2024 was a defining year for the Middle East and North Africa, with escalating conflicts, humanitarian disasters, and major political shifts. The war in Gaza saw Israel eliminate key Hamas leaders while inflicting massive destruction and indiscriminately killing thousands of civilians, prompting an international arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes.
Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel for the first time, triggering Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites and raising fears of a wider regional war. In Lebanon, Israel’s invasion and the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah added to the chaos.
The year closed with a dramatic turn of events as a swift offensive toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, bringing an end to decades of tyrannical rule.
Here's a look back at the year's most pivotal moments.
1. Escalation of Israel's war on Gaza, humanitarian suffering
Israel's war on the besieged Gaza Strip escalated significantly in 2024, following the brutal offensive that began in October 2023. Over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, with entire neighbourhoods levelled and essential services destroyed.
The war on the coastal enclave has been dubbed a genocide by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, while aid group Doctors Without Borders said they found "clear signs of ethnic cleansing in Gaza" and "Palestinian life being wiped off the area".
Israeli attacks particularly intensified in the north of the Strip, which came under an intensified Israeli siege in early October. Israeli forces banned any aid and people from entering or exiting while bombarding it from above and on the ground.
The healthcare situation deteriorated immensely as Gaza faced its second winter under bombardment and more hospitals were destroyed. An Israeli attack on north Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital sparked a huge blaze in the intensive care unit while medical equipment has been in extremely short supply.
All ambulances have stopped working in the north, while health workers continue to come under attack.
While a polio vaccination campaign began in Gaza and concluded, many in the north did not receive full treatment due to Israeli forces impeding access. Around 7,000 to 10,000 children remain unvaccinated in the north.
The strikes have also targeted media workers, with the Committee to Protect Journalists stating at least 141 journalists have been killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023.
The UN said the bombardment has caused more than 1.8 million Palestinians to face "extremely critical" levels of hunger, with 70 percent of crop fields destroyed and livelihoods decimated.
2. Killing of key Hamas leaders
Several key Hamas leaders were killed by Israel this year. In January, the deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Beirut in a defining moment. He was the group's senior official in Lebanon and had a key role in relations with Hezbollah and subsequently, Iran.
Months later, the political chief of the group, Ismail Haniyeh was killed along with his bodyguard in Iran on 31 July while attending the inauguration of new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
Reports said he was assassinated when an airborne guided projectile hit a special residence for military veterans in the north of Tehran where he was saying, at around 2 a.m.
Israel did not immediately confirm or deny its involvement in the killing however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had delivered "crushing blows" to Iran’s proxies, including Hamas. In December though, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz finally admitted to the assassination.
On 16 October, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed during combat in Gaza, with the Israeli military later releasing drone footage showing him sitting in an armchair and throwing a stick at the drone before he was shot in the head.
The killing refuted Israeli claims that the 61-year-old Hamas leader was hiding in tunnels and using "human shields". An autopsy later revealed he had not eaten for three days before he was killed.
His death inspired artwork around the world with some people on social media praising him for resisting Israeli occupation even in his final moments.
3. Iran attacks Israel with salvo drones and missiles
On 14 April, Iran launched a massive and unprecedented drone and missile assault on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi at the Iranian embassy in Syria on 1 April. The attack marked the most dangerous escalation between Iran and Israel and Tehran's first direct military strike against its regional foe.
In another attack on Israel, Iran launched high-speed missile barrages at Israel on 1 October, which it said were aimed at military bases. These were mostly thwarted by Israel's aerial defences and support from its allies the US and the UK, as well as Jordan.
The attack came as retaliation for Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of the Iranian-funded Hezbollah, in Beirut in September.
Most of the Iranian missiles were intercepted by anti-missile defence systems and strategies employed by Israel, the United States and Jordan, with possible UK involvement.
The Israeli military said some of its airbases were hit. Images posted by Israelis showed craters in central and southern parts of the country. No injuries have been reported in Israel, but one person was killed in the occupied West Bank.
4. Israel's full-scale war on Lebanon and killing of Hassan Nasrallah
Israel expanded its war on Lebanon after engaging in cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah since 8 October 2023, which the Lebanese group described as support for Gaza.
The intensified offensive began in September 2024 with a series of pager bomb explosive attacks supposedly targeting Hezbollah members but which also killed and injured a significant number of civilians, including two children and two medical workers. In a second wave a day later, walkie-talkies were also blown up.
Two days later, Israeli strikes began relentless bombardment across Lebanon, particularly in the south of the country, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
On 27 September, an Israeli strike in the densely populated Harit Hreik area in Beirut killed Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The attack flattened six buildings and killed at least six people and injured over 100 others, mostly civilians.
The massive explosions led to widespread fear and chaos in Beirut, with the impact felt across the city, raising concerns about further escalations in the region. Days later, on 3 October, another strike killed his potential successor, Hashem Safieddine, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The war killed over 4,000 individuals, including 316 children and 790 women, and injured more than 16,600 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Despite a ceasefire eventually reached on 26 November, Israeli violations, including airspace breaches and sporadic strikes, have continued. Southern Lebanon remains devastated, with its people struggling to recover from the two-month assault.
5. Syrians celebrate fall of Assad regime
In a shocking turn of events, rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria managed to topple the Assad regime, which has held a tyrannical grip on the country for over five decades.
The rebels were able to topple Bashar al-Assad in 11 days in a blitz offensive which came after a surprise attack on the Syrian regime's army in villages in Aleppo province on November 27.
By cutting off vital highways and advancing into cities, the rebels were able to quickly control Aleppo, followed by Hama, Homs and then Damascus.
Following the group’s takeover, rebels went into the notorious Sadnaya prison and freed thousands of people incarcerated and tortured over the years, but it was too late for most of the regime's victims. Reports revealed that Mazen al-Hamada, a prominent Syrian activist, was killed in the prison just before the fall of Assad.
Syrian journalists quickly dropped their pseudonyms in the aftermath of the regime being toppled, no longer afraid of persecution and harassment.
The head of HTS, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has promised to protect minorities in the country and has called for the group, which began as a branch of Al-Qaeda but has since tried to moderate its image, to be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. He has also called for Western countries to ease sanctions on the government to allow the country to recover.
Mohammed al-Bashir, the prime minister of Syria’s new transitional government which will stay in power until March, told people that it is time for people "to enjoy stability and calm".
Syrians celebrated the fall of Assad around the world, with video footage and photos on social media showing activists and diaspora communities rejoicing.
6. Israeli settlers and far-right leaders seek to expand Israel's borders
Israeli settlers have increasingly advocated for expanding Israel's borders into Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, and parts of Syria, emboldened by support from far-right political figures and recent advances by Israeli forces.
In Gaza, extremist settler leaders like Daniella Weiss - who was sanctioned by Canada this year for inciting violence against Palestinians - have openly called for the establishment of Jewish settlements.
On 21 October, during a controversial conference near the Gaza border, Weiss declared: "In less than a year, you will see the Jews come to Gaza and the Arabs disappear", indicating plans to forcefully expel Palestinians and occupy the enclave.
In the West Bank, settler activity has surged marking the largest land seizures in over three decades, with numerous outposts established in areas forcibly seized from Palestinian families.
In July, the Israeli government approved plans for nearly 5,300 new houses in various illegal settlements across the West Bank as part of a broader campaign to accelerate settlement expansion, aiming to cement Israeli control over the territory and prevent the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
Some settler groups have also expressed interest in southern Lebanon and parts of Syria, viewing them as part of the historical so-called "Land of Israel". During a conference in early 2024, Jewish settlers discussed the possibility of settling these areas, citing alleged biblical claims.
In December, a group of Jewish settlers crossed into Lebanon and set up an encampment, which was later removed by Israeli forces.
Meanwhile in Syria, the Israeli government had approved a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was necessary because a "new front" had opened up on Israel's border with Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
Netanyahu said he wanted to double the population of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered illegally occupied under international law.
Israeli forces moved into a buffer zone separating the Golan Heights from Syria in the days following Assad's departure, saying the change of control in Damascus meant ceasefire arrangements had "collapsed". They have forcibly displaced Syrians from their villages and fired on people protesting their presence.
7. Arrest warrant against Netanyahu
On 21 November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel's war on Gaza.
The ICC said that Netanyahu and Gallant were responsible for the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare and for crimes against humanity including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts committed between 8 October 2023 and May 2024.
The unprecedented warrants against serving Israeli leaders have significant diplomatic implications. As Israel is not a member of the ICC, it does not recognise the court's jurisdiction, making arrests within Israel unlikely.
However, the 124 ICC member states are obligated to detain the accused if they enter their territories, potentially restricting Netanyahu's and Gallant's international movements.
8. Sudan's civil war
Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023, intensified further in 2024 leading to a severe humanitarian crisis. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) resulted in widespread violence, displacement, and famine.
By December 2024, the war had resulted in over 24,000 deaths and displaced more than 14 million people. The fighting severely disrupted food production and humanitarian aid, leading to famine in five areas, including the Zamzam camp in North Darfur. The Integrated Food Phase Classification (IPC) warned that without a ceasefire, famine could spread further.
International actors, including the United Arab Emirates and Russia, were reported to have supported the warring factions, exacerbating the conflict.
The RSF and SAF continued to battle for control over strategic locations, particularly in the Darfur region. In December 2024, the RSF reclaimed the al-Zurug logistical base in North Darfur from army allies, highlighting the ongoing volatility and shifting control in the region.
9. Western military strikes on Yemen
The year began with intensified Houthi attacks on Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, prompting a military response from key Israeli allies - the US and the UK. In January, Operation Poseidon Archer saw coordinated cruise missile and strikes targeting Houthi positions to secure vital maritime routes.
The conflict escalated further in May when US and UK forces launched strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Sanaa and Hodeidah, resulting in casualties.. While the coalition asserted these strikes targeted militant infrastructure, reports of civilian deaths sparked widespread condemnation and further inflamed tensions in the region.
In October, the US deployed B-2 stealth bombers for precision strikes on underground Houthi military facilities, aiming to disrupt the group's capabilities to launch attacks on international shipping and on Israel. However, the situation grew more precarious in December when a US Navy fighter jet was mistakenly downed by friendly fire over the Red Sea during operations against Houthi targets.
Meanwhile, Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepened. The UN reported that over 80 percent of the population remained in need of assistance, with millions facing acute hunger and displacement.
10. Trump win and implications on region
Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential election has significant implications for the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are approaching Trump's return with caution.
While they previously supported his stringent stance on Iran, they have since pursued de-escalation with Tehran to focus on economic growth. Gulf leaders are apprehensive that a renewed "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran could escalate regional tensions, potentially destabilising their development goals.
Trump's re-election may lead to a reassessment of US foreign policy in the Middle East. His previous term was marked by strong support for Israel and opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Trump has appointed Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany, as senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. Boulos played a significant role in mobilising Arab American voters during Trump's campaign and is expected to influence US engagement in the region, including efforts to mediate conflicts involving Israel and Lebanon.