On October 7, the Palestinian armed resistance group Hamas launched an attack that took Israel by surprise.
Its fighters overran Israeli military installations and settlements, which led to the death of some 1,400 Israelis.
Israel responded by launching another war on Gaza, imposing a complete blockade and relentlessly bombing civilian buildings and infrastructure.
More than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardment, including more than 2,000 children.
The Hamas attack has not only changed the path of the Palestine-Israel conflict, but also the dynamics of the whole Middle East.
It has left the US strategy of de-escalation in the region in shambles, put Arab governments and Iran in a difficult position and opened the door for greater Chinese and Russian involvement.
Over the past three years, the Biden administration has been trying to limit its involvement in the Middle East and focus on China, as part of its “pivot to Asia”.
To do that, the US hoped to “cool off” tensions in the region by facilitating the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and de-escalating with Iran.
It also hoped to challenge Chinese influence in the region and boost India’s by establishing an economic corridor that would link India, the Middle East and Europe.