The carnage continues in Gaza, where in addition to the bombs, hunger and disease are reaping. The situation in Syria is on a tightrope
The new year found displaced Palestinians in Gaza crammed into makeshift tent camps in the blood-soaked “humanitarian zones”, where Israel’s deadly attacks are endless. At least a dozen Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes on New Year’s Day. Those who survive the bombings fight against hunger and disease. Babies are dying from the cold one after another, with the latest being an infant just 20 days old, the fifth in recent weeks.
By contrast, the streets of Damascus were buzzing with excitement on New Year’s Eve, as for many Syrians 2025 brings after more than half a century a promise of a better future after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Questions are being raised about what the Middle East will look like in 2025, given the unpredictability of the incoming Trump administration in the US, as the region adjusts to new realities resulting from the weakening of the Iran-led “axis of resistance” .
No hope of a truce
After about 15 months of genocidal war by Israel with an estimated 45,700 Palestinian casualties, it is unclear how the situation will evolve for the besieged Gaza and West Bank. Things are dire in the towns of Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, where much of it has been leveled. Israel is reportedly planning to establish a closed security zone at the site after the fighting ends.
The data of the past year have set the stage for a third consecutive war year. There appears to be no glimmer of a truce in the Palestinian enclave until at least the end of January – when Donald Trump will be back at the “helm” of the US, even as talks on a ceasefire and hostage release resume in Qatar.
The coming months will shape the future in post-Assad Syria as well. If substantial political reforms are implemented and the international community is convinced of the sincerity of the new power’s intentions to create a new Syria away from the Baath Party’s autocracy, it is possible that sanctions will be lifted and vital aid will begin to flow. Otherwise, there is a great risk of sliding into a new conflict and a new humanitarian crisis.
The handshake that didn’t happen
However, the new transitional government of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharra is already facing backlash for the Islamist direction in school teaching.
The first visit by high-level Western officials to Damascus was made by German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barot. During their reception, it was sensational that Al-Shara ostentatiously refrained from extending his hand to Burbok, while he coldly shook hands with Baro. Earlier, the first visit of members of the new Syrian government abroad had taken place. The foreign and defense ministers met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to discuss how best to support the political transition in Syria.
Men of the new regime in Syria in an operation to locate Assad supporters in Homs
After the fall of Assad, Israel and Turkey began sharpening their knives looking for opportunities in the power vacuum. Israel’s ground incursions into Syrian territory have several objectives. First, securing strategic areas from which attacks could be launched either towards Syria or Israel. Another goal is to create a neutral zone between the two countries and thus avoid “surprises”. Furthermore, the Israelis want to obtain a bargaining chip against the new regime in Syria.
At the same time, Ankara seeks to upgrade its role in Syria, promoting Turkey as one of the key actors in the country. Attention has turned to the northeastern territories, where in contrast to the late calm in the rest of the country, fierce fighting is raging between the US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). .
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