Why are those who value peace, human life so very worried about Middle-East crisis?

By Bharat Dogra
The Israel-Iran war following the Israeli attack on Iran on June 13, 2025 as well as the continuing Israeli genocidal actions in Gaza have become the biggest source of concern for all those who value peace and human life, even though other very troubling conflicts involving Ukraine and Russia, the conflicts in Sudan and elsewhere are also continuing.
A special feature of the Israeli attacks on Iran is that nuclear facilities including uranium enrichment facilities are particularly targeted. However a huge crisis can erupt in terms of the spread of radiation at the local level or over a much wider area, not necessarily confined by national boundaries, and the durability of its highly hazardous impact. The IAEA and the WHO have already expressed concern regarding these possibilities. The extent of possible harm can depend on several factors. The underground facilities may escape much harm from more ordinary attacks but if the USA brings in it bunker-buster bombs then the harm can be much more serious, also in terms of spread of radiation. If enriched uranium storages are hit by bombs and missiles, there can be serious implications.
Even without considering this special hazard, the destructiveness of this war if it continues can be very high as both sides have highly destructive weapons. Israel in particular can access even more destructive weapons from the USA and other western allies. However Israel is a much smaller country in size and population, and hence more vulnerable in this context. At the same time, Israel has nuclear weapons and this brings in a new dimension of destructive potential.
As civilian areas are also being attacked in this war in addition to military targets, the loss of life in this war can be very high. The density of population in Tehran is comparable to that of New York. While nearly 10 million people live in the city proper, the number of people living in the wider metropolitan area of Tehran is as high as about 17 million. The density of population in Israel at 440 persons per square kilometer compares with high density countries. However the population density in Tel Aviv district is as high as about 8600.
The population density of Gaza was close to 5900 about a year back. However as vast areas are being evacuated and with food availability being concentrated over small areas, actually the density of population in a few crowded areas just now is exceptionally high and the mortality from any air or other attack in such areas can be very high.
In fact in recent days the daily mortality in Gaza from violent attacks by Israel, when seen as a percentage of total population of Gaza, has been higher in Gaza than in any other present-day conflict zone. At the same time a large number of people including children are also perishing here due to starvation, denial of essential medical care and other basic needs including clean drinking water. What we have seen here is an unbearably sad and cruel situation of innocent people being killed in large numbers on daily basis in very tragic ways day after day for a long time and nothing effective being done at the international level to stop this.
There has been a lot of apprehension in recent times regarding the people of Gaza being displaced on a mass scale, pushed into Egypt or sent elsewhere. If this had been attempted earlier, this would have led to very widespread protests internationally. However with the Israel-Iran war getting the main attention now along with the possibilities of the USA’s more direct involvement in this war being discussed all the time, there is a possibility that the highly distressing and worsening situation may get less attention internationally than it would have received in more normal times. This is all the more reason why those who have been steadfast in standing up for justice to the people of Gaza should strive to keep alive their concerns at the international level in these crucial days so that perhaps the drift towards further worsening of injustice has some hope of being checked.
The most frequent question being asked today of course is regarding whether the USA will join the war more directly on the Israeli side, and if yes, to first extent. Those who can play an even small role in preventing this enlarging of this conflict should certainly try their best, as this widening of the conflict will be very destructive.
This apart, however, there are also other ways in which the conflict can escalate, and all escalations carry risk of greater destruction. After all, Iran does not share any border with Israel and so other countries like Iraq and Jordan can be caught up in the various missile and air attacks. The expulsion of the people of Gaza to Egypt or elsewhere can also ignite new flash-points, moving from West Asia to Africa. Hence the UNO as well as other forces of peace should make the best possible efforts for preventing any escalation, while at the same time also trying to end the Iran-Israel war as well as Israeli genocidal actions in Gaza as early as possible.
---
The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Saving Earth for Children, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

UP tribal woman human rights defender Sokalo released on bail

By A Representative After almost five months in jail, Adivasi human rights defender and forest worker Sokalo Gond has been finally released on bail.Despite being granted bail on October 4, technical and procedural issues kept Sokalo behind bars until November 1. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), which are backing Sokalo, called it a "major victory." Sokalo's release follows the earlier releases of Kismatiya and Sukhdev Gond in September. "All three forest workers and human rights defenders were illegally incarcerated under false charges, in what is the State's way of punishing those who are active in their fight for the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (2006)", said a CJP statement.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

Search This Blog