Displaced Palestinians return to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, shortly before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was implemented. AFP
Displaced Palestinians return to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, shortly before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was implemented. AFP

2023 - Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and the Oct. 7 attacks

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2023 - Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and the Oct. 7 attacks

2023 - Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and the Oct. 7 attacks
  • Surprise assault on Israel by Hamas triggers massive war on Gaza, reshapes the Middle East and raises questions about future of the territory

RIYADH: The year 2023 began with signs of shifting regional dynamics. On March 10, senior security officials from China, Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing to formalize an agreement restoring diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Tehran after more than four decades of tensions.

While both sides described the rapprochement as cautious, the deal marked a turning point. Previous rounds of talks, hosted by Iraq and Oman, had paved the way for dialogue but the final agreement signaled a broader shift toward diplomacy and direct engagement over longstanding hostility.

In the months that followed, Iran and Saudi Arabia reestablished diplomatic missions, with Tehran reopening its embassy in Riyadh and the Kingdom resuming operations in the Iranian capital. The agreement provided a framework for the two countries to focus on shared regional challenges rather than their history of rivalry. For Riyadh, in particular, the easing of tensions with Iran was a crucial step toward achieving the stability needed for its long-term development goals.

This momentum toward regional realignment was further reflected in reports of ongoing Saudi-Israeli normalization talks, brokered by the US. Speculation intensified until Sept. 21, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed, in an interview with Fox News, that Saudi Arabia was moving “closer” to a deal with Tel Aviv, describing it as “the biggest historical agreement since the end of the Cold War.” However, he also stressed that the Palestinian issue remained a key factor in any potential accord.

In hindsight, his words seemed to foreshadow what would come next. Two weeks later, on Oct. 7, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, shattering hopes of a breakthrough in Saudi-Israeli relations.

More than that, the attacks represented a seismic event that left Israelis and Palestinians, and the rest of the Middle East, badly bleeding. The scars will remain on the two peoples and their societies, and many others far beyond their borders, for decades to come.

How we wrote it




Arab News reported the unprecedented attacks with two main images comparing Oct. 7 to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. 

The brutality of the Hamas attacks, during which more than 1,200 people were killed and about 250 abducted, followed by the relentless nature of Israel’s massive military response, have left a legacy of death and destruction that spread to other countries in the Middle East.

It remains to be seen what the two societies, and the others directly or indirectly involved, have learned from this. But the first lesson must surely be that allowing a conflict to fester without meticulously addressing its root causes is a disaster waiting to happen, the consequences of which will be considerably more dire than any painful efforts to resolve them.

The second lesson that must be internalized by those involved in the conflict is that the concept of “status quo” can be dangerously misleading and ends only in bloodshed.

Thirdly, setting unrealistic war objectives, especially maximalist ones, will only result in a never-ending war, inevitably with large numbers of victims.

Moreover, underestimating the capabilities, determination and intentions of the enemy can only have disastrous consequences; both sides in this conflict are at fault for that.

Finally, decades of mutual demonization and dehumanization can only result in a complete loss of empathy and legitimize the kind of carnage we have witnessed during this war.

Key Dates

  • 1

    Following days of discussions in Beijing, Saudi Arabia’s National Security Advisor Musaed Al-Aiban and Iran’s security official Ali Shamkhahni declare the resumption of diplomatic relations.

    Timeline Image March 10, 2023

  • 2

    Hamas stages unprecedented attacks on Israel on multiple fronts, killing more than 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

    Timeline Image Oct. 7, 2023

  • 3

    Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, orders complete siege of Gaza amid intense retaliatory strikes.

    Timeline Image Oct. 9, 2023

  • 4

    Iran-backed Houthis hijack Galaxy Leader, an Israeli-linked cargo ship, in the first of many attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. The group says it is acting in protest against the war in Gaza.

    Timeline Image Nov. 19, 2023

  • 5

    First ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel takes effect, lasting a week; 70 Israeli hostages released in exchange for 210 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

  • 6

    Israel intensifies aerial campaign against Lebanon in a crackdown on Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border fire exchange.

    Timeline Image Sept. 23, 2024

  • 7

    Lebanon and Israel sign ceasefire agreement.

  • 8

    Israel and Hamas agree on ceasefire deal after 14 months of stalled negotiations, which takes effect three days later.

  • 9

    Arab leaders adopt Egyptian plan to reconstruct Gaza without displacing Palestinians, countering US President Donald Trump’s ‘Middle East Riviera’ vision.

    Timeline Image March 4, 2025

  • 10

    Israel resumes war on Gaza, shattering the ceasefire agreement.

    Timeline Image March 18, 2025

It is still unknown whether Hamas, and the others who joined their attacks, expected to be able to execute the massacre they committed on the scale that unfolded, or whether they were surprised by the complete lack of Israeli preparedness for such an incident. Regardless, nothing can excuse the brutality that was on display that day.

Israel’s response was as much expected as it was condemnable, even allowing for the trauma and sense of grief that engulfed the country. It entered into this war as a red mist descended on the entire nation, including its leaders, who neglected any thoughts of morality and had no political vision for ending the war or its aftermath, nor any consideration for their country’s international reputation.

Depicting the entire population of Gaza as culprits complicit in the attacks, and simply collateral damage in the war against Hamas, legitimized, in their eyes, the mass killing of civilians.

Israel initially garnered the sympathy and support of the world to go after Hamas — but never to kill more than 48,000 people, more than half of them women and children, or reduce the entire Gaza Strip to rubble.

The Israeli government — the most far-right in the country’s history, led by a prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was thoroughly compromised by being a defendant in a corruption trial — was ill-equipped to protect its people in the first place, and then set two unachievable objectives: the elimination of Hamas, and the rescue of the hostages through the application of military pressure.




Iran’s FM Hossein Amir- Abdollahian (R) and Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan (L) meet in Beijing in the first formal meeting of the two countries’ top diplomats in seven years. AFP 

Israeli authorities ended up negotiating with their sworn Islamist enemy, at a very heavy price, a ceasefire agreement that included the return of the remaining hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees.

Still, the ceasefire deal, reached during the final days of the Biden administration in Washington, with the active encouragement of the incoming Trump administration, presented an opportunity to establish a horizon for the reconstruction of Gaza. However, a genuine peace process between Israelis and Palestinians is under threat from US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and relocate the Palestinians there to Egypt and Jordan.

In response, Egypt proposed an alternative plan, calling for $53 billion to rebuild Gaza without displacing its population. However, the resistance in Israel and Washington to the Egyptian plan, which Arab leaders adopted during the Cairo Summit on March 4, compounded by unanswered questions about the fate of Hamas and who will rule Gaza, means the future of the enclave remains uncertain.

The Arab gathering to discuss Egypt’s plan reflects the impact that Oct. 7 had, and will continue to have, on the rest of the Middle East.

The hostilities were not confined to Gaza; they spread across the Middle East as old enmities bubbled back up to the surface, mainly among Iran and its “Axis of Resistance” allies.




Palestinians salvage belongings from a UN-run school damaged in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, during the Israel-Hamas conflict. AFP

It is true that Hezbollah, the military threat Israel most feared along its immediate borders and was probably the best-prepared to deal with, proved hesitant when the Israelis were at their most vulnerable in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, and offered only halfhearted support for Hamas.

However, the continual barrage of missiles and rockets from southern Lebanon rendered northern Israel too dangerous for much of the population to remain there and forced their displacement, eventually leading to a powerful, if delayed, response by Israeli authorities in late September 2024.

The resultant elimination of much of the Hezbollah leadership, in particular its chief Hassan Nasrallah, and the severe damage inflicted on its military capabilities changed the equation of fear between this Shiite movement and the Jewish state, giving Israel the upper hand. Their ceasefire agreement on Nov. 27 has the potential to ensure the Israeli-Lebanese border remains quiet in the long term.

Combined with this truce, the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanese president on Jan. 9, after two years of a power vacuum that followed the end of his predecessor’s term, marked the start of a journey of political change in the country.

However, it remains to be seen what the lasting effects of the Oct. 7 attacks will be on the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well as the wider Middle East.

One can only hope diplomacy will prevail and peaceful resolutions to conflicts can be reached. The alternative, as we saw during this most recent war, is immense suffering, mainly among innocent civilians.

  • Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and senior consulting fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. 


Trump to meet Qatar’s PM as push for Gaza ceasefire deal continues

Trump to meet Qatar’s PM as push for Gaza ceasefire deal continues
Updated 3 min 18 sec ago
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Trump to meet Qatar’s PM as push for Gaza ceasefire deal continues

Trump to meet Qatar’s PM as push for Gaza ceasefire deal continues
  • Trump on Sunday said he hoped talks for a ceasefire deal would be “straightened out” this week
  • US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators have been working to secure an agreement

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday, the White House said, as Trump presses for progress on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since July 6, discussing a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza, and discussions on ending the conflict.

Trump will host the Qatari leader for dinner at the White House on Wednesday evening, the White House said in a daily schedule for the president. Trump on Sunday said he hoped talks for a ceasefire deal would be “straightened out” this week.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said on Sunday he was “hopeful” about the ceasefire negotiations under way in Qatar, a key mediator between the two sides.

US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators have been working to secure an agreement; however, Israel and Hamas are divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel. Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed over 58,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza’s entire population, and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

A previous two-month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. Trump this year proposed a US takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the UN, and Palestinians as a proposal of “ethnic cleansing.”

Trump and Sheikh Mohammed are also expected to discuss efforts to resume talks between the US and Iran to reach a new nuclear agreement.


Pakistan’s quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid

Pakistan’s quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
Updated 7 min 21 sec ago
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Pakistan’s quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid

Pakistan’s quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
  • Thousands of Pakistanis across the nation turn to solar power to escape soaring electricity bills and prolonged power cuts
  • Solar power reached 24% of Pakistan’s energy mix in first five months of 2025 to become largest source of energy production

KARACHI: Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favor of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt.

The quiet energy revolution has spread from wealthy neighborhoods to middle- and lower-income households as customers look to escape soaring electricity bills and prolonged power cuts.

Down a cramped alley in Pakistan’s megacity of Karachi, residents fighting the sweltering summer heat gather in Fareeda Saleem’s modest home for something they never experienced before — uninterrupted power.

“Solar makes life easier, but it’s a hard choice for people like us,” she says of the installation cost.

Saleem was cut from the grid last year for refusing to pay her bills in protest over enduring 18-hour power cuts.

A widow and mother of two disabled children, she sold her jewelry — a prized possession for women in Pakistan — and borrowed money from relatives to buy two solar panels, a solar inverter and battery to store energy, for 180,000 rupees ($630).

As temperatures pass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), children duck under Saleem’s door and gather around the breeze of her fan.

Mounted on poles above homes, solar panels have become a common sight across the country of 240 million people, with the installation cost typically recovered within two to five years.

Making up less than two percent of the energy mix in 2020, solar power reached 10.3% in 2024, according to the global energy think tank Ember.

But in a remarkable acceleration, it more than doubled to 24% in the first five months of 2025, becoming the largest source of energy production for the first time.

It has edged past gas, coal and nuclear electricity sources, as well as hydropower which has seen hundreds of millions of dollars of investment over the past decades.

As a result, Pakistan has unexpectedly surged toward its target of renewable energy, making up 60% of its energy mix by 2030.

Dave Jones, chief analyst at Ember, told AFP that Pakistan was “a leader in rooftop solar.”

Soaring fuel costs globally, coupled with demands from the International Monetary Fund to slash government subsidies, led successive administrations to repeatedly hike electricity costs.

Prices have fluctuated since 2022 but peaked at a 155-% increase and power bills sometimes outweigh the cost of rent.

“The great solar rush is not the result of any government’s policy push,” Muhammad Basit Ghauri, an energy transition expert at Renewables First, told AFP.

“Residents have taken the decision out of clear frustration over our classical power system, which is essentially based on a lot of inefficiencies.”

Pakistan sources most of its solar equipment from neighboring China, where prices have dropped sharply, largely driven by overproduction and tech advancements.

But the fall in national grid consumers has crept up on an unprepared government burdened by $8 billion of power sector debt, analysts say.

Pakistan depends heavily on costly gas imports, which it sells at a loss to national energy providers.

It is also tied into lengthy contracts with independent power producers, including some owned by China, for which it pays a fixed amount regardless of actual demand.

A government report in March said the solar power increase has created a “disproportionate financial burden onto grid consumers, contributing to higher electricity tariffs and undermining the sustainability of the energy sector.”

Electricity sales dropped 2.8% year-on-year in June, marking a second consecutive year of decline.

Last month, the government imposed a new 10-% tax on all imported solar, while the energy ministry has proposed slashing the rate at which it buys excess solar energy from consumers.

“The household solar boom was a response to a crisis, not the cause of it,” said analyst Jones, warning of “substantial problems for the grid” including a surge during evenings when solar users who cannot store energy return to traditional power.

The national grid is losing paying customers like businessman Arsalan Arif.

A third of his income was spent on electricity bills at his Karachi home until he bought a 10-kilowatt solar panel for around 1.4 million rupees (around $4,900).

“Before, I didn’t follow a timetable. I was always disrupted by the power outages,” he told AFP.

Now he has “freedom and certainty” to continue his catering business.

In the eastern city of Sialkot, safety wear manufacturer Hammad Noor switched to solar power in 2023, calling it his “best business decision,” breaking even in 18 months and now saving 1 million rupees every month.

The cost of converting Noor’s second factory has now risen by nearly 1.5 million rupees under the new government tax.

“The tax imposed is unfair and gives an advantage to big businesses over smaller ones,” he said.

“Policymakers seem completely disconnected from the public and business community.”


Two constables shot dead in northwestern Pakistan amid surge in militant attacks

Two constables shot dead in northwestern Pakistan amid surge in militant attacks
Updated 21 min ago
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Two constables shot dead in northwestern Pakistan amid surge in militant attacks

Two constables shot dead in northwestern Pakistan amid surge in militant attacks
  • Police say one “terrorist” shot dead, two others injured during exchange of fire
  • Pakistan blames Afghanistan-based groups for attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

PESHAWAR: Unidentified gunmen shot dead two constables in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Wednesday, police said amid a surge in militant attacks in the restive area. 

The attack took place in Dera Ismail Khan district’s Kulachi area near the Afghan border, district police spokesperson Yaqoob Bukhari confirmed.

Bukhari identified the slain cops as constables Ghulam Muhammad and Shehzad, saying they were ambushed by the unknown attackers while they left their police station to buy groceries.

“A heavy police contingent responded immediately,” Bukhari told Arab News. “During the ensuing search operation, one terrorist was killed and two others injured in an exchange of fire.”

Kalashnikov rifles and other ammunition were recovered from the slain militant, Bukhari said, adding that a search operation was underway to track down the remaining assailants.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack, paying tribute to the slain constables and directing authorities to arrest the suspects involved in the killing.

The latest attack takes place amid surging violence in KP, where earlier this month an explosion claimed by Daesh killed at least four local government officials and policemen.

A woman was killed last week while three others were injured in two quadcopter attacks in the province that police said were conducted by militants.

Last week also saw the killing of two people, including a senior leader of the Awami National Party, who were shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Bajaur district.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the constables. However, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group has previously claimed responsibility for similar attacks in KP, which borders Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s government has also blamed the TTP for some of the deadliest attacks against law enforcers and civilians in recent years. Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of sheltering TTP militants, urging Kabul to take decisive action against militants it says operate from Afghan soil.

Kabul has rejected the allegations and urged Islamabad to resolve its security matters internally.


Liverpool eye blockbuster bid for Newcastle’s Isak: reports

Liverpool eye blockbuster bid for Newcastle’s Isak: reports
Updated 20 min 11 sec ago
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Liverpool eye blockbuster bid for Newcastle’s Isak: reports

Liverpool eye blockbuster bid for Newcastle’s Isak: reports
  • The Premier League champions are yet to make a formal offer for Isak
  • He scored 23 Premier League goals last season to fire the club into the Champions League

LONDON: Liverpool are considering a blockbuster £120 million ($160 million) bid for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak despite the Magpies’ desire to hold onto the Sweden star, according to reports on Wednesday.

The Premier League champions are yet to make a formal offer for Isak but he is believed to be high on their wanted list as boss Arne Slot looks for a new forward in the wake of Diogo Jota’s death.

Isak joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63 million in 2022, emerging as a key player for Eddie Howe’s team.

He scored 23 Premier League goals last season to fire the club into the Champions League for the second time in three years.

Isak also scored in Newcastle’s League Cup final victory over Liverpool at Wembley, which ended the Magpies’ 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

The 25-year-old, who is currently at a pre-season training camp in Austria, still has three years remaining on his contract and Newcastle are understood to be trying to tie him to a new deal.

They have reportedly put a value of around £150 million on Isak in an attempt to ward off potential suitors, with Arsenal also reportedly contemplating an offer.

Newcastle’s majority owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, have the financial muscle to resist any approach for a player who is said not to be agitating for a move.

Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa have also been linked with moves away from Anfield, which would increase their need to bring in a new striker.

As well as their Isak interest, Liverpool have been linked with Eintracht Frankfurt’s £70 million-rated forward Hugo Ekitike, who has also attracted attention from Newcastle.


Istanbul mayor hit with new jail term for insulting prosecutor, media say

Istanbul mayor hit with new jail term for insulting prosecutor, media say
Updated 24 min 30 sec ago
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Istanbul mayor hit with new jail term for insulting prosecutor, media say

Istanbul mayor hit with new jail term for insulting prosecutor, media say
  • The prison sentence must be confirmed by two appeals courts
  • It’s the second time Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials

ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court on Wednesday sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan, to a fresh prison term, state broadcaster TRT reported, extending a crackdown on the opposition.

Imamoglu, who has been in jail pending trial since March over separate corruption charges, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening the chief Istanbul prosecutor.

The prison sentence must be confirmed by two appeals courts.

It’s the second time Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials. In 2022, Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticizing election board officials over a decision to cancel 2019 Istanbul elections, in which he defeated the ruling AK Party candidate. He has appealed that sentence but it has not yet been reviewed.

Imamoglu denies the charges.

“I’ve been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is indeed an insult against our nation,” Imamoglu was quoted as saying by broadcaster Halk TV and other Turkish media.

The 2022 conviction, if upheld, could prevent Imamoglu from participating in future elections. Istanbul University in March annulled Imamoglu’s university diploma, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president.

Since October last year, police have detained more than 500 people, over 200 of whom were then jailed pending trial, under investigations into municipalities run by the main opposition CHP, Imamoglu’s party.

The CHP denies corruption allegations and calls them a politicized attempt by the government to remove electoral threats against Erdogan, a charge the government rejects.

Wednesday’s hearing was held inside a courthouse-prison complex in Istanbul’s Silivri district, a site often used for high-profile and politically sensitive trials and where Imamoglu is currently being held.