One year ago, on October 7, 2023, the world was shaken by an unexpected invasion of northern Israel by Palestinian fighters, primarily from Hamas. The attack left a trail of devastation: over 1,300 soldiers and civilians killed, more than 240 people taken hostage. What followed was not just a war—it was an unrelenting cycle of destruction, now branded as Israel’s effort to dismantle Hamas entirely.
A year into this conflict, the toll is staggering. Over 41,870 lives have been lost, including a heartbreaking 16,765 children. More than 97,166 people have been wounded, and over 10,000 remain missing—many feared to be buried under the rubble that now defines much of Gaza. Among the dead are journalists, aid workers, and healthcare professionals—those who were there not to fight but to help. Yet, despite the carnage, Hamas continues to resist, proving more resilient than anyone could have predicted, defying all odds of survival.
The devastation wrought by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has drawn comparisons to the destruction of towns and cities during World War II. And yet, the conflict is far from contained. Hezbollah’s increasing involvement from Lebanon, coupled with the ominous possibility of Iran entering the fray, casts a dark shadow over the region. The stakes rose dramatically when Iran launched missile strikes on Israel, threatening to plunge the conflict into even deeper chaos. Despite urgent pleas from the U.S. and Western allies to avoid escalation, particularly in targeting Iran’s critical infrastructure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears unmoved. As long as military aid flows from the U.S. and the EU, he remains resolute in his ambitions: the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah, and the crippling of Iran’s military strength.
Military experts are torn over whether such lofty goals are achievable. Some warn that failure would draw Israel into a more protracted and brutal war, while others caution that pursuing these ambitions might trigger a global economic crisis worse than anything seen during the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine. The possibility of nuclear weapons, once dismissed as inconceivable, now looms dangerously close to reality, casting an even darker cloud over this escalating conflict.
In the midst of this chaos, the silence from key African leaders is deafening. As African migrants in Lebanon, desperate for rescue, find themselves trapped under indiscriminate Israeli bombings in southern Beirut, one would expect a louder outcry. African Union Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat and President Adama Barrow, in his role as OIC Chairman, should have been more vocal, demanding de-escalation and an immediate ceasefire. Instead, their silence speaks volumes, particularly as mainstream media glosses over the plight of African migrants caught in the crossfire.
Al Jazeera has, at least, shed some light on their struggles. Sierra Leonean women working in Lebanon describe their dire situation—far worse than that of the Lebanese themselves. A spokesperson revealed how African workers, fired en masse, are cast out onto dangerous streets, barred from accessing shelters provided for displaced locals. Africans, it seems, are left to fend for themselves, forbidden from seeking refuge in humanitarian shelters.
Reports, albeit unconfirmed, circulate on social media of a Gambian migrant worker killed in Beirut’s relentless bombardment. While some African and European nations coordinate evacuations for their citizens, the silence from African leaders is alarming. Are they too fearful of offending Netanyahu? Or have their Western allies urged them to maintain a diplomatic hush? This silence echoes the scene set when French President Emmanuel Macron, after a bold statement yesterday threatening to halt arms shipments to the IDF, quickly backtracked following a stern rebuke from Netanyahu.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, too, calls for calm—a ceasefire, an end to the violence—but his words, like many before him, fall on deaf ears. This reaffirms what I wrote in my book, Testimony of a Retired Gambian Military Officer and Diplomat: the UN, for all its noble intentions, often proves ineffective in resolving the world’s most entrenched conflicts, particularly in the Middle East. Decades of resolutions, debates, and peace talks have failed to bring about lasting peace between Jews and Arabs.
We must, however, continue to hope that reason will prevail. That diplomacy will rise from its current silence, and that a much-needed ceasefire will bring an end to this destructive chapter in history.
