标签： Asia

As a fragile ceasefire takes hold in Gaza, displaced residents are returning to their homes only to find them obliterated. The streets of Gaza City, once bustling with life, are now eerily empty, lined with heaps of concrete that were once apartment buildings. Many structures have completely collapsed, leaving families to confront the harsh reality of their losses. Amid the ruins, individuals like Hossam Majed, 31, are salvaging what little remains of their belongings, including essential items like a large water tank. Majed has set up a makeshift shelter to guard his possessions from potential thieves, but the challenges are immense. ‘Even food is more expensive than in the south because it’s scarce. There’s no electricity, no water, no internet,’ he lamented. Umm Rami Lubbad, who fled to southern Gaza for safety, returned to find her home reduced to rubble. ‘My heart nearly stopped when I saw the house reduced to rubble,’ she said. Now, she and her children are effectively homeless, sleeping in the streets or relying on neighbors for shelter during artillery shelling. Ahmad al-Abbasi, who fled south during the bombings, returned to find his five-storey building completely destroyed. ‘We came back north hoping to find our homes and rebuild our lives. As you can see… Gaza has turned into a ghost town,’ he said. Mustafa Mahram, another resident, found his three-storey house reduced to ashes. ‘Everything’s gone, turned to ashes… There’s no way to live here,’ he lamented. The residents are now struggling to rebuild their lives with limited resources, hoping for aid and the eventual delivery of tents to provide some semblance of shelter.

A 48-hour ceasefire between the Taliban administration and Pakistan has brought a temporary lull to one of the world’s most volatile borders, the 2,640-kilometre Durand Line. While the truce offers a brief respite from the intense fighting that has claimed dozens of lives on both sides, it is widely seen as a fragile pause rather than a step toward lasting peace. Witnesses describe the recent violence as unprecedented, with skirmishes escalating into full-scale warfare. The conflict underscores deeper systemic issues, particularly the resurgence of militancy in Pakistan, which analysts link to the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan now faces a security nightmare, with the Taliban accused of sheltering the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group responsible for hundreds of attacks. The Global Terrorism Index ranks Pakistan as the world’s second most terrorism-affected country, highlighting the severity of the crisis. The Taliban’s victory has emboldened various militant groups, including the TTP, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and Baloch separatists, leading to a surge in terrorist attacks. Despite Pakistan’s military campaigns and diplomatic efforts, the situation remains dire. The Taliban administration faces a policy dilemma: curbing the TTP risks internal dissent, while inaction fuels cross-border violence. Pakistan has shifted from cautious diplomacy to coercive measures, including air strikes in Afghanistan and the expulsion of undocumented Afghans. The ceasefire, brokered by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, offers a temporary reprieve, but analysts warn that without structural changes, the border will remain a powder keg. The fall of Kabul in 2021, once celebrated in Pakistan as a strategic victory, has become the source of its most complex security crisis in decades.

In a significant development, Cambodia’s National Police announced on Thursday that 59 South Korean nationals, including four women, will be repatriated to their home country on Friday. According to an official press release, these individuals were either rescued by Cambodian authorities or detained for involvement in various criminal activities. The repatriation process is being coordinated in collaboration with the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia. This move comes amidst reports from South Korean media, citing the South Korean Foreign Ministry, which indicated that approximately 80 South Korean nationals in Cambodia remained unaccounted for as of August. The Cambodian authorities have confirmed that they are actively conducting search and investigation operations to locate these missing individuals. This repatriation highlights the ongoing efforts by both nations to address issues of safety and legal compliance among their citizens abroad.

In the early hours of a quiet morning in southern Gaza, the tranquility was shattered by the deafening roar of machine-gun fire, followed by an eerie silence. Ameen Sameer Khalifa, a 30-year-old man who had become the sole provider for his family after Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, lay flat on the ground, hiding from the chaos. His voice trembled as he whispered, ‘We’re dying for a piece of bread. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.’

On June 1, Ameen left his makeshift tent and ventured to a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food distribution center in Rafah, hoping to secure sustenance for his family. That day, he returned empty-handed. Two days later, he tried again. This time, instead of bringing home a box of flour, oil, and lentils, his body was riddled with bullets. Around him, scores of Palestinians screamed for help, seeking safety from the relentless violence.

A new documentary titled *Soaked In Blood*, produced by Middle East Eye, meticulously reconstructs the events leading to Ameen’s death. The investigation, utilizing forensic audio analysis, satellite imagery, and eyewitness accounts, reveals that Ameen was likely killed by a FN MAG 7.62mm machine gun mounted on an Israeli tank stationed near the ruins of the Muawiya Mosque in Rafah. The evidence suggests a deliberate targeting of civilians heading toward aid sites.

‘If I could have put him in a cage beside me and never let him go, I would have,’ lamented Ameen’s mother, Fadwa. ‘They take the tallest, the strongest, the most beautiful. They shoot them like prey. Why execute someone for bread?’

For decades, Israel has imposed strict controls on Gaza, restricting access to food, fuel, and medicine in an effort to weaken Hamas, which won the enclave’s last legislative elections in 2006. Dov Weisglass, an adviser to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, once described the strategy as ‘putting the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.’ The blockade was so meticulously planned that the Israeli military even calculated the minimum caloric intake required to prevent malnutrition among Palestinians.

However, after the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, the situation escalated dramatically. Crossings were sealed entirely, and aid convoys were attacked by vengeful Israeli youth. The United Nations warned that Gaza was being ‘pushed toward famine by design.’ Palestinians resorted to boiling animal feed to survive, while air strikes and quadcopters targeted parents queuing for hours in search of baby formula.

Amid the widespread starvation, the GHF, a controversial organization backed by the United States and Israel, took over aid distribution in Gaza in May. Since then, the United Nations reports that over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access food. Gaza’s health ministry has documented at least 2,531 Palestinian deaths related to aid access since May 2025, with 743 killed and 4,891 injured at or near GHF sites since July. Many of these deaths were reportedly caused by Israeli soldiers or U.S. security contractors hired by the GHF, often acting under direct orders.

Despite the peril, thousands of Palestinians continued to brave the GHF sites daily, desperate for any food that could ensure their survival. A ceasefire was finally reached on October 9, 2025, offering a temporary respite from the violence.

The GHF has denied allegations of civilian deaths at their sites, dismissing UN figures as ‘false and misleading.’ Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in over 245,000 Palestinian casualties, the majority of whom are civilians. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, citing decades of occupation, increased violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, the 16-year blockade on Gaza, and the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Recent reports based on Israeli military intelligence data indicate that more than 80% of those killed through May 2025 were civilians. Tragically, Mohamed Salama, the director of photography for the MEE documentary, was killed in a triple-tap Israeli strike on the Nasser Medical Complex after the investigation was completed.

Middle East Eye, known for its independent and comprehensive coverage of the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, continues to shed light on the human cost of this devastating conflict. The documentary *Soaked In Blood* will be available for viewing on October 17, 2025, at 14:00 GMT.