BY ANTONINE AWUOR

Over the past week, the world has watched in shock as Israel and Iran plunged into open conflict.

Israeli forces launched a series of major airstrikes on Tehran and other key Iranian sites-nuclear facilities, military command centers, missile bases-sparking fear and chaos for everyday people in cities like Tehran, where families scrambled to evacuate and long gas queues formed as folks looked for safety.

In response, Iranian forces fired back with missiles and drones-hundreds of them. Some made it through Israeli air defenses, though most were intercepted.

Still, civilians in both sides have endured air-raids with an estimate of about over 500 dead.

Behind every number is a household shattered by grief, countries mourning sons and daughters, neighbors trembling with uncertainty.

What makes this especially raw is that it’s no longer a distant headline.

For families in Tehran, generally going about their day, sirens and sudden evacuations have become horrifyingly normal-children clutching backpacks, elders deserting homes.

Former US President Trump has openly demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” while Israeli leadership hints at even targeting Iran’s supreme leader.

That rhetoric plays like pouring fuel on a fire-especially when Iran’s own supreme leader responded by warning, “the battle begins,” promising “no mercy.”

Globally, leaders are stepping in.

China is urging both sides to calm things down. Diplomats in Egypt and Pakistan are working behind the scenes for ceasefires.

 And back home, many of us watch in horror, grieving from a distance and hoping beyond hope for just a sliver of peace.

This is not just about missiles and politics-it’s about real people caught in the crossfire. In Tehran and Tel Aviv, families who share hopes and fears like ours now live through unthinkable stress.

Children can’t go to school; dinner tables are silent or hastily abandoned. In the end, what matters most is not who’s “winning” this global standoff-it’s whether humanity can still prevail.

Let us hope the world leans into diplomacy, not destruction. Every life lost is a future stolen; every tear sheds a yearning for understanding, not bombs