Leaders | The Middle East

Only America can save Israel and Gaza from greater catastrophe

Iran, Russia and China are profiting from the mayhem

Image: DPA

How rapidly things fall apart. The deadly blast in Gaza at Ahli Arab hospital on the evening of October 17th killed many Palestinians who were taking shelter. Despite strong evidence that their deaths were caused by the failure of a Palestinian rocket laden with fuel, Arab countries rushed to condemn Israel. Hizbullah, a heavily armed Lebanese militia, is lurching closer to outright war with Israel. Bridges built painstakingly between Israel and its Arab neighbours lie in ruins.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Where will this end?”

From the October 21st 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

A lighter engraved with "TAXES US. Department of state", symbolising financial burden

Despite fears of a global tax war, Donald Trump has a chance to make peace

A global minimum tax on companies ought to be acceptable to America

An employee works inside a nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran

How to use “maximum pressure” to stop an Iranian bomb

The Islamic Republic is closer than ever to obtaining nukes


Milei, Modi, Trump: an anti-red-tape revolution is under way

Done right, deregulation could kick-start economic growth


By cutting off assistance to foreigners, America hurts itself

Donald Trump’s chaotic aid freeze makes his country weaker

The real meaning of the DeepSeek drama

The Chinese model-maker has panicked investors. But it is good for the users of AI

Rwanda does a Putin in Congo

To understand the seizure of Goma, consider a parallel with Ukraine