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Amidst continuous killing and live-streamed genocide, April 2025 has marked one of the darkest chapters in Gaza’s 18-month humanitarian catastrophe, as Israel’s total blockade entered its third month, triggering mass starvation, medical system collapse, and forced displacement. Since March 2, Israel has fully blocked all aid supplies, including food, medicine and fuel from entering Gaza, defying a 2024 World Court order to facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, despite the cries of the people of Gaza, this is all being met with a feeble international response that continues to fail to stand up to Israel’s genocidal actions, courtesy of full support from the Trump administration in Washington. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) stated on April 27 that its food stocks in Gaza were completely depleted - more than 400,000 people in Gaza rely on WFP aid, leaving them with little recourse if this lifeline fails. Gaza’s health-care system is also on the brink of collapse, overwhelmed by mass casualties and critically hindered by the full blockade that has cut off essential medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment, severely impeding lifesaving services.
On May 2, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concluded public hearings into what Israel’s obligations are regarding allowing United Nations agencies and other relief groups to work in the Palestinian territory it occupies, with oral arguments from 40 countries, including China, France, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia and the United Kingdom. While there was broad consensus that it was Israel’s obligation to provide aid to the people it was occupying, the US and Hungary stood alone in defending Israel’s genocidal actions and UNWRA ban at the court. Israel, from its side, submitted written statements which called the hearings a “circus,” accused the court of anti-Semitism, and claimed that it has no obligation to work with “compromised” UN organs or aid groups, emphasising that its right to defend itself trumped any obligations as an occupier to provide and enable the flow of aid to estranged people under its occupation. On the same day that the court concluded its hearing, Israeli drones struck a ship with 30 rights activists and humanitarian aid headed for the besieged Gaza Strip while it was sailing in international waters near the island of Malta, showcasing the seriousness of its genocidal intent to starve Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.
Since breaking the ceasefire on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone. At least 61,709 people have been killed and 111,588 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since it began in October 2023, according to Palestinian authorities. More than 14,222 people are missing and presumed dead. 423,000 people were newly displaced in April, many bombed in tents after being forced into “safe zones” like Al Mawasi. Israeli forces razed 30 bulldozers donated for waste cleanup, exacerbating disease risks. Moreover, 70% of Gaza is now a military “no-go” zone, strangling key lifelines such as farming and fishing. As of now, there is no respite in sight, as the Israeli war cabinet has just approved the expansion of the war in Gaza, its complete military occupation, and the displacement of the population of 2.1 million refugees currently in Gaza.
References: AJLabs. (2023, October 9). Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker. Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera. ‘Redefining rogue state’: Outrage over Israel's bombing of aid ship bound for Gaza. (2025, May 2). Middle East Eye. Daily Sabah with Agencies. (2025, April 28). Palestine tells ICJ Israel using aid block as 'weapon of war' in Gaza. Daily Sabah. Humanitarian situation update #284 | Gaza Strip | United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. (2025, April 30). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory. Hungary decides to withdraw from ICC during Netanyahu visit. (2025, April 3). Middle East Eye. Israel cabinet approves plan to 'capture' Gaza - official. (2025, May 5). BBC Breaking News, World News, US News, Sports, Business, Innovation, Climate, Culture, Travel, Video & Audio. Maldives bars travelers with Israeli passports over Gaza war. (2025, April 16). AP News. Nashed, M. (2025, May 2). ICJ hearing on Israel’s obligation to allow aid to Palestine: Key takeaways. Al Jazeera. UN says its food stocks in Gaza completely ‘depleted’ amid Israeli blockade. (2025, April 25). Al Jazeera. WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza. (2025, April 25). UN News.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and a tireless advocate for the marginalized, passed away on April 21, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of radical compassion—particularly for Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Yet, as global tributes poured in, his unwavering solidarity with Gaza and the broader Palestinian struggle is being conspicuously omitted from mainstream obituaries, raising concerns about historical revisionism and media bias. In his final public address on Easter Sunday, just hours before his death, Pope Francis condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and aid for a "starving people." This was no isolated plea—since Israel’s invasion of Gaza in October 2023, the Pope had telephoned Gaza’s Holy Family Church nearly every night, offering prayers and blessings to its besieged congregation. Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, the church’s pastor, recalled: "He said he was praying for us, he blessed us, and he thanked us for our prayers." These calls, a profound gesture of solidarity, were absent from major obituaries in outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Francis’s advocacy for Palestine is not new. In 2014, he made an unscheduled stop at Israel’s separation wall in Bethlehem, praying before graffiti that likened the structure to the Warsaw Ghetto—a moment Palestinians still cherish. He repeatedly described Gaza’s suffering as potential "genocide," a stance that drew sharp rebukes from Israel. At Christmas 2024, he displayed a baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh, a symbolic act of solidarity that further angered Israeli officials. Yet, despite his moral clarity, the Vatican under his leadership stopped short of severing diplomatic ties with Israel, a limitation critics attribute to the Church’s historical entanglement with Western power structures. The omission of Francis’s Palestine advocacy from mainstream narratives reflects a broader pattern of self-censorship on Israel-Palestine, according to journalists familiar with Western media. Meanwhile, Israel’s government openly dismissed Francis’s critiques. After his death, the Israeli foreign ministry deleted condolence messages from its social media and instructed diplomats not to sign Vatican condolence books—a stark contrast to the mourning in Gaza, where Palestinians held masses in his honor.
References: North, J. (2025, April 21). Mainstream obituaries are erasing pope Francis’s deep concern for Palestine. Mondoweiss. Pope Francis defied western silence on Gaza, but Vatican complicity endures. (2025, April 26). Middle East Eye. Pope Francis stood with the marginalised against a world built on domination. (n.d.). Middle East Eye.
The Trump administration has intensified its nationwide crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism as well as DEI programs in top US universities and 50+ colleges, leveraging federal investigations, funding threats, and ideological smearing. On the ground, the Trump administration has also used deportation and detention measures and threats to silence pro-Palestinian voices on campuses, including arrest and illegal detention of students like Mohsen Mahdawi (Columbia University), Mahmoud Khalil (Columbia) and Rümeysa Öztürk (Tufts) among others. The threat of a federal funding freeze of 400 million USD forced Columbia University to comply with some of the Trump administration’s demands, including enforcing a mask ban, allowing police to arrest ‘agitators’ on campus, and allowing the ‘review’ of content and programs in its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies department for a more ‘balanced and comprehensive’ outlook. This crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism, thinly disguised in the name of combating antisemitism, has been determined by judges to be unconstitutional and infringe upon the First Amendment rights of US protesters.
On the other hand, Harvard university has pushed back against Trump’s pressure, rejecting demands from the Trump administration that threaten $9 billion in research funding, taking the administration to court arguing that the changes pushed by the government exceed its lawful authority and infringe on both the university’s independence and its constitutional rights. The Trump administration has been critical of Harvard’s handling of student protests related to the Gaza war, accusing it of failing to adequately protect Jewish students on campus from antisemitic discrimination and harassment. However, observers have noted that Harvard only pushed back after the administration pushed too far, having already taken measures to remove anti-genocide academics from institutes such as the CMES, and scrapping some of its DEI programs that benefitted marginalised student groups. On the other hand, Columbia University Palestinian student and protest organizer Mohsen Mahdawi, who was detained by ICE during his citizenship interview on April 16, was released after a federal judge ordered his release, citing that the detention was in violation of his First Amendment rights. Following his release, Mahdawi defiantly stated, "I am not afraid of you, President Trump," marking the resilience of student protests against suppression tactics of the Trump administration.
References: ABC News. (2025, April 30). 'I am not afraid of you,' Columbia student says of Trump after release from ICE. Columbia University agrees to several Trump demands. (2025, March 22). BBC. Harvard sues the Trump administration, taking the fight over federal funding and academic freedom to court. (2025, April 22). CNN. More than 50 universities face federal investigations as part of Trump's anti-DEI campaign. (2025, March 14). AP News. Powell, A. (2025, April 15). Harvard won’t comply with Trump administration’s demands — Harvard gazette. Harvard Gazette.
World leaders and government officials gathered at the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF 2025) from April 11-13 under the theme “Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World.” In ADF 2025, Türkiye hosted over 6,000 guests, including 21 heads of state of government, 64 ministers and about 450 high-level national or international bureaucrats from 155 countries. Over 50 sessions in various formats were held during the forum, covering topics related to different regions, from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific, Africa to Latin America, as well as key global issues such as climate change, counterterrorism, humanitarian aid, digitisation, food security, and artificial intelligence. The event underlined real threats and risks in international politics, bringing to light issues and topics often overlooked or avoided by Western powers. For example, the most discussed issues at the ADF were the Palestinian-Israeli question and the Syrian state - the Gaza genocide committed by Israel with the support of the Western global powers and the Syrian restructuring process were among the key issues discussed at the forum, alongside problems in the non-Western part of the world and/or universal threats and concerns, especially those which are largely in Africa and Asia.
Against the backdrop of escalating crises from Gaza to Ukraine, and amid growing disillusionment with multilateral institutions, the Forum made the case for diplomacy as the only viable route through global instability. The first day was dedicated entirely to Gaza, highlighting Türkiye’s prioritisation of justice and human dignity for Palestinians. Alongside the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, the forum also saw the participation of Ahmed al Sharaa, the president of Syria’s Transitional Government, marking a rare re-emergence of Damascus on the multilateral stage. Al Sharaa used the platform to hold high-level bilateral meetings with world leaders. A key seminar on the way forward for Syria was moderated by veteran journalist Wadah Khanfar, featuring Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nooh Yilmaz, the UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, Columbia University Professor of Sustainable Development and UN Sustainable Development Advisor Jeffrey Sachs, and the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Program, Carl Skaar. Yilmaz described Israeli incursions into Syria as “one of the greatest risks undermining the political legitimacy” of the new Syrian government, and warned that it represented “the biggest threat (to Syria) at the moment.” In his speech, Jeffrey Sachs sharply criticized U.S. and Israeli policies in the Middle East, stating that it was the U.S. intelligence agencies had made the decision to overthrow Bashar al-Assad under instructions from the Israeli Mossad, and that both US and Israel continue to exploit the war in Syria.
References: Ataman, M. (2025, April 16). Antalya diplomacy forum 2025: A platform for a multipolar world order | Column. Daily Sabah. Hocaoglu, M. (2025, April 17). Takeaways from Antalya: Diplomacy is the way out of a fragmented world. TRT Global - More news stories and insights in 45 Languages. Watan News. (2025, April 13). Syria’s fragile path to stability: Diplomats and experts discuss challenges at Antalya forum. Watan.
On 12 April, Bangladesh witnessed its largest ever pro-Palestine protest, gaining over 100,000 participants in Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka. The march was organised to show solidarity with the people of Gaza Strip amidst the ongoing Gaza war. The demonstrations drew a diverse group of participants, including political leaders, Islamic scholars, social activists, and members of the general public. Organized by Palestine Solidarity Movement, the final joint declaration read out by Amardesh editor Mahmudur Rahman at the demonstration called, among other things, on the international community to “take effective and collective action to end the genocide,” and urged the global Muslim community to cut diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. The protesters also called on the government to reinstate the “except Israel” clause in Bangladeshi passports, which had barred nationals from traveling to Israel. Even though Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel, the clause was removed in 2021 by the previous administration of Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in a popular uprising last year.
The impact of the protests reverberated both internationally and at home. On 13 April 2025, the Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs reinstated the phrase "except Israel" on Bangladeshi passports. The scale of the protests made headlines in print and electronic media around the world, and highlighted growing political and ummah-centric consciousness regarding Palestine and the plight of Muslims worldwide amongst Bangladeshis. The joint declaration also demanded that the Muslim world as well and the Bangladeshi state must protest against the ongoing persecution of Muslims and other minorities under the Hindutva government of India, which protesters designated an ally of the Zionists. Moreover, protesters also demanded that school textbooks and education policies must include the history of the struggle of Al-Aqsa, Palestine, and Muslims, so that future generations be raised with a Muslim identity.
References: At least 100,000 protesters rally for Gaza in Bangladesh’s capital. (n.d.). Al Jazeera. March for Gaza. (2025, May 4). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 5, 2025, from SUMON, S. (2025, April 12). One million bangladeshis make public pledge to boycott Israel-linked products. Arab News.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have spilled out into military escalation following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the killing of 26 tourists, and injury of 20 others in Indian-administered Kashmir. The attack, initially claimed by the Resistance Front (TRF) was later retracted by the group, leading to speculations from Pakistan that the attack could have been a false flag Indian intelligence operation to heighten tensions. The incident triggered a rapid deterioration in bilateral relations between the two countries after India accused Pakistan of sponsoring the attack. Pakistan has firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe. However, despite Pakistani denial of the allegations, India acted swiftly by initiating the expulsion of Pakistani diplomats and withdrawal of own diplomats, suspending visas, closing of borders, and withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan responded in kind with trade restrictions, closure of airspace and border crossings, as well as suspension of the Shimla Agreement.
Tensions have since spilled into military confrontation, after Pakistan had announced that it was reinforcing its forces as it expected an incursion and India’s premier granting “operational freedom” to its military, resulting in small exchanges of fire across the border between the two countries. On April 28, Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters that the Pakistan military had briefed the government that it believed a military incursion by neighbouring India was imminent. International diplomacy has ramped up efforts to defuse the tense situation. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged the two nuclear-armed neighbours to exert “maximum restraint” and step back from the brink of war. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called officials in India and Pakistan in a push to defuse the escalating crisis between the neighboring countries. China had reaffirmed its support for Pakistan amid the escalation with India, endorsing Pakistan’s offer to conduct a neutral probe into the Pahalgam attack, while Iran and Bangladesh have pushed for dialogue between the two sides and a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
However, fighting broke out between India and Pakistan on 7 May 2025, after India unilaterally launched missile strikes on Pakistan, codenamed Operation Sindoor. While India claimed it had hit terrorist targets, Pakistani news media reported the Indian strikes targeted civilian areas, including mosques, killing 31 Pakistani civilians. Moreover, Pakistan had also reported that three Pakistani airbases were targeted by Indian “air-to-surface missiles”. Following these strikes, border skirmshes and drone strikes occurred between the two countries, Pakistan officially launched a retaliatory operation, codenamed Operation Bunyan al-Marsus, on 10 May, striking a number of cities throughout India. According to Pakistan, targets were said to include an airbase in the Indian city of Udhampur and an airfield in Pathankot, as well as a BrahMos missile’s storage site in Beas in India’s Punjab province. Following the escalation, both the US and the Group of Seven (G7) major countries urged restraint from both India and Pakistan and called on them to engage in direct dialogue.
References: 2025 India–Pakistan standoff. (2025, May 5). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 5, 2025, from Exclusive: Pakistan defence minister says military incursion by India is imminent. (2025, April 28). reuters.com. Rubio calls officials in India, Pakistan in push to defuse crisis. (2025, May 1). The Hill. UN chief urges ‘maximum restraint’ in India, Pakistan standoff. (2025, May 5). DAWN.COM. 2025 India–Pakistan strikes. (2025, May 10). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 10, 2025, from Alastair McCready,Ted Regencia,Abid Hussain,Maziar Motamedi. (2025, May 10). Pakistan says Indian military sites hit; claims India targeted 3 airbases. Al Jazeera.
The recent announcement by Colossal Biosciences that it has successfully "de-extincted" the dire wolf—a species that vanished more than 10,000 years ago, has sparked both fascination and fierce scientific backlash. The company had announced, through a TIME article no less, that it used "deft genetic engineering and ancient DNA" to breed three dire wolf puppies, Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi, which it claims will "de-extinct" the species. However, despite the biotech company’s hailing of the creation of genetically edited wolf pups as a conservation breakthrough, critics argue the project is a misleading distraction from urgent biodiversity crises and risks normalizing extinction as reversible. Experts have pointed to important biological differences between the wolf on the cover of Time and the dire wolf that roamed and hunted during the last ice age – by using ancient dire-wolf DNA to identify key segments of code that could be edit into the biological blueprint of the living grey wolf, the experts argue that the company has actually produced a grey wolf with some dire-wolf like characteristics such as a larger skull and white fur.
This application was also seen in the recent creation of the so-called mammoth mice, genetically engineering mouse DNA to have fur like that of the woolly mammoth. Such de-extinction projects, scientists argue, are slickly, and falsely marketed as techno-fix packages, putting conservation programs more into risk of even more underfunded. Conservation programs are proven solutions to help reverse biodiversity loss: habitat protection and restoration, the control of invasive species and the phasing out of fossil fuels. With projects such as these, the risk is that extinction is promoted as reversible, which downplays its gravity and legacy. In seeding the false hope that no matter what environmental damage is done, species loss is reversible, not only will some undermine biodiversity/conservation efforts, and think environmental destruction is no big deal, but will also downplay the current alarming rate of species loss and extinction happening worldwide.
References: Banks, P. (2025, April 15). ‘de-extinction’ of dire wolves promotes false hope: Technology can’t undo extinction. The Conversation. Experts dispute colossal claim dire wolf back from extinction. (2025, April 8). BBC Breaking News, World News, US News, Sports, Business, Innovation, Climate, Culture, Travel, Video & Audio.
Louis Theroux’s latest BBC documentary, The Settlers, has sparked intense debate and backlash online after exposing the harsh realities of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The film, which revisits the region 14 years after Theroux’s earlier exploration in The Ultra Zionists, has drawn widespread praise for its unflinching portrayal of settler expansion—and fierce condemnation from pro-Israeli zionists who fear international condemnation and reprisal. The documentary follows Theroux as he interviews extremist settlers, including Daniella Weiss, a key figure in the movement who boasts of recruiting 800 families to resettle Gaza and claims private support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One particularly disturbing moment shows Weiss shoving Theroux after he challenges her denial of settler violence, prompting him to call her a "sociopath." Theroux also highlights the stark contrast in freedom between settlers and Palestinians. In Hebron, Palestinian activist Issa Amro is barred from entering parts of his own city, while armed settlers roam freely under military protection.
The film triggered a social media storm, with critics condemning the settlers’ rhetoric as "ethnonationalist" and "dehumanising ". Zionist groups, however, accused Theroux and the BBC of "antisemitism", arguing the documentary omits Palestinian violence, although they were unable to counter the fact that the film’s power lies in letting settlers condemn themselves with their own bigoted speech. Moreover, the film also vividly chronicles the face that these settlers supported in every conceivable way by the Israeli state, enjoying full civil rights, along with other government benefits, including soft loans. Meanwhile, Palestinians have virtually no rights at all, having been subject to a system of arbitrary military government since 1967. In fact, following the film, many have begun to raise their voices, asking why Starmer’s Britain has not demanded justice at the ICJ, or sanctioned settlers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Daniella Weiss. They have been asking why the UK continues to collude with the illegal settler barbarism and land theft laid out so skillfully in Theroux’s masterful and consciousness-changing documentary.
References: Documentary on Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank triggers online firestorm. (2025, April 29). Middle East Eye. Louis Theroux forces Britain to face uncomfortable truth of Israeli settler barbarism. (2025, April 29). Middle East Eye.
Since April 2, 2025, when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs targeting nearly all U.S. trading partners, his trade wars have spiraled into a chaotic mix of escalation, retaliation, and abrupt reversals. On April 2, Trump imposed a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, with higher rates for trade surplus nations and blocs such as China, the EU and several south-east Asian nations such as Vietnam. While these tariffs were aimed to boost U.S. manufacturing, it triggered immediate global backlash, following Chinese retaliation with 84% tariffs on all U.S. exports, which was later raised to 125% after Trump escalated rates to 125% on Chinese goods. Although Trump later raised it to 145%, Chinese officials refrained from reacting in kind, stating that tariffs had become a joke, and that with the current rates, there was no longer a market for U.S. goods imported into China. As more and more countries got ready to respond in kind to the US tariffs, stock markets plunged, erasing trillions in value, forcing Trump to declare a sudden reversal on April 9 by mentioning pause for 90 days, while raising tariffs against China to 145%.
The U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025, marking the country's first economic downturn in three years. On the other hand, China's economy grew at a faster-than-expected annual rate of 5.4 percent. According to experts, China was benefiting from actively building new trade relationships to reduce reliance on the U.S. Chinese officials have spent the last few months deepening ties with Europe and discussing new routes through Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Meanwhile, U.S. allies like Mexico and Canada are upgrading infrastructure and expanding economic ties with China and the EU, essentially bypassing and even isolating the US market and its protectionist economic policies. For now, Trump has softened his rhetoric against China on the one hand in the hope that the latter come to the negotiation table and has taken to blaming Biden for the economic downturn on the other hand. Meanwhile, fears of a recession have become a reality with reports from leading corners such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and even the Federal Reserve Chairman, and the once unthinkable decline of US hegemony seems just a matter of time.
References: Bao, A. (2025, April 11). China strikes back with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods as trade war intensifies. CNBC. Trump loses first round of trade war as US economy shrinks, China's grows. (2025, May 1). Newsweek.