assets are safe, and it has developed atomic weapons only for deterrence purposes. 

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Chaudhry was asked whether there was concern in the military establishment about Pakistan becoming the “next target,” especially with regards to its nuclear program, following recent developments in Iran. 

“There is absolutely no concern, whatsoever, in the military, that Pakistan can become the next target,” Chaudhry responded. 

He added that Pakistan is an established and declared nuclear power, noting that the world is not experienced at even attempting to go into a “misadventure” against such a country. 

“And if such a misadventure is taken or attempted, then it will lead to horrific consequences which the world may not be able to endure,” he warned. 

The military spokesperson reiterated that seeking conflict with a nuclear power is “absurd, sheer stupidity and inconceivable.”

Fears of an all-out nuclear war broke out in early May when India and Pakistan engaged in the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed nations in decades. 

India and Pakistan both traded missiles, struck each other with fighter jets, artillery fire and drones after Delhi blamed Islamabad for supporting an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April. Pakistan denied involvement and called for an international probe into the incident. 

After four days of conflict and more than 70 people getting killed on both sides of the border, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 that was brokered by Washington. 

The ceasefire has persisted yet tensions remain, as India remains adamant on holding in abeyance a decades-old water-sharing agreement with Pakistan. 

Islamabad has warned that any attempt to divert or stop the flow of its waters would be treated as an “act of war” and responded with full force. 


UN chief outlines four options for embattled Palestinian relief agency UNRWA

A review of UNRWA has identified four possible ways forward for organization that has lost US funding and been banned by Israel.
A review of UNRWA has identified four possible ways forward for organization that has lost US funding and been banned by Israel.
Updated 12 min 40 sec ago
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UN chief outlines four options for embattled Palestinian relief agency UNRWA

A review of UNRWA has identified four possible ways forward for organization that has lost US funding and been banned by Israel.
  • UNRWA is also dealing with a dire financial crisis, facing a $200-million deficit
  • US was UNRWA’s biggest donor, but former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024

UNITED NATIONS: A review of the embattled United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, ordered by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has identified four possible ways forward for the organization that has lost US funding and been banned by Israel.
The proposals, seen by Reuters, are: inaction that could see the potential collapse of UNRWA; a reduction of services; the creation of an executive board to advise UNRWA; or maintaining UNRWA’s rights-based core while transferring services to host governments and the Palestinian Authority. While Guterres ordered the strategic assessment of UNRWA in April as part of his wider UN reform efforts, only the 193-member UN General Assembly can change UNRWA’s mandate.
UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in 1949 following the war surrounding the founding of Israel. It provides aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
“I believe it is imperative that Member States take action to protect the rights of Palestine refugees, the mandate of UNRWA and regional peace and security,” Guterres wrote in a letter dated on Monday and seen by Reuters submitting the UNRWA assessment to the General Assembly. The review comes after Israel adopted a law in October, which was enacted on January 30, that bans UNRWA’s operation on Israeli land — including East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized internationally — and contact with Israeli authorities.
UNRWA is also dealing with a dire financial crisis, facing a $200-million deficit. The US was UNRWA’s biggest donor, but former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian militants Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza. The funding halt was then extended by the US Congress and President Donald Trump.
Four options
The UN has said nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Hamas attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon — killed in September by Israel — was also found to have had an UNRWA job. The UN has vowed to investigate all accusations and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided. Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, while UNRWA has said it has been the target of a “fierce disinformation campaign” to “portray the agency as a terrorist organization.” Guterres and the UN Security Council have described UNRWA as the backbone of the aid response in Gaza.
The first possible option outlined by the UNRWA strategic assessment was inaction and the potential collapse of the agency, noting that “this scenario would exacerbate humanitarian need, heighten social unrest, and deepen regional fragility” and “represent a significant abandonment of Palestine refugees by the international community.”
The second option was to reduce services by “aligning UNRWA’s operations with a reduced and more predictable level of funding through service cuts and transfer of some functions to other actors.”
The third option was to create an executive board to advise and support UNRWA’s commissioner-general, enhance accountability and take responsibility for securing multi-year funding and aligning UNRWA’s funding and services. The final potential option would see UNRWA maintain its functions as custodian of Palestine refugee rights, registration, and advocacy for refugee access to services, “while progressively shifting service provision to host governments and the Palestinian Authority, with strong international commitment to funding.”


French police raid far-right party HQ over campaign financing

French police raid far-right party HQ over campaign financing
Updated 54 min 12 sec ago
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French police raid far-right party HQ over campaign financing

French police raid far-right party HQ over campaign financing
  • The Paris prosecutor’s office said police had raided the National Rally’s offices as part of an investigation launched in July last year into alleged illegal campaign financing for the 2022 presidential and parliamentary elections
  • It is the latest legal trouble for the party of Marine Le Pen, the longtime standard bearer of the French far right

PARIS: The leader of France’s National Rally (RN) said police seized documents from the far-right party’s headquarters Wednesday, a raid prosecutors said was linked to a French probe into alleged illegal campaign financing.
It is the latest legal trouble for the party of Marine Le Pen, the longtime standard bearer of the French far right, which has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.
The 56-year-old politician, who has three times run for president, suffered a stunning blow in March when a French court convicted her and other party officials over an EU parliament fake jobs scam.
The ruling, which Le Pen has appealed, banned her from standing for office for five years, effectively scuppering her ambition of running in France’s 2027 presidential elections.
Le Pen has asked her top lieutenant, 29-year-old party leader and European Parliament member Jordan Bardella, to prepare to campaign in her place.
“RN headquarters — including the offices of its leaders — are being searched by around 20 police officers from the financial brigade,” Bardella said on X on Wednesday morning.
Police accompanied by two investigating magistrates had seized “all emails, documents and accounting” records of the party, he added.
They included “all files related to the last regional, presidential, parliamentary and European (election) campaigns,” Bardella said, denouncing what he called “a new harassment operation.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office said police had raided the party’s offices as part of an investigation launched in July last year into alleged illegal campaign financing for the 2022 presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as the European Parliament elections last year.
The investigation seeks to “determine whether these campaigns were notably funded through illegal loans from individuals to the party or RN candidates,” the prosecutor’s office added.
It said it would also look into allegations the party had included inflated or fake invoices in its claims for the state to reimburse campaign expenses.
Police also searched the offices and homes of several company bosses on Wednesday as part of the investigation, which covers the period from January 2020 to July 2024, it said.
Under French law, a person can give a maximum of 7,500 euros ($8,800) per year to a political party.
Loans are allowed, but only within certain conditions and limits, according to a national commission in charge of scrutinizing campaign financing called the CNCCFP.
They should not be “a disguised donation,” for example.
By the end of 2023, the RN had racked up 20 million euros in loans from individuals, with the earliest dating back to 2007, the CNCCFP says.
In a separate case, the European Union’s prosecutor said Tuesday it has launched a formal investigation into a defunct far-right group, which included France’s RN, over the alleged misuse of European Parliament funds.
According to the reports by a consortium of European media, most of the allegedly misused funds benefited companies belonging to a former adviser to Le Pen and his wife.
Le Pen has challenged her May conviction at the Paris Appeals Court, which has said it will examine the case to allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026.
This means she could still stand in the 2027 elections — if the verdict is reversed or amended.
She also sought an urgent ruling from the European Court for Human Rights to lift her ban on standing for public office.
The court threw out the request on Wednesday, stating it saw no “imminent risk of irreparable harm to a right” protected by the European human rights convention.


Pakistan waives all duties, taxes on sugar imports to curb price hikes

Pakistan waives all duties, taxes on sugar imports to curb price hikes
Updated 09 July 2025
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Pakistan waives all duties, taxes on sugar imports to curb price hikes

Pakistan waives all duties, taxes on sugar imports to curb price hikes
  • Announcement comes as sugar prices surge to Rs200 [$0.70] per kg in several parts of Pakistan
  • Pakistan to import 350,000 tons of sugar in two phases initially, says food security ministry 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Food Security Ministry announced on Wednesday it has decided to waive all duties and taxes on sugar imports to ensure the product is available to the public at affordable prices. 

In Pakistan, high sugar prices have triggered public outcry and become flashpoints for opposition criticism in the past, with allegations of hoarding and cartelization frequently surfacing in election years or periods of economic volatility.

The latest announcement from the ministry comes as sugar prices surge to nearly Rs200 [$0.70] per kilogram in several parts of the country, triggering public concern. National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired a meeting of the steering committee on sugar on Wednesday, which decided to import the commodity through the Trade Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to ensure transparency and quality control. 
“To facilitate this process, the government has exempted all duties and taxes on sugar imports so that sugar can be made available to the general public at affordable prices and inflationary pressures can be eased,” the ministry said in a statement. 

It said sugar will be imported initially in two phases. In the first phase, a tender for 200,000 metric tons of sugar will be issued, followed by another tender for 150,000 metric tons after one week.

The ministry said these import quantities have been determined in line with immediate market requirements and anticipated demand in the coming weeks.

“The imported sugar will be of premium quality, meeting standard market expectations— specifically, the coarse-grain variety commonly used by consumers,” the statement said.

“Additionally, post-shipment inspection will be strictly enforced to ensure that quality standards are upheld.”

Hussain said the government would deploy a streamlined and “active system” to guarantee timely distribution of imported sugar across the country, leaving no room for hoarding or profiteering.

“He expressed hope that this strategic intervention will help stabilize sugar prices in the local market and significantly ease the financial burden on consumers,” the ministry said. 


Bob Vylan and Kneecap perform in London and Glasgow despite festivals axing them for criticizing Israeli actions in Gaza

Bob Vylan and Kneecap perform in London and Glasgow despite festivals axing them for criticizing Israeli actions in Gaza
Updated 09 July 2025
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Bob Vylan and Kneecap perform in London and Glasgow despite festivals axing them for criticizing Israeli actions in Gaza

Bob Vylan and Kneecap perform in London and Glasgow despite festivals axing them for criticizing Israeli actions in Gaza
  • Bob Vylan announced they will perform on Wednesday evening at the 100 Club in London
  • Irish rap group Kneecap sold out their show at the O2 in Glasgow in just 80 seconds

LONDON: The rap-punk duo Bob Vylan announced a last-minute gig in London on Wednesday, and the Irish rap group Kneecap sold out their show at the O2 in Glasgow in just 80 seconds, despite being axed by festivals after using performances to publicly criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Avon and Somerset Police are investigating Bob Vylan over their Glastonbury performance in June, when frontman Bobby Vylan, 34, led crowds in chants of “death, death to the IDF”, an acronym for Israel Defence Forces, during a livestreamed show.

The Metropolitan Police are also investigating the duo from Ipswich over alleged comments made during a concert in London in May, during which Vylan, reportedly, said: “Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.”

The duo announced to their followers on Instagram that they will be performing a gig on Wednesday evening at the 100 Club, a venue on Oxford Street in central London.

After their Glastonbury performance, the band had their US visas revoked and were removed from their headline slot at Radar festival in Manchester, as well as an upcoming German venue. Their agency, United Talent Agency, has reportedly dropped them as well.

Bob Vylan, formed in 2017, is known for addressing issues such as racism, masculinity, and class; they have said they are “targeted for speaking up.” They are scheduled to perform at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August.

‘They can’t stop us’

The Irish rap trio Kneecap responded to Scotland’s first minister during their Tuesday night performance at Glasgow’s O2 Academy, which reportedly sold out in 80 seconds. However, the TRNSMT festival in Glasgow canceled the trio’s performance this weekend after concerns were raised by the police.

John Swinney called for the TRNSMT festival to disinvite the band, describing their participation as “unacceptable” due to comments he deemed “beyond the pale”.

Mo Chara, a member of Kneecap, was charged with a terrorism-related offense in June but has been released on unconditional bail after footage showed him holding a Hezbollah flag.

Chara addressed Swinney’s comments during the gig at the O2 Academy on Tuesday, asking the crowd: “What’s your first minister’s name?” and adding: “They stopped us playing TRNSMT but they can’t stop us playing Glasgow.” The trio chanted against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had called for their removal from festivals in England.

Kneecap wrote later on social media: “Hats off to the dozens of Palestine activists who’ve been here all day. Buzzing to play one of our favourite cities for a show that sold out in seconds.”

The band said that their criticism target the Israeli government and that their actions, including displaying the Hezbollah flag during a performance, were taken out of context.

In April, they concluded a performance at Coachella’s California desert music festival by projecting three screens of pro-Palestinian messages.

The first text said: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” followed by: “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes,” while the final message said: “F*** Israel. Free Palestine.”

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while more than 100,000 others have been injured. On Oct. 7, 2023, the Hamas group raided Israeli towns, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.