Columbus lost his compass only to discover the vitality of Gaza’s port. The Genoese pirate embodied the idea that looting, plundering, and killing were permissible—an intrinsic part of Western history, indispensable and even legitimized.

He came dressed in modern attire, disguising the empire’s ambitions behind the spread of Christianity and peace, while the true goal was the plundering of wealth, the theft of resources, the destruction of civilizations, and further expansion.

The same slogans are repeated today: We come to promote values, to uplift nations from savagery to civilization. We know best how humans should live and what they need. You need only submit to us, and we will bring you happiness. If you refuse, we will have no choice but to kill you so that you do not stand in the way of civilization. We are the new ships of peace, sailing across the world’s seas and oceans, defining its longitudes and latitudes—ships of peace that sail to kill in the name of peace and to impose new ideals that cannot be opposed. You must simply accept them, for those who defy the will of these ships will face death, displacement, and exile.

Now, the forced displacement project targeting the people of Gaza hides behind Zionist expansionist ambitions. They kill and destroy with impunity, while the blame falls on the people of Gaza because their land is allegedly unlivable—not due to their own actions, but because of Columbus’s ideology carried by these ships of peace. Yes, this is not a historical event from the Middle Ages; this is happening in an era of scientific advancement and supreme legal systems, in an age of globalization, values, and lofty ideals that have granted animals rights and established international bodies for their protection.

This event may have deviated from the script carefully written to keep the audience entertained, allowing for some international overreach. But stepping outside the script does not justify violating an internationally recognized legal principle—where killing a dog on a European street could land you in prison, yet crushing an entire people and threatening them with displacement is treated as routine, perhaps not even making the headlines. Some global news agencies even work to obscure it.

Such is the play: some scenes exist outside the script, but only the lead actor gets to perform them—not the extras, who merely receive a wage in exchange for following orders.

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I followed, as did the rest of the world, the statements of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the forced displacement of Gaza's residents to Egypt and Jordan and transforming Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," as if he holds the decision in his hands. When Egypt and Jordan rejected this idea, he arrogantly responded, "They will do it," as if declaring, "I am your supreme lord."

Such actions can only be described as foolish and reckless. History recalls that during the Battle of the Trench, the disbelievers from Quraysh, Ahabeesh, Ghatafan, Banu Asad, Hudhayl, Khuza'ah, and, of course, the Jews gathered together. Despite the three-week siege, the noble Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) did not fear their numbers. Instead, he rallied the Muslims and turned first to Allah, who shook the enemy forces and cast terror into their hearts, leading them to retreat in defeat, granting victory to the Muslims.

The connection here is that Trump and his ilk—those outlaws among the Jews and criminals—will find that their plans will first clash with what Allah has decreed: victory and empowerment for the Muslims and the people of truth. The recent Gaza war and the Al-Aqsa Flood operation demonstrated to the world that the people of Gaza remain steadfast in their land and their cause. Despite all the destruction and bombardment, with over 47,000 martyrs and massive devastation to services and homes in Gaza, not a single Gazan has wavered or left. Even those who seek medical treatment abroad return to Gaza after recovery. The Zionists have failed miserably. We all remember Netanyahu’s infamous claim that he would eliminate Hamas. Did he succeed? Of course not. He ended up negotiating with Hamas, yielding to all their conditions. His defense minister and chief of staff resigned, his government was shaken, and it faces many divisions within Zionist society. Thousands of Zionist soldiers were killed, including about 6,000 soldiers—according to the new Zionist chief of staff—by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who do not possess even a fraction of the weaponry, equipment, or numbers of the Zionist army.

Trump’s statements reflect only the settler-colonial spirit he shares with colonial powers and Zionists. It seems Trump and American leadership have forgotten the fate of the U.S. army in Vietnam at the hands of the Vietnamese fighters, with over 58,000 Americans killed, forcing President Richard Nixon in 1973 to withdraw in disgrace. The same applies to the humiliating U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after losing more than 10,000 Americans and collaborators, along with over $2 trillion.

The colonizer is destined to lose, no matter how long it takes. The fighter loves death as much as the colonizer loves life. As the Prince of Poets, Ahmad Shawqi, said, addressing the French colonizer in Syria:

The blood of revolutionaries, France knows it well,
It is light and truth.
The door to red freedom
Is knocked on with every blood-stained hand.

When Trump promises that Gaza will become the "Riviera of the East," does he not realize that behind the people of Gaza stand men and a mighty nation unafraid of death? The Arab and Muslim Ummah may weaken and fall ill, but it never dies. It is a nation promised victory by its Creator: “Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.” (Al-Hajj: 39)

Who will be the tourist willing to visit an occupied land with a long history of struggle and jihad?

No matter how long the night lasts, the dawn of Islam will break. Let everyone who considers colonizing Gaza or elsewhere know that if the Al-Aqsa Flood operation humbled the Zionist occupier in Palestine, then attempting to displace Gaza’s residents will trigger another kind of flood involving the entire Arab and Muslim Ummah. They must know that the future belongs to this religion and this Arab and Muslim Ummah.

A Final Note: “If, one day, the people will to live,
Then fate must answer their call.”

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Yes, she is half a woman, perhaps the remnants of a woman, facing the brutal Zionist aggression in steadfast Gaza amidst international complicity. She is the woman who lived through the tragedy of the infamous Sednaya Prison in Syria for years. She is the mother now displaced in Yemen, a refugee in Sudan, whose family has been torn apart, losing her husband, a son, or a brother.

Women are often the ones who pay the heaviest price in wars, and they usually pay this price multiple times. They pay it as women subjected to rape and sexual violence, as wives widowed by the killing of their husbands, as mothers whose children become martyrs, and as activists facing oppression and imprisonment, enduring a massive and bloody tragedy with lasting effects for years and decades.

From injustice and oppression to poverty, ignorance, unemployment, and spinsterhood, women in many countries endure harsh suffering due to wars in which they have no stake, yet they remain targets for the machinery of war, the regime’s thugs, and the prisons of dictators. Meanwhile, the world boasts about “women's rights” in the 21^st century.

Eyes are closed, tongues are silenced, and consciences die when the target and victim are Arab or Muslim women. Then, they become deaf, mute, and blind, neither condemning the suffering of these women nor imposing sanctions on those responsible for their ordeal. The suffering of these women, driven to the edge by wars and ongoing conflicts funded by regional and international forces, unfolds under the watchful eye of the international community and global organizations.

When Umm Ahmed stepped on a landmine left behind by years of war in Yemen, it tore apart her frail body. She wasn’t a fighter in a battle, nor was she affiliated with any political party; she was merely a victim caught between lives lost and limbs severed, as reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The 2023 report states that women are sometimes used as tools of war, subjected to physical violence, their social roles shrink and their options diminish as conflicts drag on. This exacerbates their suffering and makes them vulnerable to economic, social, and psychological setbacks.

According to alarming statistics, nearly 90 million girls — one in five girls worldwide — live in conflict zones, facing devastating consequences for their physical and mental health.

Gaza in Agony

The women of Gaza are a living example of this painful reality in a world that annually celebrates women while they are reduced to “half women” in a place that has become a mark of shame on humanity’s conscience. Women and children make up about 70% of the casualties of the “Israeli” war on the Strip between November 2023 and April 2024, according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

More than a million women in Gaza lack access to food, clean drinking water, or sanitary facilities, including bathrooms and sanitary pads. Four out of five mothers skip meals to feed their children. Some 155,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women face medical and psychological hardships, and 328,000 girls have been deprived of education. Over a million women have been displaced, according to the report titled “Gaza: War on Women’s Health,” published by UN Women last September.

Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, stated that two mothers are killed in Gaza every hour. The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, reported that around 3,000 women have lost their husbands or become the sole breadwinners for their families in the Zionist war, which claimed over 155,000 martyrs and wounded.

The tragedy of Gaza’s women has long exposed the hypocrisy of the West and the international community regarding women’s rights, with no protection umbrella to shield them from death by shelling, starvation, cold, or captivity. They are defenseless, unarmed, and not military targets to provoke Netanyahu’s jets, Ben-Gvir’s cannons, or Smotrich’s bombs. The world has never moved to establish a no-fly zone to protect civilian women and children or impose severe sanctions on the aggressors, as it did in response to Russia's war on Ukraine.

Of course, the blood of Ukrainian women differs from that of Palestinian women. The international community’s response to women differs based on their nationality, religion, and language. Palestinian women pay the price as females, Arabs, and Muslims, while the world annually celebrates International Women’s Day as the processions of female martyrs continue in Gaza.

True recognition of women should be an opportunity to show solidarity with women in conflict and war zones, especially Palestinian women. It should involve legislating laws to protect them, safeguard their dignity and honor, allocate funds to meet their needs, and rehabilitate them psychologically, medically, educationally, socially, and economically. They should be honored in international forums to ensure they are not reduced to “half women.”

Urgently, reconstruction efforts should extend beyond rebuilding infrastructure to rebuilding these women, providing recovery environments, healing their wounds, compensating them for lost education, facilitating marriage for widows, supporting mothers who have lost children, rescuing those who have lost homes, and ensuring their security while holding aggressors accountable to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies anywhere in the world.

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He came to his bride, pretending to be joyful and happy, with his hands behind his back, hiding something to surprise her. He called her with a smile, even though his heart was torn with sorrow and pain for her: “I brought you a gift, my beautiful bride. Don’t you want to know what it is? Close your eyes and get ready for a sweet surprise.”

The bride's face lit up as she imagined the gift. Was it a golden bracelet, the usual present given by a groom to his bride? Or perhaps a precious diamond ring to adorn her finger? Maybe his gift was her wedding dress, with the date approaching quickly?

But she quickly brushed those thoughts aside when the sides of her worn-out tent shook with the sound of the wind. The groom extended his hand, offering the gift. She opened her eyes and smiled at him when she saw it. What a gift! It was a loaf of bread!

This scene is neither a dream nor a fantasy but a living reality that no one can deny. In Gaza, the bride's gift has become a loaf of bread, a packet of instant noodles, a single egg, or some fruit. Yet the lovers accept these gifts with pure, genuine smiles, not burdening their loved ones with unbearable demands, not rebuking them for their helplessness, not asking for more, not insisting on delaying the marriage until things get better, and not rejecting a suitor until the country's and people's conditions improve.

And even if they did, they would have every excuse, for they are human, harboring wishes and dreams like everyone else. But they don’t do that! This bride doesn't see her gift as just a loaf of bread; rather, she says, “It’s the first gift since our engagement, the most precious, and it will remain etched in my memory forever!”

What remarkable contentment Allah has blessed them with, adorning their souls! What an exemplary model of modesty, goodwill, satisfaction, generosity, and love they present to people! What a living embodiment of the Prophet's ﷺ saying: “Wealth is not in having many possessions, but rather (true) wealth is feeling sufficiency in the soul.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)

This is a profound lesson in contentment for all married couples and those preparing for marriage, as well as for every father seeking to marry his daughter off to a man of religion and good character amidst the difficult economic conditions many people face across different countries. Unfortunately, instead of simplifying marriage by reducing its expenses, costs have risen and become more complicated, leaving young men confused and helpless, unable to proceed with marriage unless they can afford its excessive and overwhelming expenses. Rather than understanding this and empathizing with the groom's circumstances, some fathers obstruct their daughters' marriage, unintentionally causing harm, which may be one of the reasons behind the rising phenomenon of spinsterhood and delayed marriage for both men and women.

The point of mentioning this scene is not that the groom’s gift to his bride should be a loaf of bread or something similar, but rather the lessons in contentment that adorn the little and make it abundant in the eyes, reflecting the beloved's circumstances and conditions. This sharing of hardship relieves their burden instead of trapping them in helplessness and feelings of inadequacy, as some do.

Some fathers demand an unaffordable dowry from their daughters' suitors, insisting that the groom must own a house, not rent one, and even transfer its ownership to the bride before consenting to the marriage. If only such a father would reflect, he would realize that Allah did not specify the dowry in His Book, nor did He detail it as He did with inheritance shares. Rather, He left it to people's circumstances and individual capabilities. One groom might only be able to offer an iron ring, while another could provide a mountain of gold. The value and amount of the dowry vary from one suitor to another.

However, some people go to extremes in dowries, both immediate and deferred, and this may later negatively impact the married couple’s life, causing anxiety and worry over the consequences of such extravagance.

Some mothers demand a specific quantity of gold for their daughters, thinking this elevates their daughter's value in the groom’s eyes and fearing potential betrayal from the husband after marriage.

Another mother requires household and electrical appliances, both necessary and unnecessary, while a third insists on furnishing one or more rooms for future children, who have not yet been born, adorning them with toys. As for the wardrobe, it must contain clothes of every color, shape, trend, and era — enough for the bride to wear for a lifetime, with some left over!

Excessiveness and extravagance even extend to the wedding dress, with the addition of beauty salon fees and renting the wedding hall, all of which require a fortune that this young man, just starting his life, simply does not have. This may lead him to debts and loans, causing him to suffer from overwhelming debt and possibly resort to interest-based loans while still at the beginning of his professional life, where his salary may not even cover one of these required expenses.

The reverse scenario can also occur, where the groom and his family insist on offering a minimal dowry despite their financial capability, demanding unreasonable and extravagant requests from the bride’s family, or requiring the purchase of luxurious furnishings that could be easily done without for now. They might even insist on a particular type of furniture and bedding of very high value, looking down on the bride if she fails to meet these demands.

All these practices burden parents and couples, placing them in difficult situations. How, then, can we expect to find the love we seek and hope for? Where is the treasure of contentment that elevates and enriches us? The Prophet ﷺ said: “Successful is the one who enters the fold of Islam and is provided with sustenance which is sufficient for his day's needs, and Allah makes him content with what He has bestowed upon him.” (Narrated by Muslim)

The Prophet ﷺ encouraged making marriage easy, saying: “The best marriage is the one that is most easy.” (Sahih al-Jami’) He mentioned that this simplicity brings blessing and much good, saying: “One of the signs of a woman being blessed is that the process of proposing to her is made easy and the dowry is made affordable and she bears children easily.” (Sahih al-Jami’) He also said: “The best dowry is that which is most easy.” (Sahih al-Jami’)

Even if some of these examples of extravagance in dowries and wedding expenses have become customs and norms, they need to be reconsidered and replaced with proper values and concepts about true marital happiness. This happiness is not built on furnishings and decorations; true love cannot be bought with money or property. The righteous wife is the true treasure for a husband, and a righteous husband is every Muslim girl’s dream, bringing joy and happiness.

Tomorrow, in Allah’s will, the drums of joy will beat in homes filled with such values. Tomorrow, ease will overcome hardship, and the groom in Gaza will bring his bride gifts, adorning her with gold bracelets and a wedding dress. Tomorrow, the loaf of bread will transform into a happy, prosperous home filled with goodness and blessed with righteous offspring.

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The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has cast a shadow on the region's economies, particularly those of Arab countries, which have been negatively affected. This is evident in national and local output indicators, as well as in metrics of poverty, unemployment, and the rising cost of living.

The following report examines the direct and indirect economic costs incurred by Arab countries due to the aggression on Gaza, identifies the nations most impacted by this aggression, and assesses the time frame expected for these countries to recover from these effects.

Numerous international and regional reports have recently addressed the economic repercussions of the geopolitical changes brought about by the aggression in the region, directly affecting seven fronts targeted by the occupying state’s escalation, namely: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran.

Gaza bore the brunt of the devastation, losing 16% of its original population as martyrs, injured, missing, or detained. Lebanon followed, enduring a destructive war in its southern regions, with its capital, Beirut, suffering significant damage to its infrastructure and essential facilities. The West Bank ranked third in terms of impact, followed by Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and finally, Iran.

Lebanon

Two recent reports by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank examined the economic toll of Israeli aggression in the Middle East. They concluded that, apart from the Palestinian territories, where the war is ongoing, Lebanon ranks as the most economically affected Arab country due to the attacks that began on October 8, 2023, and lasted until the truce was signed on November 27, 2024.

The reports revealed that Lebanon has entered its worst economic crisis in decades, requiring up to two decades for recovery. Key sectors such as travel and tourism, which contribute one-fifth of the GDP, have been paralyzed, alongside agriculture, industry, and operations. Direct costs include the destruction of 37 villages and towns within a 3-kilometer radius along Lebanon's side of the Blue Line, damage to 40,000 housing units, and the displacement of 1.5 million people.

Statistics from "Statistics Lebanon," managed by Rabih Haber, estimate the losses during the 13-month aggression as follows:

• Total destroyed housing units: Approximately 11,000.
• Estimated damage value: $3.4 billion.
• Total losses: About $5.1 billion.
• GDP decline: 5.7%, bringing it to $14.5 billion.
• Agricultural sector losses: $124 million, with damage exceeding $1.1 billion.
• Trade sector losses: $178 million, with damage amounting to $1.7 billion.
• Housing sector damages: $2.8 billion, with losses estimated at $389 million.
• Tourism sector damages: $18 million, with losses reaching $1.1 billion.
• Environmental sector damages: $221 million, with losses at $214 million.
• Healthcare sector damages: $74 million, with losses of $338 million, including the destruction of 8 healthcare centers, the closure of 250 others, and the deaths of approximately 220 medical staff, with 300 others injured.
• Educational sector losses: $215 million, resulting from families sheltering in schools and educational facilities.

Egypt

Although Egypt was not a direct military target of Israeli attacks, it was economically impacted by geopolitical developments in the Red Sea region, which negatively affected the performance of the Suez Canal, one of Egypt's key foreign currency sources.

A New York Times report highlighted that Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, had barely recovered from the rising costs of wheat and fuel imports, declining tourism revenues, and reduced investments when the Middle East war exacerbated inflation. Rising debt payments further diminished purchasing power.

Reduced shipping traffic through the Suez Canal—from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea—was evident in financial records. Canal revenues in the first eight months of 2024 averaged $862 million monthly, a 30% decline compared to the same period in 2023.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi acknowledged $7 billion in economic losses. GDP growth slowed to 2.4% in the past year, down from 3.8% the previous year, due to Middle East crises, including the Gaza war.

Jordan

Jordan’s tourism sector was adversely affected by the Israeli aggression on Gaza, with tourism revenues for the first ten months of 2024 declining by $6.1 billion, a 4.4% drop compared to the same period in 2023.

Retail sectors, including clothing, electronics, and furniture, saw reduced sales, with pharmacies reporting a 20% decline in sales as consumers prioritized essential goods, according to the National Consumer Protection Association.

Syria

Since October 7, 2023, Syria has endured hundreds of Israeli attacks on military and civilian facilities under the pretext of targeting Iranian supply lines to Hezbollah.

Assessing the economic impact of the Gaza war on Syria is challenging due to internal developments, including the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and the establishment of a temporary governing body. However, Israel’s breach of the 1974 disengagement agreement and its subsequent occupation of several border villages in the Syrian Golan indicate ongoing repercussions.

Yemen

Yemen faced intense airstrikes by Israeli forces, alongside attacks by British and American naval forces. On January 10, airstrikes targeted oil storage facilities near Ras Isa Port in Hodeidah and the Haziz power station in Sana’a. Earlier raids primarily struck civilian facilities and infrastructure.

As Yemen remains a key supporter of Gaza in resisting Israeli aggression, the precise economic toll is difficult to quantify. However, Israel’s focus on oil, energy, ports, and fisheries—critical components of Yemen’s economy—has led to significant disruptions, including the shutdown of several airports.

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