2024 in photos: war in the Middle East

(Reuters) - In 2024, conflict escalated in the Middle East.

Long-simmering violence in the region was stoked in October 2023 when gunmen led by Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed over the border into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's retaliation was swift and hard, and continued throughout this year. More than 44,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza as of early December 2024, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, as Israeli forces sought to wipe out Hamas and rescue the hostages.

Much of Gaza has been laid to waste in the conflict, with some two-thirds of its buildings damaged or destroyed. Most of the strip's 2.3 million people have been made homeless, sheltering in places like the Jabalia refugee camp. Those camps themselves came under fire as Israel said it was going after militants using the places as shields, an accusation Hamas denies.

Many of Gaza's inhabitants, including its children, faced supply shortages and hunger.

As the death toll rose in Gaza, violence also surged in the occupied West Bank, while at the Israel-Lebanon border Hezbollah - Lebanese militants allied with Hamas and, like them, backed by Iran - exchanged fire with Israeli troops.

In October, Israel ratcheted up its attacks on Hezbollah with intensified strikes on southern Lebanon and in parts of the capital Beirut. Lebanon's government said more than 2,600 people were killed and villages near the border emptied.

A string of assassinations of militant leaders hurt Hezbollah and Hamas and were celebrated as triumphs by Israel, although domestically the government also faced protests for its failure to secure the return of all the hostages. On a "Day of Disruption" in May, demonstrators held up Israeli flags and photos of those still being held hostage in Gaza.

Angered at the attacks on Hezbollah, Iran itself engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Israel, raising fears of a wider war that could draw in the Israel-allied United States.

In late November, a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hezbollah - a rare ray of hope.

Taking advantage of a weakened Hezbollah, which like Iran was on the back foot after conflict with Israel, Syrian rebels launched a wide offensive against the army of President Bashar al-Assad. In little more than a week in December, the five-decade rule of the Assad family came to an end as the rebels swept through the country.

What 2025 will bring for Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Israelis and others who live in the war-torn region remains to be seen.

Twins Wesam and Naeem Abu Anza will never get to find out, or to know peace. Born in late 2023 in Gaza after hostilities broke out, the infant boy and girl were buried in March after being killed in what Gaza health authorities said was an Israel airstrike in Rafah.

"My heart is gone," wept their mother Abu Anza, whose husband was also killed.

(Writing by Rosalba O'Brien, Editing by William Maclean)