Eid in the Shadow of War: Gaza, Regional Conflicts, and Questions of Responsibility in the Contemporary World/Bajram u senci rata: Gaza, regionalni sukobi i pitanja odgovornosti u savremenom svetu

As Eid is marked around the world as a holiday of solidarity, community, and care for the most vulnerable, a large portion of the population in the Gaza Strip is experiencing this day under conditions of ongoing violence, displacement, and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in recent history.

Months of destruction, restricted access to food, water, and healthcare, as well as continuous attacks on civilian infrastructure, have led to a situation in which basic conditions for life no longer exist for a significant part of the population. At the same time, opportunities to leave the territory remain extremely limited, leaving civilians effectively trapped within the conflict zone.

This crisis cannot be viewed in isolation. Alongside developments in Gaza, the region is facing rising tensions, including clashes and incidents along the Israel–Lebanon border, as well as broader political and security confrontations involving regional actors, including Iran. Such dynamics further increase the risk of conflict escalation and deepen existing instability.

In this context, Gaza today transcends its geographic boundaries and becomes a symbol of a broader question — how the contemporary international order responds to mass civilian suffering and forced displacement. The way this crisis unfolds, and the manner in which the international community responds, raise serious concerns about the consistency in the application of international law and the universality of human rights protection.

During her recent visit to Belgrade, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, also highlighted the broader scope of state responsibility in such conflicts, including issues related to military and economic cooperation. In this regard, the need to reassess Serbia’s role in the context of arms exports and the alignment of such policies with international human rights obligations was also emphasized.

From a migration perspective, such conflicts rarely remain confined to the regions in which they occur. Prolonged instability, limited evacuation options, and the absence of safe and legal pathways create conditions for new waves of displacement, which over time are reflected in European migration routes, including those passing through the Balkans.

Field experience in Serbia shows that these shifts often do not manifest through sudden increases in arrivals, but rather through reduced visibility of migration, fragmentation of movement, and increased reliance on smuggling networks. People on the move are increasingly avoiding institutional channels and are exposed to heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and denial of access to protection.

At the same time, the response of European states to migration remains predominantly focused on control and restriction of movement, further hindering access to asylum for those fleeing conflict. In such a context, the gap between humanitarian needs and available protection mechanisms continues to widen.

At a time when Eid is observed as a holiday of solidarity and care for others, the situation in Gaza raises a broader question of responsibility — not only for the immediate violence, but also for the global political and legal frameworks that shape the possibilities for civilian protection.

Without consistent application of international law, transparency in policies that may contribute to conflicts, and the establishment of safe and legal pathways for those forced to leave their homes, such crises will continue to produce consequences that extend far beyond the borders of conflict zones — including Serbia.

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Dok se širom sveta obeležava Bajram, praznik solidarnosti, zajedništva i brige za najranjivije, veliki deo stanovništva u Pojasu Gaze ovaj dan dočekuje u uslovima kontinuiranog nasilja, raseljavanja i humanitarne krize bez presedana u novijoj istoriji.

Višemesečna razaranja, ograničen pristup hrani, vodi i zdravstvenoj zaštiti, kao i kontinuirani napadi na civilnu infrastrukturu, doveli su do situacije u kojoj osnovni uslovi za život više ne postoje za veliki deo stanovništva. Istovremeno, mogućnosti za napuštanje teritorije ostaju izuzetno ograničene, ostavljajući civile zarobljene unutar zone sukoba.

Ova kriza ne može se posmatrati izolovano. Paralelno sa dešavanjima u Gazi, region je suočen sa rastućim tenzijama koje uključuju sukobe i incidente na granici Izraela i Libana, kao i šire političko-bezbednosne konfrontacije u koje su uključeni regionalni akteri, uključujući Iran. Takva dinamika dodatno povećava rizik od širenja konflikta i produbljuje već postojeću nestabilnost.

U tom kontekstu, Gaza danas prevazilazi svoje geografske okvire i postaje simbol šireg pitanja — kako savremeni međunarodni poredak odgovara na masovno stradanje civila i prisilno raseljavanje. Način na koji se ova kriza odvija i na koji međunarodna zajednica reaguje otvara ozbiljna pitanja o doslednosti primene međunarodnog prava i univerzalnosti zaštite ljudskih prava.

Specijalna izvestiteljka Ujedinjenih nacija za okupirane palestinske teritorije, Francesca Albanese, tokom nedavne posete Beogradu ukazala je i na širi krug odgovornosti država u ovakvim konfliktima, uključujući i pitanja vojne i ekonomske saradnje. U tom smislu, istaknuta je i potreba za preispitivanjem uloge Srbije u kontekstu izvoza naoružanja i usklađenosti takvih politika sa međunarodnim obavezama u oblasti ljudskih prava.

Iz perspektive migracija, ovakvi konflikti retko ostaju ograničeni na region u kojem se odvijaju. Produžena nestabilnost, ograničene mogućnosti evakuacije i nepostojanje sigurnih i legalnih puteva kretanja stvaraju uslove za nove talase raseljavanja, koji se vremenom reflektuju i na evropske migracione rute, uključujući i Balkan.

Iskustvo rada na terenu u Srbiji pokazuje da se takve promene često ne manifestuju kroz nagle poraste broja dolazaka, već kroz smanjenu vidljivost migracija, fragmentaciju kretanja i povećanu zavisnost od krijumčarskih mreža. Ljudi u pokretu sve češće izbegavaju institucionalne kanale i izloženi su povećanim rizicima od nasilja, eksploatacije i uskraćivanja pristupa zaštiti.

Istovremeno, odgovor evropskih država na migracije i dalje je dominantno usmeren na kontrolu i ograničavanje kretanja, što dodatno otežava pristup azilu za osobe koje beže od konflikata. U takvom kontekstu, jaz između humanitarnih potreba i dostupnih mehanizama zaštite postaje sve izraženiji.

U vremenu kada se Bajram obeležava kao praznik solidarnosti i brige za druge, situacija u Gazi postavlja šire pitanje odgovornosti — ne samo za neposredno nasilje, već i za globalne političke i pravne okvire koji oblikuju mogućnosti zaštite civila.

Bez dosledne primene međunarodnog prava, transparentnosti u politikama koje mogu doprineti konfliktima i uspostavljanja sigurnih i legalnih puteva za ljude primorane da napuste svoje domove, ovakve krize nastaviće da imaju posledice koje daleko prevazilaze granice samih zona sukoba — uključujući i Srbiju.