The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza tells Al Majalla a ceasefire in Gaza is desperately needed and warns of a humanitarian 'vacuum' without UNRWA

For their part, global heavyweights Russia and China recorded some successes but experienced setbacks in other areas

Key regional powers—Türkiye, Egypt, Iran—do not see eye to eye over what transpired in Syria. One emerges as a winner, the other a loser, and Syria's new Islamist-leaning leaders unsettle the third.

Many expect Trump's election will boost the populist cause in Europe, whether hopeful right-wingers or fearful leftists and centrists. Yet, the reality will likely be more nuanced.

While Syria's new leader has, so far, managed to blur the lines between political Islam and secularism, the ability of his government to withstand pressures will be put to the test

Trump is unlikely to join an Israeli foray into Iraq, but he may decide to withhold the $250mn annual military assistance to Baghdad as a way to pressure the government to rein in its militias

Joyous at Iran's lost influence in Syria, Israel could have celebrated with Syrians after Assad's ouster. Instead, it rained bombs down, occupied land, and destroyed Syrian assets. Why? Ask Netanyahu

Ankara had a role to play in the fall of the Assad regime, though the full details are yet to emerge. It will have a role in its state-building too, albeit with some big difficulties to overcome first

Using information from well-placed sources both in Syria and outside, Al Majalla pieces together events in those 11 momentous days that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, shaking Syria and the region

Better than any simulator, multiple conflicts throughout the war-torn region are proving to be a boon for the testing and showcasing of weapons, and the battle-hardening of fighters