The war in gas brought a terrible cost. Tens of 1000’s of Palestinian civilians They were killedAND Thousands are missing more. And although the temporary suspension of the weapon allowed to extend help, soothing the difficult situation of people disease and hungerExperts provide for malnutrition and health problems last for months and even years.

A major part of the territory infrastructure – her schools, hospitals and houses – was damaged or destroyed. And yet the massive human and social loss was enlarged by smaller, but potentially catastrophic, consequences: Environmental devastation.

In June 2024, the UN Environment Program conducted Environmental impact assessment Assessment of damage resulting from Israeli military activities in Gaza. He found “unprecedented levels of destruction” from an intensive bomb campaign, together with the whole collapse of water and solid waste systems and universal pollution of soil, water and air. And it was six months of bombing before the subsequent six months caused further damage to gas.

As Scholar of environmental justiceI rigorously thought in regards to the influence that the shortage of clean water, access to sanitary facilities and the shortage of basic infrastructure can have a selected sensitive and marginalized population. The current break within the fight is a respite of 2.2 million people in Gaza who survived over a yr of war. It also gives the chance of assessing environmental damage to densely populated enclave in three key areas: water, sanitary and hygiene or washing; Air quality; and waste management.

Here’s what we all know to date:

Washing sector

According to Assessment of temporary damage Issued by the World Bank, the UN and the EU in March 2024, it’s estimated that USD 502.7 million was caused within the washing sector in gas in the primary months of bombing, including damage about 57% of water infrastructure.

The United Nations informed Plants of exploring water in gas162 Water Wat Wells and two of the three water connections with the domestic water supplier of Israel were seriously damaged.

As a result, the quantity of water available in gas has been reduced to about 2-8 liters per person a day-by the World Health Organization Emergency day by day minimum 15 liters and much below the usual suggestion of 50-100 liters per day.

Meanwhile in November 2024 Oxfam informed this All five sewage treatment plants in Gaza were forced to shut, together with a majority of 65 sewage pumping stations. This caused constant drops of raw, non -treated sewage into the environment. From June 2024, it’s estimated that 15.8 million gallons of sewage were released to the environment in Gaza and the encompassing area, According to the UN Environmental report.

Meanwhile, sanitary facilities for Palestinians in Gaza are practically non -existent. Reporting with Women UN He states that individuals in gas routinely go to long distances, and then wait hours to make use of the bathroom, and resulting from the shortage of water, the toilets can’t be rinsed or cleaned.

Air quality

This war influenced the air quality in gas. It was found that NASA satellite photos from the primary few months of the war About 165 fires were registered in Gaza from October 2023 to January 2024.

In the absence of electricity, residents were forced to mix various materials, including plastics and household waste, for cooking and heating. And this contributed to A dangerous decrease in air quality.

Meanwhile, large amounts of dust, debris and chemical layoffs were created from explosions and infrastructure destruction, which ends up in Significant air pollution. In February 2024 UN Mine Action Service He estimated that over the primary few months of the war, over 25,000 tons of explosives were used, which corresponds to “two nuclear bombs”.

Waste management

In the primary six months of bombing, Over 39 million tons of debris were generatedMost of them may contain harmful pollution, including asbestos, residues from explosives and toxic medical waste.

Human stays are also mixed with this residues, with estimates that over 10,000 bodies Stay under the rubble. In addition Three predominant landfills Gaza have been closed And they’re unable to receive waste or stays related to conflict.

Significant damage It was made as much as five out of six everlasting waste management facilities, and everlasting waste still accumulates in camps and shelters, with respect from 1100 to 1200 tons.

“Ecocide” allegation

With such destruction of the environment, the claims about “Ecocide“They were made against the Israeli government by international groups of rights.

Although they are usually not currently included within the international law framework, there was recently ekocide efforts Added as a criminal offense Pursuant to the Rome Act, the treaty, which was established by the International Criminal Court. Indeed, an authority panel in 2021. proposed a functioning definition As “as” illegal or mindless actions committed with the notice that there’s a significant probability of serious and universal or long -term damage within the environment caused by these acts. “

So far, 15 countries They were criminalized by Ekscide and Ukraine is examined Russia for Ecocide for the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in 2023.

Various organizations, including Al Mezan Center for Human RightsThe University of California Global Health Institute and International Women’s League for Peace and FreedomThey stated that the extent of environmental devastation in gas achieves the proposed legal definition of “ecocide”.

Although the Israeli government didn’t reply to these accusations, it has it consistently defined that he has the fitting to defend himself and tries to guard civilians while conducting military activity.

Impact on health on environmental damage

Regardless of whether the accusation of ecobus applies to the bombing of Israel in gas, environmental impact, the spread of diseases and other harmful health disorders will probably be felt for a few years.

. Organization of the United Nations reports An increase in hepatitis A within the enclave, from 85 cases before the present war to 107,000 cases in October 2024. reported 500,000 cases diarrhea and 100,000 cases of lice and candles, together with re -energy polio.

No appropriate washing devices disproportionately affected women and girls By disturbing basic menstrual hygiene, hurting their mental and physical health.

Meanwhile, the increased presence of dangerous air pollution led to a rise in respiratory problems, including law 1 million acute respiratory diseases. Currently The commonest respiratory ailments There are asthma, chronic obstructive pneumonia, bronchitis, pneumonia and pneumonia.

Next steps

How Licensed Environmental EngineerI even have never seen the size of the destruction of the environment that took place in Gaza.

Although the situation is unprecedented, there are specific steps that the international community can take to assist regain the gauze environment. . Three -stage weapon suspension agreement Between Israel and Hamas, which entered into force on January 19, 2025, is a promising first step. This agreement allowed some of the Israeli hostages to be released, and the Palestinian detainees returned to their homes. It also allows for more humanitarian humanitarian aid to enter gauze to take care of the present food crisis and emergency.

Nevertheless, there are primarily serious challenges for residents. First, the weapon suspension agreement may have to maintain – and it’s already Signs of difficulty fully implementing the contract. In the event of a resumption of the fight, it should close or delay the chance for engineers and surveyors to perform detailed, comprehensive field assessments.

Meanwhile, the necessity for a plan after the conflict in gas has never been more sharp.

Pouring after the devastation of the environment in Gaz would require Israel and neighboring countries, in addition to influential world powers, corresponding to the United States and the European Union, to cooperate to rebuild critical infrastructure, corresponding to water and sewage treatment plant and infrastructure of solid waste. In addition, to succeed, every long -term plan to rebuild Gaza may have to find out the priority of the needs and prospects of the Palestinians themselves.

The rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria caused shock waves in the Middle East. The removal of the dictator, whose family ruled the country with an iron fist for over half a century, caused potentially a seismic shift of the balance of power in the region.

But there are also essential repercussions outside Syria and its neighborhood – with Russia one of the most important powers.

In 2015, the Assad regime was on the brink of fall. This He was saved through Russian intervention – with the support of Iran and Hezbollah. Fired in the context of The growing threat from the Islamic State Russia enabled the Assad regime to pus the other rebel forces.

Over the following years, Assad allowed Assad to consolidate control over the capital, other key cities, especially the coastal region, by which Russia had two military bases.

The future of these bases is now uncertain. The Russian Navy base in Tartus-which dates back to the Soviet times-also the air base in Khmeimi, founded southeast of Latakia in 2015, were essential benefits of Russia to display military force in the Mediterranean Sea and strengthen the Kremlin’s claim to the Russian status of great power .

Considering the importance of bases for Russia and significant investments revamped the years in supporting the regime, the fall of Assad It reflects badly About Russia’s ability to make sure a reputable influence on the global scene.

Even if Russia someway manages to barter a contract with recent rulers of Syria about the future of its military bases, the undeniable fact that Moscow was unable to save lots of a vital ally, resembling Assad, reveals critical weaknesses in Russia’s ability to act, not only saying , like great power.

There are clear intelligence failures that omitted or incorrectly interpreted the accumulation of anti-asssad forces by runny nose and silent support of Turkey. These failures were then compounded by the reduced Russian military assets in Syria and the inability to strengthen them in a short while. This is clearly as a consequence of the ongoing Russia war against Ukraine.

The impoverishment of the military abilities of two other allies in the region – Iran and Hezbollah – moreover intensified the difficulties for Assad and exacerbated the effect of excessive pulling of Russia. This also raises the query of whether Russia strategically evaluated the situation and underestimated its sensitivity in Syria.

But much more so, he emphasizes Russia’s own dependence on allies, who simply don’t agree with Moscow’s demands – as Assad did when he provided Russia with its military bases – but who actively support the great power, which has no means to acknowledge them Status – like Iran and Hezbollah did it in 2015.

Where are China?

China is missing on this equation. While Beijing on the Assad side after the start of the civil war in Syria, the support was mainly rhetorical. This was mainly stopping the intervention supported by the western part of the one in Libya, which led to the fall of Gaddafi and since then immersed the country in chaos.

Loud Assad visit to China in September 2023 Partnership strategic agreement. This appeared to signal the next step towards the rehabilitation of the Syrian regime, at the least in the eyes of Beijing. But when Push got here to a pushing and Assad’s rule was under a serious threat, China did nothing to save lots of him.

This raises a vital query About the Chinese judgment of the Syrian regime i The evolving crisis. But here can be a wider point on the Russian ambition of great power.

Despite the whole conversation about the unlimited partnership between Moscow and Beijing, China eventually did nothing to save lots of Russia from the embarrassing defeat in Syria. Where Russia needed a military presence to strengthen its claims to the status of great power, Chinese interests in the Middle East are First of all, about economic possibilities and perceived threat Islamic fundamentalist terrorism.

This clearly limited Beijing’s appetite to get more involved, let alone save Assad.

Putin has decreased

Russia’s position in the Middle East is now at risk. Moscow lost a key ally at Assad. Other foremost allies, Iran and Hezbollah are significantly weakened. Israel and Türkiye, with which the Kremlin has not had easy relations in the previous few years, have been strengthened.

This exposes the Holowness of Russian claims for great power status. It will probably reduce the Russian prestige and the position it has in the eyes of other partners – regardless of whether or not they are China or North Korea, members of BRICS, or countries on the global south, which Russia recently tried to get.

The consequences of this for Ukraine-probably the foremost source of excessive stretching of Russia-will probably be ambivalent. On the one hand, the ease with which Assad has been covered shows that Russia isn’t invincible and that its support for brutal dictatorships has limits. On the other hand, there ought to be no waiting for anything but doubles in Ukraine.

Putin needs success that restores his national and international trust – and quickly. After all, Donald Trump doesn’t like losers.

After the fall of the Al-Assad regime in Syria Apparently it was discovered.

It is believed that the supplies, found by Syrian rebels, are related to the al-Assad military seat, implying the fallen regime In the production and distribution of the drug.

But as we are going to see, Captagon was once a pharmaceutical drug, similar to some of the legally available stimulants, which we still use in conditions, including hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Captagon was once a pharmaceutical

Captagon is the original brand of the old synthetic pharmaceutical stimulator originally Made in Germany in the Nineteen Sixties. It was another to amphetamine and methamphetamine, which were then used as drugs.

The drug has energetic ingredient Phenetic And initially it was sold to the conditions, including ADHD and NARKOPSY Sleep disorder. It had a similar application to some of the legally available stimulants that we still use, resembling demfetamine.

Captagon has Similar effects For amphetamines. It increases dopamine in the brain, which leads to a sense of well -being, pleasure and euphoria. It also improves concentration, concentration and endurance. But it has many unwanted unintended effects, resembling low level psychosis.

The drug was originally sold mainly in the Middle East and part of Europe. It was available without a prescription (without a prescription) in Europe for a short time before it only became prescription.

It was approved only briefly in the United States before it became a substance controlled in the Eighties, but it was still legal to treat narcolepsy in lots of European countries until recently.

According to International Drug Control Council Captagon pharmaceutical production stopped until 2009.

Illegal trade took control

The illegally produced version is often referred to as a captagon (with small C). Sometimes it is called “Chemical courage“Because it is believed that it is utilized by soldiers in war -torn areas of the Middle East to help them in focus and energy.

For example, apparently it was found on The bodies of Hamas soldiers During the conflict with Israel.

Its production is relatively easy and inexpensivemaking him an obvious goal of drug trafficking on the black market.

Black Captagon market It is now almost exclusively produced in Syria and nearby countries, resembling Lebanon. It is most frequently utilized in the Middle East, including recreationally In some states of the Persian Gulf.

This is one of the most commonly used illegal drugs in Syria.

AND Last report He suggests that Captagon generated over USD 7.3 billion in Syria and Lebanon in 2020–2022 (about $ 2.4 billion a 12 months).

We learn about illegal drugs normally that every one attacks or repression about production or sales have a very limited impact on the drug market, because one other manufacturer or distributor appears to satisfy demand.

So, almost certainly, given the size of the Captagon market in the Middle East, the latest drug discoveries and convulsions will probably reduce production just for a short time.