By / Javed Hassan

The harrowing images streamed from Gaza scorch the conscience like few atrocities in modern memory. Israel’s relentless assault, marked by genocidal savagery, has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.

This grim ledger includes not only Hamas combatants but also the caretakers of humanity: medics stitching wounds among ruins, journalists chronicling unspeakable horrors and humanitarian workers risking everything to distribute meagre aid under constant threat. This is no ordinary conflict; it is systematic extermination. Hospitals are reduced to rubble, schools turn into graves and diplomacy is shot to pieces. 

The recent Israeli strike in Doha was a brazen attack aimed at assassinating Hamas leaders in the middle of discussing a ceasefire proposal. Neutral ground offered no sanctuary. What defense rationale justifies the obliteration of negotiators convening in a city that has invested billions in diplomacy? This heinous act exposes the cold calculus of a self-declared regional hegemon indifferent to international norms.

Confronted with such intransigence, the question demands urgent reflection: how can the Arab and broader Islamic world compel an irrational aggressor bent on expanding war from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria to Iran, to heed reason? 

Consider Qatar, that glittering enclave of ambition and possibilities. Doha has poured billions into US and Western armaments to fortify against regional threats. Yet, Israeli jets and missiles pierced its skies. The anti-missile systems were bypassed with contemptuous ease. 

It was against this grim backdrop that a summit of Arab and Islamic leaders convened recently, bringing together rulers from Riyadh to Ankara, Tehran to Islamabad. They were united by shared outrage. The summit promised a new collective stance in response to escalating Israeli provocations. Yet, despite the ritual condemnations, decisive actions still fall short. There were no sanctions, diplomatic boycotts or coordinated siege.

Still, amid the pessimism, a flicker of hope shines. This summit marked a tentative turning point. It recognized that fragmentation invites conquest and welcomed the participation of regional powers often marginalized: Iran, Pakistan, and Turkiye. These are formidable actors. Iran’s missile technology deters aerial encroachments; Pakistan has a nascent defense industry and boasts a superior air force that has recently demonstrated its capability; Turkiye commands a NATO-grade arsenal and a competitive industrial base. Their inclusion signals a potential shift to tangible reckoning— a coalition that transcends geopolitical rivalries.

What is needed is more than episodic summits; it demands a genuine alliance, a NATO for the Islamic world, underpinned by shared intelligence, joint military exercises, and pooled resources. This alliance would do more than counter Israeli might; it would recalibrate the regional power balance, compel Washington to reconsider its uncritical support for Israel, and force Tel Aviv to negotiate on equal footing rather than dictate terms through unilateral aggression.

Skeptics will scoff, reminded of entrenched enmities and ideological rifts long dividing the region. Past communiques heralding unity have often fallen flat, and the path ahead is fraught with obstacles.

But now more than ever, there remains hope for a future where dignity and justice are restored, where Palestinians find peace and security, and where the Arab and Islamic worlds reclaim their rightful place as decisive actors in their destiny. Reason and history demand no less.