The Middle East is a region with civilizations that have existed for thousands of years. From the ancient cities of Iraq and Syria, to the historical centers of Yemen and Afghanistan, these lands were the cradle of culture, trade, and religion thousands of years before the United States and Israel were created.

Iran has been under sanctions since 1979 to the present day, for more than 45 years, with short periods of partial relief. Sanctions against Iran are among the longest-running economic sanctions in modern history.

Around 9 million Iraqis have been displaced in various periods of the conflict. Of these: 500,000 victims, 4 – 5 million became internally displaced persons, 2 – 3 million fled to other countries.

Conflicts in Libya began in 2011 with the civil war and the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi regime: 50,000 victims, around 1 million displaced.

Palestine: 70,000 victims, around 5.9 million Palestinians registered as refugees.

The death toll in the war in Syria is very high: more than 500,000 people lost their lives, more than 6 million refugees outside the country, around 7 million displaced within the country.

The conflict in Afghanistan has lasted decades: around 240,000 – 260,000 people died from 2001 to 2021, around 3.5 million internally displaced.

The war in Yemen began in 2014: around 350,000 – 400,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives, around 4.5 million people were forced to leave their homes.

That is at least 1,780,000 victims and more than 20,000,000 displaced - and now a new war that will cause the complete destruction of the Middle East. These numbers show how high a price ordinary people pay when political and military conflicts are waged in the name of ideologies and geopolitical interests.