In 2023, calamities of war and disaster unleashed again on Middle East, North Africa

1/9: Iraqis swim in the Tigris river in Baghdad during a year of extreme weather fuelled by climate change. / Image: AP

2/9: Palestinians enjoy at a beach amid the raging war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the militant group’s unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel. / Image: AP

3/9: Protester sits near a bonfire lighted during anti government demonstrations in Israel at the Ayalon highway in 2023, the year that witnessed political upheavel in Tel Aviv. / Image: AP

4/9: israeli women's rights activists dress up as 'The Handmaid's Tale' during political demonstrations sparked in Israel. / Image: AP

5/9: An Afghan refugee sleeps in a camp near Torkham, Afghanistan-Pakistan border during the immigrant crisis that gripped the region. / Image: AP

6/9: Afghan girls and women carry the donated aid to the tents after the devastating earthquake that hit Zenda Jan district in Herat. On Feb. 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Syria and Turkey. / Image: AP

7/9: Lebanon army scuffles with the protesters as they attempt to barge into the government building during a political crisis in 2023. / Image: AP

8/9: Lebanese special forces remove their comrade during the protests in the country. Citizens demanded a better pay from the government that led to a turmoil in the region. / Image: AP

9/9: Libya’s eastern city of Derna witnessed the devastating flash floods spurred from the climate change. By the end of the year, a multitude of heads of nations gathered for U climate talks. / Image: AP