2023 in a blink: What was the impact of Israel-Hamas war

Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2023  

Time running out, healthcare in Gaza at breaking point: WHO

Calls for end to hostilities, defence of civilians and medical facilities against attacks

Is it time to rethink the definition & concept of ‘genocide’?

Why are some conflicts termed as ‘genocide’ and some as ‘crimes against humanity’, ‘political violence’ or &…

Gaza Strip: UN warns of increased death & despair as Israel intensifies attack on Rafah

UN Women survey finds 93% women report feelings of insecurity even within their own homes

War’s toll on women: UN Women report sheds light on Gaza’s water, sanitation and hygiene crisis

Over a million women and girls lack basic necessities like safe drinking water, functioning toilets and sanitary pads

Unprecedented 93% of population in Gaza facing crisis levels of hunger, warns WHO

Region already reporting soaring rates of infectious diseases, hunger is expected to worsen illnesses

Will Gaza jeopardise India’s energy resilience?

India relies heavily on oil from the Middle East. The Israel-Hamas conflict could put that at risk  

UN warns surge of preventable child deaths in Gaza as malnutrition levels spike

1 in 6 children under the age of 2 is acutely malnourished

Decades of underfunding, blockade have weakened Gaza’s health system — the siege has pushed it into abject crisis

It is uncertain what the health system of Gaza will look like in the future 

‘Dhib’ & ‘Nimr’: Can Israel-Palestine’s Negev, Judaean deserts ever revive populations of world’s smallest wolf, leopard?

The last Arabian leopards were sighted in the area in the noughties; the Arabian wolf hangs on tenaciously; but can they be revived if the region …

Devastating societies through war and drugs

Generics giant Teva is top among drug firms found guilty of fuelling the US opioid crisis, agrees to pay $4.25 billion

Reshaping democracy in new climate

Democracy is critical in a climate-risked world. Will we lose its essence of justice and equity to the many wars afflicting us today?

Water has long been used as a tactical weapon in warfare

The pummelling of Gaza and the destruction of its water systems by Israel is only the latest instance of water being used as a weapon of war

Children don’t even have energy to cry: Gaza Strip stares at famine as Israel blocks food access

Malnutrition in northern Gaza rose from 0.8% of children under 5 years before the conflict began to over 16% at present

What Israel-Hamas war means for India’s oil market

If the Gaza conflict drags on like the Russia-Ukraine war, India might need to generate import alternatives

ILO projects hike in global unemployment rate: 2 million more may seek jobs in 2024

Low labour force participation, rising geopolitical tensions, high interest rates in advanced economies may raise unemployment rate to 5.2%

Red Sea crisis: Suez Canal is not the only ‘choke point’ that threatens to disrupt global supply chains

Choke points are narrow parts of main trade lanes, usually straits or canals

Simply Put: No water, food or healthcare

The World Food Programme warns Gaza is running out of food and water

 Israel stopped entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza from every direction shortly after the Hamas attack

As war looms over West Asia, many of its major water bodies are already on the brink

The Tigris-Euphrates and Jordan river basins, Dead Sea, Zayandeh Rud, Red Sea and Persian Gulf are symbols of the intertwined geopolitical & …

Houthi rebel Red Sea attacks, threat of escalation, supply chain chaos are a major headache — and not just for the west

Airstrikes entail further risks of regional escalation, drawing other countries in the region, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, into the conflict &…

UN Secretary-General urges urgent action to address deadly nexus of climate, hunger and conflict

Guterres warned of a looming resurgence of food inflation globally as droughts disrupt critical supply routes like the Panama Canal

MENA economies face stagnant growth & rising debt amidst regional conflict, World Bank warns

Report highlights growing burden of debt, particularly among oil-importing countries