SUMMARY
As the world draws the curtains on 2024, it finds itself in the midst of an unprecedented level of violence and destruction. Two lakh thirty three thousand people have been killed in armed conflicts so far this year. As per the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), that’s a rise of over 30 percent from last year. This is a conservative estimate and the actual toll could be much higher.
1 / 6No End In Sight To The Israel-Hamas War | The war between Israel and Hamas completed a year in October. The conflict claimed over 45,300 Palestinian lives since it erupted. As per the United Nations, one child was killed every hour in Gaza. Months of ceasefire talks led nowhere, with each side pointing fingers at the other. Israel eliminated key Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023 attack; and Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s political chief.
2 / 6Escalation In Israel-Iran Proxy War | Israel triggered fears of a broader war in the Middle East when it killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon’s Beirut. An infuriated Iran retaliated with a barrage of 180 missiles, while Israel, too, resorted to airstrikes. The two countries have been engaged in a years-long proxy conflict, but this was the first time there was direct confrontation.
3 / 6Israel Confronts Hezbollah In Lebanon | Israel launched a full-blown ground operation in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which had been attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas. After weeks of major escalation, Israel and Lebanon arrived at a 60-day ceasefire agreement on November 27. However, both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire multiple times.
4 / 6Assad’s Ouster & Horrors Of The Syrian Civil War | Just northeast of Israel, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after rebels launched an offensive to end his regime following 13 years of civil war. After his ouster, the horrors of his regime came to light, with Syrians discovering mass graves containing the bodies of thousands of people. The future of Syrians remains uncertain as rebels have taken charge at a time when the country is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis.
5 / 6Peace Remains Elusive In Ukraine-Russia War | About 3,000 kilometres away from Syria, another war entered its 1,000th day in November. Peace remains elusive in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine despite most global powers calling for a ceasefire. Reports suggest that Ukraine recaptured 54% of occupied territory, while Russia still has 18% under its control. President Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine fired America-made missiles into Russia. There could be more escalation after Ukraine claimed to have killed a high-ranking Russian general, Igor Kirillov, in Moscow.
6 / 6Battles Beyond The Middle East & Europe | In Sudan, the civil war, which has been raging on for 18 months, plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis. The bloody war between rival drug mafias in Mexico has left more than a thousand dead or disappeared within a few months. Myanmar is also grappling with its own struggle as the civil war enters its fourth year.
