Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, Bel Trew, The Independent’s chief international correspondent.
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Just two weeks after Donald Trump declared a “new dawn” for the Middle East at his Gaza peace summit, that promise has almost entirely unravelled. The ceasefire – hailed as the foundation of a lasting peace deal – has teetered on the brink of collapse, with airstrikes, reprisals and accusations of violations on both sides.
I’ve been covering the Israel-Gaza conflict for the past two years, reporting from Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank, speaking directly to those whose lives have been torn apart by violence.
Before that, I spent more than a decade reporting from across the Middle East – from the uprisings in Egypt and Libya to the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen – bringing readers the human stories behind the headlines.
I recently wrote about how the region feels trapped in an “ever-violent Groundhog Day” – where the same leaders, the same promises, and the same patterns of bloodshed repeat, decade after decade.
From Sharm el-Sheikh in 2014 to today, the same questions remain unanswered: Palestinian self-determination, Israeli occupation, accountability under international law, and how to build a peace that is fair and sustainable for all.
Now, with tensions rising once again and the US scrambling to preserve its fragile deal, the question is what – if anything – is possible under the current framework.
Join me for a Q&A at 4pm GMT on Wednesday 5 November to discuss what’s really happening on the ground, and what can break this cycle of slaughter, violence and injustice.
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