On Oct. 7, 2023, tensions in the Middle East boiled over after Hamas and other militant groups launched an attack on Israel, taking 1,219 lives and 251 individuals hostage. Israel responded with a barbaric offensive, killing over 69,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with many unaccounted for.
During this period of violence, Israel imposed a blockade, halting the flow of food, water, fuel and other necessities into Palestine. A lack of aid prevents civilians from receiving proper nutrition, medical supplies and care. This also impacted the lives of children, leading to 151 succumbing to starvation.
As a result, the chair of an independent UN commission found Israel committed “four genocidal acts,” while its leadership had “incited the commission of genocide.” The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on charges of crimes against humanity, including the use of “starvation as a method of warfare.”
As the conflict between the neighboring nations hit the two-year mark, U.S. President Donald Trump struck a peace deal with help from Egypt and Qatar, key mediators throughout the conflict.
The deal forced Hamas to give up the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by the opposition. Another condition of the agreement was that Israel put an end to their blockade of aid deliveries into the territory.
Even though peace has finally been achieved in what seemed to be a never-ending conflict, I can’t help but think, Why did it have to take this long? Regardless of your position on the Trump-led deal, this result should’ve come much sooner.
I would have liked to have seen Egypt, Qatar and other Middle Eastern nations arrange a peace deal that would have ensured long term stability between the two sides.
If a coalition of countries had banded together, a truce between Palestine and Israel could’ve been done without having to witness thousands of lives taken.
Take Qatar and Saudi Arabia, for example; they are worth billions due to their oil and natural gas reserves. This could’ve been factored into a deal to help rebuild Gaza and satisfy Israel’s needs without allowing them to continue the bloodshed.
Another possibility would have been to allow the Palestinian General Authority to take control over the entire region, instead of letting Hamas stay in power after the atrocities they committed.
Even though a desirable result wasn’t reached in the Middle East, nations around the globe should use this moment as a reminder to work towards ending conflicts so a substantial peace deal can be reached.
This specifically pertains to the three-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Some progress was made towards ending the war when Trump met with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on separate occasions in late August.
In that instance, the European Union and its 27 members should’ve taken the opportunity to work out a compromise and end the conflict instead of sitting on the sidelines and letting Trump do all the talking. This would have ensured Ukraine would regain control of its territory, and Russian forces would have withdrawn.
However, that’s not what happened. A deal between the neighboring European countries has yet to be finalized as Trump shut down a supposed second meeting with the Russian president. This means conflict will continue in the region unless others can negotiate a deal that prevents Moscow from further expanding its offensive into Ukraine.
The world should use this time as a wake-up call, realizing that every day they put off making peace, countless lives are lost. They also can’t just rely on the United States to resolve these problems with Trump’s style of leadership that has favored one side over another. Peace should be a priority, not a debate.
