THE sheer scale of destruction in Gaza, the deliberate targeting of civilians, and the impunity with which these atrocities continue to unfold expose the moral collapse ofthe so-calledinternational community. The world watches, debates and condemns, but does nothing in practical terms to stop the carnage.

At the heart of this brutality lies an undeniable truth: war is a business. They are not just fought for strategic dominance; they are engineered to sustain a trilliondollar industry that benefits from bloodshed. Palestinian blood like that of countless victims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Ukraine fuels this relentless war economy.

Every bomb dropped on Gaza, every missile fired, every drone strike, and every tank deployed translates into soaring stock prices and higher profit margins for arms manufacturers and their backers.The occupation of Palestine is not just a political project; it is an economic enterprise where defence contractors, arms dealers, and war profiteers benefit from the endless flow of Western military aid.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), globaldefence spendingreached $2.46 trillion in 2024, showing a significant rise from $2.24 trillion in 2023. Israel spent $46.6billionin 2024, andits defence budgetisexpected toincreasefurther this year.

Military spending is draining global resources in a world already beset by violence, hunger, disease and economic instability. The Middle East remains the largest market for American weapons.

Every dollar spent on weapons is a dollar stolen from food, healthcare, education, and human dignity.

If even a fraction of the world`s military budgets was redirected towards socioeconomic development, pressing global issues would have been resolved.

World istory has shown that no conflict is too complex for diplomacy, and no war is inevitable. It is time to dismantle the war economy and invest in the survival of humanity, not in its destruction.

Qamer Soomro Shikarpur