PENUTUPAN MASJID AL AQSA HARI KETUJUH : KEZALIMAN ZIONIS DAN KEGAGALAN DUNIA ISLAM BERTINDAK
March 7, 2026Pemergian Seorang Ilmuan di Bumi Melayu: Tan Sri Profesor Syed Naquib Al Attas
March 8, 2026By Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President, MAPIM (Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations)
18 Ramadhan 1447
8 March 2026
The war that began in Gaza has now widened into a dangerous confrontation stretching from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. What the world is witnessing is no longer a contained regional conflict. It is an escalating crisis that threatens to destabilize the global order, weaken international law, and endanger millions of civilians across the West Asia ( Middle East.)
For months, Gaza has endured a devastating military assault. Entire residential areas have been reduced to rubble, hospitals and schools have been damaged or destroyed, and basic infrastructure needed for survival has collapsed.
Civilians have borne the overwhelming burden of the war.
Humanitarian organizations warn that Gaza’s population now faces catastrophic conditions. Food, clean water, electricity, and medical care are critically limited.
The destruction of hospitals and healthcare facilities has left doctors struggling to treat the wounded under extreme conditions.
What makes the situation even more alarming is the expansion of the conflict into Iran.
The War Expands to Iran
On 28 February 2026, large scale strikes involving the United States and Israel targeted Iran, including the capital Tehran and other strategic areas. The attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior officials.
The killing of a sitting religious and political leader through military strikes represents a dramatic escalation in modern warfare and raises serious questions about the boundaries of international law and political legitimacy.
Following the strikes, Iran launched retaliatory actions across the region, targeting US military bases . iS-Israel triggered a wider regional war that could engulf multiple countries in the Middle East .
Civilian Infrastructure Under Fire
Equally disturbing are reports that civilian infrastructure has been severely affected during the strikes.
According to international organizations and investigators:
At least 13 hospitals and medical facilities in Iran have been hit during the conflict, disrupting healthcare services and killing medical personnel.
A devastating strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran reportedly killed more than 160 children, prompting international condemnation and calls for investigation as a potential war crime.
Air strikes have also damaged homes, public facilities and infrastructure in major urban areas including Tehran.
International humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks on civilian targets such as schools, hospitals and residential areas. The destruction of such facilities raises serious legal and moral questions about the conduct of the war.
A Dangerous Precedent
The combined devastation in Gaza and the widening war in Iran signals a troubling shift in global geopolitics.
International norms designed to protect civilians appear increasingly fragile. The principles that once governed the use of force such as proportionality, civilian protection and state sovereignty are under strain.
Several European leaders have already warned that the attacks may violate international law and undermine the UN Charter’s restrictions on the use of force.
When powerful states operate beyond legal accountability, the international system risks sliding toward a world where military power overrides legal restraint.
Global Consequences
The implications extend far beyond the Middle East.
The conflict has already disrupted global energy markets.
Analysts warn that oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz could be severely affected, potentially sending oil prices soaring and triggering economic shocks worldwide.
Regional instability also threatens shipping routes, international trade, and geopolitical stability.
A wider war could draw multiple powers into direct confrontation, dramatically reshaping the global strategic landscape.
A Moment for Moral Clarity
At its core, the crisis unfolding from Gaza to Tehran is about more than military confrontation. It is about the future of international law and the credibility of global institutions.
If attacks on civilians, hospitals and schools become normalized, the world risks abandoning the very principles established after the tragedies of the twentieth century.
The international community must urgently pursue de escalation, accountability and humanitarian protection.
The people of Gaza and the civilians now caught in the widening war across Iran deserve more than silence. They deserve protection, justice and the restoration of peace.
History will remember how the world responded at this critical moment.
The question is whether humanity will defend the rule of law or allow it to be replaced by the rule of force.
