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As 2025 draws to a close, Palestinians in Gaza are marking the new year not with celebration, but with exhaustion, grief and a fragile hope that their "endless nightmare" might finally end.For residents of the battered territory, daily life is a struggle for survival.Much of Gaza's infrastructure lies in ruins, electricity remains scarce and hundreds of thousands of people live in makeshift tents."We in the Gaza Strip are living in an endless nightmare," said Hanaa Abu Amra, a displaced woman in her thirties living in Gaza City."We hope that this nightmare will end in 2026...The least we can ask for is a normal life-- to see electricity restored, the streets return to normal and to walk without tents lining the roads," she said.Across Gaza, a territory of more than 2mn people, scenes of hardship are commonplace.Children queue with plastic containers to collect water, while rows of tents stretch across streets and open spaces, sheltering families who have lost their homes.What were once bustling neighbourhoods now bear the scars of bombardment, with daily activity reduced to the bare essentials.For many, the end of the year is a moment to mourn as much as to hope.In Gaza City, a teenager painted "2026" on his tent, while an AFP journalist observed a local artist sculpting the same in sand in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.The outgoing year brought relentless loss and fear, said Shireen Al-Kayali."We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief," she said."We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror."Her experience reflects that of countless Gazans who have been forced to flee repeatedly, often with little warning, taking with them only what they could carry.Entire families have been uprooted, livelihoods destroyed, and communities fragmented as the war dragged on for two years.Despite the devastation, some residents cling to the belief that the new year might bring an end to the fighting and a chance to rebuild.For many Gazans, hope has become an act of resilience, particularly after the truce that came into effect on October 10 and has largely halted the fighting."We still hope for a better life in the new year, and I call on the free world to help our oppressed people so we can regain our lives," said Khaled Abdel Majid, 50, who lives in a tent in Jabalia camp.Faten al-Hindawi hoped the truce would finally end the war."We will bid farewell to 2025, leaving behind its pain, and we hope that 2026 will be a year of hope, prayer, determination and success stories."Such hopes are shared widely across Gaza, even as conditions on the ground remain dire.Humanitarian agencies have warned that shortages of food, clean water and medical supplies persist, while winter conditions are worsening life in overcrowded displacement camps.Amid the rubble and the tents, many Gazans say their aspirations are modest: safety, stability and dignity."I hope the reconstruction of Gaza begins in 2026. Gaza was beautiful, and we hope it returns to being beautiful again." 

From rare desert flora to centuries-old native trees, Qatar’s wild meadows are emerging as a frontline of environmental protection, with authorities accelerating efforts to safeguard fragile ecosystems that cover thousands of hectares across the country.Qatar is home to more than 1,825 natural wild meadows, covering approximately 2.5% of the country’s total land area and providing habitat for between 300 and 500 species of native plants, some of which are protected to ensure their long-term survival.**media[396952]**Most of these meadows are concentrated in the northern and southern regions of the country. To date, 1,273 meadows have been officially registered, with their data recorded in a comprehensive digital database. The information includes details on vegetation cover — such as plants and trees — as well as the threats and challenges facing each site, enabling authorities to develop appropriate protection and maintenance plans.As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) has completed the maintenance and fencing of 38 wild meadows across the country to further protect Qatar’s green cover. In addition, the ministry is implementing an ambitious project to rehabilitate 100 Qatari meadows by 2028, prioritising the most endangered areas that contain rare plant species.**media[396953]**To prevent damage, some meadows have been fully closed, while others have been partially restricted to deter intrusion — particularly by irresponsible visitors and motorists attempting to enter sensitive areas with vehicles.So far, more than 17,463 seedlings of native wild plants, shrubs and trees have been planted at targeted rehabilitation sites. In parallel, 4,980 wild trees have been transplanted from state infrastructure project locations to rehabilitation areas, under the supervision of environmental specialists.**media[396954]**MECC has stressed that public access to key ecological sites has not been denied, but rather regulated to prevent harmful or careless practices. The ministry has repeatedly urged the public to enjoy Qatar’s natural landscapes responsibly and to comply with environmental regulations, noting that respect for nature is an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage.Several Qatari meadows are known by distinctive local names, reflecting their environmental and historical significance. These include Umm Al Sahnat Meadow, located in the north-east and covering 232,148 sqm, which hosts native trees such as Sidr, Samr and Awsaj alongside diverse plant species.**media[396955]**Other notable sites include Al Qaiya Meadow in the north-west (approximately 854,461 sqm); Al Sulaimi Al Gharbi Meadow in the north-east (120,739 sqm); Rawdat Muaither Al-Darb near the Muaither and Abu Nakhla areas; Rawdat Al-Ajouz in the northern region west of Umm Al-Amad; and Rawdat Rashid, along with Rawdat Saeed, Rawdat Al Arnab and Rawdat Al Faras.Among the most prominent wild trees and shrubs found in Qatari meadows are Sidra (Ziziphus spina-christi), Samr (Vachellia tortilis), Awsaj (Lycium shawii), Qurm (mangrove) (Avicennia marina) and Gafnah (Dipterygium glaucum).**media[396956]**Native grasses and herbs include Dahah (Lasiurus scindicus), Ain Al Qot (Gymnarrhena micrantha), commonly known as cat’s eye, Aqool (Alhagi maurorum) or camel thorn, as well as Stipagrostis species and Cyperus conglomeratus.**media[396957]**Environmental protection is enforced under Law No. 32 of 1995 on the Prevention of Damage to Plant Ecology and Ecosystems, which stipulates penalties including imprisonment of up to three months and fines ranging from QR1,000 to QR20,000, or both. The law also allows for the confiscation of vehicles or tools used in violations and obliges offenders to compensate for environmental damage. 

Standing in a pool of rainwater that has engulfed her tent and destroyed its contents, the Palestinian Kifah al-Najjar desperately tries to salvage what remains — blankets, mattresses, and food supplies. But the fragile shelter, built from plastic sheets, nylon, and wooden poles atop the ruins of her home in Gaza’s Al Zaytoun neighbourhood, has collapsed under the weight of the storm. With six children and no protection, al-Najjar — whose husband was killed at the start of the war — watches helplessly as her belongings are soaked and scattered. She told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that she had feared this moment long before winter arrived. The tent could not shield them from the summer heat, and now it is drowning them in the cold. The first major weather system to hit Gaza this season brought heavy rain, strong winds, and plunging temperatures, flooding hundreds of tents and worsening the plight of thousands of displaced families. Entire neighbourhoods — Al Zaytoun, Al Daraj, Al Shati Camp, Deir Al Balah, Al Bureij, and Khan Younis’s Al Mawasi — saw shelters submerged, leaving families exposed and desperate. Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said teams are overwhelmed, receiving constant distress calls from camps and shelters but lacking the equipment to respond. Their vehicles and tools were destroyed in the war, leaving them unable to reach those in need. **media[382041]** Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, already dire after the destruction of 92% of its residential buildings, is now compounded by the weather. Thousands of families are living in tents or unstable homes at risk of collapse. Director General of Gaza’s Government Media Office, Dr Ismail al-Thawabta, stated that the Strip urgently needs at least 250,000 tents and 100,000 caravans to provide temporary shelter. After two years of war and suffering, he said, they had hoped a ceasefire would bring relief. However, the occupation’s refusal to allow aid, food, medicine, and shelter materials has kept Gaza trapped in tragedy. As heavy rain lashes Gaza, the suffering of displaced families and residents living among the ruins of destroyed homes deepens, according to municipal spokesperson Hosni Mehanna. He stressed that over 93% of the tents sheltering displaced people are now severely worn after enduring successive seasons of heat and cold. Rainwater has pooled between camps and flooded streets, with no functioning drainage systems to redirect it. Mehanna told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that Gaza’s rainwater networks were systematically destroyed during two years of Israeli aggression, causing sewage to overflow and mix with stormwater sweeping through shelters, wreckage, and displacement camps. Despite having plans to mitigate the impact of winter storms, Gaza Municipality lacks the equipment to implement them due to the deliberate dismantling of its infrastructure, he affirmed. The crisis extends beyond shelter. Makeshift field hospitals and medical tents — set up to replace bombed-out facilities — have collapsed under the storm, halting services. Director of Medical Relief in Gaza, Dr Bassam Zaqout, confirmed that many health and social service points are tents without foundations, now rendered inoperable by the weather. Warning that the storm will have catastrophic consequences for Gaza’s displaced population, UNRWA said in a statement that families are seeking refuge wherever possible, including in temporary tents, and called for urgent permission to deliver shelter supplies already in its possession. Despite the formal end of Israeli aggression, which destroyed 92% of Gaza’s residential buildings, the blockade on essential shelter materials — such as tents and caravans — remains. This has forced families to live in unsafe, collapsing structures or deteriorated tents, risking their lives with every rainfall.

Once hailed as a solution to Ethiopia's creeping desertification, a foreign tree is now spreading uncontrollably across the east African nation, threatening fragile ecosystems and the very survival of local communities. Native to Latin America, the prosopis shrub-like tree was first planted in Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region in the 1970s. It has become a nightmare for locals like livestock farmer Khadija Humed. "Because of this plant, we have become poor," she said. **media[381888]** Heat-resistant and fast-growing, prosopis initially promised to curb soil erosion and provide shade to cool the local micro-climate in Afar's arid lowlands. But today it has overrun the region's vast plains — its thorny, drooping branches rising up to 10 metres high. Each tree can draw up to seven litres of water a day through its deep roots, drying out the soil and crippling agriculture. The prosopis also harms livestock, local pastoralists say. **media[381889]** "The plant has turned against us," said Hailu Shiferaw, a researcher at the Ethiopian Water and Land Resources Centre. "No one could have foreseen its harmful effects." In Khadija's village, some 200 kilometres northeast of the capital Addis Ababa, she said the tree's pods make their cows sick, blocking their mouths and stomachs and killing some — losses that have driven the community into deep poverty. "I personally have 10 cows and more than 20 goats and sheep. But before prosopis, people here used to have 50 to 100 cattle," she said. "Everything has changed," said 76-year-old local Yusuf Mohammed, adding that the tree's dense foliage attracted wild animals that attack their livestock. "We never had wild animal attacks before... after prosopis spread, lions, hyenas, wild cats and foxes invaded our villages," Mohammed said. **media[381890]** Its poisonous thorns also injure livestock, leaving them too weak to roam for food, he added. Worldwide, there are some 3,500 invasive species introduced by humans, many of which have damaged local ecosystems. They cost local economies a total of $423bn, according to a 2023 report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services — equivalent to the entire GDP of Denmark. Ketema Bekele, associate professor of environmental economics at Ethiopia's Haramaya University, estimates that prosopis has cost Afar $602mn over the past three decades — nearly four times its annual budget. OUT OF CONTROL Some 20,000 square-kilometres of Afar is now invaded by the plant, which is "out of control" and spreading into Amhara and Oromia, he said. It covered 8.61 % of Ethiopia in 2023, according to the Journal of Environmental Management published last year, up from 2.16 % in 2003, while overall pastureland shrank by more than a quarter. The report said prosopis could occupy 22 % of Ethiopia's 1.1mn square kilometres by 2060. Camels help it spread by eating the pods and excreting them far and wide. CARE International, an NGO, has attempted to stop the spread since 2022 by encouraging locals to harvest the plant. Supported by Danish fund Danida, it also removes the trees to plant fruit orchards. It is controllable, said Mohammed, but more support is needed. "We can't tackle it alone," he said.