The latest developments in the Middle East, a part of the world that has been in the limelight for decades, are a matter of serious concern.

Hundreds have already died in an escalation of events that started last Saturday when Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel killing hundreds of civilians. The conflict continued in the following days as Israel retaliated with devastating bombardments and Hamas launched rockets. The war has already left too many victims – Palestinians and Israelis alike, and too much destruction.

And, from what is being said and reported, it is unlikely that the situation will calm down anytime soon. The sensation is that matters will become worse before they can get better. While the world is used to seeing the Middle East in the news, what has happened in the past days is unprecedented, and it will have a lasting effect for years to come.

The events have affected many other countries too. Among the dead are people of different nationalities who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this has meant that other nations have been directly involved in the issue. Many other foreigners who were in the zone where the conflict broke have had to be hastily repatriated. The experience they spoke about with the media exposed how volatile and dangerous the situation is, and how lucky they were to leave unscathed. Civilians have also been taken as hostages.

The world is in a difficult situation. The war in the Ukraine after Russia’s invasion still lingers on, with all its effect on trade and commerce. Thousands have died here too, and many more thousands have been displaced as they moved away in search of a more peaceful setting. Inevitably, this has exacerbated the migration issue even further, as neighbouring countries have had to contend with the thousands of people crossing the borders into safer land.

In the meantime, hundreds more migrants continue to flock into Europe from North Africa, risking their lives on rickety boats in an attempt to seek greener pastures. Southern European states, as well as North African states, are busy dealing with this influx, as they have been doing for the past 25-30 years. With all that is now happening in the Middle East, it is likely that the surge of people who want to move towards Europe increases.

All this is happening as the world attempts to recover from more than two years of a global pandemic, which in itself has had a negative effect on people’s lives not only from a medical point of view, but also in terms of the economy, as inflation has hit hard and is still hitting hard. Again, the situation in the Middle East will only help to make matters worse.

There are countries that are openly supporting Israel and others who are backing the Palestinians. Unfortunately, very few seem to be talking about peace in the region. We are sure that, behind the scenes, there are efforts to bring the two sides to some kind of negotiating table in the hope that some solution can be found. Whether this is possible, at present, is very much in doubt.